Best metroidvania to buy | July 2021
That the best metroidvania published in recent years have often (and with full merit) entered the list of the most downloaded, played and appreciated games is not a coincidence, and this has also allowed an increase in investments to them related. Even in the AA and AAA market, several video games have borrowed many playful solutions from metroidvania, confirming the goodness and solidity of that formula. In the guide that follows, therefore, we want to recommend those that, in our opinion, are the best metroidvania released during the last generation, often video games that are also very different from each other (but that's also the beauty!) Before starting with the list, We remind you that on our pages you will also find a guide dedicated to the best platformers, one to the best shooters, one to the best Western RPGs and one to the best JRPGs.
The best metroidvania
Control: Ultimate Edition Hollow Knight ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights Ori and the Will of the Wisps Dead Cells Blasphemous Carrion Control: Ultimate Edition Platform: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X / S, Nintendo Switch Control is a bit of a watershed in its genre: developed by Remedy Entertainment, the authors of Max Payne and Alan Wake, it's a title very particular, which blends the basics of a third-person shooter with a three-dimensional metroidvania game structure, all with a strongly narrative setting and a deliberately cryptic and extravagant story, which is inspired by the literary current of the new weird and, from the point from an aesthetic point of view, to the geometries of brutalist architecture. Originally released on older generation consoles, at the beginning of 2021 it also arrived on PS5 and Xbox Series X and Series S, with support for 60 FPS and ray tracing. The Ultimate Edition for PS4 and Xbox One, in addition to including the two DLCs, is the only one to offer a free upgrade to the next gen. In any case, whether you play on PC or console, you will have one of the best narrative metroidvania ever.
» Click here to buy Control Ultimate Edition (PS5 / Series X) on Amazon
» Click here to buy Control Ultimate Edition on Instant Gaming
Hollow Knight
Platform: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X | S, Nintendo Switch Literally out of nowhere and funded thanks to a crowfunding campaign, Hollow Knight is one of the main architects of the rebirth of metroidvania in recent years: it was developed by Team Cherry, a tiny Australian software house that in a very short time has earned the admiration of a huge group of fans, also grown thanks to ie by word of mouth. Featuring exceptional art direction, Hollow Knight throws you into the shoes of a small, insect-like knight battling a mysterious plague plaguing Hallownest's world. Since we're all waiting for the sequel, Hollow Knight: Silksong, now is a great time to catch up and finally play one of the best metroidvania's of recent years.
» Click here to buy Hollow Knight on CDKeys
ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights
Platform: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch Metroidvania with a very oriental design, almost from JRPG, is ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights, an indie project developed by the Live Wire and Adglobe teams and published by Binary Haze Interactive. ENDER LILIES is almost an anime version of Hollow Knight for the dark fantasy atmosphere and the plot full of emotion and surprises, but alongside the RPG elements it maintains a very traditional metroidvania dimension. The player, as Lily, a young girl in bright white dresses, suddenly awakens in a dungeon infested with bloodthirsty monsters. Beside her appears the spirit of an unknown black knight, whose mission is to defend the little girl with her powerful sword. The graphics sector is also truly remarkable, however Castlevania and Hollow Knight lovers will be attracted by the high replayability rate and completism.
Ori and the Will of the Wisps
Platform: Xbox One, Xbox Series X | S, Nintendo Switch, PC Microsoft saw us long when it offered to fund Moon Studios to make the two Golds, acclaimed by critics and audiences as two of the best video games of their kind. Ori and the Will of the Wisps is the sequel to Ori and the Blind Forest, compared to which it takes a big step forward in terms of overall quality, with even more accurate animated scenes, a better emphasized story (especially in key moments) and in general an improved gameplay without the small inconsistencies of the predecessor. From a visual point of view, then, the game achieves absolute excellence, painting a wonderful forest that serves as the perfect context for its poignant narrative. It is, in general, the perfect fusion between metroidvania and platform, as well as a title that you cannot miss and try at least once if you love the genre.
» Click here to buy Ori and the Will of the Wisps on Instant Gaming
Dead Cells
Platform: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch Dead Cells provides another very personal interpretation of the metroidvania structure, this time leaning on another genre, that of roguelite. Motion Twin has received almost unanimous acclaim from critics and the public, and not surprisingly: Dead Cells, in fact, is a frenetic and fun video game, which, in the long run, can even become addictive, also due to the way in which they have been study the various runs. By dying you will have to start all over again, with a few more enhancements: the particular structure of the game, however, will encourage you to keep going, one game after another, until you manage to finish it. Dead Cells, among other things, has several DLCs, enclosed in a Game of the Year edition available only in retail format. The additional content, however, can also be purchased separately.
» Click here to buy Dead Cells Action Game of the Year for Switch on Amazon
» Click here to buy Dead Cells Standard Edition on Instant Gaming
Blasphemous
Platform: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch Blasphemous is another one of those indie format productions that, however, in their small world, they have so much to offer. In this case it is a title with pixel art graphics and simple but solid and fun gameplay. The metroidvania elements, in Blasphemous, are found in the classic and perhaps a bit rough gameplay structure, however what is striking about the title is certainly the exploitation of Christian iconography, in a less blasphemous way than one might believe, but still stylistically remarkable. . Also worth mentioning is the good use of RPG elements and the presence of many secrets scattered around the maps.
