9 Best Metroidvania Game Maps

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Christian has three years of experience writing in the gaming industry, including guides and reviews, for publications such as Dualshockers, Attack of the Fanboy, and PC Invasion. He has been an avid gamer since he was a kid, viewing it as the best possible art form and medium. Some of his favorite genres include Survival Horror, Soulslikes, and RPGs, but he finds joy in almost any type of game.

The Metroidvania genre is all about gaining new abilities and backtracking to previously inaccessible locations to progress further in the game. There are tons of Metroidvania games out there on the market, but not all of them succeed in the most important aspect — the map.

Having a good map in a Metroidvania is crucial in making exploration rewarding and providing a reason to continue playing. If the game doesn’t have a good map, then it’s easy to become bored and play something else. A good map could mean beautiful biomes, unique puzzles and platforming sections, interconnectivity, interesting game systems, etc.

Games That Will Make You a Metroidvania Fan Featured

10 Games That Will Make You a Metroidvania Fan

There are plenty of game genres out there, but one of the best is Metroidvanias. Here are several that will make you fall in love with the genre.

As previously mentioned, there are tons of Metroidvania games out there, so making this list was difficult. Either way, here are the Metroidvania games with the absolute best maps out there right now, just ready to be explored.

9 Ender Lillies: Quietus of the Knights

Quiet Beauty

Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights

The map from Ender Lillies: Quietus of the Knights is one of the best around from an exploration and design standpoint, offering some of the best interconnectivity between levels that the Metroidvania genre has to offer. In classic Metroidvania fashion, players will encounter unreachable locations that can only be accessed after obtaining a certain ability or skill from defeated bosses, making crucial in order to progress. The style of each level is unique and vastly different from one another, ranging from villages, forests, catacombs, and castles, and more. You never know what environment you'll stumble upon next as you explore this vast map filled with secrets.

The map succeeds in both verticallity, layering and spatial awareness, making it so you can see platforms and doors off in the distance or up above, but you can't necessarily reach them until you get the necessary upgrade. This keeps the sense of wonder and curiosity alive through the entire adventure, where you're constantly wondering what is through that door or on that platform. Personally, I believe this is one of the most underrated Metroidvanias on the market right now, and it doesn't get the attention it deserves. I recommend playing, and getting lost in its world as soon as possible.

8 Salt and Sanctuary

A Map That Has Everything

Salt and Sanctuary is a hidden gem, and may not get the recognition it deserves, but that doesn't negate the fact that it has an incredible map to explore. While the map is very large and features branching paths with interconnectivity, what makes it so special is the tiny details in the environment that expand on the game's lore. From underground areas that look like they were taken straight from Dark Souls, to an outside area that features a 2.5D background, this game's map has it all. It's simply a joy to progress through this game, because you never know what the next area will feel like in terms of tone and aesthetics.

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Salt and Sanctuary does a great job in verticality, especially in its later levels. Taking the time to climb a series of ladders and platforms to a high level, just to be met with a secret lore drop or hidden boss, is constantly rewarding. You just never know what to expect when going off the beaten path. I suggest searching every nook and cranny of Salt and Sanctuary's map to get the most out of the game, as it will lead to some of the best moments the game has to offer. Plus, exploration rewards players with items and Salt (experience points) to level up further and make their character stronger for the main bosses.

7 Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown

Explore a Map Using Time Abilities

Ubisoft has been on a losing streak lately, but one of its best games of the past decade is its superb Metroidvania: Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. This game follows a brand new prince on a journey through one of the best maps in the Metroidvania genre, focusing on puzzles that involve using time abilities, crazy platforming sections, optional locations, and plenty of secrets. It was a shock to see how big Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown’s map turned out to be, since Ubisoft gave no hints before release.

Players can expect to explore a variety of different biomes, ranging from a large castle above ground, a worm-infested underground, to ship wrecks on the sea coast, and much more. Each of these locations features unique enemies, bosses, collectibles, and side quests that bring you to hidden locations. The further you progress into the game, the higher you reach in the kingdom, and eventually, you’ll be shocked by how far you have made it due to the sheer size of the map.

Exploration Has Never Been So Relaxing

There are plenty of maps on this list that are beautiful looking, but Ori and the Blind Forest’s map is downright gorgeous. Exploring through this map feels like a dream, filled with hand-drawn artwork with bright and dark colors, and it has the perfect music to match. While the gameplay is fantastic, it’s the map that will keep players engaged for hours on end, as each new location you explore leaves you in a state of awe. That’s how beautiful this game truly is.

