10 Best Metroidvanias To Play Right Now

Over the decades since the original and games were released, their cleverly created Metroidvania subgenre has grown into a massive section of the video game market. Metroidvania games can encapsulate several themes and range from humorous to horror, but share the same core features. While they are typically side-scrolling platform games, this isn't always the case, and the genre itself seems to continue to grow and evolve over the years as new games are released that push beyond the norm.

Some things that are always apparent in a Metroidvania game are their large maps with secrets hidden throughout, and a lot of backtracking through the labyrinth of paths that can be taken. Many indie developers have created unique spins on Metroidvanias, and there are so many incredible titles that fit the description that, sadly, they cannot all be included on this list. To define what the best games are for this list, reviews and Metacritic scores have been considered to ensure that they are evaluated fairly.

is a Metroidvania with a bit more of a modern feel to it and isa spiritual successor of the series. Its development was led by Koji Igarashi who had previously been a producer on the games from 2001 to 2010. Therefore, the game has a distinctive aesthetic that is reminiscent of those games, yet stands on its own with beautiful visuals and an engaging storyline that follows a mysterious heroine. has a Metacritic score of 83 and 's review gave it 4/5 stars while praising its puzzle-like mysteries.

At first glance, the graphics and theme of certainly do not scream Metroidvania, yet the underlying game mechanics prove that every genre can benefit from a little bit of a colorful approach. While there is an element of beat-em-up mixed into the Metroidvania style, its platform levels reveal hidden paths, secrets, and the chance for Juan to gain new abilities along the way and qualify it for the genre. received a Metacritic score of 83, and 's review gave it a must-play rating of