Top 10 Metroidvanias (That Aren't Metroid or Castlevania)
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- Опубліковано 1 чер 2024
- From Hollow Knight, to Blasphemous, to even a charming little game about exploring a giant interconnected world via the joy of Pinball, these are our picks for the top 10 best Metroidvanias, that aren't Metroid or Castlevania.
#IGN #Gaming - Ігри
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My body is ready for silk song
Most anticipated game of 2020-24 for me.
Damn right
@Robert Abounader its like you think making games is easy, dude this game is made by like 2 people, 3 on a good day so play something else and wait, your spoilt for choice right now, wanna loot? outriders. wanna better looter? monster hunter, there are also a myriad of other 2D indie platformers for you, as well as fantastic other indie titles to sate your appetite, maybe hades. the wait is hard, but it'll be worth it in the end. I'd rather silk song come out when i least expect it than be hyped so hard that it ultimately disappoints. Rushing games is also ALWAYS bad, we don't want another cyberpunk in our hands.
@@ilikecookies230 tbh is not an excuse that is made by 2 or 3 people I understand they had to make hollow knight with only 3 people because of the money but now they can have a big team to make the game
The lack of news is killing me.
I wish I could forget hollow knight just so I could experience it again.
same
same
Same. Now give me Silk Song - like now!?? 😩
Same
I want to feel the joy again when I beat nightmare king Grimm. Sadly, I couldnt beat absolute radiance yet, but at least, there is still something to do
Ori and the Will of the Wisps and Hollow Knight are my two favourite games of all time. I didn’t even think I liked metroidvanias until I played Ori. Then that lead me to Hollow Knight. They are games that make you wish you could wipe your memory and be introduced to them again.
Developers really need to start making more of these games.
Ori overrated tbh
@@jj2059 how so? if anything its very much so underrated as almost every gamer has heard of hollow knight but quite a few have never heard of ori
@@jj2059 u must be smokin somethin
bro just summed up my gaming experience to a tee haha
I am a simple man, I see HOLLOW KNIGHT I click.
Lol me too. (Best game ever)
Yes brother
Hahahahahaha :3 make laugh so hard 😂
Your name doesn't sound simple
@@imjonathan6745 Cuz I am not American/British/Candian/Australian.
Just came to check if Hollow Knight was the best one like I know it is
Hell yeah
Imo ori games are better but its verrrrry close, i think the visuals just set it apart that little bit
@@dmcarter1512 yes ori is pretty great but it was pretty linear in comparison with hollowknight imo
@@dmcarter1512 Two different visual styles though. Ori was supposed to convey a kind of lush and vibrant feeling while Hollow Knight had these slightly depressing and solemn tone to it. I think Ori's platforming was better, but HK's worldbuilding and combat was better. Both great games.
@@dmcarter1512 I still want to play Ori It looks hella good too!
Hollow Knight is an absolute gem! I am so ready for Silksong!
yes but ı dont think silksong gonna be good as the hollow knight bc it ruines the classic hollow knight fight style just you your enemy and your nail but dang hornet have a buzz saw
@@Turtl1938 it will
@@Turtl1938 just wait
@@Turtl1938 I mean we haven’t seen that much of the game. I think it could still be as good if not better.
@@Turtl1938 bu öncekiyle aynı oyun olmuş diyip sıkılacak oyuncular için iyi olmuş bence. Farklılık arayanlar için
I can’t express how much I loved Ori and The Will of The Wisps. I just wish i could experience the game for the first time again.
Just finished the Blind Forest a few minutes ago, super hyped to try WotW tomorrow
Ori and the will of the wisps has got to be one of my favorites
@@BarnabasBittner same bro.
The original’s better.
@@Station9.75 in what way?
Blasphemous doesn't get enough respect. That game took me to a mental place that I have craved finding again since I played it. Not even sure how to describe it. It was like a weird dream I had one weekend.
I got bored with Hollow Knight. Blasphemous grabbed me and kept me.
You can really feel all the Spanish vibes, the oniric wonders and world building (and it keeps adding dlcs). And even if mute and masked, the Penitent One is a vibrant character.
@@alejandronieto4212 really glad to know that Spanish vibes are not only dancers and bullfighters
- Spanish person
@@jinnans_gd to more information, check on the Holy Week, a spanish holiday that is most relevant in Andalusia (south of spain), and the art of Goya, whose Black Paintings heavily inspired the monsters and weird stuff going in the game.