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The interconnected design of the map is rewarding, overlapping biomes with each other, featuring constant new paths that are blocked off until players find certain abilities. While this is normal for any Metroidvania game, Ori and the Blind Forest does it a bit differently as it uses music and audio cues to increase the feeling of atmosphere and make exploration more exciting. The entire map is a work of art and should be explored by everyone who is looking for their next adventure.

5 Metroid Dread

A Map Built for Speed

Samus is one of the most famous protagonists in Nintendo's history, and even though she has been featured in many incredible games, one of the best is Metroid Dread. If you aren’t familiar with the series or aren’t familiar with its backstory, the Metroid series is what started the Metroidvania genre. If it weren’t for this iconic Nintendo franchise, then the genre wouldn’t be as popular as it is today, and we most likely wouldn’t have had most of, if not all, the titles on this list. The best news is that Metroid Dread didn’t disappoint and is a phenomenal game.

Not only is Metroid Dread great from a gameplay perspective, but it also has one of the best maps in the Metroidvania genre. The map is incredibly detailed, with interconnecting paths and backtracking, and offers quality-of-life features that make it enjoyable to explore, rather than frustrating. These features include clear doors and item marking, blinking secrets, and teleporters that allow you to travel seamlessly. While the map is huge, it's designed for fast-paced maneuvering, making it one of the most fun maps to traverse through.

4 Hollow Knight

Endless Secrets

When Team Cherry released Hollow Knight in 2017, it showed the Metroidvania community how far this genre can really go in terms of exploration, discovery, and secrets. With a focus on blending Soulslike and Metroidvania elements, the map was designed to reflect this, not just by making it difficult, but also by adding hidden locations, NPCs, and multiple pathways of progression. The Hollow Knight map is so complex and incredibly detailed, influencing multiple games that came after.

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The map of Hollow Knight is also one of the most visually stunning maps on this list, featuring numerous biomes with their own unique style and tone. From the relaxing beauty of the City of Tears to the Deepnest that invokes a feeling of dread, each area invokes a different feeling that makes you want to keep pushing forward. Additionally, each biome has its own form of platforming, adding diversity throughout the entire game.

3 Blasphemous

Interconnectivity at Its Finest

Blasphemous is a Soulslike mixed with Metroidvania elements, and it has one of the best maps around. The map can be compared to the original Dark Souls, as it wraps around and interconnects all the way to the beginning. This structure is almost identical to how all the side areas bring players back to the main hub area in Dark Souls. Blasphemous does this so well that no matter how far you explore, you can eventually return to a previous location without even knowing it, making the entire map feel like a single place.

Besides the map design being incredible, the game also has surprisingly helpful quality-of-life features that make exploration less stressful. For example, the pin system allows players to mark inaccessible locations and secrets to return to later, making it easier to progress. Additionally, the DLC for Blasphemous added a feature that allows players to travel between save points, removing the tediousness of having to backtrack through the large map.

2 Animal Well

A World of Colorful Pixels

While Animal Well is mostly known for its complex puzzles, one of the biggest standouts of the game is the expansive map that is filled to the brim with secrets. The map is broken up into screens, consisting of 16 screens wide and 16 screens tall. As you unlock these "screens," which are essentially just areas of the map, you'll begin to uncover just how truly big Animal Well really is. Each biome is color coded, making it easy to know where you are, and helps with navigation and exploration. The color-coded nature of the map also helps with identifying the type of biome it is, which helps decipher the traps, enemies, puzzles, and environment that lurk in it.

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Animal Well surprised the community when it was released in 2024 as it was made by a solo developer and was way better than people expected. No one could have guessed that it was going to turn out to be one of the best Metroidvanias of recent memory. The map has a unique pixelated feel to it, a style that is not typically found in modern Metroidvanias. It's the perfect game for players looking to get lost in a world through beautiful music, environments, colors, and exploration. It's a feast for the senses and one that will be appreciated for years to come.

1 Hollow Knight: Silksong

The Best Metroidvania Map

Hollow Knight: Silksong has the best map in the Metroidvania genre, offering the most diverse biomes, each with a unique feel and forms of traversal. There are so many optional and secret locations within the map of Silksong that just when you thought you had explored everywhere, you’ll stumble on an entirely new area. The map is absolutely gigantic, and Team Cherry put 100% effort throughout the entire thing. It was a long wait between the original Hollow Knight and Silksong, but it was, without a doubt, worth it.

The best part of the map is that each biome poses a different challenge. For example, Bilewater, the game’s most infamous location, is covered in poisonous water, making it crucial to stay above ground. On the other hand, the Mount Fay offers the longest and most difficult platforming section, which fans have compared to the Path of Pain area of the first game. From deserts to bright green forests, Hollow Knight Silksong has it all.