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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Bad Run – Turbo Edition
2.5 out of 5. An Endless Runner with some open castles to explore and test your skills. It won’t change your mind if you’re not into its genre, but it does offer something unique if you are.
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.
Jumplord
3 out of 5. Nothing creates the feeling of being in an alien world like a game that does things completely different. Jumplord begins and ends with infinite jumping, but it’s more complicated than that.
Ori and the Will of the Wisps
4.5 out of 5. Improved combat, a plethora of new mechanics and areas, and an emotional continuation of the story that The Blind Forest started makes this a must play for fans of the original game.
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.
Luna Sky RDX
2.5 out of 5. Reviewed in Early Access. A wild combo of Sonic the Hedgehog and RPG Style Metroidvania games that you may want to check out in spite of some wonky physics and uninspired level design.
Kunai
3.5 out of 5. If fun, fast, and energetic movement is what you’re looking for, then Kunai is just what the doctor ordered.
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.
Teslagrad
3.5 out of 5. A unique magnet-based puzzle platformer with excellent pacing outside of its one-hit death mechanics. Fans of both puzzle platformers and twitch-based games should check this out.
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.
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.
Xeodrifter
3.5 out of 5. A short and sweet interpretation of “Metroidvania”, with just enough subversion of expectations to make it worth checking out. Some repetitiveness might be a turn off, but still good.
Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom
4.5 out of 5. The best of the Wonder Boy series so far, offering a diverse core game full of puzzle platforming challenges and Zelda-Like bosses. Its colorful world is family friendly and inviting.
External Visions
2.5 out of 5. Some parts feel unfair, but the lesser design is counteracted by some interesting puzzle design, satisfying accomplishments, and interesting story concepts. Plus it’s free.
Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon
4.5 out of 5. Not a Metroidvania. An absolutely fantastic revival of the Classic-vania style that any fan of the original Castlevania games – partiicularly the third one – should not miss!
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.
Kid Dracula
This Review was done as part of our review of the Castlevania Anniversary Collection. What a weird game to end […]