Metroidvaniasare a dime a dozen nowadays, but they wouldn’t be so popular without the classic titles that helped put the genre on the map.
At their core, Metroidvanias are games where players have limited control over their progression. Chunks of the world map are inaccessible without specific keys or abilities, which means there’s a choice over thedirection throughout the story.
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A match made in heaven.
This definition could fit a lot of games, such asThe Legend of Zeldafranchise, but fans know what a true Metroidvania looks like when they see it.
The 2D origins of the genre are what helped define the aesthetic, so let’s see which are the best of the classic Metroidvanias.
10Demon’s Crest
Firebrand steals the spotlight
Demon’s Crest
While any entry in the Gargoyle’s Quest trilogy could have earned a spot on this list, it’s Demon Crest that stands out from its siblings.
Demon’s Crest stars Firebrand, a fiend who had the almighty magical Crests stolen from him at the start of the game. He now has to scour the underworld and get them all back by killing one demon at a time.
From the outset, Demon’s Crest has some of the best visuals on theSNES, with some genuinely creepy boss designs. Firebrand’s agility, coupled with the unlockable Crest powers, means that exploring the game world is a ton of fun, with each stage offering some brutal challenges to overcome.
Demon’s Crest toes the line of being a Metroidvania, being close to a platformer with options for progression. It’s still a great game and has enough of the free-form DNA in it to make someBelmont or Aran fanscheck it out.
9Metroid Fusion
Great game, Weak Threads
Metroid Fusion
Samus Aran’s new adventure on theGame Boy Advanceis one of her best, as she is trapped on a space station and being pursued by SA-X, a parasite mimicking her appearance and powers.
Luckily, Samus isn’t alone this time, as her Power Suit is infected with X Parasites, giving her new abilities in the process. She’ll need them, as the SA-X is stalking her at every turn.
Admittedly, the Fusion Suit has a hideous color scheme, but that doesn’t preventMetroid Fusionfrom being an amazing handheld Metroidvania.
The atmosphere is incredible, even restricted to a small device, and it has some of the most challenging and enjoyable boss fights in the entire franchise.
8Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
Packing Castlevania into a GBA
Castlevania: Aria Of Sorrow
Naturally, if the Game Boy Advance had a great Metroid, it needed aCastlevaniaalongside it.
Aria of Sorrow stars Soma Cruz, the reincarnation of Dracula with the ability to steal the souls of monsters. Dracula’s Castle has returned, and Soma must face his destiny by exploring its halls.
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The ability to steal monster souls and use their abilities against them opens up a whole new reason to grind, as each unlocked spirit makes Soma more powerful. This is already coupled with the weapons and items that are found throughout the castle.
Soma might not have the charisma of an Alucard or a later Belmont, but his story is easily skippable. The fun part is the journey, which is something Aria of Sorrow does exceedingly well, even with the limitations of being on a handheld.
7Blaster Master
The real ’80s Metroidvania
Blaster Master Zero
For a game originally released on theNESin 1988,Blaster Mastersure was ahead of its time. In some ways, it may be the first true Metroidvania.
The premise of the game is silly: the protagonist, a young boy named Jason, whose frog vanishes in a hole in his garden. Jason follows and immediately stumbles across a battle tank, which he uses to search for his lost pet.
Blaster Master combines 2D side-scrolling action with the tank and a top-down view when Jason is exploring areas. This brings a ton of variety to an already massive (for the time) game world, as the player uses new items to unlock more places to visit in existing areas.
Blaster Master is an incredible feat, considering the limitations of the NES. The only downside is the lack of save points or passwords, making it one of theharder Metroidvanias, which means it’s best experienced on Nintendo Switch Online with save states.
6Wonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap
Shapeshifting Monster Metroidvania
Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap
A rareSegaentry in the classic Metroidvania category,Wonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap, proves that even the Master System could carry a classic from the genre.
The Dragon’s Trap begins with Wonder Boy being transformed into a monster. This becomes a major mechanic, as he unlocks different forms throughout the game, such as Hawk-Man, who can fly, Pirahna-Man, who can swim, and Mouse-Man, who can crawl on walls.