@@alejandronieto4212
Haha im very familiar with this, I'm Spanish myself
Ori and the Will of the Wisps got snub so hard in 2020. I played all the big games of that year and Ori is still my game of the year. It had the best visual style, the best soundtrack, one of the best story and a very solid gameplay. A masterpiece. (I'm still okay with Hollow Knight being #1. Hollow Knight is absolutly incredible on every level)
100% agree with you. It was by far my favorite game last year. And interestingly, I think what made it great are all the ideas they took from Hollow Knight and incorporated into the game lol
Ori is a lot better than HK tho. Music, graphics and specially the map. HK's map structure and fast travel are obnoxious.
@@gabrielgoncalves2763 opinions my dude, i love hard and addicting games and you love beautiful looking and sounding games
Boss fights in WOTW basically all turn into run really fast/memorize the path trials. It got old by the 2nd one.
@@sunionbro8806 reis s.a burdada şans eseri karşılaştık ne yaptın böyle ya kitap yazmışsın resmen :D
My two favorite metroidvania games are hollow knight and ori and the will of the wisps
Same
haha same, lets see if silksong can top those 2 already masterpiece game
Same ori blind forest comes third
Same
I just finished blind forest, saving up for that right now
Hollow knight is hands down one of the best games i've ever played.. it's a master piece.. the culmination of gameplay, lore, music, art style is just on another level.. i cant wait to play silk song.. tbh, i wasn't even fan of the genre and only picked up the game coz it was free recently on ps+ and im so glad I did..
The Ori series is top notch.
just finished 100% on both games and damn near cried.
such a masterpiece.
Ori introduced me to the genre but Hollow Knight is on another level. The music, the lore, the combat. A masterpiece in every way. 🐐
I personally think the opposite
And the end of the day, both games are 10/10 it has a little of something for everyone
Good games. Both.
Absolutely agree, masterpiece of a game!
Man. Silksong on the way & I'm too excited!
Everyone else: Wow these are 10 great games in the genre
Me: ice cream and oil is a good mix???
You're not alone my friend. Trust me.
Olive oil ice cream is a thing. Never tried it myself, but you can easily get it at specialty ice cream parlors like Salt & Straw
@@ziqi92 Is that a US thing? I can't believe someone in his right mind would want to eat something like that...
@@AxLWake Maybe? I live in California, so olive oil ice cream for me is like maybe an hour’s drive away for me at most. I know it exists in other major US cities, but I don’t know if it exists outside the US. That being said, I know for a fact that most countries have unique ice cream flavors that Americans would balk at, so it goes both ways.
@@ziqi92 Sure, every country and culture has its food habits that seem weird or disgusting to other people. It was an honest question, not an attempts to make fun of American people.
Stills sounds insane to me though... ;)
Happy blasphemous was on the list but I feel like it should be further up there, it’s such a great game, has an amazing world that makes you want to explore every inch
Blasphemous is the only one here I actually like and I think that says a lot
@@foreverfirebird5712not really, we don't know your tastes, just means you like gory games
Hollow Knight is a true masterpiece.
*high five
That is how you make art, not placing a banana on a wall
agreed, followed by a sorta ripoff
ori is really gud no offense.
and Ori
@@ANoobInvoid You do realize ori came out before hollow knight right?💀
Hollow Knight is so good it's ridiculous
And yet for some reason they think that fortnite is better than it
@@anhondacivic6541 who? Just WHO in their right mind??
@@nicholasgerry6931 ign they gave hollow knight a 9.4 and fortnite br a 9.6
@@anhondacivic6541 you can't compare hollow knight with fortnite, they are two completely different type of games
They could’ve charged $60 and it would still be worth it.
I highly recommend Blasphemous to anyone who likes gothic horror literature
@@RodrigoTorresV I played Hollow knight but dropped it soon cause whenever i went back to the game i just couldn't understand what i was doing or where am i
Only play this game for long gaming sessions
I highly recommend it too even if you just like cool games. Love this game
@@champadevi2581 it's the kinda game that lets the NPCs and world tell the story, a guide might help you keep track as I can get why it would be confusing, I'd recommend finishing it though it's amazing.
@@wheelman298 I might play that upcoming Sequel first and then try Hollow knight if it gets me hyped NF.
I tried it out last year, as the atmosphere and combat seemed interesting. Unfortunately, it was too "Dark Soulsy" for my taste (I've never been a fan of those games)
Ori games will always be on top of this list for me.....mainly its story, music and art-design pushes them to the top, even if some might argue that some other MetroidVanias might have better gameplay/level design
To this day I still think about two things from my first Hollow Knight playthrough:
1. Holy shit, this is an instant classic
2. How on EARTH are they asking for so little for something this excellent?
It honestly feels like highway robbery. Here's to hoping Silksong is great, but even if it's half as good as HK it's going to be a blast.
