The Best Metroidvanias by Console Generation – Charting the History of Gaming’s Most Famous Portmanteau, Part 2

Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow

• Release Date — August 25, 2005
• Publisher — Konami
• Developer — Konami
• Platforms — Nintendo DS

For the Castlevania series’ first foray on Nintendo’s then-new handheld, Konami opted to try and repeat the success of Aria of Sorrow by developing a direct sequel that continues many of its best elements, Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow. Ultimately, the only real knock against Dawn of Sorrow is that it’s essentially “more of the same” of what players got from the series’ final GBA game. But with a foundation as strong as Aria of Sorrow (which, again, has a legitimate claim to being the best game in the series), it’s not surprising that Dawn of Sorrow simply opts to build on what’s already there. The return of the Tactical Soul System and improvements to the visuals and presentation position Dawn of Sorrow as one of the best Castlevania games only slightly outdone by its predecessor.

Mega Man ZX

• Release Date — July 6, 2006
• Publisher — Capcom
• Developer — Inti Creates
• Platforms — Nintendo DS

Capcom and Inti Creates’ Mega Man ZX accomplishes something that Mega Man and Metroidvania fans had dreamed of for years by combining the two, delivering the first true Metroidvania set in the Mega Man universe. While the Mega Man X games do have some subtle Metroidvania elements (backtracking to previous stages, ability-gating, non-linear progression, etc.), Mega Man ZX is the first game in the series to feature an interconnected map, hub area, and emphasis on exploration alongside combat and platforming. While Mega Man ZX does maintain the series’ traditionally no-holds-barred difficulty, it’s a worthwhile entry into the DS’ surprisingly large Metroidvania library that is thankfully available on modern platforms as part of the Mega Man Zero/ZXLegacy Collection.

Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin

• Release Date — November 16, 2006
• Publisher — Konami
• Developer — Konami
• Platforms — Nintendo DS

There are a lot of people who take issue with Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin, and as a longtime Castlevania (and Metroidvania) fan, it’s easy to see why. Like Harmony of Dissonance on the Game Boy Advance, Portrait of Ruin is arguably the weakest game in the trilogy of DS Castlevania titles. Its level design is all over the place, the map feels disjointed, and the two-protagonist system is a novel idea whose execution leaves a bit to be desired. But underneath those legitimate criticisms is a solid action platformer with some incredible boss fights, rewarding exploration, and a surprisingly compelling story that Castlevania fans shouldn’t miss out on. Portrait of Ruin may not be up to snuff when stacked up against Dawn of Sorrow or Order of Ecclesia, but that says more about those games’ quality than it does about Portrait of Ruin‘s slight missteps.

Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia

• Release Date — October 21, 2008
• Publisher — Konami
• Developer — Konami
• Platforms — Nintendo DS

Both the final DS-era Castlevania and the final “Igavania” game before Koji Igarashi left Konami to start his own studio, Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia feels like a game that combines the best elements of the series’ handheld era into one potent package. Before even diving into the brilliant aspects of its gameplay, Order of Ecclesia has some of the best-looking visuals of any DS game, Castlevania or otherwise, and its soundtrack is similarly sublime. The new Glyph system is a subtle variation on the much-loved Tactical Soul System that sees protagonist Shanoa controlling magical apparitions rather than equipping gear and items like a traditional Igavania, and it allows for some interesting customization and buildcraft toward tackling the game’s substantial challenge. Perhaps most importantly, though, Order of Ecclesia lays the foundation for later games like Ender Lilies and Ender Magnolia.

Shadow Complex

• Release Date — August 19, 2009
• Publisher — Microsoft Game Studios
• Developer — Chair Entertainment
• Platforms — PC, Xbox 360

As the sole original Metroidvania on the Xbox 360, Shadow Complex stands out as an important and groundbreaking experience in the genre. Developed by Chair Entertainment, an offshoot of Epic Games, Shadow Complex is noteworthy for being one of the few Metroidvania games developed as a prequel to an existing fiction novel (in this case, Orson Scott Card’s Empire), and its gameplay translates the tried-and-true Metroidvania elements into an impressive 2.5D world with some excellent visuals for its time. Shadow Complex retains a strong reputation among Metroidvania fans for its excellent combat, rewarding exploration, and compelling plot, and it’s an important footnote in the genre’s continued resurgence as one of the first AAA Metroidvanias on a home (read: non-handheld) console since the PlayStation.

Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition

• Release Date — July 2, 2014
• Publisher — DrinkBox Studios
• Developer — DrinkBox Studios
• Platforms — PC, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One

There’s a common perception that Axiom Verge marks the official point of mainstream crossover for the indie Metroidvania scene, but the truth is that DrinkBox Studios’ Guacamelee! beat it to the punch and is arguably a better Metroidvania. Equal parts Metroidvania, beat ’em up, and beautifully designed/animated Saturday morning cartoon, Guacamelee! is a special title that only continues to age gracefully, standing out as one of the best games in the newer crop of modern Metroidvanias despite its early arrival. Today, you can pick up the Super Turbo Championship Editon of Guacamelee! for relatively cheap, and it’s hard to think of a better way to invest your gaming dollars.

Strider

• Release Date — February 18, 2014
• Publisher — Capcom
• Developer — Double Helix Games, Capcom Osaka Studio
• Platforms — PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One

One of the more surprising Metroidvanias from the 8th console generation that often gets left out of the conversation when discussing the “greats” of the genre is Capcom’s 2014 Strider reboot. The original Strider in arcades may have been a standard hack-and-slash action platformer, but its NES port is an honest-to-goodness proto-Metroidvania that holds up incredibly well, and 2014’s Strider feels like a sequel to that NES port rather than a full-blown reboot of the franchise. Strider features an impressively large map, some incredible art design and animation, and some of the most fun combat on offer in the Metroidvania genre, where the only limit to how fast you can attack and take down enemies is how fast you can physically spam the buttons on a controller.

Axiom Verge

• Release Date — March 31, 2015
• Publisher — Thomas Happ Games
• Developer — Thomas Happ Games
• Platforms — PC, PS4, PS Vita, Nintendo Switch, Wii U, Xbox One

There were several early attempts from solo developers to produce an indie Metroidvania paying homage to the classics in the genre, but it wouldn’t be until 2015’s Axiom Verge that we would see one achieve such mainstream recognition and success as a result of its highly-publicized development and runaway Kickstarter success. Truthfully, Axiom Verge helped pave the way for games like Hollow Knight (and many many others) by sourcing its funding from fans hungry for retro-inspired Metroidvania experiences like the ones they grew up on, and in that regard, Axiom Verge delivers in spades. Though most modern Metroidvanias adhere to the “Vania” side of the portmanteau, Axiom Verge clearly traces its inspirations back to Metroid and does a heck of a job replicating that series’ brilliance.

Ori and the Blind Forest

• Release Date — March 11, 2015
• Publisher — Microsoft Studios
• Developer — Moon Studios
• Platforms — PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One

To this day, there’s a sort of stigma surrounding Metroidvanias that the genre tends to place gameplay ahead of the story, but titles like Ori and the Blind Forest do a lot to dispel that notion. The debut game from Moon Studios, Ori and the Blind Forest begins with one of the most emotionally affecting openings to a game and never lets up until its soaring conclusion. Aside from its story, though, Ori and the Blind Forest is a Metroidvania that proves the genre can get by just fine on inventive platforming and exploration, subbing in thrilling, white-knuckle platforming challenges and escape sequences for the traditional combat players have come to expect from the genre. Ori and the Blind Forest is a monumental achievement and an incredibly important Metroidvania only to be outdone by its sequel.

Hollow Knight

• Release Date — February 24, 2017
• Publisher — Team Cherry
• Developer — Team Cherry
• Platforms — PC, PS4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One

Team Cherry’s Hollow Knight might not be the best Metroidvania ever made, but it holds a very strong claim to being one of the most important. Like Axiom Verge before it, Hollow Knight was a smash success on Kickstarter that garnered plenty of fanfare well ahead of its release. But it’s how the game was supported by Team Cherry in the wake of that release that only continued to endear it to fans (through the launch of several free updates and DLC), and its launch window coinciding with the release of the Nintendo Switch was a moment of kismet that rocketed Hollow Knight‘s popularity into the stratosphere.

Aside from Team Cherry’s ability to capture lightning in a bottle with Hollow Knight, though, the game itself is an impeccably designed Metroidvania with some of the best combat and traversal in the genre, a captivating atmosphere that permeates every moment of gameplay, and stunning, hand-drawn art direction that has now been copied and imitated by countless new indie Metroidvania titles. Hollow Knight is arguably the reason that Metroidvanias in the midst of a golden age, and it’s hard to think of a better standard-bearer for the genre.

