Ato
4 out of 5. Frenetic gameplay and novel and deep mechanics are wrapped up by an emotional silent narrative, making Ato one of more memorable experiences within the Metroidvania genre.
Cathedral
4.5 out of 5. Satisfying bosses, nostalgic presentation, and most of all incredible level design make Cathedral a hidden gem for anyone that might enjoy its Zelda-like brand of Metroidvania exploration.
Top 10 Metroidvania Games for Beginners
Looking to get into the Metroidvania genre, or are you looking for recommendations to give to a friend? Here are our top ten picks for best entry games.
Metroidvania News – Oct 21 – 9 New Releases, Supraland on Switch, Expiring Kickstarters, New Steam Pages
NINE new games to report on this week. Expiring kickstarter for Chiaroscuro with a Halloween update. Supraland is ported to Nintendo Switch. Three new Steam pages including Phoenotopia.
Metroidvania News – Oct 14 – New Kickstarters, Releases, and Steam Pages
Kickstarters for Retro Systems and Romancelvania, Warriorb Ported to Switch, Biomoass, Hargrave, Neon Fusion, and Vigil: the Longest Night Released, and four Steam pages for awesome looking games.
Smelted Kin
2 out of 5. The first half of the game is intensely engaging and has an alluring lonely atmosphere once you learn how to play, but the payoff for your efforts will likely leave you disappointed.
Metroidvania News – Oct 6 – New and Expiring Kickstarters, Switch Ports, New Release, Six Steam Pages
Haiku Kickstarter expiring, Chiaroscuro Kickstarter now available, Switch ports for Alwa’s Legacy and Mindseize, Janosik released, and six new steam pages!
Castlevania: Lament of Innocence
3 out of 5. Competent crunchy action and addictive exploration are marred by fixed camera angles and awkward story presentation, creating an enjoyable but somewhat flawed Belmont Origin story.
Monthly Progress Update: October 2020
A listing of what we plan on reviewing and streaming this upcoming month of October!
Metroidvania News – Sep 30 – Expiring Kickstarters, Dating Sims and Sequels
Girl Genius and Dormiveglia Kickstarters expiring, Teslagrad 2 and Romancelvania announced.
Super Daryl Deluxe
3.5 out of 5. It’s so incredibly stupid that it circles around to being purely entertaining. You have to be the type that enjoys its brand of humor, but if you are then you’re in for a good time.
Update to the Monday September 28 review
An announcement regarding the review for Monday September 28, 2020
Metroidvania News – Sept 23 – Switch Ports, New Kickstarter, New Steam Pages, Three New Releases
Ori 2 and Cathedral on the Nintendo Switch, Dormiveglia and 8doors Kickstarters, Game updates, Sasaya, Star Rover, and Exploaris releases, and new Steam Pages for Ender Lilies, the Darkest Tales, and Slavania.
Aquaria
3.5 out of 5. In spite of some rougher edges around its gameplay, Aqauria’s world is like no other, and if you allow yourself to be immersed within it, it will doubtlessly bind itself to your memory.
Metroidvania News – Sep 16 – Phoenotopia Update, 3 Releases, 5 new Steam Pages
Phoenotopia Awakening’s Accessibility patch, releases of Artifacts, Haak, and Redneck Ed, and new steam pages for Catventure, Drilly Willis, Faerie Afterlight, Janosik, and Neon Fusion.
Enter Digiton
3 out of 5. Clever and sometimes relaxing platforming challenges are intermixed with mostly frustrating boss fights and a bit of loose control design. What sets it apart is its one-of-a-kind charm.
Metroidvania News – September 9 – 3 New Kickstarters, 2 Releases, 2 Ports, and 1 new Steam page
Aeternum Vale, Girl Genius, and Haiku the Robot Kickstarters. Ports for AeternoBlade I and II to Steam, Release of Mean-While and Tropicalia, and a new Steam page for Chiaroscuro.
Castlevania: Circle of the Moon
3.5 out of 5. Between its no-handholding castle and the card system, there are undeniably some impressive things about Circle of the Moon, but you do need to accept that you have to grind to get there.
Monthly Progress Update: September 2020
A listing of what we plan on reviewing and streaming this upcoming month of September!
Metroidvania News – September 2 – Control Ultimate Edition and Monster World IV remake
Control Ultimate Edition now available on Steam, Epic Game Store, PS4, and Xbox One – coming to GoG, and Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World announced at Gamescom
Monthly Progress Update moved to a regular Friday of Every Month
An announcement regarding the timing of our monthly update.
Sheepo
3 out of 5. A functional and fun platformer that manages to wear just a little thin with its gimmicks even with its short playtime, but makes up for it with a uniquely bizarre atmosphere.
Metroidvania News – August 26 – Site News, New Kickstarter, Four Releases, Five new Steam Pages
Sheepo, Enter Digiton, Citadale 5, Rogue Legacy 2 released, Kickstarter for 8Doors, and New Steam Pages for Beholgar, The Light of the Darkness, Mean-While, Star Rover, and Taivas. Plus some review schedule changes.
Phoenotopia Awakening
5 out of 5. While the difficulty and some features may grate against individual preferences, its immersiveness and gameplay variety combine to make Phoenotopia Awakening an absolute masterpiece.
UnEpic – Single Player Mode
3.5 out of 5. UnEpic pulls off strategy and action with varying degrees of success, but the true value of the game will come from whether you are in the target audience for the story it presents.
Metroidvania News – August 12 – Three releases, Three new Steam Pages, Phoenotopia Review Incoming
Prehistoric Dude, Smelted Kin released. Escape from Tethys ported to consoles. Anno: Mutationem, Citadale: The Awakened Spirit, and Effigy steam pages, plus an update on a Phoenotopia Review.
Intrepid Izzy
3 out of 5. When a game is as drenched in charm as Intrepid Izzy, it’s easy to look past what could have been and just enjoy the mood. It’s not a masterpiece, but it doesn’t need to be.
Cybermage 0.0.3
2.5 out of 5. An excellent freeware 24 hour game-jam effort that you should check out if you enjoy Metroidvania game design concepts. Perhaps your inputs could make it into a fully fledged game.
Metroidvania News – August 5 – Five new Steam Pages
More upcoming games including Avoidvania, F.I.S.T., HAAK, In the Dark and Paws on the Sand.
Metroid: Other M
3 out of 5. You’ve already heard about its problems, but there are some of positives to enjoy, making it a fun game. In an alternate universe this could have been a perfect Metroid game.