10 Best Metroidvania Games to Play While Waiting for Hollow Knight: Silksong

The 2004 game was developed over five years and is one of the best Metroidvania games to play. The game features immersive levels, charming characters, and an inventive upgrade system that will have you hooked from the beginning.

Cave Story revolves around Quote, a robot who wakes up suffering from amnesia and explores diverse cavernous areas in order to uncover his backstory and escape from the cave.

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Not only is Dead Cells one of the best Metroidvania games to play but the style and art are breathtaking. The 2019 roguelike sees players taking the role of an amorphous creature called the Prisoner who must fight their way out of a diseased island in order to slay the island’s King.

If you enjoy a challenge, this is a great game for you, as the enemies and bosses are unforgiving, forcing you to learn the game thoroughly in hopes of beating it.

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Yoku’s Island Express is an adorable pinball adventure game that was released in 2018. The players control Yoku, a dung beetle, who becomes a postmaster as he arrives at the fictional island of Mokumana. The player is then tasked with saving the island from looming calamity, as the island’s deity figure is attacked.

As one of the best Metroidvania games, this unique spin keeps the genre interesting and fresh, while providing players the same feel as classic titles to scratch that itch.

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Released in 2024, the action-platform Metroidvania game is one of the best to play while waiting for Hollow Knight: Silksong. Nine Sols is set in an Asian fantasy-inspired futuristic world that combines Taoism and cyberpunk for an absolutely unique experience.

In the game, players embark on a journey, exploring the land once home to an ancient alien race, following a vengeful hero’s quest to slay the 9 Sols, who are formidable rulers of the forsaken realm. The story is lore-rich, hand-drawn, and addictive.

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Axiom Verge is by far one of the best Metroidvania games to play right now. The game was released in 2015 but still holds up to this day as one of the greats. The side-scroller action-adventure game sees players controlling Trace, a scientist who, after suffering a crippling injury, wakes up in an ancient and high-tech world.

The game focuses on action, and exploration, and features over 60 power-ups and items to make advancing exciting. The pixel art style featuring incredible details, stunning colors, and imaginative creations makes this game pop out amongst the rest.

One of the most popular games, as well as one of the best Metroidvania games, is Prince of Persia: The Last Crown. The 2024 action-adventure game involves players dashing into a mythological Persian world where the boundaries of time and space are yours to manipulate.

And with every game in the list, you’ll be able to unlock abilities and expand how deeply you explore the game. It features inventive mechanics that minimize backtracking, making it a worthwhile game that surprises and challenges you every step of the way.

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One of the best Metroidvania games of all time goes to Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth. The 2021 action role-playing game is based on Ryo Mizuno’s Record of Lodoss War series, taking place before the events of The Crown of the Covenant.

Players control the high elf Deedlie, who finds herself in a strange interconnected labyrinth filled with her past foes and companions. The game focuses on exploration and searching for items and power-ups, along with fighting bosses and minibosses to continue.

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While the original game set the standard, the sequel bested it by far, making Blasphemous 2 a must-play game. Released in 2023, the side-scrolling Metroidvania game sees players assuming control of Penitent One, a silent knight who must embark on a new adventure in a new kingdom to prevent the rebirth of a curse named The Miracle.

The controls are smooth, the detailed pixel art is impressive, and the new gameplay mechanics will have fans immersed in the gameplay that follows the new scenery.

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Next on the list of best examples include Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, a 2019 action role-playing game that is considered a spiritual successor to the Castlevania series. The story takes place in the 18th century during the Industrial Revolution in England.

Players control Miriam, an orphan scarred by an alchemist’s curse that slowly crystallizes her body. You must battle through a demon-infested castle and defeat its master to save yourself, and all of humanity.

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Last, but certainly not least, is one of the best Metroidvania games of all time: Ori and the Will of the Wisps. The gameplay looks adorable, but the story is gut-punching, and the difficulty only gets harder and harder as you progress.

The 2015 platform-adventure game sees players embarking on a new journey in a vast, exotic world where you’ll encounter towering enemies and challenging puzzles on your quest to unravel Ori’s destiny.