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night

• Release Date — June 18, 2019
• Publisher — 505 Games, NetEase
• Developer — ArtPlay
• Platforms — Android, iOS, PC, PS4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One

After an incredibly successful Kickstarter and several development delays, Koji Igarashi’s spiritual successor to Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, finally arrived in the summer of 2019. While it doesn’t quite live up to Igarashi’s pedigree, Bloodstained is still a phenomenal Metroidvania that helped to bring back the “Igavania” style of gameplay at a time when most other new genre entries were hoping to follow in Hollow Knight‘s “Soulsvania” footsteps. Bloodstained may feel a little old-school in comparison to other new indie Metroidvanias, but therein lies its greatest charm — recapturing the brilliance of Castlevania games while introducing its own ideas to the table that have since been repeated in other “Igavania”-style titles.

Blasphemous

• Release Date — September 10, 2019
• Publisher — Team17
• Developer — The Game Kitchen
• Platforms — PC, PS4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One

The Game Kitchen’s Blasphemous is, for my money, the first new Metroidvania to release in Hollow Knight‘s wake to almost outdo that pivotal title, wholeheartedly embracing its Dark Souls influence to be a “Soulsvania” that dutifully embodies both halves of its inspirations. Blasphemous‘ setting, art direction, visuals, animation, and soundtrack are all top-notch, drawing players into a twisted version of Andalusian Spain where a strange faith has broken the land, and its gameplay only follows suit as being similarly exceptional. The three main pillars of any great Metroidvania — combat, platforming, and exploration — are each front-and-center in Blasphemous, and it’s one of the few games in the genre that offers worthwhile rewards for fully 100%-completing its map.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps

• Release Date — March 11, 2020
• Publisher — Xbox Game Studios
• Developer — Moon Studios
• Platforms — PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

The sequel to the excellent Ori and the Blind Forest, Ori and the Will of the Wisps outdoes its predecessor by just about every metric. The game’s visuals and art direction are incredibly vibrant, making each new biome pop off the screen and the platforming look just as good as it feels. This time around, there are some combat abilities for players to tinker with, as well as a new “drill” mechanic that was so good it ended up inspiring an entire game (Pepper Grinder). Perhaps most importantly, though, Ori and the Will of the Wisps pushes the envelope for compelling storytelling in a Metroidvania, delivering one of the best narratives in the genre.

Astalon: Tears of the Earth

• Release Date — June 3, 2021
• Publisher — DANGEN Entertainment
• Developer — LABS Works
• Platforms — PC, PS4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One

Despite it retaining an incredibly strong reputation among those who have played it, Astalon remains a bit of an underrated hidden gem in the modern crop of Metroidvania titles. Part of its relative obscurity can likely be attributed to its retro-style visuals and triple-protagonist setup, but those are also two of Astalon‘s biggest selling points. It’s possible to trace a line from Astalon: Tears of the Earth back to the proto-Metroidvania action RPGs on the PC Engine and Japanese home computers, and as both a modern Metroidvania experience and an homage to the classics that inspired the genre, Astalon excels and is an experience that longtime Metroidvania fans shouldn’t miss.

Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights

• Release Date — June 21, 2021
• Publisher — Binary Haze Interactive
• Developer — Live Wire, Adglobe
• Platforms — PC, PS4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Nights takes the general combat setup of Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia and expands it in a myriad of exciting ways while also transporting players into a dream-like fantasy realm with some incredible art direction and an oppressive atmosphere. If any of that makes sense, then you should already know how special Ender Lilies is. Still, the game does start slow and presents players with a largely powerless protagonist. But those who stick with Ender Liliies through its challenging first few hours know all too well how rewarding the game ends up being. Like both Hollow Knight and Blasphemous, Ender Lilies has a legitimate claim to being one of the best modern Metroidvanias.

GRIME

• Release Date — August 2, 2021
• Publisher — Akupara Games
• Developer — Clover Bite
• Platforms — PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

Clover Bite’s GRIME is aptly named because, boy, is this game wonderfully weird. Players take on the role of a living black hole who is mysteriously drawn to a nexus point on the game’s map, and from there you set off on a journey that counts itself as one of the best in the Metroidvania/Soulsvania subgenres. GRIME does feature some platforming, but the true focus is on the game’s excellent combat and truly unique atmosphere, which is at points both unsettling and mystifying. There’s really nothing else out there like GRIME, and that would be enough to recommend it as one of the best games in the genre. Thankfully, it also happens to play as good as it looks.

Death’s Gambit: Afterlife

• Release Date — September 30, 2021
• Publisher — Serenity Forge
• Developer — White Rabbit
• Platforms — PC, PS4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One

The “Cinderella Story” of Death’s Gambit is one of the great redemption arcs in the Metroidvania genre. Upon its initial release, players were mostly disappointed with Death’s Gambit after some promising preview footage, pointing out a litany of bugs and issues with many of the game’s core systems. Rather than abandon the title, White Rabbit went back to the drawing board, found a new publisher, and relaunched the game as Death’s Gambit: Afterlife. As of the Afterlife re-release, Death’s Gambit is an excellent “Soulsvania” with some great build variety, challenging boss fights, and rewarding exploration.

