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.
Bone Appetit
4 out of 5. A delightfully open-ended Metroidvania that asks you to forge your own path to its final encounter, with a few twists to encourage resource planning and player expression.
Super Metroid
5 out of 5. A nearly perfect example of what a “Metroidvania” can accomplish. Even compared to the advancements found in later 2D Metroid entries, Super Metroid holds up remarkably well.
Metroid Zero Mission
5 out of 5. Thanks to numerous enhancements for both old and new Metroid series players, this remake of the original Metroid may be the best entry point into the Metroidvania genre.
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 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.
Escape from Tethys
3 out of 5. More “Metroid-like” in that you power up entirely through what you find by exploring. Excellent map design and decent combat is held back by some lackluster production values.
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.
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.
Catmaze
4 out of 5. A Unique Slavic Tale. Even if you don’t like cats, if you enjoy excellent Metroidvania Exploration and a well-told story with endearing characters, you owe it to yourself to buy this game.
Hollow Knight
5 out of 5. A near perfect mix of thoughtful exploration, challenging platforming, and brutal combat. Definitely not for those looking for an easier experience, but wholly rewarding to complete.
Axiom Verge
4 out of 5. Captures the feel of Metroid while doing more than enough to establish its own identity. Metroidvania Exploration at its best, with a thought provoking (but enigmatic) story to go with it.
Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight
4 out of 5. While simple in design, it presents a fun castle to explore and a variety of challenging bosses to defeat. It’s a nice short and sweet way to fill an evening or two of game time.