These different transformations are what give The Dragon’s Trap that Metroidvania feel, as they’re used to explore old areas and unlock new items. While light on story, The Dragon’s Trap is still a fun romp to this day.
Those who want to try this game in the modern era can play theexcellent 2017 remakethat was released for PC and consoles. It keeps the same great gameplay but throws colorful HD sprites over everything.
5Kirby & The Amazing Mirror
In A Mirror, Hungry
Kirby & The Amazing Mirror
TheKirbyname is known for its straight platformers, but The Amazing Mirror shook up the established formula and went all in on the Metroidvania angle.
In the case of The Amazing Mirror, in order to proceed, Kirby needs to steal specific enemy abilities and use them to access new parts of the map.
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The Amazing Mirror involves Kirby and Meta Knight entering the Mirror World, where they face dark counterparts of themselves.
This leads to the pink puffball searching every corner for shattered glass fragments, so he can enter the final mirror and defeat the source of evil within.
Taking the Kirby gameplay style and adapting it to a Metroidvania was a great choice, and it’s a shame it was only attempted once, as The Amazing Mirror might be the best title in the series.
Dancing to victory
Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse
The Game Boy Advance had tons of great Metroidvanis, but what about its predecessor? Even the mightyMariohad to make concessions for his games to appear on theGame Boy.
The originalShantaeproved that an excellent Metroidvania could appear on the Game Boy Color. It also eschewed the dark tone of its predecessors for something upbeat and perky.
Shantae is a half-genie who has to go on a quest to claim elemental stones to prevent Risky Boots, the pirate, from using them to create a weapon. Naturally, this means going through different levels and using newfound powers to reach new areas.
Shantae did an amazing job of packing a fun Metroidvania into a Game Boy Color cartridge. While it wasn’t a hit in its day, the creators did manage to revive it in modern times, allowing Shantae to continue dancing on modern consoles.
3Cave Story
The Grandfather of Indie Games
Cave Story
Not all Metroidvanias need to belong to big franchises, as proven byCave Story, an early indie hit that led to various remasters on modern platforms.
The player controls a robot named Quote, who suffers from amnesia and is left stumbling through the darkness. He finds Mimiga Village, whose residents need protection from a mysterious scientist and his creations.
Cave Story might be a living embodiment of the pure joy of Metroidvanias, considering it’s a twenty-year-old indie game, and it’s still just as fun to play now as it was then.
Cave Story doesn’t do anything new with the formula; it just polishes it to a sheen, right down to the pixel art aesthetic. It might not bear theMetroid or Castlevania names, but it took all their lessons and made a game that begs to be explored many times over.
2Super Metroid
Samus' Best Adventure
Super Metroid
Super Metroidis considered one of thegreatest SNES gamesof all time, which immediately speaks to its pedigree, as that list is full of classics.
Super Metroid involves Samus Aran traveling to the planet Zebes in search of the last Metroid. Naturally, Samus left all her good gear at home, meaning the player needs to seek it all out again.
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The Metroid series has continued to grow and evolve, with some titles missing the mark and some shining the way forward for the franchise.
Few games have ever pushed their hardware to the limits as Super Metroid. The incredible visuals and music help create a foreboding atmosphere that most horror games wish they had.
Zebes is a claustrophobic environment where Samus must use her arsenal to its full potential in order to survive attacks in its tight halls.
Going through this game is a singular experience, so it makes sense why it helped coin half of the Metroidvania name.
1Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
The Obvious Top Pick
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Ultimately, this was always going to be a two-horse race betweenCastlevania: Symphony of the Nightand Super Metroid.
What puts Symphony of the Night in the lead is the sheer number of weapons and abilities available to the player. There are numerous ways for Alucard to be kitted out, resulting in different playthroughs.
Symphony of the Night involves Alucard traveling to Dracula’s Castle to search for the missing Richter Belmont. He quickly discovers that the castle is awesome! There are so many monsters to slay, secrets to uncover, and treasures to find that Alucard (or rather, the player) just doesn’t want to leave.
The sheer scale of Symphony of the Night, coupled with the addictive gameplay loop, is what has kept it in the spotlight all of these years.
Those who have never played a Metroidvania owe it to themselves to lay siege to Dracula’s Castle and experience this masterpiece for themselves.
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