Ori did it for me.
Ori is just jaw dropping in every single way. The second one is truly a master class in game design, art direction, and minimalist storytelling
It is SUCH A GOOD GAME
@@goname31 I played both Ori games and am currently playing Hollow Knight. It is very good but for me the Ori games are on another level altogether
@@goname31 both are absolute masterpieces
@@arturofernandez4058 If you think Ori 1 was "on another level" after playing 2, you're misremembering. HK and Ori 2 are equal masterpieces, tied only with Zero Mission and Super Metroid.
I don't think anyone clicked on this video to hear about Batman or Tomb Raider, I think we can all agree that's not what we consider a metroidvania
Yeah, both are some of my favourite games with metroidvania elements but not entirely like this list
Being 2D does not metroidvania make
Nothing compares to Ori. The storyline, music, gameplay.. absolutely gorgeous.
Except for Hollowknight which is better
@@vanRules92 hmm really? did u even play Ori??
@@tifanfx3319 two short for Me, seems petty but I don't like it because of that.
Agree! I don’t really know what to play after ori🥲
Try Hollow Knight, imo is better than both Ori games
Dust: An Elysian Tail, left to drift in wind yet again...
I really wanted that to be on the list.
I feel you buddy
Criminally underrated.
It's not really a metroidvania though
@@Cystlib How do you figure? It has all of the elements of a metroidvani.
The ending for Ori And The Will of the Wisps though. 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
I've played it three times, and every time, the ending (and other heartbreaking moments) hit me just as hard as it did on my first playthrough.
The ending was emotional
There are no games that make me cry like Ori 1 and 2 do.
@@Expendable1986 I don't think I could handle it a second time. 😁😭
The Ori games bring such a good amount of emotion which hits even harder as you usually finish a very difficult challenge before being rewarded with more story
SilkSong is all I expecting now
i thought Silksong is not out yet ?.
@@HoangGracy Yes.That's why I am expecting it
I do a Google search for Silksong every day. LOL
@@pjstamm2112 LOL.I wish Team Cherry could give us a release date at least.
@@user-dh5cf9vq8h Agreed!
Dust an elysian tail is also an awesome metroid Vania, but it's always forgotten
I LOVE it!
And made by one man... Incredible.
Can’t believe The Messenger didn’t make it to this list. One of the best out there.
Agreed, so it was Iconoclast
i wouldn't consider that a metroidvania
@@boochtron why not?
Nah Hollow Knight and Ori are much better Metroidvanias than the Messsenger. It’s definitely not the best one out there. However I do think it should’ve been somewhere on the list.
@@shaishavpathak that’s exactly my point
Blasphemous was awesome. Stunning to look at, the pixel art is gorgeous, no other words. It's one of those games that stick in your mind. Game play is top-notch, difficult but fair. Really enjoyed it, some crazy bosses. Highly recommend. Should be higher on the list tbf.
One of the pluses of Blasphemous, besides lore and atmosphere and all that... Is how well its gameplay mechanics and fluidity work. A pleasure to play.
It's soooo much better than the boring ass and easy Hollow Knight
@@ballzinferno9793 I don't understand why you're trying to lift one great game up by dragging another great game down.
@@flip.flap. because Hollow Knight sucked imo, and I feel the need to knock it down a peg because it's so over praised compared to Blasphemous.
@@ballzinferno9793 Yeah, good luck with that...
Hollow Knight: City of Tears
Godlike
Yeah the music and the feel of that place are God tier.
Hollow Knight: WHOLE GAME
GODLIKE!
"Resting grounds" soundtrack is better :)
When I first got there, I saw the window and stood there for minutes. I was completely transfixed.
@@albertoelhambriento437 nah
Blasphemous, Bloodstained, and Axiom Verge are some of my absolute favourite games of all time.
If I show these games to someone who isn’t into metroidvanias, they want to play these titles.
Hollow knight is just too damn good
Salt and Sanctuary is also great!
Oh shoot, how is this not on the list??
@@Hackrifice there are many that are not on the list
i agree it is one of the better ones and could easily make top 5 on this list
Maybe because it's also a Souls Like? Maybe it's kn another list.
