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I'm kind of surprised to not see Ori 1 or 2 at all, they're quite good and tend to be some of the most recommended. Personally I would also have added Momodora Revery under the moonlight, the game is a bit simple but IMO that's part of its appeal: it's a really easy game to play, replay, and rereplay.
Just recently finished Blasphemous 2, and honestly it improved on just about everything from the first game. The combat is *incredibly* satisfying, I really love how fast the pacing is. Can't recommend enough.
Astalon is my favorite Metroidvania. Something to note is that there's a new game plus, boss rush mode, and additional modes where you can play as two of the major baddies.
Sword of the Vagrant is only $10 for PS4 and those graphics are gorgeous! I’ll be picking it up. I adore this channel. You guys play games I play. As soon as I saw the title of this video I was hoping to find new games to play and I was not disappointed. Big Ups to everyone who works on this channel!
I knew all the games except 2. Astalon and the vagrant. Knew about deaths gambit but I got 3 games to add to the list!! Glad I found this channel we seem to share same intrest in games
Metroidvania style games are my favorite type of game, I completely agree with the list, and seeing Blasphemous 2 as #1 is awesome because I love that game as well.
You made me buy Sword of the Vagrant. Never ever heard of that game before today and I'm an avid MetroidVania player. It was hard to find on steam because it is called The Vagrant for some obscure reasons there.
glad to see ender lilies in the top ranks. i actually bought the game because the soundtrack was made my one of my favorites artists, mili. but after playing it, i completely fell in love with it and it's now one of my favorites.
Having played 5 of these and seeing a few i wanna play now like timespinner.. Ender Lilies is a great game, def. Recommended to anyone that loves this genre👍
I'm going to give MVs a shot. Testing out your recommendations with Vagrant first, and I've got Salt and Sanctuary to retry since it's been on my backlog for over a year. Didn't realize I had a MV already in my library. Thanks for the list 👌🏾 Now if only Nintendo would be so kind as to put Metroid Dread on Steam 😁
@@BunkyFamba Thank you for the eloquent response. Your words have made me see the game in a new light and I feel like I have truly learned something today that I never would have discovered without your insight.
My recommendations would be The Messenger and Outland. The mechanics and level design of The Messenger are so incredibly tight, so while it is on the difficult side, I absolutely loved it. Outland starts out a little boring, but once it ramps up a bit, it feels very good to play; the main gimmick is that it combines the genre with Ikaruga-style color swapping, and they work very well together.
I'm not in favor of gatekeeping what is and isn't a metroidvania, but The Vagrant definitely isn't one. Mostly a good list, except I didn't really think either of the top two were that great. Hollow Knight is the GOAT. My top unmentioned game is Afterimage.
As much as i love all of these games, the best metroidvania i've played is still Iconoclasts. It's just perfect. Also i think Salt and Sanctuary deserves a spot on this list.
Where is Vigil: The Longest Night, Salt and Sanctuary, Dead Cells, Sundered, Moonscars, Dex and Tower Hunter? Timespinner looks like an interesting concept. Thanks for showing me that one!
Dead Cells, Sundered, and Tower Hunter would fall more into the roguevania category and I would like to make a video on that genre in the future. I recently featured Vigil, Dex, and Frontier Hunter, the metroidvania sequel to Tower Hunter, in lists of metroidvanias that deserve more attention and I also plan on covering Salt and Sanctuary in an upcoming video.
It's semi open world (you only get access to the full map in the intermissions between story chapters) but Astlibra Revision has got to be one of the most fun games I've played in years. It's insane it was made by one guy. I hope he can make something as amazing again some day.
I've heard a lot of great things about Astilbra and it definitely looks like something that would be right up my alley. Now that is has been ported to the Nintendo Switch, I'm just waiting to see if it gets a physical release so I don't end up having to purchase the game twice. 😆
Every single one of these games deserves to be here and at least worth a try. I would also advise a metroidvania called Afterimage, though it got review bombed and unfair treatment i had a blast playing that game and the exploration is MASSIVE. Also a classic 10yr old metroidvania called Valdis Story is definitely worth a look
Afterimage is indeed a great game and I also included Valdis Story on a recent list of lesser-known metroidvanias that deserve more attention about a month ago that you can find in the IDOIG video list here on UA-cam. Thank you for showing some love for these two gems that definitely deserve it!
Record of Lodoss war is a good game but IMO it felt like a downgrade compared to the team's previous game. The elements system especially, it plays somewhat similarly to Luna Night's time system but doesn't control as well, is less impactful, and less fun.
Iconoclasts and Owlboy are games that have a fantastic visual presentation but everything else is not up to par unfortunately. They are decent games but definitely part of the great ones. It reminds me of other games that have terrific visuals but didn't fulfill their potential like Eastward, Sea of Stars and ANNO: Mutationem. Record of Lodoss is a good game for sure but in my opinion is not near the best metroidvanias available.
Infernax and Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth are both worthy of being on this list and were in consideration for it. The task of making a top 20 list would have been much easier than making a top 10 because I had to leave out a lot of great games. If I make a list of 10 more essential metroidvanias, they will definitely be on there.
