Hello everyone and welcome back to another blog post. Is your gaming backlog judging you? We’ve got the cure. With Hollow Knight: Silksong making waves, we’ve decided to create a post for you to try other amazing Metroidvanias. Your wallet might not thank us, but your inner explorer will.
As seasoned explorer of sprawling maps and collectors of ability-gated goodies, I’ve combed through the digital realms to bring you the 10 Metroidvania games that are truly worth moving to the top of your pile. Forget the bloated AAA open worlds; these ten titles are masterclasses in focused, passionate design. Let’s dive in. Your comfort game will still be there when you get back. Probably.
So, grab your map—you’re going to need it—and let’s dive in to the 10 Can’t-Miss Metroidvania Indie Games.
1. Hollow Knight (Team Cherry)
Of course we’re going to talk about Hollow Knight, the undisputed king of indie Metroidvanias. Explore the vast, decaying kingdom of Hallownest, a masterclass in atmospheric world-building, tight combat, and hand-drawn gorgeousness. It’s a perfect, punishing, and poignant experience.
Why You Can’t Miss It: It’s the bar. The world is interconnected in the most satisfying ways, the lore is deep, and the boss fights will test your skills. It represents indie development at its most ambitious and successful.
Our Expert Tip: Don’t get attached to your Geo (the in-game currency). The game has a delightful mechanic where you drop it all upon death. It’s a video game version of losing your wallet in a dark, bug-filled alley. Super fun!
2. Ori and the Will of the Wisps (Moon Studios)
A visually stunning, emotionally devastating masterpiece that will make you cry over a glowing forest spirit. The movement is so fluid and exhilarating that getting from point A to point B is a joy in itself.
Why You Can’t Miss It: It takes the solid foundation of Blind Forest and perfects it with vastly improved combat, a more open world, and even more heart-wrenching storytelling. It’s proof that an indie game can out-polish most AAA titles.
Our Expert Tip: Play this on the most high-end setup you can find. If your screen can’t render every single particle of light and floating pollen, did you even really have an emotional journey?
3. Blasphemous 2 (The Game Kitchen)
A brutal, religious-horror themed action-platformer where every enemy and environment is a deeply disturbing, pixel-art masterpiece. It’s like a dark, gothic painting you can play—and die in repeatedly.
Why You Can’t Miss It: The sequel improves on the original in every way, offering multiple weapon paths with unique traversal abilities and a more interconnected world. The lore is deep, unsettling, and utterly captivating.
Our Expert Tip: Perfect for when you want to feel pious and horrified at the same time. Your grandma will love the religious imagery (she definitely will not).
4. Astalon: Tears of the Earth (LABS Works)
A brutal love letter to NES-era difficulty, but with a brilliant modern twist: you control a party of three characters and can switch between them upon death to solve puzzles and progress.
Why You Can’t Miss It: The core mechanic makes every death feel like progression, not punishment. The pixel art is chunky and nostalgic, the soundtrack slaps, and the world is a perfectly designed, interwoven puzzle box.
Our Expert Tip: Dying over 500 times has never felt so productive. It’s basically a self-help seminar in resilience.
5. Afterimage (Aurogon Shanghai)
One of the most visually expansive indie Metroidvanias ever made. The world of Engardin is absolutely massive, filled with lush, beautiful, and diverse biomes to get hopelessly lost in.
Why You Can’t Miss It: If sheer volume of content is your metric, this is your game. A huge skill tree, tons of weapons, and a map so large you’ll need to set aside real-life vacation days to chart it.
Our Expert Tip: The map is so big that the developers included a dedicated “Where the heck is my objective?” button. They knew what they were doing to us.
6. The Last Faith (Kumi Souls Games)
What if Blasphemous and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night had a gothic, blood-drenched baby? This is a seamless fusion of Metroidvania exploration with brutal, souls-like combat.
Why You Can’t Miss It: It absolutely nails the Gothic horror aesthetic. The combat is weighty and satisfying, and it provides that classic “oh, that’s how these areas connect!” feeling we all crave.
Our Expert Tip: For best results, play in a dark room with a goblet of red juice. Tell your friends it’s “hemoglobin” for immersion.
7. Aeterna Noctis (Aeternum Game Studios)
A colossal, precision-platformer’s dream (or nightmare). This game is defined by its challenging, intricate platforming sequences across a truly massive and beautifully drawn world.
Why You Can’t Miss It: The scale is awe-inspiring. If you love testing your reflexes and mastering difficult jumps, this is arguably the pinnacle of platforming-focused Metroidvanias.
Our Expert Tip: The “Noctis” mode is the intended, soul-crushing difficulty. The “Aeterna” mode is for those who value their sanity and their controller. Choose wisely.
8. Grime (Clover Bite)
You are a living black hole, born from a collapsing star, and you absorb the enemies you defeat to grow stronger. Set in a surreal, biological world made of stone and flesh.
Why You Can’t Miss It: Incredibly unique aesthetic and a fantastic parry-based combat system where you literally suck enemies into yourself. The world design is bizarre and unforgettable.
Our Expert Tip: Finally, a power fantasy where you’re the thing everyone else’s mom warned them about. Feel the power of vacuum-based vengeance!
9. Cookie Cutter (Subcult Joint Ltd)
A hyper-stylish, hand-drawn, post-apocalyptic punk romp. It’s over-the-top, vulgar, and ridiculously fun, like a Mad Max cartoon drawn by a caffeinated anarchist.
Why You Can’t Miss It: The animation is fluid and explosive. It doesn’t take itself too seriously and offers a fantastic, non-traditional art style that stands out in a genre often filled with pixels and gothic gloom.
Our Expert Tip: This game has more… adult graffiti drawn on walls than a middle school bathroom. It’s art, we swear.
10. Lone Fungus (Basti Games)
You’re a cute mushroom in a ruined kingdom of… other fungi. This game is a pure, unadulterated love letter to the “vania” side of the genre, with a staggering 16 different movement abilities to find.
Why You Can’t Miss It: The focus is on creative movement and exploration above all else. The number of traversal options is insane, offering unparalleled freedom for sequence-breakers and explorers.
Our Expert Tip: Finally, a protagonist we can all relate to: a fun guy. (I’m so sorry).
The Indie Advocate’s Final Word
Building a backlog is easy. Deciding what to play is hard. This list, curated by dedicated indie enthusiasts, is designed to highlight the incredible innovation and passion found outside the AAA space.
The beauty of the indie Metroidvania genre is its willingness to experiment, to take risks, and to deliver unique experiences that big studios often avoid. One new indie game can completely redefine what you love about the genre.
So, which 10 Can’t-Miss Metroidvania Indie Games will you start with? The melancholic beauty of Hollow Knight or the high-speed chaos of Cookie Cutter? The choice is yours. Your indie backlog awaits…
Happy exploring!
(FAQ Section
Q: What exactly defines a “Metroidvania” game?
A: Core elements include a large, interconnected map explored freely, “ability-gating” (needing new powers like a double jump to access new areas), and a heavy focus on exploration and backtracking.
Q: I’m new to the genre. What’s the best indie Metroidvania for beginners?
A: Ori and the Will of the Wisps is a fantastic starting point. It has a gentle difficulty curve, an intuitive navigation system, and forgiving mechanics perfect for newcomers before they tackle the brutal challenges of Hollow Knight or Aeterna Noctis.
Q: Are these games available on multiple platforms?
A: Absolutely! The vast majority of these indie titles are available on PC (Steam), Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox. Always check the specific store page for the most up-to-date platform availability.