I came looking for this. It’s a truly wonderful game
There really is nothing like Hollow knight, can't put into words how that game made me feel, I'm refusing to fight the final boss because I don't want it to end lol
If you fight the final boss you can still play in that world and nothing will change.
get to 112% at least and then go ahead and kill the final boss. still stuff to do after that: path of pain, P5.. those can take days or weeks to finish, especially P5
There’s still plenty to do after fighting the final boss. Literally a whole boss rush mode with 45 bosses to fight which took me 3 months on and off to finish
@@increase9896 I never beat P5, I got to the finalfight like once and never was able to beat it. I SPENT ACTUAL MONTHS. But it was too hard. But I hope silksong has that.
Man Ori really was such an masterpiece. WoTW was really just so beautiful and fun and perfect, It's definitely the top for me.
Rain world sitting in the back like: "it's because I'm weird isn't it?"
That game is a flawed masterpiece and by far the most unique of them all
@@forestflood5338 and it can be argued that the flaws are done on purpose I love the game for trying to break all the rules every other game follows a cookie cutter formula but rain world throws that all to the side and dares to try something so different that the thing's you often complain about or rage about in gameplay you end up respecting because it feels so natural in the world everything is done on purpose to implicate immersion even dying and restarting is worked into the story and lore seemlessly and I gotta respect it for making basic game functions part of the immersion
never even heard of it
@@boochtron I highly recommend it it's truly like nothing else I've ever played a true unique type of metroidvania if it can even be called that check it out you my end up surprised it's for everything but xbox and usually runs only about 20$
But if you do check it out fair warning the game can be really really hard
Honorable Mentions:
Based upon pop culture:
- TMNT 3: Radical Rescue (GB)
- Spiderman: Web of Shadows (NDS)
- Spiderman: Shattered Dimensions (NDS)
- Alien Infestation (NDS)
- Batman Arkham Origins: Blackgate (PS Vita)
- TMNT: Danger of the Ooze (home consoles)
Original games _1-Hit)
- Super Adventure Island (SNES)
- Wario Land 3 (GBC)
- Kirby & The Amazing Mirror (GBA)
- Rush 'N Attack: Ex-Patriot (home consoles)
- Outland
- Dust: An Elysian Tail (home consoles)
- Dead Cells (home consoles)
- Sundered
Multi/Franchise Games:
- Bionic Commando (NES, GB, GBC and home consoles)
- Blaster Master
- Strider (NES and home consoles)
- Shantae
- Megaman ZX & ZXA
This is an excellent list of further games to try. Thanks!
So much nostalgia!!!
Strider 2014 was amazing.
👍👍👍👍
My favorite game from this list is Ori and The Will of The Wisps. That games is such an amazing game. It have really difficult but Satisfying platforming combined with puzzles, combat and amazing soundtrack and sound effects.
Have you played Hollow Knight?
@@leopardosss You should stop comparing the two. Ori 2 takes a lot from Hollow Knight but it's a platformer w/ momentum and beautiful art and puzzle design, HK is combat focused and has 10x the amount of bosses w/ much more in depth lore and more challenge. There is no better game, one game will always be better for specific people.
@@leopardosss yup but ori 2 is way better in my opinion
@@gu3z185 For many people, Ori and HK are literally the only MV games they've played. That's why they are so often compared.
hollow knight way better
Man... salt and sanctuary gets constantly overlooked....SO UNDERRATED
It's a good game, but ... Has some issues that put it evidently behind these...
Same bro i played blasphemous, hollow knight, and bloodstained, and im a graphics kind of a guy, but SnS proved me wrong, off all of the games i mentioned, i had many replays in SnS (cause of the diversity and skills you can get from repeating the game) compared to the rest, sure its hard but you can really get absorb by the music and the lore, never knew it was soo good, but dont get me wrong i enjoyed the rest of the game mentioned as well, its just that SnS has the most impact at me, i just wish for a decent sequel of a remaster of it.
it's 50% metroidvania, 50% 2D dark souls. I love it.
