10 Best Metroidvanias of the 2020s (So Far)

As Metroidvanias have established themselves as a popular genre, we've been treated to a wide variety of titles that strive to represent the ideals of Castlevania and Metroid faithfully.

Some deviate more or less from their heritage, but ultimately, the rise of this type of game has resulted in a considerable increase in the number of masterpieces that champion regressive progression, interconnected exploration, and more secrets than a human could count.

While they all share a similar foundation, the passage of time has led us to enjoy increasingly diverse games, making this genre one you should definitely keep an eye on if you appreciate experiences crafted with passion.

10 Laika: Aged Through Blood

Revenge on Wheels

One of the most enjoyable consequences of the indie supremacy in Metroidvanias is that certain studios allow themselves to explore some pretty wild ideas, as is the case with Brainwash Gang and Laika: Aged Through Blood.

Combining motorcycle stunts with the typical mechanics associated with the genre, this bloody title is among the freshest products I've had the pleasure of enjoying this decade, because it's unlike anything I've played before.

With its high difficulty, compelling story, and level design perfectly suited to enhance the core gameplay, spinning your motorcycle while deflecting bullets and landing headshots is an adrenaline-fueled and satisfying experience that stands out from the very concept.

Laika: Aged Through Blood is one of those games that, when described to you, sounds absolutely insane, but when you play it for the first time, you realize just how far a well-executed innovation can take you.

9 Ori and the Will of the Wisps

Giving Back Life

While Ori and the Blind Forest was a great video game, the leap in quality Moon Studios made with Ori and the Will of the Wisps is one of the most significant ever seen in a sequel.

Without exception, the second adventure improves upon everything seen in its predecessor, offering better and wider content that translates into a more refined combat system, more detailed and diverse bosses, less artificial and more spontaneous environments, and a truly perfect soundtrack and art design.

The team managed to perfect their narrative and gameplay skills with this new adventure, combining an even more emotional story (something I thought impossible) with tremendous mechanics in terms of movement, exploration, and discovery.

For those of us who enjoy Metroidvanias more focused on combat, Ori and the Will of the Wisps shows its more modest side, but beyond that... It's moving art that will touch your heartstrings with commendable ease.

8 Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown

Remnants of the Best of Ubisoft

Witnessing the decline in quality of Ubisoft's games in real time is among my most unfortunate experiences of the century, though enjoying the magnificent Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown was as painful as it was moving due to seeing the vestiges of that historic developer.

As one of the few AAA companies that have decided to explore this genre dominated by indies, it's remarkable how the difference in production values ​​can create unparalleled depth in an adventure of this kind.

The traditional elements of big-budget productions, such as cinematic style, voice acting, and controls as refined and accessible as humanly possible, permeate a grand underlying concept where combat and platforming have a clear legacy to uphold.

With a remarkable fantasy tone, a wide variety of bosses and combat tools, and extremely challenging sections that push you to master the gameplay perfectly, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is a reminder that, when they put their heart into it, Ubisoft remains a world-class developer.

7 Blasphemous 2

A Perfect Sequel

Speaking of sequels that comprehensively improve upon their predecessors, Blasphemous 2 stands out among the most dramatic examples of quality enhancements, and that's saying something.

Although the first game is a fantastic title that truly stands as one of the genre's most iconic, The Game Kitchen surpassed itself considerably in every conceivable aspect of the Penitent One's return.

Despite not innovating too much, the studio focused on smoothing out the rough edges of their first proposal, resulting in an equally bizarre yet enjoyable experience with more and better combat, tremendous bosses, deep yet fluid exploration, gorgeous pixel art, and a soundtrack that ranks among the decade's best.

Overall, Blasphemous 2 is the perfect example of what a sequel should be, both for how it maintains its essence while modifying everything that needed to change, and for the fact that the spikes no longer kill you instantly.

6 MIO: Memories in Orbit

Unprecedented Scales

Although being a microscopic entity is a fairly common trope in Metroidvanias, I'd never felt so small and awestruck by the scale of the world around me as in MIO: Memories in Orbit.

Playing as this tiny robot inside such a colossal vessel was breathtaking at every turn, because the art design and mechanical exploration are so perfectly fused that they feel like a single, cohesive whole, accompanied by a prodigious soundtrack that ends up being the icing on the audiovisual cake.

Each new movement mechanic is more impressive than the last, allowing for ways of traversing I'd never seen before. This, combined with a combat system that isn't particularly groundbreaking but still works flawlessly, and a carefully crafted narrative that tells a tragic story through multiple means, makes for a truly remarkable experience.

MIO: Memories in Orbit is the kind of title that looks so detailed and feels so gratifying that you can't help but go for 100% completion, especially because, when it gets serious, it presents you with some of the most demanding and exciting platforming and combat sections you can imagine.

