Biomass
4 out of 5. Its combat is just good enough to be of passing interest to Souls-like fans, but where Biomass really shines is how it presents its mysteries, and how much it leaves open to interpretation.
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.
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.
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.
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.
3000th Duel
3 out of 5. A mostly formulaic Souls-like experience that offers up fun exploration with good verticality and combat that is competently executed.
Chasm 1.075
4 out of 5. While more grounded than the wild fantasy that you might be accustomed to from Igavania-style titles, Chasm still provides an interesting challenge with decent options for replayability.
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.
SteamWorld Dig 2
4.5 out of 5. Ramps up everything from the first game to the next level, not the least of which being the Metroidvania Style exploration. It’s a beautiful combination of genres fit to please fans of either.
Super Panda Adventures
3.5 out of 5. A tremendously high value for the price point. If you enjoy frequent rewards, tons of exploration, and a cast of funny characters satirizing game culture, you can’t lose on this one.
Leowald
2.5 out of 5. High levels of customization and novelty mitigate some floaty controls and repetitive design, however beyond that there’s still something truly special about Leowald that can’t be scored
Zeran’s Folly
1.5 out of 5. Initial impressions are good, but gradually the story, boss, and level design completely fall apart, leaving behind only vulgar jokes and wasted potential.
Metamorfose S
2.5 out of 5. In spite of some wonky physics and production values, Metamorfose S still manages to be a decent game. If you enjoy the Igavania classics, then you’ll like exploring the castle here.
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
4.5 out of 5. With a little patching, Bloodstained could surpass the best of the Igavania genre. As-is it’s still one of the best Igavanias yet.
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
Castlevania Order of Ecclesia
4 out of 5. A more linear approach allows Order of Ecclesia to straddle the line between Igavania and its Classic-vania roots, making it a challenging swan-song for the DS Castlevania titles
Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest
2 out of 5. There are interesting design ideas in Simon’s Quest, but a ton of little niggles prevent it from being as good as it could have been.
Castlevania Portrait of Ruin
4 out of 5. The Portrait levels add variety – as well as fluff – to the Castle formula, but the most fun comes from the host of powers and weapons to try out between the two characters you play.
Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow
4 out of 5 – An excellent follow up to Aria of Sorrow with improvements and additional RPG elements. Some new features could have used a little more thought, but overall meets the Castlevania standard
Castlevania Aria of Sorrow
5 out of 5. Even with the limitations of the GBA hardware, Aria of Sorrow is packed with variety and flavor, and is perhaps the best work Koji Igarashi has ever been a part of.
Castlevania Harmony of Dissonance
3 out of 5. Highly ambitious considering the Gameboy Advance limitations, but its attempt to expand on what Symphony of the Night accomplished resulted in a lot of content that feels like padding.
Castlevania Symphony of the Night
5 out of 5. To this day, Symphony of the Night oozes with the passion of a group of artists doing what they love. Down to the tiniest detail it’s hard not to appreciate everything this game is.
Feudal Alloy
3.5 out of 5. Not the sprawling epic that some of the upper tier Metroidvanias can be, but still provides a relaxing RPG Dungeon Crawl with meticulous level design and tight controls.
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.
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.
Timespinner
3 out of 5. Local Co-op. Gorgeous visuals and music, and tight controls. Level design doesn’t live up to the standard set by its Castlevania Inspirations. Its unique ideas could be fleshed out more.
Aggelos
4.5 out of 5. An expertly crafted callback to simpler times while still maintaining a modern approach to game design. Unique and imaginative power-ups and puzzles place Aggelos above the competition.
Chasm
3 out of 5. A good game that is filled with missed opportunities. Fluid “Igavania” style combat is still fun in spite of the woes that come from using procedurally generated level design.
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.