About MetroidvaniaReview

MetroidvaniaReview.com is a dedicated review site for the Metroidvania genre — games inspired by the exploration-driven design of Metroid and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.

Every review focuses on what matters most in the genre: how the map unfolds, how abilities gate exploration, how satisfying the backtracking feels, and whether the game earns the "Metroidvania" label. Each review includes a structured Metroidvania Breakdown scoring Combat, Platforming, Exploration, Story, Graphics, and more — so you can quickly see where a game shines and where it falls short.

The site originally ran from 2016 to 2021, covering over 200 games — from celebrated classics like Hollow Knight and Dust: An Elysian Tail to obscure indie releases few people have heard of. This rebuilt version preserves all of those reviews in a faster, cleaner format.

Scoring System

All games are scored out of 5:

• 5.0 — Masterpiece
• 4.5 — Excellent
• 4.0 — Great
• 3.5 — Good
• 3.0 — Decent
• 2.0–2.9 — Mixed
• Below 2.0 — Poor

The breakdown table scores individual aspects of each game on the same 1–5 scale, giving a granular view beyond the final number.