Those are both great games that need more love and I included Vigil at the top of a list of lesser-known metroidvanias that need more attention about a month ago on IDOIG. You can find the video in our video list on UA-cam if you are interested in viewing it.
Great video. Decent list... although number 1 for me is good but a bit overrated. I know you could probably do a "Top 100" list with the slew of metroidvanias recently but ive only recently found a new favourite myself actually and haven't really seen many talking about it... Which seems criminal to me but "Blast Brigade vs the Evil Legion of Dr Cread" is awesome. Gorgeous "Saturday morning cartoon visuals" , goofy sense of humour, decent size map to explore and pretty challenging too all combine to make it a must play too.
Haha, Bloodstained is my favorite of this genre. I already have Timespinner and the Last Faith on my wishlist. I already own Sword of the Vagrant but didn't start it yet. Thanks for the other ones. Btw Ender Lilies is free this month on Ps+
You pulled me in with a bunch of game footage from games I've never seen. I've heard of all the game on the list, where can I find out what the beginning games were?
Well you clearly have a HARD preference for the Metroidvanias with RPG elements. Related, the lack of Guacamelee! on this list is a travesty. It has some of the best combat I’ve ever had the pleasure of engaging with, and the way all of the combat moves are also platforming skills for traversal is just SO well done.
I loved Vigil the longest night. But it is a really difficult game. Nowadays I'm more on to playing other 2D pixel art games like Gravity Circuit, Prison City, Bloodstained curse of the moon, Double Dragon Gaiden, TMNT shredder's revenge etc...but also playing The Last Faith and Blasphemous 2.
@@aloksinghbbkVigil is quite difficult, but I love it as well and think it is well worth the effort to play it all the way through. I still have yet to play Gravity Circuit and Double Dragon Gaiden, but I love Blasphemous 2, The Last Faith, the Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon games, Prison City, and Shredder's Revenge. It seems you've been playing a lot of great games lately. 👍
@@ophidianmind333 Yes. Also played Cyber Shadow, Steel Assault, panzer Paladin, the messenger, Touhou luna nights, Hunt down etc and... These all are great gems.
Afterimage is an excellent Metroidvania-ARPG. Has probably the largest world of any Metroidvania with rewarding exploration. Astlibra is also great, but I'm not sure it's a Metroidvania, but it's similar to The Vagrant which is on the list (more heavy on side scroller ARPG and lighter on Metroidvania).
I'm also a huge fan of Afterimage and Astlibra looks great. Now that Astlibra has come to the Switch, I'm waiting to see if there will be a physical release so I won't end up having to purchase the game twice if I want a copy. It seems to have an enthusiastic fanbase and I look forward to giving it a try.
I need to check out Hollow Knight one of these days. And the Touhou Luna Nights game. I have played all the others, and generally liked them... Except TimeSpinner. The game play was fine, and the exploration was fine, but the story and the NPCs... Every time I had to speak to one of them to progress or recieve a quest, or any time a story cutscene would start, it inmediately tanked my desire to play the game to zero. As a result, it was the only metroidvania I have ever played that was a legitimate slog to get through.
Blasphemous 2 was great, the movement & game play was improved so much....but I liked 1 better. I'm a casual gamer (weekends only) and I loved how difficult Blasphemous 1 was. I enjoyed instant spike deaths 🤷♂️
That game would be Skautfold: Usurper. It's a great game and I covered it on a list of lesser-known metroidvanias not long ago if you would like to know more about it. It is also getting a physical release soon if you are interested. You can pre-order it on PS5 or Switch right now from Video Games Plus.
To everyone out there who comes to these lists and complain about this game should be number one or why isn't this game on the list? How could you rank that game so high, remember these lists are subjective. They aren't based on stuff like a metacritic score.
As a Metroidvania fan, I’ve never been more frustrated not to enjoy a game as I have Hollow Knight. It’s *good* of course - good enough that I completed it - but I just don’t understand why it’s seen as such a holy grail. I also dislike how it’s created a whole legion of pretenders trying to steal its crown and making the genre just feel more homogenised than ever. Some day I’ll get it but until then, Blasphemous, Rabi Ribi and Mindseize will all be better in my eyes.
