Tier List Template

Best Metroidvanias Tier List

Ranking the top exploration-focused platformers with ability-gated progression.

16 visible games

S

Hollow Knight A 2D metroidvania with an emphasis on close combat and exploration in which the player enters the once-prosperous now-bleak insect kingdom of Hallownest, travels through its various districts, meets friendly inhabitants, fights hostile ones and uncovers the kingdom's history while improving their combat abilities and movement arsenal by fighting bosses and accessing out-of-the-way areas. Super Metroid The Space Pirates, merciless agents of the evil Mother Brain, have stolen the last Metroid from a research station, and once again Mother Brain threatens the safety of the galaxy! Samus Aran must don her awesome array of high-tech weaponry to retrieve the deadly Metroid hidden deep within the cave-riddled planet Zebes. Super Metroid features excellent graphics, with a huge variety of enemies and worlds to explore. The side-view action will be familiar to many players, only now there are new weapons and items, including the Grappling Beam, which allows Samus to swing across large chasms, and the X-Ray Scope, which reveals secret passages. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night Having been awoken from his eternal slumber by the reappearance of Castlevania, Alucard must once again face the evil minions of darkness. Use your vampiric powers, along with weapons, potions, and other magical relics to change the tide of battle. A mixture of platform and role-playing action with many hidden areas and secrets. Can you discover them all?

A

Ori and the Blind Forest The forest of Nibel is dying. After a powerful storm sets a series of devastating events in motion, an unlikely hero must journey to find his courage and confront a dark nemesis to save his home. Ori and the Blind Forest tells the tale of a young orphan destined for heroics, through a visually stunning action-platformer crafted by Moon Studios for Xbox One and PC. Featuring hand-painted artwork, meticulously animated character performance, and a fully orchestrated score, Ori and the Blind Forest explores a deeply emotional story about love and sacrifice, and the hope that exists in us all. Ori and the Will of the Wisps Ori and the Will of the Wisps is a platform-adventure game that combines exploration, traversal, and combat within an interconnected world. Designed in a Metroidvania style, it focuses on navigating varied environments, uncovering hidden areas, and acquiring abilities that expand movement and progression options. The game features a system of upgrades and spirit-based skills that support different playstyles, along with environmental challenges and encounters that require timing and precision. Its presentation emphasizes detailed animation and a cohesive audiovisual design that supports both exploration and gameplay. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is a gothic horror action side-scrolling RPG set in 19th century England. A paranormal force has summoned a demon-infested castle, revealing crystal shards infused with tremendous magical power. Play as Miriam, an orphan scarred by an alchemist's curse which slowly crystallizes her body. To save humanity, and herself in the process, Miriam must fight through the castle and defeat the summoner, Gebel. Collect, craft and unlock a vast array of weapons, equipment and loot to defeat the countless minions and bosses of hell that await! Metroid Dread Join intergalactic bounty hunter Samus Aran in her first new 2D Metroid story in 19 years. Samus’ story continues after the events of the Metroid Fusion game when she descends upon planet ZDR to investigate a mysterious transmission sent to the Galactic Federation. The remote planet has become overrun by vicious alien lifeforms and chilling mechanical menaces. Samus is more agile and capable than ever, but can she overcome the inhuman threat stalking the depths of ZDR? Blasphemous II The Penitent One awakens as Blasphemous 2 joins him once again in an endless struggle against The Miracle. Dive into a perilous new world filled with mysteries and secrets to discover, and tear your way through monstrous foes that stand between you and your quest to end the cycle one and for all.

