Blasphemous: The Stir of Dawn
4 out of 5. With the latest patch, Blasphemous is a great value, with five new great bosses, fixes to old content, and three new modes to extend your play time in challenging ways.
The Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human
4 out of 5. While its story may be a case study in ludo-narrative dissonance, The Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human provides a unique underwater take on metroidvania design with some great bosses.
Castlevania: The Lecarde Chronicles 2
4 out of 5. A delightful marriage between Classicvania and Metroidvania that will surely please fans of both. Challenging combat and a deep world to explore make for a wholly memorable game.
Castlevania: The Lecarde Chronicles
3.5 out of 5. A strong Classicvania experience with some of the series’ later mechanics mixed in. A worthwhile playthrough assuming you don’t have any technical issues.
Vigil: The Longest Night
4 out of 5. Greater than the sum of its parts. If you enjoy exploring an open Metroidvania world with the occasional amazing boss fight, then its charms can easily outweigh its flaws.
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.
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.
Weapon Hacker
4 out of 5. Tight controls and strategic gameplay make this roguelite Metroid style game a great way to spend an hour, or maybe a hundred hours. Customize your weapons on the fly and conquer.
Minoria
3.5 out of 5. A bit of a step backward from the Developer’s previous work, but there are still some great combat challenges to be had for those that enjoy mastering difficult patterns.
Blasphemous
3.5 out of 5. Not the perfect game that people were hoping for, but nevertheless you’ll find some fulfilling exploration and memorable moments that still make this a worthwhile title to check out.
Knifeboy
3 out of 5. The unique world and story defies Knifeboy’s otherwise unpolished exterior, creating what may be a genius satire. To any believer in games as a form of artistic expression; check this out.
REDO!
4 out of 5. This Lovecraftian style survival horror side scroller successfully captures the sweet taste of release that can only come after feelings of absolute dread. Highly recommended.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate
2 out of 5. Lords of Shadow fans may enjoy its unique take on the Simon and Trevor Belmont storyline, but strictly as a Metroidvania game it’s just outclassed by other options, including the Igavanias
A Robot Named FIGHT!
4 out of 5. Local Co-op. The Most “Metroidvania” of the Rogue-vanias. Has a slower pace and slightly awkward controls taken from Super Metroid. An excellent infinite loop of Mini-Metroidvania goodness
Death’s Gambit
3.5 out of 5. It’s good, but it’s definitely not finished. There are plans to rectify some of its flaws, so you may want to wait, but for now it still has well thought-out level design and fun bosses.
Bad Pad
2.5 out of 5. Super Meatboy as a Metroidvania Rock Opera. Enjoy some of the same clutch platforming gameplay, but now with a large metroidvania map to explore. Not perfect, but wholly unique.
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.
After Death
3.5 out of 5. Plays close to the rules while still offering enough unique mechanics and narrative ideas to stand out. Metroidvania fans should not ignore this one.
Unworthy
4.5 out of 5. A Souls-like hybrid with a greater emphasis on its Metroidvania aspects. Unworthy is a fantastic example of a focused and well-realized experience, with challenging dungeons and bosses.
Skautfold: Usurper
3 out of 5. Lovecraftian Horrors, fascinating new game design and a compelling story make this a unique take on Metroidvania and Souls-Like ideas. Its experiments aren’t perfect, but I still love it.
Last Stitch Goodnight
2 out of 5. Like Ice Cream and Pickles, it has good ideas that simply don’t mix well. Exploration is fun, and I recommend checking it out for its pseudo-philosophy ideas, but overall poor execution.
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.
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.
Shadow Complex
3 out of 5. So-bad-it’s-good Action Movie style story with wonky experimental 2.5D combat and excellent Metroidvania style exploration. A fun romp overall.