It's really one of, if not THE most overrated title in existence. And it also has a rabid and toxic fanbase that will acuse games of ripping off or stealing. Even if the similarities are a stretch
From time to time i still try to finish it, i wish it had a regular style metroidvania map(or at least an option for people there wants it) instead of having to buy multiple maps and have to find that person. I get so lost all the time
@@d00mnoodle24it’s not even remotely overrated I’m not even that much of a fan boy but team Cherry knocked every single aspect of that game out of the park on the first try. Distinct art style? Check. Incredible orchestrated score? Check. Intriguing obtuse lore? Check. Amazing huge interconnected map as good as dark souls 1 That allows for individual discovery as well as stumbling upon surprising connections as it weaves back in on itself? Check. Outstanding level design? Check. Superior and varied boss design? Check. A perfect mix of cute charming and yet horrific crawling unknowns? Check. All established in their own style with their own IP with the best sound design of any game in the past 10 years. What exactly about hollow knight is overrated? I notice you don’t back that up with any actual examples of anything. So no you’re just wrong. The other games invention are perfectly fine but Hollow knight is the best metroidvania ever made And it’s not even close
@@StewNWT you speak of all this as if it it's facts while it is opinion. So i'll refute with my opinion, in the end both leaving us with equally correct opinions on the game. However for sound design i hard disagree, you clearly haven't played INSIDE, Subnautica, SOMA, cocoon or any fromsoft title if you think that HK has the best sound design. If anything the character voices (such as that collector or dung beetle) are highly annoying and silly. In terms of art style, yes it's distinct but there's again many games that look better. Ori for example simply looks stunning. Or for a more recent example afterimage. Same goes for soundtrack. Ori or any fromsoft title has beter music IMO. In terms of story i think there's again many games that did story better. Blasphemous especially blew my mind with how intricate and deep the lore is. As for level design i think most of it is alright. Ori's levels are more platforming focused and have some puzzles so there's more variety. Celeste even though it's more linear also has better level design and so did blasphemous imo. The combat is basic but well executed but there's games with more fun combat. Ender lillies for example has a super unique and fun combat system. And games like dark devotion of grime have better bosses than HK imo. So in the end the reason i call it overrated is because everyone acts like it did every aspect the best. Which i just think is a stretch. You can like the sum of its parts a lot making it your favorite mv but dragging other MV's down constantly is just petty. HK did not invent any new mechanics other than maybe pogoing. So if the fans then accuse other games of being a copy they should do the same for TC
I’m sure it’s a great game. But every time I tried to play it, I just got bored and ended up dropping it. It just never really “hooked” me like other metroidvania games. I think it because I’m just not a huge fan of the aesthetic🤷♂️
So no symphony of the night… not only is the goat imo but to this day it hasn’t been replicated, the game released almost 25 years ago and still holds up to a lot of modern mvs.
This is an indie games channel so only indie metroidvanias would qualify for this list. Symphony of the Night is one of the greatest games of all time and fans of the genre are already aware of that. The list here is for the great games in the style from the indie scene.
Finally a metroidvania rank that doesnt put Hollow knight in top 1. Dont get me wrong, its an almost perfect game, but I'm tired of people using it to measure other metroidvanias. Some try to inovate by micing genres and people dont like them because they're not "hollow knight)
People will have different opinions on games and that is okay but The Vagrant does has a small but passionate fanbase around it and I find it to be an excellent game.
@@IDreamofIndie You can't make a video called MV's you have to play before you die and then not include the literal best one. Ori is what got me into metroidvania's, which is now my favorite genre. But other than maybe blasphemous none of them have brought me as much joy as Ori. It's simply an indisputable masterpiece and in my opinion the greatest game ever made. I even bought two displates for Christmas, one of blind forest DE cover art and one for will of the wisps
The Ori games are great and that is part of the difficulty of narrowing a list down to 10 games. There are enough wonderful games in the metroidvania genre that there are more than 10 games belonging in the top tier of quality and another list of essential metroidvanias has a good possibility of happening in the future.
Are you saying that you just don't like the Switch ports of those games? Both of those are available digitally and physically on the Switch and there are even multiple physical Switch releases of Ender Lilies that came out in different regions.
@@IDreamofIndie if you are going to make a top 10 Metroidvania games to play before you die and there is no SOTN or Metroid game is like what. I dont need to play the games that gave birth to the genere?. The name of the video should be diferent like "Top Ten Indie Metroidvania games to play before you die".
I'm very sorry but the theme and spirit of this channel is in covering indie releases. While we appreciate you checking out the video this might not be the place for you if you are interested in coverage of AAA games.
@@IDreamofIndie i fact i love Indie games im playing the last faith right now xD. My point is that you could add the word "indie" before "Metroidvania" in the title and problem fix.
Ok so other than not including the amazing Ori masterpieces, there's some other recommendations i have. There's many other great titles such as Haiku the robot, Afterimage, FIST forged in shadow torch, Carrion, Grime, Islets, Moonscars, Ghost song, Kingdom shell, Curse of the sea rats, Last case of benedict fox, Itorah, Dark devotion, 8doors arum's afterlife, Sheepo, Haak, Vigil the longest night, The darkest tales and Imp of the sun. As for the titles on this list i would skip all the 8 bit stuff, too retro for me. Although the messenger is worthwhile in this style. The anime ones i hate, especially because they oversexualize the female characters. Momodora and lost ruins are the worst of the worst in this regard. But vagrant is also despicably sexualized. What i am glad to see though is hollow knight not on the top spot, i think it deserves a spot in top 10 lists but not top 3 like it is EVERY DAMN TIME. Death's gambit, deserves a spot too although not that high. The visuals music and voice acting are superb but the level design is really weak. Ender lillies is also a bit overrated because of weak level design and spongey bosses. Last faith and blasphemous are very deserved. Bloodstained isn't though, i could never get into it, it also looks REALLY ugly. Not a good example of 2.5D, unlike metroid dread
Would you be willing to elaborate and make a case for why you think that game absolutely sucks? That could be helpful for other viewers who might have similar taste and temperament to you as a gamer to know why they probably wouldn't enjoy that game. We welcome disagreement here, but would prefer that you word it in a way that is useful to a discussion on games so that it can be helpful and educational to others who read these comments. Also, many of the games of the list are very different from one another, so you might benefit from looking more into them before dismissing them all. Just because you don't like one of the games on the list doesn't mean that you will dislike all of them because they are not the same game nor are they clones of each other.