My problem with SS is its too damn easy. Grab a 2 hander and you can splat every boss in a few seconds. Not the case for games like Hollow Knight. ;)
1. Hollow Knight
2. Axiom Verge
3. Blasphemous
4. The Messenger
5. Bloodstained Curse of The Moon 1&2
6. Iconoclasts
7. Timespinner
8. The Mummy Demastered
9. Dandara Trials of Fear Edition
10. Dust An Elysian Tail
11. Sundered Eldritch Edition
12. Guacamelee 1&2
13. Touhou Luna Nights
14. Skautfold Usurper
15. Foregone
16. Dead Cells
17. Shantae And The Pirate Curse
18. Grimvalor
19. Cathedral
20. Shovel Knight
21. Gestalt Steam & Cinder
22. The Last Faith
23. Ori And The Blind Forest
24. OwlBoy
25. SteamWorld Dig 1&2
26. Ori And The Wil O Wisp
27. SMT Synchronity Prologue
28. Deedlit In Wonder Labyrinth
29. Death's Gambit
30. Gensokyo Night Festival
31. Koumajou Densetsu 1&2
32. MindSeize
33. Teslagard
34. Ghoulboy
35. Ender Lilies Quiestus of The Knight
36. Gleamlight (Hollow Knight clone)
37. Rubi The Wayward Mira
38. Rogue Legacy 1&2
39. Bushiden
40. The Skylia Prophercy
41. Chasm
42. Momodora Reverie Under Moonlight
43. Bloodstained Ritual of The Night
44. Ascender
45. Skull The Hero Slayer
Hallow Knight is such a masterpiece, a much better game than most AAA games
I LOVED Hollow Knight and i'm soo hyped for SilkSong
I’m happy to see some love and recognition to Yoku Island Express
Really loved it and I barely see anyone talking about it
Hollow knight (for me) was painful in the beginning. This game starts off slow and it took me over 12 hrs to start enjoying it. Be patient though, the game is an experience like no other when it gets going. Absolute masterpiece.
I fell in love with the game as soon as I got to dirtmouth. The cold colors, stunnig music, cartoony artstyle, charming npcs, rich atmosphere and later incredible challenges and combat made me fall in love with the game in a way I never fell before. Such an amazing and complete game.
12 hours?! I enjoyed the game after about an hour or two it felt simple at the start I agree
@@brazilianknuckles7900 Entering forgotten crossroads is what did it for me.
Hollow Knight is by far my favorite! It's amazing how it's so cute, and at the same time so dark and creepy. I'm going crazy waiting for Silk Song!
I love both Ori games!!! They are so beautiful! The story is great, the characters are cute and original, The scenery is stunning, and the music is gorgeous. My only issue with them is that they are way too short. I 100% completed each game in less than 24 hours of total gameplay.
I would say that the strangest Metroidvania that I ever played is probably Wild 9.
Massive shout-out to the mummy demastered
And Shantae and the Pirate's Curse
I agree and odallus too.
you mean super metroid re skin
the mummy sucks, even the last boss can be cheesed easy, i bought it for the mummy girl that you dont even fight, super metroid is much better every day of the week
and Aliens Infestation but I dunno if it counts but it sure feels like a metroidvania with a survival flair to it and it stands alone as a great under the radar game, what a gem.
Hollow Knight can be debated as the game of the previous generation
Definitely in the 10 best games of last gen.
Shantae was completely snubbed. Seven Sirens is fantastic.
I loved Shantae and the Pirate's Curse
nah seven sirens was average imo but some of the OG shantae are great
I feel it’s important to reiterate that YOKU’S ISLAND is no joke. Don’t let its cutesy look fool you; it’s not just for kids. It’s a great game. Music is solid, physics are solid, art style is phenomenal. Even if you don’t like pinball, it’s still great. If you love pinball and haven’t played this, you should be downloading it now.👍🏽
It was a lot of fun and also didn’t overstay its welcome.
I personally think "Dust: An Elysian Tale" is really great
It's pretty good but I'm not sure it counts as a metrodivania. More of a straight-up action sidescroller, kinda like Muramasa (though not as good IMO).
After over 125 hours of playing Hollow Knight, I should hope I'm more than ready for Silksong.
As a hardcore fan of the genre I can tell that this is such an amazing list. I couldn't agree more with top positions and I am happy that some "old" great games as shadow complex were on it. It is really hard to find a list that most of the fans are happy with. Congrats!
P. S: the only thing I would change is mentioning guacamelee 1, not 2... I do think the original is better. But I also understand that the idea is that both games are represented on that position.
Great list and great presentation! Played all of these great games and Hollow Knight is definitely something special. Can't wait for silksong!!
Can't believe The Messenger isn't on this list. Would have thought for sure that one of either The Messenger or Dead Cells would have made a list like this.
Dead Cells is not a pure Metroidvania, as it is at its core a Roguelike game.
Both very good. But I'd say Dead cells is more roguelike... kind of a blend but more that than metroidvania. Maybe that's why it didn't make the cut
@@diegoarthur you beat me by 37 seconds.. 🍻
Sup! Its because you are guided for the most part of the game and get all your abilities but 1 before the game opens up and lets you back track. Even the devs were not calling it that. Dead cells is also not a metriodvania.
