10 Best Hand-Drawn Metroidvanias

There are hardly any genres that truly represent the culture of gaming quite like a good platformer, RPG, and Metroidvania. You can't talk about video games to strangers without bringing up characters like Mario, Sonic, and Cloud. If you asked me though, I'd say Metroidvanias represent what we like about this hobby the most.

The proof of the Metroidvania's impact and importance is all in the name. It's a portmanteau of both Metroid and Castlevania. It's purely made and known by the love for the two classic games that put it on the map just as home consoles truly took off.

Like many other genres, gaming, and life itself, things have been constantly evolving. The Metroidvania has kept its name over the years, but the things people expect from these games are incredibly different now. Metroidvanias are mostly known by completely hand-drawn games today, and some are truly the cream of the crop.

10 Aeterna Noctis

Break the Cycle

Aeterna Noctis is a beautiful game with tragic undertones, not anything new to this genre, but with a twist that makes me think of Zelda's reincarnation cycle. Two factions grew hungry for power in a world created by the god Chaos, earning his anger. The leaders of the factions are cursed with immortality as punishment, starting the usual cycle between Light and Dark.

Perpetuating the cycle to keep the universe balanced, you play as the King of Darkness, working your way back up to the heavens. Throughout the journey, you get to see the world you're fighting to rule with your own eyes, and it's carefully crafted to fit the genre and the precision platforming asks of the player.

I personally think that Aeterna Noctis' strong point is its environments and level design. The artwork of the experience only makes these environments even more impressive, and it might not have been as special if it was done in 3D. Outside of that, though, Aeterna Noctis can easily feel like just another Metroidvania if you're familiar with the genre. It's part of why it's so divisive, even earning a perfect 50% recommendation from critics.

9 8Doors: Arum's Afterlife Adventure

An Inspired Introductory Adventure

Published by Neowiz, 8Doors: Arum's Afterlife Adventure is one of the most simplistic titles you can find in this genre. It's a great introduction to Metroidvania since a good number of them expect you to have played a few already. If you were looking to drag a friend into one of your favorite genres, aware that it comes with a high skill ceiling, then look no further.

In 8Doors, you play as Arum. Arum is a girl who is trying to find her father who has passed away from a strange phenomenon. Her journey leads her to purgatory, where her father's soul has gone missing. She ends up traveling deeper than she bargained for, going within the eight realms of the afterlife. She finds all sorts of truths along the way.

8Doors is simple in both controls and color scheme, which sticks to different shades of gray, white, and red. As inspired as the environments are, I find the animation to be a bit stiff, but that doesn't make it any less of a good game.

8 Super Roboy

A Quaint Little Love Letter

Where Aeterna Noctis might lean a bit more toward the Castlevania side of the genre, Super Roboy is more akin to Metroid. It features a cute robot boy as the protagonist, exploring the world and battling enemies in a world drawn in a way that reminds me of old Newgrounds flash animations.

Super Roboy is super responsive, even with all of its hand-drawn assets. Every move a Metroidvania fan would want to be snappy and quick, like jumping, shooting, and rolling, very much are. Movement feels great in Super Roboy, but it's designed from the ground up with experience of the genre in mind. If you're looking for a new artistically-driven adventure, and you're a regular to the genre, definitely give Super Roboy a try.

7 Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom

A Modern-Day Classic

Many games might strive to feel the same way their predecessors did, and tons of them tend to fail to capture it completely. As modern game design evolves, we forget how we made the first titles along the way. Somehow, though, Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom found a way to feel like plenty of classic Metroidvania adventures without compromising style and even frame rate.

Fantasy Metroidvania lovers are in for the lion's share with Cursed Kingdom. It wraps unbeatable classic gameplay, RPG elements, and all the exploration you'd expect from a Metroidvania together, complete with an overworld. Cursed Kingdom's art style compliments it every step of the way, serving as a great cherry on top to it all.

6 Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights

Artistic in Many Ways

Oh, good. Another Metroidvania that opens up with a protagonist that has no memories and a cryptic destiny as hinted by the companion. Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights certainly starts out full of tropes, but that part won't keep you away from Ender Lilies for very long.

Right away, Ender Lilies will pull you into its world with its ambiance that's just as gorgeous as its visuals. Its music, when it kicks in, reminds me of NieR in a way, befitting the tale of a fated girl lost in a ruined world.

