BatBarian: Testament of the Primordials
4.5 out of 5. A multitasking focused action puzzle-platformer that will bend your brain in creative ways, with all of its challenges being wrapped up in great music and a charming layered narrative.
An Untitled Story
4 out of 5. Maddy Thorson’s earlier work still holds up in terms of game design, offering a robust Metroidvania world to explore and plenty of precision platforming challenges.
Rain World
4.5 out of 5. It is beautiful and terrifying, and you’ll hate it a long time before you may fall in love with it. But if you make it to love, it becomes one of the most unique masterpieces out there.
Bookbound Brigade
1.5 out of 5. Bookbound Brigade’s unmatched premise and beautiful presentation values are lost on its poor writing and level design, resulting in a mostly frustrating use of your time.
Lootbox Lyfe
4 out of 5. A treasure trove of platforming challenges, with plenty of options to accommodate players of all skill levels. It can be punishingly brutal, or you can just enjoy relaxing exploration.
Rabbit’s Quest
4 out of 5. Brutally difficult, but wholly fair and rewarding, Rabbit’s Quest is a unique top-down retro style game that is well worth your time.
Metroid
2 out of 5. Metroid, we love you for what you started, but you’re really hard to play today.
8 Eyes
2 out of 5. Not a Metroidvania. This forgotten classic-vania hits Steam, sharing its unique two-player gameplay and riddle antics with the modern generation. Recommended for game design students.
Blaster Master
2.5 out of 5. While a cult classic due to its innovative two-perspective design, it’s punishing design make it a bit unpalatable today, especially now that Blaster Master Zero exists.
Castlevania Anniversary Collection
4 out of 5. Its only “Metroidvania” game, Simon’s Quest, may be skippable for most players, but the rest of these games are must have hard-but-fair classics. Save states help with accessibility.
Castlevania II: Belmont’s Revenge
3.5 out of 5. Some Brutally Hard moments aside, the creativity of this Gameboy title sets it apart from its Classic-Vania console counterparts.
Super Castlevania IV
4 out of 5. More accessible than its predecessors, but by no means is it easier. This remake of the first Castlevania is an epic foray into the 16 bit era.
Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse
4.5 out of 5. A glorious evolution of the original classic, with multiple paths to choose from and several endings to see. Perhaps the best Classic-vania of them all.
Castlevania
4 out of 5. The start of the Castlevania series still holds up today as a cerebral linear platformer. It’s short, but its challenges will provide deep satisfaction.
Castle in the Darkness
3.5 out of 5. Filled to the brim with creativity even with all of its many references to 80s game culture. The punishing difficulty will cut you down to the bone, but if that’s your jam, it’s amazing.
Robot Wants It All
4 out of 5. Join Robot in six challenging games with twelve remixes. A compilation of some of the best Mini Metroidvania games, with a wide variety of modifications that up the replay value to 11.
Wonder Boy in Monster World
2.5 out of 5. Experience an actual Blast from the Past with the Sega Classics Emulator on Steam! Has many of the problems from that era of gaming, but also all of the charm that creates nostalgia.
Destroy Space Aliens
4 out of 5. An absolute gem hidden within itself. If you can get past the brick wall learning curve, you’re in for something truly special, paying homage to the bests of the genre.
Rabi-Ribi
4.5 out of 5. If you like Bullet Hell, just good well-designed bosses, or if you enjoy challenging yourself with sequence breaking runs, Rabi-Ribi is master-in-class in all three. Accessible to all.
La-Mulana 2
4.5 out of 5. I suggest playing the first one first, but for those who have already done that and want more La-Mulana, this is really the only way to get it, and NIGORO delivers well.
Ghostly Matter
2.5 out of 5. A love letter to 90s Adventure Games and PC Platformers that captures the entire experience of that era, including design features that have since been forgotten. A fun mystery to solve.
Environmental Station Alpha
5 out of 5. A station full of rewarding mysteries to unlock, hidden behind a fair difficulty curve that just keeps escalating to instense extremes. Truly a masterpiece of difficult game design.
Mortal Manor
2.5 out of 5. Substance over style. If you can push past the incredibly frustrating process of getting good at the game, you can easily get your money’s worth in terms of time per dollar spent.
Kingdom of the Dragon
2.5 out of 5. What Kingdom of the Dragon lacks in polish, it makes up for with heart. If you’re interested in amateur game design, KOTD offers a fun world to explore, and near impossible challenges.
La-Mulana
5 out of 5. Not a game for everyone, but perhaps the best puzzle-based Metroidvania in the genre. Cryptic clues and dangerous tombs captures the feel of an Indiana Jones-style archeology adventure.
Salt and Sanctuary
4 out of 5. Local Co-op. Souls-Like Metroidvania Hybrid. Methodical and rewarding combat sweetened by its punishing nature. Potentially thousands of ways to customize your character.
Cave Story
5 out of 5. While relatively linear and more story focused, Cave Story provides some of the best challenging shooter-platformer gameplay available. Full of secrets to uncover and lovable characters.