B

Axiom Verge After a lab accident, a scientist awakens in a mysterious, alien world. Is this a distant planet? The far future? Or a complex virtual-reality computer simulation? Plumb the recesses of a large, labyrinthine world in order to learn its secrets and uncover your role within it. Discover tons of weapons, items, and abilities, each with their own unique behaviors and usage. You’ll need your wits to find them all. Combat bizarre biomechanoid constructs, the deadly fallout of an ancient war, and the demons of your own psyche. And finally, break the game itself by using glitches to corrupt foes and solve puzzles in the environment. Life. Afterlife. Real. Virtual. Dream. Nightmare. It's a thin line. It's Axiom Verge. Dead Cells Dead Cells is a rogue-lite, metroidvania inspired, action-platformer. You'll explore a sprawling, ever-changing castle... assuming you’re able to fight your way past its keepers in 2D souls-lite combat. No checkpoints. Kill, die, learn, repeat. The Messenger As a demon army besieges his village, a young ninja ventures through a cursed world, to deliver a scroll paramount to his clan's survival. Leveraging players expectations as a core game design ingredient, The Messenger is first presented as an 8-bit action platformer with a simple story, that unravels into an epic time traveling tale, eventually revealing itself as a 16-bit Metroidvania game packed with replay value and deadpan humor. Salt and Sanctuary Salt and Sanctuary is a 2D action role-playing game developed by Ska Studios and released in 2016. It combines side-scrolling combat with mechanics inspired by action RPGs, including stamina management and character builds. Players explore a dark, interconnected world filled with hostile enemies and challenging bosses. Progression is based on skill trees, equipment upgrades, and exploration-driven discovery.

C

Cave Story A side-scrolling platformer in which a robot traverses a strange world that has been thrown into disorder due to its violent history and a doctor that is attempting to exploit the inhabitants to aid him in his own pursuit for power. Shadow Complex Shadow Complex is presented in 2.5D format; the game world is fully three-dimensional, but the player can only move in two dimensions, simulating the environment of a classic side-scrolling video game. Enemies can, however, move in any direction, and auto-aim is utilized to allow the player to fire at nearby enemies or objects both inside and outside of the 2D plane. The player can use the right control stick to aim with a laser sight. Gameplay in Shadow Complex was inspired by Super Metroid and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. The gameplay takes many cues from Metroid: the player can move freely throughout the expansive game world, defeating enemies with a variety of weapons, and as they overcome challenges, they gain new abilities and weapons which allow them to reach new areas. The game rewards the player with experience points as they complete objectives and defeat enemies. The player can gain experience levels, each level boosting basic attributes of the character. These experience levels grant the player skills such as improved gunfire precision or damage resistance. Special rewards such as revealing the full map and unlimited special ammo are granted at specific levels. When the player starts a new game, they will lose all the weapons and items that they have acquired, but will keep the character's experience level and any benefits they have already received from that experience. In addition to the main campaign, a number of challenge levels, called "Proving Grounds", are available, generally requiring the player to make it to the exit of a room using a limited set of items and health. Players are ranked based on time of completion and any scoring objectives when they complete the level. Scores and other statistics from the main campaign and the training group are tracked via online leaderboards. A remastered version and port was announced during the 215 Game Awards, to be released for PS4, Xbox One, PC. Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight is a sidescrolling platformer, and is the fourth installment of the Momodora series. Focusing on gameplay, melee combos, dodge mechanics, travel forwards in the search to save everyone. With your trusty leave, find a variety of items and spells to use to assist you on your journey. This game is a prequel to the previous Momodora games. SteamWorld Dig 2 SteamWorld Dig 2 takes you on a platform mining adventure forged in Metroidvania flames. When an old trading town is struck by mysterious earthquakes, it’s up to a lone steambot and her unlikely companion to uncover what trembling terrors lie beneath. Dig your way underground and explore vivid worlds riddled with treasure, secrets and traps. Combat dangerous enemies at every turn of the underworld’s twisted paths, including shadowy creatures and the haunted remains of an ancient electrical threat. Upgrade your gear to forge deeper into the earth and take on bigger challenges. Swing across large chasms with your Hookshot and fly through caves with the Jet Engine! And finally, learn the truth about your long lost friend…

D

F