It might not be the most individualistic Metroidvania Soulslike out there in terms of grit and intrigue, but it certainly manages to stick the landing with interesting features like levels, abilities that are personified through Lily's guardians, and early-game fast-travel (unlike other Metroidvanias.) The only downside for me personally is that the combat gets a bit repetitive if you're being resourceful with your actions, but I know some people might feel otherwise.

5 Carrion

This Time, You're the Monster in the Maze

The biggest thing that separates Metroidvanias from other games is its overarching maps that expand in any direction they can with the right upgrades. A lot of Metroidvanias ask players to be strategic about deciding where they go next and why. In Carrion, though, causing mayhem and chaos is inherently how you progress. Or, at least, it is for the majority of the game.

So, Carrion is a pixel art game. Just because it isn't drawn with a pen and paper doesn't mean it's not hand-drawn. Pixel art is art, too, and Carrion is a great representation of that. The detail in Carrion about how the monsters grows, the dumb ways people can die, and how the environment changes is a marvel to watch in action and really helps reward players for making their way through the facilities.

While a lot of these games are great to look at as well as play, Carrion is such a special game that really stands out in every way, especially as a reverse horror Metroidvania.

4 Animal Well

A Gamer's Best Friend

Like I said earlier, pixel art is still art, and boy, does Animal Well deserve to be seen as art. While you can find yourself in danger in Animal Well, the game is far more focused on exploration. You play as a tiny blob that sets out to explore the caverns of a strange well.

And... well... that's about it. There's no real story to Animal Well. There's no real combat, either. Just careful puzzle solving and platforming along numerous different screens in a connected labyrinth. It's all a relaxing, wondrous, and captivating time. There are also tons of secrets to find to where I'm sure you'll be busy with Animal Well for a long time.

The entire labyrinth is colored with florescent pixels against a black background, toned down in places to create a living gradient full of depth. Its dedication to pixel art, platforming, and the way it doesn't hold your hand at all is what makes Animal Well such a great game and a love letter to gaming as a whole. It's just fantastic.

3 Constance

One of the Coziest Metroidvanias Out There

Mental health is an important aspect of all of our lives, regardless of if we game or not. Btf Games has made a Metroidvania that serves to remind us of that fact with Constance, a game where a creative girl has retreated into her own mind during a dark time in her life. Constance is a game where you're free to interpret it how you want, possibly giving you hope in the way that you see the game for yourself.

Along with the deep messaging, Constance is also animated beautifully with aesthetics you might find in cozy games instead of Metroidvanias. In an age where every other game is trying to do the same thing in this genre, Constance sticks out by doing something different and heartfelt to the end. As a gamer who also draws and has struggled with his mental health practically all of his life, Constance means a lot to me.

2 Nine Sols

You Make Your Own Destiny

It can easily be said that Nine Sols was the indie darling of 2024. It's a story about redemption and choices with parry-driven combat. It's also so fantastically well-animated that it's a joy to look at. While some players feel that the Taoism elements seen in Nine Sols clash with its cyberpunk aesthetic, I feel like it's a great representation of how the protagonist, Yi, is at war with himself throughout the entire story.

Even if the worldbuilding doesn't land with some players, it doesn't change the fact that Nine Sols' animation is ridiculously smooth. In a game where parrying is critical to most of the battles, animations need to be easy to understand and frame perfectly. Nine Sols excels at that and more, so it's very easy to see why it's as popular as it is.

1 Hollow Knight

The GOAT

I'm well aware that if this list didn't end with Hollow Knight, there would be mutiny in the streets. Thing is, I know how mad you all would be if I did that because I completely agree that it should be here. Hollow Knight is by all accounts a gorgeous game, and its success is part of the reason half of these games are here, too.

Hollow Knight hits all the high notes that these games do and more. It has smooth animation filled with personal touches that work well with hit boxes and goes hand-in-hand with its story and environments. The world building in Hollow Knight is phenomenal, and it's now the first game in what became a franchise thanks to Hollow Knight: Silksong.

Hollow Knight: Silksong was originally meant to be DLC to Hollow Knight itself, but developers Team Cherry had so many ideas and had so much fun making it that they developed it into another full game instead. Both titles are stunning and immersive on all fronts in ways that have yet to be topped since. Hollow Knight has more than earned its reputation as the best hand-drawn Metroidvania out there today.