Metroid Dread

• Release Date — October 8, 2021
• Publisher — Nintendo
• Developer — MercurySteam, Nintendo EPD
• Platforms — Nintendo Switch

The reveal of Metroid Dread was a major cause of celebration for fans of the series’ 2D entries, especially after learning that the game would be developed by Metroid: Samus Returns‘ MercurySteam. Those initial reveals proved to be just a small part of the grander tapestry that is Metroid Dread, as the full game fully delivered what fans had been asking for for years: a true sequel to Metroid Fusion and a conclusion to the series chronology. Fittingly, Metroid Dread incorporates surprising horror elements just like Metroid Fusion, and its combat and exploration are on par with the best games in the Metroid series and a poignant reminder of where the term “Metroidvania” gets half of its name from.

Infernax

• Release Date — February 14, 2022
• Publisher — The Arcade Crew
• Developer — Berzerk Studio
• Platforms — PC, PS4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

Berzerk Studio’s Infernax follows in the tradition established by proto-Metroidvanias like Xanadu and Faxandu, only it turns the gore up to “11” and injects plenty of humor into what could’ve otherwise been a dour and self-serious affair. It’s hard to not crack a smile when playing Infernax, especially if you grew up playing the action-adventure games and action RPGs of the 3rd and 4th console generations, and the game’s crass sense of humor and over-the-top violence only adds to its unique place within the Metroidvania genre. As a bonus, Infernax has received plenty of updates since its launch and is now in its best, most feature-rich state yet.

Afterimage

• Release Date — April 25, 2023
• Publisher — Maximum Entertainment
• Developer — Aurogon Shanghai
• Platforms — PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

For most Metroidvania fans, Afterimage represents the full package of what we want from the genre. It’s a beautiful game with some stunning art direction that also fully delivers on the genre’s three core pillars. While its story does get a little needlessly confusing and unfortunately touts itself as one of the game’s highlights (where, in truth, it’s actually one of Afterimage‘s weaker aspects), the visuals and gameplay carry Afterimage over the finish line to be one of the best newer games in the genre.

Laika: Aged Through Blood

• Release Date — October 19, 2023
• Publisher — Headup Games
• Developer — Brainwash Gang
• Platforms — PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

A self-described “Motovania”, Laika: Aged Through Blood is what you would get if you crossed a traditional Metroidvania with the Trials series of motorcycle physics games. That combination plays much better than it sounds, and it also allows Laika‘s level designs, platforming challenges, and combat to stand out from just about every other game in the genre. But Laika delivers a lot more than just unique gameplay. The story, writing, and soundtrack pull you into Laika‘s world and make it nearly impossible to not care about the characters you meet, and the game’s grim world is brought to life with some stunning hand-drawn art.

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown

• Release Date — January 18, 2024
• Publisher — Ubisoft
• Developer — Ubisoft Montpellier
• Platforms — PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

The first great AAA Metroidvania since Metroid Dread, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown was one of 2024’s early game of the year contenders. In fact, were it not for the next game on our list, Prince of Persia would be the greatest Metroidvania of 2024. Still, The Lost Crown does everything that both a great Metroidvania and a great Prince of Persia game should do. While the combat and exploration are both excellent, it’s The Lost Crown‘s fluid platforming and traversal that set it head-and-shoulders above competitors. Few games feel as good as Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown does, even if you’re just going from “Point A” to “Point B”.

Nine Sols

• Release Date — May 29, 2024
• Publisher — Red Candle Games
• Developer — Red Candle Games
• Platforms — PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

When I played Hollow Knight for the first time, completing all DLC and unlocking the “true” final boss, I was overcome with a realization: though Super Metroid will probably always be my “favorite” Metroidvania, Hollow Knight might be the best game in the genre. After Hollow Knight, not a single game in the genre struck me as being as poignant or pivotal. Until I played Nine Sols, that is.

Nine Sols is nothing short of a masterpiece; an example of how to craft a compelling Metroidvania that fully nails all of the genre’s core elements while also delivering a poignant, heart-wrenching narrative that will stick with you long after the credits roll. Aside from its excellent gameplay and story, Nine Sols has some sterling art direction, visuals, and animation, and its soundtrack is similarly beautiful, especially in some of its more ambient and atmospheric moments. Nine Sols may be hard, with a challenge on par with Sekiro, but it’s a special kind of game that we only get so often and a strong contender for the best Metroidvania of all time.