Even if you are not thankful for the video, I will still thank you for watching the video and leaving a comment. Such activities count as engagement and help our channel in the UA-cam algorithm.
What do you mean by "generic boring trash"? Please explain the criteria for this label and give some examples of games that you think would better fit the list as their replacements. That will be helpful for me to fully understand your statement.
@@OHikccThank you for your response. Now that we're narrowing things down, Blasphemous and The Last Faith do have some similarities in gameplay and could be considered souls-like metroidvanias along with Salt and Sanctuary. What is it that Salt and Sanctuary does well that you don't find in games like Blasphemous and The Last Faith?
If you scroll the comments a bit someone else asked this and I dropped the link to the video with all of them! Sorry I am on mobile and don't have the link handy!
Will you be checking out any of these indies? Let us know in the comments below! Support independent content at patreon.com/idreamofindiegames to gain Discord access, early ad free shows, shout-outs at the end of videos and more! Your community is waiting.
I'm kind of surprised to not see Ori 1 or 2 at all, they're quite good and tend to be some of the most recommended.
Personally I would also have added Momodora Revery under the moonlight, the game is a bit simple but IMO that's part of its appeal: it's a really easy game to play, replay, and rereplay.
No Guacamelee either, both of those games are wonderful.
Ori, Castlevania, Metroid are not Indies. I think that is why they didn’t make the list.
Not actually an indie game
Just recently finished Blasphemous 2, and honestly it improved on just about everything from the first game. The combat is *incredibly* satisfying, I really love how fast the pacing is. Can't recommend enough.
Glad you liked it!
Solid list. Loving the Ender Lilies love.
You sold me when you started with Timespinners. You know your stuff lol, subbed.
Welcome aboard!
Astalon is my favorite Metroidvania. Something to note is that there's a new game plus, boss rush mode, and additional modes where you can play as two of the major baddies.
I loved Ender Lilies! Big thanks for putting that on here!
No problem!
Ender Lilies is one of the best and definitely deserves to be on here. It's always great to see more appreciation for that wonderful game!
Sword of the Vagrant is only $10 for PS4 and those graphics are gorgeous! I’ll be picking it up.
I adore this channel. You guys play games I play. As soon as I saw the title of this video I was hoping to find new games to play and I was not disappointed. Big Ups to everyone who works on this channel!
We appreciate the kind words :)
Awesome list
I knew all the games except 2. Astalon and the vagrant. Knew about deaths gambit but I got 3 games to add to the list!! Glad I found this channel we seem to share same intrest in games
Which games would you add to the list?
Metroidvania style games are my favorite type of game, I completely agree with the list, and seeing Blasphemous 2 as #1 is awesome because I love that game as well.
You made me buy Sword of the Vagrant. Never ever heard of that game before today and I'm an avid MetroidVania player. It was hard to find on steam because it is called The Vagrant for some obscure reasons there.
Happy to help enjoy it!!
You are right about Hollow Knight. That game is the reason why I want to try other metroidvanias I can take a gander on.
Im still yet to play The Last Faith and Blasphemous 2! Also looking into others that are less known like Elderand and Moonscars
Hope you enjoy them whenever you play!
glad to see ender lilies in the top ranks. i actually bought the game because the soundtrack was made my one of my favorites artists, mili. but after playing it, i completely fell in love with it and it's now one of my favorites.
Glad you like it!
I love everything about Ender Lilies and I'm always glad to find others that appreciate it.
_Games you have to play before you die_
Tfw when you realize you have a longer backlog than remaining life span.
Having played 5 of these and seeing a few i wanna play now like timespinner.. Ender Lilies is a great game, def. Recommended to anyone that loves this genre👍
Thank you for sharing a comment!
I'm going to give MVs a shot. Testing out your recommendations with Vagrant first, and I've got Salt and Sanctuary to retry since it's been on my backlog for over a year. Didn't realize I had a MV already in my library. Thanks for the list 👌🏾 Now if only Nintendo would be so kind as to put Metroid Dread on Steam 😁
I love seeing Death's Gambit get some attention. It didnt get nearly enough credit!
I agree. I consider it to be one of the best in both metroidvanias and 2D souls-likes and it deserves more praise than it gets.
Thank you!!
@@BunkyFamba Thank you for the eloquent response. Your words have made me see the game in a new light and I feel like I have truly learned something today that I never would have discovered without your insight.
My recommendations would be The Messenger and Outland. The mechanics and level design of The Messenger are so incredibly tight, so while it is on the difficult side, I absolutely loved it. Outland starts out a little boring, but once it ramps up a bit, it feels very good to play; the main gimmick is that it combines the genre with Ikaruga-style color swapping, and they work very well together.
Thanks for sharing!
Immaculate list of call outs
I'm not in favor of gatekeeping what is and isn't a metroidvania, but The Vagrant definitely isn't one.
Mostly a good list, except I didn't really think either of the top two were that great. Hollow Knight is the GOAT. My top unmentioned game is Afterimage.