Yes or cyber shadow, but then I guess they aren’t true metrovania’isk. Second mentions is katana zero. Maybe they should have a ninja gaiden like top 10. Though I’m not sure there are 10 game’s hitting that.
Can’t wait for the messenger part 2.
I'm surprised that no one, even in the comment, mentioned Touhou Luna Nights
Yup. That game is almost as close to SOTN as Bloodstained. Same with TimeSpinner. I'd easily knock off Yoku to include one of those. Yoku was fun, but there were MANY times where you're just rolling around super slow or bouncing around an already puzzle just to get the right angle and progress. I didn't think it was all that great, but did like the idea and presentation.
I just beat Pantheon of Hallownest 2 days ago. Man, those last 2 bosses in a row were tough.
my brain told me “Cave Story BETTER be on here, it’s awesome.”
It is the most sleeped on Metroidvania no doubt. It’s so perfect.
It's a fantastic game, but it's not a metroidvania.
@@internisus yes it is u fool
@@SirNeewa it lacks several of the most fundamental aspects of a metroidvania. most metroidvania fans would actually NOT consider it a metroidvania. however, it is a good example that shows that our definitions of genres are not perfect, as _cave story_ is being discussed A LOT, wether or not it is a metroidvania.
either way, no need for your insult.
@@captasticts8419 I looked it up on google, it’s considered as a metroidvania
For me it's Ori.. Never have I played a game with such smooth movement. Feels so good.
As much as I want Silksong, I hope they don't rush themselves so it comes out good. I don't want that culture for indie games, when it already plague many first party games (time crunch and burn out). I'm playing Hollow Knight for the first time, I'm charmed 🥺
They're just 3 people. They've been developing the silksong for like 4 years now. They're definitely taking their time, since they don't have time issue like hollow knight had for silksong.
@@TheEmpatt I know, I’m so excited!
@@TheEmpatt also, silksong seems to be bigger than the first game when you take into acount that a year ago they were designing enemy number 165 and they said that silksong is going to have arround 100 benches. the original hollow knight has half as many benches and only reached a similar number of enemies with the dlcs.
@@nicolasinvernizzi6140 That interview actually said "so we've designed like 100 different benches" meaning different designs. HK had around 25 different bench designs iirc. There aren't ACTUALLY 100 different types of benches, just like how there aren't 100 benches in general. 100 in this case is synonymous w/ a lot.
Nothing can beat the Ori games for me, in ANY genre! The most stunningly beautiful, soulful and satisfying games I’ve ever played. So badly wish they’d do a third installment 🙏🏻 That said, I’m super hyped for Silksong!
I miss when a new Castlevania would come out- particularly for GBA. I'm grateful we have games like these to keep the awesome gameplay going.
Can't wait for Silksong!!!
Man awesome list!! Metroidvanias are one of my fave genres. The 2 I'm most looking forward to now are: Gestalt and also Bushiden
One of my favourites is Valdis Story: Abyssal City. It have a very fun combat, multiple characters (each one with their own weapons and skill trees) and interesting story.
It pretty much never gets mentioned, but Dandara is a STELLAR Metroidvania, I'd probably put it next to guacamelee in this list. More people should give it a try.
Happy I played pretty much all of those games, I'm only missing Steamworld Dig 2 and Cave Story. Hollow Knight is of course on top, couldn't be anywhere else
Bro dandara is a heavily underrated game! I love that game and can’t wait for a sequel if any.
I got it free on Epic and wanted to try it. How good is it exactly?
i dont see enought people talking about guacemelee a really hard fun hilarious experience i played both the first and second game both were amazing the techinques are all unique and are used not only in combat but in platforming as well the final boss of the first game was really chalenging and fun everything in these games fits perfectly making a amazing experience i will never forget
oof I love Guacamelee
It's sad how u guys didn't even mention 'Fez' ... It's so beautiful , yet refreshing in puzzles by switching between 2D & 3D elements (2.5D elements to be exact) ...and complex puzzles
I think that Fez is a puzzle platformer, it doesn't play like a metroidvania at all, that's why they might not have mentioned it, though it's a pretty good game, too.
Hollow Knight, Dust: An Elysian Tail, Cave Story, Steamworld Dig 2 and Super Metroid are my five favorite games in the genre! I cannot wait for Silksong to come out! Hopefully it'll shadowdrop at Nintendo's E3 presentation like the first Hollow Knight did!
Hollow Knight is awesome, but Ori is just amazing, that sound track, endearing story and graphics is such a master piece
Ori will always be my favorite
Great top 3. The franchises would fill out my top 5 in general with the first entries of Ori and Guacamelee added in. Can’t wait for Silksong and see if it can take the top spot
Great list but a few points worth mentioning.
