The highly anticipated Hollow Knight: Silksong does not have an official release date, although many expect it to be coming this year, yet there are still many entertaining Metroidvania games that can be enjoyed right now. The successful indie masterpiece, Hollow Knight, first debuted in 2017 with its sequel, Silksong, announced in 2019. Many years have passed and the hype for the game is growing now that its actual launch is inching ever nearer.
Calling a game a Metroidvania means that it is part of a sub-genre that uses game mechanics that were first seen in Metroid and Castlevania games. Metroidvanias typically feature large worlds that are interconnected with platforms, doors, and subsections that a player can traverse in a side-scrolling fashion, such as in Hollow Knight. This sub-genre of games has exploded in popularity in recent years and there are many for gamers to try while waiting for Hollow Knight: Silksong's release.
10 Imp Of The Sun
In Imp of the Sun, players take control of Nin, an imp who was made from the final spark of the Sun. Nin sets out on an adventure to defeat the evil that is plaguing the world and restore the Sun's power before it's too late. The game uses a Peruvian style for its artwork and draws inspiration from Incan mythology. Although it is a shorter game at around five to ten hours, its story and gameplay are engaging.
9 Islets
For a charming and cheerful Metroidvania, Islets is a great distraction from the real world. The main character in Islets, Iko, wants to be a true warrior and reunite the fractured, floating islands in this humorous game of combat and exploration. It was created by a solo developer, Kyle Thompson who also created another more pacifist-friendly Metroidvania, Sheepo, that focused on capturing rather than killing. Islets is full of quirky characters, expressive artwork, and a story that is wholesome and engaging.
8 Souldiers
Souldiers combines elements of classic 2D Metroidvania style exploration with combat mechanics of a soulslike. Players can choose from one of three classes: Scout, Archer, or Caster. Each of these classes offers a different strategy and fighting abilities as the characters get taken from their world into a magical land that is on the fringes of the afterlife where they have to fight their way back out.
7 Tunic
Tunic feels like a classic action adventure with plenty of exploration, combat, and dungeons. Tunic is a fantastic game that is a lot of fun, but whether it's a Metroidvania is sometimes up for debate, though the game developer describes it as one. It has a lot of similarities to Zelda with puzzling dungeons and challenging fights as the main character, a young fox, gains new weapons and magical abilities as the game progresses. Whether it is a true Metroidvania or not, Tunic is a game that is simply fun.
6 Axiom Verge
A scientist falls victim to a lab accident that leads to his waking on a strange, alien world in Axiom Verge. The retro, side-scrolling classically Metroidvania game introduces the character to fun weapons such as lightning guns while the player fights biomechanical constructs and tries to find a way home. For players wanting more of the Metroid experience, the sci-fi surroundings help make Axiom Verge a perfect fit.
5 The Knight Witch
The Knight Witch combines deck-building with a Metroidvania and gives players beautiful artwork to enjoy as they attempt to beat the deceptively challenging game. Its deck-building mechanics provide special abilities that require energy to use, and new cards are unlocked as the game goes on, which help the main character, Rayne, become more powerful. While the game is quite difficult, it is a beautiful and well-made world and story that keeps players coming back to see how things will end.
4 Alwa's Legacy
Alwa's Legacy has a definitively classic feel with retro artwork and enemies. The non-linear platformer is filled with dungeons and secrets as the main character, Zoe, is trying to recover her magic powers while also suffering from amnesia. Interesting characters, puzzles, and secrets fill Alwa's Legacy where exploration is rewarded. It can be considered a sequel to Alwa's Awakening, although the games are designed to stand alone with no confusion.
3 Ender Lilies
Fans of Hollow Knight should try Ender Lilies, a 2D Metroidvania with challenging combat and an intriguing and immersive story. A young girl named Lily wakes in a church cellar with amnesia to find that the world has fallen to the Blight. With the help of the undead Umbral Knight and other spirits that come to Lily's aid, she becomes the White Priestess and works to purify the land.
2 Unsighted
Unsighted takes a Metroidvania game and adds in soulslike mechanics and an isometric view rather than the traditional 2D platformer angle. In the game, an apocalyptic event has destroyed most of the world, leaving robots like the main character Alma to rebuild what they can. The robots themselves only have a short time before they become "Unsighted" and become enemies to Alma rather than friends. The game's unique story draws players into its immersive world and when combined with its combat and gameplay systems it makes Unsighted one of the best Metroidvanias that has been released in recent years.
1 Ori and the Blind Forest
Ori and the Blind Forest is another classic feeling platformer Metroidvania full of ruins and forests but with a deeply moving story and hand-drawn artwork. A powerful storm destroyed the forest and a young orphan must become a hero to save his home. The entire game is a work of art with emotionally animated character performances, a fully orchestrated soundtrack, and a beautiful story. It offers less combat than other Metroidvanias which adds to a more relaxed feel as exploration and puzzle-solving become the central focus of the game mechanics.
Metroidvanias can come in all shapes and sizes with some emphasizing more on the emotional story such as Ori and the Blind Forest and others on blowing up enemies like in Axiom Verge. While the games recommended here have very different stories and things to do than Hollow Knight, they should be able to scratch that same itch. Hopefully, Hollow Knight: Silksong will be announced for release soon, but in the meantime, these Metroidvanias should keep gamers plenty busy.
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