As much as i love all of these games, the best metroidvania i've played is still Iconoclasts. It's just perfect. Also i think Salt and Sanctuary deserves a spot on this list.
Salt and sanctuary is an underrated gem 👌
Where is Vigil: The Longest Night, Salt and Sanctuary, Dead Cells, Sundered, Moonscars, Dex and Tower Hunter?
Timespinner looks like an interesting concept. Thanks for showing me that one!
We will have more lists (and already have some!) Featuring those games in the future!
Dead Cells, Sundered, and Tower Hunter would fall more into the roguevania category and I would like to make a video on that genre in the future. I recently featured Vigil, Dex, and Frontier Hunter, the metroidvania sequel to Tower Hunter, in lists of metroidvanias that deserve more attention and I also plan on covering Salt and Sanctuary in an upcoming video.
I got about half of these in my collection and they are f'n awesome
Thank you for sharing a comment!
It's semi open world (you only get access to the full map in the intermissions between story chapters) but Astlibra Revision has got to be one of the most fun games I've played in years. It's insane it was made by one guy. I hope he can make something as amazing again some day.
Awesome! Enjoy!
I've heard a lot of great things about Astilbra and it definitely looks like something that would be right up my alley. Now that is has been ported to the Nintendo Switch, I'm just waiting to see if it gets a physical release so I don't end up having to purchase the game twice. 😆
Every single one of these games deserves to be here and at least worth a try. I would also advise a metroidvania called Afterimage, though it got review bombed and unfair treatment i had a blast playing that game and the exploration is MASSIVE. Also a classic 10yr old metroidvania called Valdis Story is definitely worth a look
Awesome suggestions!
Afterimage is indeed a great game and I also included Valdis Story on a recent list of lesser-known metroidvanias that deserve more attention about a month ago that you can find in the IDOIG video list here on UA-cam. Thank you for showing some love for these two gems that definitely deserve it!
Infernax, Record of Lodoss War, Elderand, Iconoclasts and Owlboy are some great ones as well, but nice list!
Great suggestions!!
Record of Lodoss war is a good game but IMO it felt like a downgrade compared to the team's previous game.
The elements system especially, it plays somewhat similarly to Luna Night's time system but doesn't control as well, is less impactful, and less fun.
Iconoclasts and Owlboy are games that have a fantastic visual presentation but everything else is not up to par unfortunately. They are decent games but definitely part of the great ones. It reminds me of other games that have terrific visuals but didn't fulfill their potential like Eastward, Sea of Stars and ANNO: Mutationem. Record of Lodoss is a good game for sure but in my opinion is not near the best metroidvanias available.
Infernax and Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth are both worthy of being on this list and were in consideration for it. The task of making a top 20 list would have been much easier than making a top 10 because I had to leave out a lot of great games. If I make a list of 10 more essential metroidvanias, they will definitely be on there.
Infernax was a blast!
Sundered was a metroidvania I really enjoyed. Vigil The Longest Night was good as well.
Those are both great games that need more love and I included Vigil at the top of a list of lesser-known metroidvanias that need more attention about a month ago on IDOIG. You can find the video in our video list on UA-cam if you are interested in viewing it.
I highly recommend trying out: the messenger
That one is also a classic, great recommendation!
Great video. Decent list... although number 1 for me is good but a bit overrated.
I know you could probably do a "Top 100" list with the slew of metroidvanias recently but ive only recently found a new favourite myself actually and haven't really seen many talking about it... Which seems criminal to me but "Blast Brigade vs the Evil Legion of Dr Cread" is awesome.
Gorgeous "Saturday morning cartoon visuals" , goofy sense of humour, decent size map to explore and pretty challenging too all combine to make it a must play too.
So glad you enjoyed the video and thank you for the suggestion!
Make a top-down games list, like crosscode, its not that well known but has a following and is best game in the genre gameplay and performance wise
That's a great game!
I love Crosscode and I do plan on featuring it in a future video discussing indie action RPGs.
Haha, Bloodstained is my favorite of this genre.
I already have Timespinner and the Last Faith on my wishlist. I already own Sword of the Vagrant but didn't start it yet. Thanks for the other ones. Btw Ender Lilies is free this month on Ps+
You pulled me in with a bunch of game footage from games I've never seen. I've heard of all the game on the list, where can I find out what the beginning games were?
Yeah sure! Here is a link to our video about them! ua-cam.com/video/Z_DB6LvQXdY/v-deo.htmlsi=GwpUpgfDrvbEcz5k
Definitely want to try Sword of the Vagrant, i love Odin Sphere.
Btw is Blasphemous 2 very hard? I kinda gave up on the first one
It's pretty challenging but the consensus seems to be it is a little bit easier than the original
I recently beat Tevi. Great game, especially if you're a fan of Rabi-Ribi.
Have heard it is quite good!
I enjoy Rabi-Ribi and I look forward to playing Tevi. Thank you for the suggestion.
Well you clearly have a HARD preference for the Metroidvanias with RPG elements.
Related, the lack of Guacamelee! on this list is a travesty. It has some of the best combat I’ve ever had the pleasure of engaging with, and the way all of the combat moves are also platforming skills for traversal is just SO well done.
