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MetroidVania was once the product of just two franchises, Metroid and Castlevania, but as the next generation of developers emerges who were influenced by these titles growing up, the number of MetroidVania titles has grown exponentially. Decades since the genre was born, the PS4 and PS5 are littered with dozens of MetroidVania classics, so we pondered 15 of the best on the PS5 platform.
#15 Separated
- Developer: Thunder Lotus Games
- Platform: PS4
- Release date: July 2017
A violent fight for survival, Sundered is a brilliant Metroidvania from the same team responsible for the magnificent Jotun and Spiritfarer. The team excels at not sitting still and constantly trying different things, and while that’s clear in the nature of their three games, even in the case of Sundered, that focus is evident. It’s a very different Metroidvania, very exciting, and you can’t miss it.
#14 Blasphemous
- Developer: The Game Kitchen
- Platform: PS4
- Release date: September 2019
Imagine a Dark Souls game but as a 2D Metroidvania, and if you do that, then you’re imagining Blasphemous. Bloody and brutal, with excellent level design, Blasphemous presents you with enormous challenges, but gives you the tools to get the job done in the best possible way. It’s not for the faint of heart, but it’s worth the bloody hands.
#13 Salt and Sanctuary
- Developer: Ska Studios
- Platform: PS4
- Release date: March 2016
Another Metroidvania, Salt and Sanctuary, heavily inspired by Souls, like Blasphemous above, regularly tries to hit you over the head with its difficulty. It does not innovate at all, but it does not hide what it has been inspired by and it is executed with a similar standard despite the changes in perspective and genre. get ready
#12 FIST: Forged in Shadow Torch
- Developer: TiGames
- Platform: PS4
- Release date: September 2021
People are regularly drawn to FIST: Forged In Shadow Torch because of its incredible visuals and other production values, but dig deeper than first impressions and what you’ll discover is an equally impressive world, rich level design, and Excellent. combat that challenges in all the right ways.
#11 Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
- Developer: Art Play
- Platform: PS4
- Release date: June 2019
It’s no surprise that one of the main creators of some of the best Castlevania games, when it comes to creating his own title, ends up drawing a lot of parallels to Castlevania, and in fact is comparable in quality to those same titles. also. There are many modern touches to BloodStained: Ritual of the Night that draw players in in new ways, while the heart and charm of the greats are still present.
#10 Bloodied: Curse of the Moon
- Developer: Inti Crea
- Platform: PS4
- Release date: May 2018
Where Ritual Of The Night was a more modern take on Igarashi’s Castlevania titles, BloodStained: Curse Of The Moon was very much a throwback. Embracing the 8-bit styles of yesteryear, Curse Of The Moon takes us back to some of the earliest stages of Castlevania’s glory days and recreates that brilliance for a modern audience. Come for the throwback, and stay for the mayhem.
#9 Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse
- Developer: WayForward
- Platform: PS4
- Release date: October 2014
Tight gameplay, charming dialogue and writing, and gorgeous visual and sound design make Shantae and the PIrate’s Curse one of the most compelling Metroidvania options on the PlayStation platform. Its lovable main character, Shantae, and his endearing companions and even the antagonists will have you hooked from start to finish.
#8 Rogue Legacy
- Developer: Cellar Door Games
- Platform: PS4
- Release date: June 2013
A DNA meld between a Metroidvania and a Roguelite may seem intimidating at first – it certainly was to many when Rogue Legacy first launched in 2014 – but it’s a combination that worked brilliantly and continues to inspire others today. Where rogues tend to punish the player, Rogue Legacy empowers you, making its rather extreme difficulty suddenly seem surmountable.
#7 Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights
- Developer: Adglobe, Live Wire
- Platform: PS4
- Release date: June 2021
While the core of Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights is an action/RPG, it will soon become apparent that the MetroidVania titles have also guided the game’s development path. Beautiful, brooding, deep and consistently engaging, Ender Lilies does it all well, but unfortunately it’s been a quiet winner – it’s time to rectify that.
#6 Verge Axiom
- Developer: Thomas Happ Games
- Platform: PS4
- Release date: March 2015
One of the first rock star indie titles of the PS4 era, Axiom Verge leaned more heavily into the Metroid half of the Metroidvania title compared to many others that favor its Castlevania inspiration. This extends to the sci-fi gameplay, story and setting, and much more. Axiom Verge nails everything, while also being tough as nails.
#5 Guacamel
- Developer: Drinkbox Studios
- Platform: PS4
- Release date: April 2013
Few games have the heart, style, and humor of Guacamelee, and those that do tend to disappoint in most other respects, but Guacamelee, and its sequel Guacamelee 2, play like an absolute dream. Creative level design, excellent combat, over the edge bosses, and alternate universe transitions combine with incredible presentational elements to make Guacamelee one of the best Metroidvanias of the decade.
#4 Shadow Complex
- Developer: Chair Entertainment
- Platform: PS4
- Release date: August 2009
One of the biggest disappointments in gaming is that Shadow Complex, the Metroidvania that originally released exclusively on Xbox 360 before making its way to other platforms, including PlayStation in the next generation, never got a sequel. The Developer Chair left to develop Infinity Blade on iOS, while Shadow Complex was one of the greats of the genre, with its modern approach combined with a bit of sci-fi, great Metroidvania elements, and tight gameplay. We may never see another, but don’t miss out on the original gem.
#3 Dead Cells
- Developer: MotionTwin
- Platform: PS4
- Release date: August 2018
When we talked about Rogue Legacy earlier, we talked about how it inspired others to better blend Roguelite elements with its Metroidvania systems, and then in 2018 Dead Cells came along, and no game has done better since. Procedural brilliance, meticulously balanced combat and loot systems, all combined with a gorgeous world and visual design make Dead Cells one of the most riveting games of the decade.
#2 Castlevania Symphony of the Night
- Developer: Konami
- Platform: PS1/PS4
- Release Date: March 1997
The oldest game on this list, and the game that played a huge role in the birth of the genre is still, decades later, one of the best, and we’re lucky Konami remastered it and brought it back into the spotlight. modern. Even today, Symphony of the Night does much better than the much more modern titles that were inspired by it. The legacy of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night will never be forgotten.
#1 hollow knight
- Developer: Team Cherry
- Platform: PS4
- Release date: February 2017
It took decades for a game to come along and usurp Castlevania or Metroid at the top of the Metroidvania heap, but it’s a small indie outfit in South Australia called Team Cherry that ousted them with the wonderful Hollow Knight. Masterful design, gorgeous audio and visuals, intense, grueling but fair gameplay, hours of amazing content to explore. Hollow Knight has raised the bar to a level that may never be reached again.