Cave Story: Also had a + and 3D version. I didn't know it started as freeware, but its a classic for a reason.
Spelunky or Spelunky 2: Everything I've seen and played puts Spelunky slightly ahead of the Steamworld series. Both are great series, but Spelunky lets you fight/rob shopkeepers by accident.
Hollow Knight: The sequel Silksong is on the horizon and worth a mention, as it features regular boss and frenemy Hornet as your main character.
Advice for New Hollow Knight Players: I'm 10 hours in and the biggest suggestion I have for new players is, buy the maps, map icon and navigation charm, FIRST before anything else and then force yourself to confront the bosses. Otherwise you'll explore the whole of the Forgotten Caverns and realize those bosses (and mini-bosses) have to go down before you get the the next area (Greenpath) and then it branches out a lot more from there (Fog Canyon, 2nd half of Greenpath and 2nd half of Forgotten Caverns).
I love me some symphony of the night and super Metroid, but hollow knight just stands out so much that I think it’s the best game in this entire genre to date. The atmosphere, the music, the combat, the absolutely gorgeous visuals and art design and the boss fights are all some of the best I’ve ever seen in any video game.
So should I just skip Super Metroid and Symphony of the Night and just go for Hollow Knight?!
I absolutely disagree. I love hollow knight, but it’s a far cry from super Metroid and castlevania sotn
Hollow Knight is amazing, a modern masterpiece, and an absolute boon to the genre. But what drags it down a bit to me is that the overworld is almost too big, and exhuasting to traverse and backtrack through. What makes Super Metroid still stand out to this day, is its absolute meticulous design - the world is big enough, but not too big where backtracking is a pain in the ass, and every area is connected in some way. It's like a perfectly designed puzzle.
@@Crichjo32 Super Metroid is not as good as Zero Mission in my opinion, although I think they're tied in terms of quality. A bunch of areas in Super Metroid are so easy to sequence break or just skip that there's very little actual structure to it. You have to restrain yourself from going down certain paths, some dead ends are a pain the ass, etc. Zero Mission is structured in a way that you can get most upgrades and fight most bosses out of order. There are no dead ends, if you sequence break to a powerup, there won't be some arbitrary door in the way that you need another upgrade for and you can't access. Kraid's lair and Ridley's lair along w/ the entirety of Norfair are some of the best designed levels in all of gaming.
@@gu3z185 Zero Mission is amazing also, and as close to perfection as you can get. I often debate which of the two is the best, but you make a good case with ZR being better because you can do things slightly out of order if you really know how, which gives it tons of replay value. I wish Nintendo would remake some of the other classic NES Nintendo titles in the same mold.
justice for shantae!
"Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom" is a fantastic one that's often overlooked. Not surprised to see it missed here as well. 😛
"3D games don't count." 1:12 *shows 3D portion of Shadow Complex.
Another fantastic one is Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight
lovely game. short and sweet.
Came here to post this! Love this little number. Very fun!
Oh god that game gave me so many nightmares for it's really tight corridora and too much under water areas.
I'd have put the first Ori ahead of the 2nd. Whilst the 2nd may be more robust it was the first that was so surprising and delightful which is all gone by 2nd because now you know what you are getting. Also it feels like the 2nd has an over-reliance on chase sequences.
The 2nd is literally better in every way than the first. Over reliance on chase sequences? It has like the same or one more and it also has bosses compared to the first.
The second one was made to improve the bad things about the first game (obviously I'm mostly talking about the combat)
Timespinner is also pretty good. Without going too spoiler-heavy, you have to travel between two time periods, with your actions in the past then influencing the map or factions in the future.
Even though they are universally critically acclaimed, I still feel like the Ori games are underrated, or, at least, don't get enough time in the limelight. They are the kind of titles that justify video games as an art form, not just a business.
I feel like the second ori game is soooo underated but the the 1st ori wasnt underated or overrated since the design and soundtrack was good but the combat was bad
They're among the top 5 best selling metroidvania games of all time, what more do you want?
Hollow Knight is masterpiece! But I personally love Ori the most.
This list is pretty spot on. One forgotten classic in my mind, is Outland on PS3/360. IGN gave it 9/10 with all positive notes. Must play for metroidvania fans. It would probably land in the back half of top ten.
Thank you for mentioning this game. I played it and very much enjoyed it years ago and I'd forgotten what it was called. It's been bothering me a lot lately that I couldn't think of the name!