Nice list. However i would put deaths gambit in my number one no doubt. Last faith second and blasphemous 1 and 2 in third
Glad you enjoyed the list we appreciate you watching!
Hollow Knight and Astalon are my favorites.
Great choices!
Both are truly excellent games, nice choices!
Iconoclast was really cool too :)
Dark Devotion and Vigil are two of my favs.
Awesome shout-outs thanks!
Those are both great games! I recently chose Vigil as my top pick on a list of metroidvanias that deserve more attention.
I loved Vigil the longest night. But it is a really difficult game.
Nowadays I'm more on to playing other 2D pixel art games like Gravity Circuit, Prison City, Bloodstained curse of the moon, Double Dragon Gaiden, TMNT shredder's revenge etc...but also playing The Last Faith and Blasphemous 2.
@@aloksinghbbkVigil is quite difficult, but I love it as well and think it is well worth the effort to play it all the way through. I still have yet to play Gravity Circuit and Double Dragon Gaiden, but I love Blasphemous 2, The Last Faith, the Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon games, Prison City, and Shredder's Revenge. It seems you've been playing a lot of great games lately. 👍
@@ophidianmind333 Yes. Also played Cyber Shadow, Steel Assault, panzer Paladin, the messenger, Touhou luna nights, Hunt down etc and... These all are great gems.
1. Hollow Knight, 2. Ender Lillies, 3. Tales of Iron
Nice top 3!
i add to this Aeterna noctis, is a massive metroidvania . but super solid list right here
Thank you!
That is another great metroidvania and I will likely be covering it in a future list. Thanks for mentioning it!
I really loved Steamworld dig 2, Owl Boy, and Guacamelee 1 and 2. Also the Ori games though they’re not indie.
Ghost Song?
That is an excellent game! If I make another list of essential indie metroidvanias, it will definitely be on it.
Afterimage is an excellent Metroidvania-ARPG. Has probably the largest world of any Metroidvania with rewarding exploration. Astlibra is also great, but I'm not sure it's a Metroidvania, but it's similar to The Vagrant which is on the list (more heavy on side scroller ARPG and lighter on Metroidvania).
I'm also a huge fan of Afterimage and Astlibra looks great. Now that Astlibra has come to the Switch, I'm waiting to see if there will be a physical release so I won't end up having to purchase the game twice if I want a copy. It seems to have an enthusiastic fanbase and I look forward to giving it a try.
What about F.I.S.T . fordged in shadow torch? I am loving this game so far.
I need to check out Hollow Knight one of these days. And the Touhou Luna Nights game. I have played all the others, and generally liked them... Except TimeSpinner. The game play was fine, and the exploration was fine, but the story and the NPCs... Every time I had to speak to one of them to progress or recieve a quest, or any time a story cutscene would start, it inmediately tanked my desire to play the game to zero. As a result, it was the only metroidvania I have ever played that was a legitimate slog to get through.
The last faith is so underrated imo.
I would add salt and sanctuary, it is literally a dark souls in 2d and it is awsome.
I'm also a big fan of Salt and Sanctuary and I will be showing it a lot of love in a new video that should come out within the next few days.
What the name of this game 00:14
If you like Hollow Knight, try Afterimage. It's very similar, but more player-friendly and less depressing.
Blasphemous 1 n 2 and timespinner nuff said
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Where’s Ghost Song?
Maybe on another list soon!
Finally. I found a list that puts Blasphemous (2) over Hollow Knight. Well deserved. Hollow Knight is so overrated.
Blasphemous 2 was great, the movement & game play was improved so much....but I liked 1 better. I'm a casual gamer (weekends only) and I loved how difficult Blasphemous 1 was. I enjoyed instant spike deaths 🤷♂️
Awesome! Enjoy!
I am more interested in the games you show at the opening of your video , can someone please tell me the names of the games?
Sure! If you scroll the comments a few people have asked this and I included a link to a video that highlights all those games!
Timespinner will blindside you a good amount into the game and go full ESG/troon lunatic. Avoid it.
Thank you for sharing a comment!
The first Blasphemous is better than his sequel
My question is What’s the game name at 16 seconds if anyone knows, please let me know
That game would be Skautfold: Usurper. It's a great game and I covered it on a list of lesser-known metroidvanias not long ago if you would like to know more about it. It is also getting a physical release soon if you are interested. You can pre-order it on PS5 or Switch right now from Video Games Plus.
Game at 00:12?
That would be MindSeize, which was mentioned on a list of lesser-known metroidvanias I made not long ago.
All great titles., Missing Aeterna Noctis to beat them all !
Thank you!
I actually prefer The last faith over Blasphemous 2.
To everyone out there who comes to these lists and complain about this game should be number one or why isn't this game on the list? How could you rank that game so high, remember these lists are subjective. They aren't based on stuff like a metacritic score.
As a Metroidvania fan, I’ve never been more frustrated not to enjoy a game as I have Hollow Knight. It’s *good* of course - good enough that I completed it - but I just don’t understand why it’s seen as such a holy grail. I also dislike how it’s created a whole legion of pretenders trying to steal its crown and making the genre just feel more homogenised than ever. Some day I’ll get it but until then, Blasphemous, Rabi Ribi and Mindseize will all be better in my eyes.
