Over the last few decades, the Metroidvania genre has become incredibly popular, thanks in large part to the indie developer scene, which seemingly pumps out hundreds of games in the genre every year. With all of those new games, plenty are bound to go under the radar, never getting the audience they might deserve. And while the genre’s popularity has undoubtedly exploded over the years, it’s important to note that it has a long history of overlooked greats. Below, you’ll find six games from the genre’s long history that you might’ve forgotten, given how many Metroidvanias are released every year.
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Here are six underrated Metroidvanias.
6) Yoku’s Island Express
Yoku’s is a weird one because it is first and foremost a pinball game. If you don’t care about pinball, it might not be your cup of tea, but I’d still suggest giving it a try. The developers at Villa Gorilla created something unique with Yoku’s blend of pinball gameplay and open-world exploration.
As you roll through Yoku’s levels, you’ll unlock important new abilities. And you’ll need all of them because this pinball game includes tough boss battles. I don’t know if you can say that about any other pinball game, but Yoku’s does it so well that I’m surprised more games have tried to copy it.
5) Demon’s Crest
Demon’s Crest is the third game in the Ghosts ‘n Goblins series. The SNES classic was a commercial failure at launch, but has become one of the more beloved proto-Metroidvanias. Playing as Firebrand, you have to go through the world and obtain six different magical Crests.
As you unlock new Crests, you’ll open up new areas in old levels, which is where the Metroidvania aspect comes in. The overworld is a little annoying to navigate, but everything else is classic Metroidvania gameplay that deserves more recognition as one of the genre’s early pioneers.
4) Infernax
From a visual and gameplay standpoint, Infernax is much more on the Castlevania side of things. At a glance, it looks like a souped-up version of one of the first few Castlevania games, but the team at Berzerk Studios took it one step further, making something special.
Player choice helps unlock several different endings, and the level-up system lets you build a character that fits your playstyle. You can even unlock cheat codes that completely change how Infernax plays. From giving yourself 99 Lives to unlocking a character that brings a machine gun to the medieval fantasy setting.
3) Aeterna Noctis
Aeterna Noctis routinely shows up on lists featuring the hardest Metroidvanias, which might help explain why it’s been underrated by fans. That said, the developers did provide two different difficulty options, letting you turn down the platforming challenge if you’re not interested in putting your skills to the test.
Either way, you’re in for a beautiful platformer filled with inventive level design. That said, playing on the more difficult Noctis Mode will be the most rewarding experience. Even if you don’t think you’re up for it, it’s worth trying out just to see how devilish Aeternum Game Studios can get.
2) F.I.S.T. Forged in Shadow Torch
F.I.S.T. has drop-dead gorgeous visuals, and the mix of diesel-punk and anthropomorphic animals makes it feel unique in the genre. It’s not just the look, though; developer TiGames delivered a challenging Metroidvania that puts a big focus on combat.
You’ll gain access to three different weapons, which you can switch to at will. Mastering each of them will make you a killing machine that can take on everything F.I.S.T. throws at you. Add in solid exploration, and you have one of the better Metroidvanias in recent years. Soon, fans will get a new entry in the series, but with Zoopunk, Ti Games has moved to a co-op action game.
1) Nine Sols
Nine Sols is another game that often shows up on lists of the most challenging Metroidvanias. This time, it’s because of how precise parrying enemy attacks can be. You’ll need to quickly master the skill if you want to get very far, as Nine Sols‘ combat is heavily inspired by Sekiro.
Once you get it down, Nine Sols becomes a wonderful adventure, filled with challenging enemies and intriguing lore. Developer Red Candle made its name with horror games Devotion and Detention, but Nine Sols proves that the team has serious action chops in addition to storytelling mastery.
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