Hollow Knight, Ori and Monster Boy would be my top 3 of the past 5 years. Amazing games. Shame to not see Monster Boy on this list, but delighted to see Shadow Complex!
Happy to see Guacamelee. Still my fav. Metroidvania to this day, because its heavier on the platforming side...could be the reason my fav. part in Hollow Knight was the white palace.
My favorites are:
1° Ori and The Will of the Wisps
2° Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
3° Hollow Knight
4° Guacamelee 2
So glad to see Yoku getting some love it’s a fantastic game!
Agreed. A novel mix of mechanics and genre, pretty aesthetic, and incredibly charming writing makes for a really great and relaxing game.
I didn't get the hype for Hollow Knight and just thought it's just a run-of-the-mill action platformer. A few weejs ago, out of boredom I decided to watch speedruns, tier list, lore documentaries and other stuff about the game. It got my interest a bit and finally decided to try it out.
And boy was I wrong this whole time. Even though I pretty much had everything spoiled from watching the videos, exploring the depths of Hollownest was still a entrancing, breath-taking and beautiful adventure. I didn't notice the time as hours suddenly passed without even noticing it, something I haven't experienced with a game for some time now. What I would give to experience the game fresh but silver-lining though, I wouldn't have to wait for too long for Silksong whenever that one releases.
Ori is really on a completely different level. Its soundtrack, graphics, gameplay ...
Hollow Knight is also on a completely different level .. I think 1.ori series. 2.Hollow knight
I think 1.ori series
2.Hollow knight
A masterpiece in 2 games. Future games from these indie producers are definitely playable.
Hollow Knight and Ori should not be compared to each other tho... They are different in some ways. Main difference is that Hollow Knight focuses more on battle while Ori focuses more on avoiding and striking when necessary. That's why all abilities you gain in Ori for "free" only helps you to gain advantage in movement and reaching (before) unavailable locations. For example Bash ability
Super Metroid was one of the first games that I played in my childhood. Needless to say that "Metroidvania" is my favorite game genre.
Nice list, great games. Guacamelee games are amazing and Yoku deserve more love. Personally I'd drop shadow complex and swap it with Valdis Story.
I feel Apotheon is a game that fits in the MetroidVania genre, yet it’s extremely underrated and overlooked. It’s absolutely worth checking out. Its Greek Mythology era with a vase painted art style from that era is very unique.
You could put any Metroid or Castlevania in this list and Hollow Knight would still be 1st place.
I'd argue Super Metroid is close and if you take into account it came out 25+ years ago on the SNES, to me Super Metroid is more impressive.
@@xSayPleasex Maybe it is more impressive due to its age. But I just recently played Super Metroid for the first time. It was good, but you really noticed its age. The map is subpar and the bosses are really underwhelming compared to Hollow Knight. But its true that the atmosphere still very much holds up and I guess the Upgrades are a bit cooler than Hollow Knight as well.
@@horstschlemmer9578 I actually completely agree with that assessment. 👍
I love Super Metroid, but I could agree Hollow Knight tops them all.
Zero Mission is the best Metroidvania
I think Dust deserved a spot on the list. Beautiful art style, really good controls and fun combat.
I remember getting Hollow Knight as a ps plus freebie and thinking it was some weird game that I would never hear of and never play. I had my focus on Shadow of War, the other game that came that month. Around 8 months later, I see SmallAnt start playing it. I thought “This looks pretty fun, I think I remember getting this for free.” 2 months later, im trying to beat Pantheon of Hallownest and have gotten 112%. I don’t regret a single thing about playing Hollow Knight.
It's unbelievable, I've played 7 of them. Boy I wish I could unplay them and play them again for the first time.
My favorite that didn't make the list, is Salt & Sanctuary.
The Mummy Demastered is also quite good.
+1 Salt And Sanctuary is amazing, really love the asthetic of the game, a trully 2D Dark Souls experience, great game
@@miguelgomes6849 you should check out blasphemous.
Mummy Demastered came out of nowhere with a Metroidvania that good. Made by Wayforward they absolutely killed it and produced something far better than anyone was expecting from a movie tie in game.
@@RicochetForce Yup. I didn't even know about it until I watched a WhatCulture(?) video about movie tie-in games better than the movie.
If there is one missing game that deserves to be here, it is Environmental Station Alpha. Truly one of the greats. (love this list and am not complaining, just had to mention ESA)
its very lowkey it will never make these lists
Seeing all this love for hollow knight makes me Happy. If anyone is considering playing it... PLAY IT! youll thank yourselves for making the decision.
Great list, man