It's really one of, if not THE most overrated title in existence. And it also has a rabid and toxic fanbase that will acuse games of ripping off or stealing. Even if the similarities are a stretch
Blasphemous 2 is superior
From time to time i still try to finish it, i wish it had a regular style metroidvania map(or at least an option for people there wants it) instead of having to buy multiple maps and have to find that person. I get so lost all the time
@@d00mnoodle24it’s not even remotely overrated
I’m not even that much of a fan boy but team Cherry knocked every single aspect of that game out of the park on the first try. Distinct art style? Check. Incredible orchestrated score? Check. Intriguing obtuse lore? Check. Amazing huge interconnected map as good as dark souls 1 That allows for individual discovery as well as stumbling upon surprising connections as it weaves back in on itself? Check. Outstanding level design? Check. Superior and varied boss design? Check. A perfect mix of cute charming and yet horrific crawling unknowns? Check. All established in their own style with their own IP with the best sound design of any game in the past 10 years.
What exactly about hollow knight is overrated? I notice you don’t back that up with any actual examples of anything. So no you’re just wrong. The other games invention are perfectly fine but Hollow knight is the best metroidvania ever made And it’s not even close
@@StewNWT you speak of all this as if it it's facts while it is opinion. So i'll refute with my opinion, in the end both leaving us with equally correct opinions on the game.
However for sound design i hard disagree, you clearly haven't played INSIDE, Subnautica, SOMA, cocoon or any fromsoft title if you think that HK has the best sound design. If anything the character voices (such as that collector or dung beetle) are highly annoying and silly.
In terms of art style, yes it's distinct but there's again many games that look better. Ori for example simply looks stunning. Or for a more recent example afterimage. Same goes for soundtrack. Ori or any fromsoft title has beter music IMO.
In terms of story i think there's again many games that did story better. Blasphemous especially blew my mind with how intricate and deep the lore is.
As for level design i think most of it is alright. Ori's levels are more platforming focused and have some puzzles so there's more variety. Celeste even though it's more linear also has better level design and so did blasphemous imo.
The combat is basic but well executed but there's games with more fun combat. Ender lillies for example has a super unique and fun combat system. And games like dark devotion of grime have better bosses than HK imo.
So in the end the reason i call it overrated is because everyone acts like it did every aspect the best. Which i just think is a stretch. You can like the sum of its parts a lot making it your favorite mv but dragging other MV's down constantly is just petty. HK did not invent any new mechanics other than maybe pogoing. So if the fans then accuse other games of being a copy they should do the same for TC
So many list of Metroidvania's and still not one of the best of them all "Batbarian testament of the primordials" 🤔
Thank you for sharing a comment!
That is a good choice and it may be featured on an upcoming list because I think that game deserves more attention as well.
@@ophidianmind333 Indeed my dude, and don't forget that awesome soundtrack 😍
Last faith is great
👇People who think Hollow Knight deserves the top 1
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this!
EVERYONE KNOWS HOLLOW KNIGHT, IT DOESN'T NEED TO BE ON LISTS ANYMORE.
Fuck no
I’m sure it’s a great game.
But every time I tried to play it, I just got bored and ended up dropping it.
It just never really “hooked” me like other metroidvania games.
I think it because I’m just not a huge fan of the aesthetic🤷♂️
Why are you like begging bro i hate when that happens
Axiom Verge!!!!!!
Great game!
That is another one of the greats!
So no symphony of the night… not only is the goat imo but to this day it hasn’t been replicated, the game released almost 25 years ago and still holds up to a lot of modern mvs.
This is an indie games channel so only indie metroidvanias would qualify for this list. Symphony of the Night is one of the greatest games of all time and fans of the genre are already aware of that. The list here is for the great games in the style from the indie scene.
@@ophidianmind333 damn you’re right, i forgot it was developed by Konami back in the day, still a pretty good list!
Every list needs to ha e Aquaria on there somewhere.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
metroidvania is synonymous to 8-16 bit graphics. only genre that is left behind in terms of visuals.
The only game on this list that would fit that description is Astalon: Tears of the Earth. Have you tried any of the others?
Finally a metroidvania rank that doesnt put Hollow knight in top 1. Dont get me wrong, its an almost perfect game, but I'm tired of people using it to measure other metroidvanias. Some try to inovate by micing genres and people dont like them because they're not "hollow knight)
why Dead Cells not even in the list?
I've heard that the vagrant is just ok
It's great honestly but everyone is different!
People will have different opinions on games and that is okay but The Vagrant does has a small but passionate fanbase around it and I find it to be an excellent game.
Shadow Complex.
GRIME! Just putting that out there
That is also a great one and it may appear on a future list.
no ori?
Maybe in another list!
@@IDreamofIndie You can't make a video called MV's you have to play before you die and then not include the literal best one. Ori is what got me into metroidvania's, which is now my favorite genre. But other than maybe blasphemous none of them have brought me as much joy as Ori. It's simply an indisputable masterpiece and in my opinion the greatest game ever made. I even bought two displates for Christmas, one of blind forest DE cover art and one for will of the wisps
@@d00mnoodle24 we thank you for sharing your thoughts and passion on that game!