» Click here to buy Blasphemous for PC on Gamivo
Carrion
Platform: PC, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch Carrion is a "reverse" horror metroidvania in the sense that the player plays a sprawling monster whose goal is to escape from the building in which he is confined. The player makes his way into the human laboratories by killing his tormentors here and there in a real metroidvania structure, between power-ups and backtracking. As you progress through the game, the sprawling worm also grows out of all proportion, being able to access previously inaccessible areas. Carrion is the first project from an indie team from Warsaw, Phobia Games, and was named Best Debut Game and Best Indie at The Game Awards 2020.
» Click here to buy Carrion for PC on CDKeys
» Click here to buy Control Ultimate Edition (PS5 / Series X) on Amazon
» Click here to buy Control Ultimate Edition on Instant Gaming
Hollow Knight
Platform: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X | S, Nintendo Switch Literally out of nowhere and funded thanks to a crowfunding campaign, Hollow Knight is one of the main architects of the rebirth of metroidvania in recent years: it was developed by Team Cherry, a tiny Australian software house that in a very short time has earned the admiration of a huge group of fans, also grown thanks to ie by word of mouth. Featuring exceptional art direction, Hollow Knight throws you into the shoes of a small, insect-like knight battling a mysterious plague plaguing Hallownest's world. Since we're all waiting for the sequel, Hollow Knight: Silksong, now is a great time to catch up and finally play one of the best metroidvania's of recent years.» Click here to buy Hollow Knight on CDKeys
ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights
Platform: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch Metroidvania with a very oriental design, almost from JRPG, is ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights, an indie project developed by the Live Wire and Adglobe teams and published by Binary Haze Interactive. ENDER LILIES is almost an anime version of Hollow Knight for the dark fantasy atmosphere and the plot full of emotion and surprises, but alongside the RPG elements it maintains a very traditional metroidvania dimension. The player, as Lily, a young girl in bright white dresses, suddenly awakens in a dungeon infested with bloodthirsty monsters. Beside her appears the spirit of an unknown black knight, whose mission is to defend the little girl with her powerful sword. The graphics sector is also truly remarkable, however Castlevania and Hollow Knight lovers will be attracted by the high replayability rate and completism.Ori and the Will of the Wisps
Platform: Xbox One, Xbox Series X | S, Nintendo Switch, PC Microsoft saw us long when it offered to fund Moon Studios to make the two Golds, acclaimed by critics and audiences as two of the best video games of their kind. Ori and the Will of the Wisps is the sequel to Ori and the Blind Forest, compared to which it takes a big step forward in terms of overall quality, with even more accurate animated scenes, a better emphasized story (especially in key moments) and in general an improved gameplay without the small inconsistencies of the predecessor. From a visual point of view, then, the game achieves absolute excellence, painting a wonderful forest that serves as the perfect context for its poignant narrative. It is, in general, the perfect fusion between metroidvania and platform, as well as a title that you cannot miss and try at least once if you love the genre.» Click here to buy Ori and the Will of the Wisps on Instant Gaming
Dead Cells
Platform: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch Dead Cells provides another very personal interpretation of the metroidvania structure, this time leaning on another genre, that of roguelite. Motion Twin has received almost unanimous acclaim from critics and the public, and not surprisingly: Dead Cells, in fact, is a frenetic and fun video game, which, in the long run, can even become addictive, also due to the way in which they have been study the various runs. By dying you will have to start all over again, with a few more enhancements: the particular structure of the game, however, will encourage you to keep going, one game after another, until you manage to finish it. Dead Cells, among other things, has several DLCs, enclosed in a Game of the Year edition available only in retail format. The additional content, however, can also be purchased separately.» Click here to buy Dead Cells Action Game of the Year for Switch on Amazon
» Click here to buy Dead Cells Standard Edition on Instant Gaming
Blasphemous
Platform: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch Blasphemous is another one of those indie format productions that, however, in their small world, they have so much to offer. In this case it is a title with pixel art graphics and simple but solid and fun gameplay. The metroidvania elements, in Blasphemous, are found in the classic and perhaps a bit rough gameplay structure, however what is striking about the title is certainly the exploitation of Christian iconography, in a less blasphemous way than one might believe, but still stylistically remarkable. . Also worth mentioning is the good use of RPG elements and the presence of many secrets scattered around the maps.» Click here to buy Blasphemous for PC on Gamivo
Carrion
Platform: PC, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch Carrion is a "reverse" horror metroidvania in the sense that the player plays a sprawling monster whose goal is to escape from the building in which he is confined. The player makes his way into the human laboratories by killing his tormentors here and there in a real metroidvania structure, between power-ups and backtracking. As you progress through the game, the sprawling worm also grows out of all proportion, being able to access previously inaccessible areas. Carrion is the first project from an indie team from Warsaw, Phobia Games, and was named Best Debut Game and Best Indie at The Game Awards 2020.» Click here to buy Carrion for PC on CDKeys