5 Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights

A Journey of Melancholy

While the Metroidvania genre has become popular for its emphasis on gameplay above all else, Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights bucked the trend in such a memorable way that I couldn't help but fall in love with it.

Without diminishing its mechanics—exploration and combat work phenomenally, especially thanks to the creative approach of basing battles on summons you acquire by defeating bosses, which act as guardians for the protagonist—the true charm lies in the story, the aesthetics, and the music.

Each time you defeat a main opponent, the game cuts to a series of slides showing the tragic ways in which they were transformed into beasts, escorted by a tragically moving soundtrack that allows you to empathize with them before they join you, imbuing the quest with an emotional weight.

Normally, the driving force of Metroidvanias lies in curiosity and completionism, but in Ender Lilies, it's the genuine struggle the player endures to save the kingdom and its inhabitants, who have already suffered enough.

The title strikes a chord with the audience through tactics that are quite unusual for the genre, making it an extremely special title even if it isn't as refined in aspects where its contemporaries typically excel.

4 Animal Well

Progress Lies in You

Animal Well is a lightning bolt in a bottle, something I don't know if we'll ever see replicated, but the fact that it happened once is reason enough to believe there's genuine magic within the video game industry.

Although its Metroidvania nature exists as you unlock new tools that allow you to progress and solve new puzzles, it's enchanting how the true advancement of objectives is tied to your understanding of the environment, not only your disposal of more devices.

Being such an interactive, dynamic, and layered game, you'll see as much content as your cognitive abilities and curiosity allow, because it's not enough to simply find the tools; you have to decipher the environmental enigmas presented by each biome, which is as complex as it is electrifying.

Without traditional combat or bosses, unique movement and interaction mechanics, and gorgeous pixel art, Animal Well is one in a million that, by all accounts, represents the fantastic feeling of immersing yourself in a digital world.​​​​​​​

3 Metroid Dread

Back to the Roots

Some classics simply can't be surpassed, and nothing felt more spectacular than seeing one of the genre's ancestors return to its original philosophy to demonstrate why it's what it is on a historical level, which brings us to Metroid Dread.

I don't know how many years those of us who played the original entries in the franchise waited for a title that so accurately captured the soul that once delighted us without sacrificing the comforts and improvements of modern design, but it finally arrived.

It's difficult to find words to describe something you have to feel, and few video games of this generation offer such a satisfying and vibrant response to stimuli as this one, whose spatial and interconnected excellence lives up to the legacy that supports it.

With exquisite design, a superb combination of combat, puzzles, and exploration, and an impressive balance between being old-school and contemporary, Metroid Dread feels like a timeless title that, nevertheless, belongs to all eras, oozing intelligence in its design worthy of study for years to come.

2 Nine Sols

Hesitation is Defeat

Being a near-perfect title, Nine Sols takes the best elements of all modern action-adventure games and imbues them with a unique narrative, thematic, and aesthetic identity, resulting in something fresh and impressive.

With Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice's rhythmic combat philosophy, Hollow Knight's exploration and platforming, and previous Red Candle Games titles' seriousness and narrative sensitivity, Yi's adventure is a bastion of excellence on every conceivable front.

Primarily, of course, because it boasts among the most outstanding combat systems of all time, with devilishly challenging and satisfying bosses that force you to master the gameplay with surgical precision, making the most of secondary tools and passive modifiers.

But, secondly, because what underpins such outstanding skirmishes is equally remarkable: a deeply human story of redemption, traumas, and connections; varied and enjoyable platforming; extensive character customization; numerous side quests and secrets; and a Taopunk philosophy that beautifully permeates the art and sound...

Nine Sols is, quite simply, one of the decade's best indie games, so it's only natural that it also ranks among the finest Metroidvanias, thanks to its excellence in every aspect of the genre.

1 Hollow Knight: Silksong

Silk and Soul

It's difficult not to sound like a broken record when talking about Hollow Knight: Silksong, though there truly aren't enough words to express the greatness Team Cherry achieved with Hornet's odyssey.

Just when I thought Hollow Knight was as perfect as a Metroidvania could be, the studio decided to prove my vile ignorance by delivering an adventure that's bigger and better in practically every aspect, demonstrating their success wasn't a product of chance but of pure, raw talent.

They improved the combat, movement, exploration, secrets, discovery, and interconnection of areas, soundtrack, story, variety, and bosses of a game already praised for being extraordinary in all those elements, which says everything I can't.

The wait was not only worth it, but it felt short compared to the scale of Hornet's journey, whose new mechanics, in a vaster and more vertical world, feel like the culmination of years of knowledge amassed by the entire genre.

Hollow Knight: Silksong is the best Metroidvania of the decade, but also a contender for best indie game of all time. For some, it might take time to reach this conclusion, but for me, it was obvious from the very second I set foot in the Coral Chambers for the first time.