It's his personal video, not yours@@d00mnoodle24
The Ori games are great and that is part of the difficulty of narrowing a list down to 10 games. There are enough wonderful games in the metroidvania genre that there are more than 10 games belonging in the top tier of quality and another list of essential metroidvanias has a good possibility of happening in the future.
we all know that Hollow Knight is the best metroidvania in history
u didnt mention ori...
We did on another list! We have quite a few here on the channel now to enjoy ☺️
Aeterna Noctis
Where's Salt and sanctuary?
On a recent list of the greatest indie games of all time that I created here on IDOIG. 😆
Ritual of the night and ender lilies do not exist on switch
They are both available on the Switch console
Are you saying that you just don't like the Switch ports of those games? Both of those are available digitally and physically on the Switch and there are even multiple physical Switch releases of Ender Lilies that came out in different regions.
Where is dead cell?
Dead Cells is more of a Roguevania and maybe I will cover those in a future video.
Celeste!? Where is Celeste!?
a platform
Why put games that are below 90% positive on stream on here? Should be a basic disqualification.
Thanks for checking out the video!
A Metroidvania list without any Metroid or a Castlevania?
Not even SOTN really ?
This is an indie game channel and those would qualify as AAA games from major publishers!
@@IDreamofIndie if you are going to make a top 10 Metroidvania games to play before you die and there is no SOTN or Metroid game is like what. I dont need to play the games that gave birth to the genere?.
The name of the video should be diferent like "Top Ten Indie Metroidvania games to play before you die".
Its like if you make a "top the soulslike games" and don't add any Darksouls.
I'm very sorry but the theme and spirit of this channel is in covering indie releases. While we appreciate you checking out the video this might not be the place for you if you are interested in coverage of AAA games.
@@IDreamofIndie i fact i love Indie games im playing the last faith right now xD. My point is that you could add the word "indie" before "Metroidvania" in the title and problem fix.
So these games are better than metroid dread and ori?
This is a list of indie metroidvanias and those are not indie games.
Ok so other than not including the amazing Ori masterpieces, there's some other recommendations i have. There's many other great titles such as Haiku the robot, Afterimage, FIST forged in shadow torch, Carrion, Grime, Islets, Moonscars, Ghost song, Kingdom shell, Curse of the sea rats, Last case of benedict fox, Itorah, Dark devotion, 8doors arum's afterlife, Sheepo, Haak, Vigil the longest night, The darkest tales and Imp of the sun.
As for the titles on this list i would skip all the 8 bit stuff, too retro for me. Although the messenger is worthwhile in this style. The anime ones i hate, especially because they oversexualize the female characters. Momodora and lost ruins are the worst of the worst in this regard. But vagrant is also despicably sexualized. What i am glad to see though is hollow knight not on the top spot, i think it deserves a spot in top 10 lists but not top 3 like it is EVERY DAMN TIME.
Death's gambit, deserves a spot too although not that high. The visuals music and voice acting are superb but the level design is really weak. Ender lillies is also a bit overrated because of weak level design and spongey bosses. Last faith and blasphemous are very deserved. Bloodstained isn't though, i could never get into it, it also looks REALLY ugly. Not a good example of 2.5D, unlike metroid dread
Sword of the vagrant absolutely sucks and makes me doubt the whole list
Thank you for sharing your thoughts!
Would you be willing to elaborate and make a case for why you think that game absolutely sucks? That could be helpful for other viewers who might have similar taste and temperament to you as a gamer to know why they probably wouldn't enjoy that game. We welcome disagreement here, but would prefer that you word it in a way that is useful to a discussion on games so that it can be helpful and educational to others who read these comments.
Also, many of the games of the list are very different from one another, so you might benefit from looking more into them before dismissing them all. Just because you don't like one of the games on the list doesn't mean that you will dislike all of them because they are not the same game nor are they clones of each other.
Too late im dea ⚰️
Too many of this games are just souls wanna be games in 2D. They are not really metroidvania games.
No metroid game ????
This is an indie channel
Woof. No, thanks.
Even if you are not thankful for the video, I will still thank you for watching the video and leaving a comment. Such activities count as engagement and help our channel in the UA-cam algorithm.
Half of these games are just generic boring trash
We thank you so much for watching and supporting the channel with a comment
What do you mean by "generic boring trash"? Please explain the criteria for this label and give some examples of games that you think would better fit the list as their replacements. That will be helpful for me to fully understand your statement.
@@ophidianmind333 Unworthy, Dust an Elisian tail, SAlt and Sanctuary can take the places of Blasphemous, The last faith, THe Vanguard, Elder lilies
@@OHikccThank you for your response. Now that we're narrowing things down, Blasphemous and The Last Faith do have some similarities in gameplay and could be considered souls-like metroidvanias along with Salt and Sanctuary. What is it that Salt and Sanctuary does well that you don't find in games like Blasphemous and The Last Faith?
What games are showcased in the intro?
If you scroll the comments a bit someone else asked this and I dropped the link to the video with all of them! Sorry I am on mobile and don't have the link handy!
Thanks, I found it! @@IDreamofIndie