Metroid and Castlevania were both released in 1986 and quickly cemented themselves as the pinnacle of 2D adventure games. While they took place in different settings, those being sci-fi and gothic, both games shared commonalities in terms of exploration and progression. And thus, the term Metroidvania was eventually born when the two genres combined with the launch of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night eleven years later. Nowadays, modern Android tablets and smartphones are home to some of the best Metroidvania games on the market.
With a 2D perspective at its core, Metroidvania has a lot in common with 2D platformers. What sets them apart is the former’s focus on backtracking, secrets, and the necessity to acquire certain items or abilities in order to progress. Metroidvania games often employ challenging combat to further incentivize you into improving.
The Play Store houses many console-level titles, and today’s roundup highlights the best Metroidvania games Android has to offer.
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
Castlevania has seen plenty of copycats over its lifespan. Some good, some bad. But who could better capture the essence of the source material than someone whose name is synonymous with the franchise? That someone is Koji Igarashi, the man who worked on over a dozen entries, including some of the 3D titles.
Bloodstained puts you in the shoes of Miriam, as you explore a fully-realized gothic castle along with everything you’ve come to expect from Metroidvania. The game boasts 120 different enemies and over one hundred weapons to defeat them with. This variety of offensive tools gives you an unprecedented number of approaches to each combat encounter. Bloodstained goes for a hefty $9.99 on the Play Store, but you’re getting Igarashi’s signature work right on your mobile device.
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
While Metroid games are exclusive to Nintendo platforms, Castlevania has been released on almost every major platform since 1986. Widely considered to be the best in the series, despite the hit-or-miss voice acting, Symphony of the Night is the pinnacle of 2D platforming and the very title that popularized the term Metroidvania.
Symphony of the Night is the epitome of Igarashi’s work as an assistant director, programmer, and writer. It pushed the PS1 console to its limits regarding 2D platformers, thanks to the crisp pixelated graphics and astoundingly smooth animations. Even decades later, not many games have captured the game’s atmosphere and depth of exploration. For $2.99, you can experience the best Castlevania specifically designed for mobile platforms, and it even comes with controller support.
Dandara: Trials of Fear Edition
Dandara is more Metroid than it is Castlevania if that makes sense? It’s a 2D platformer that sees you scale the environments in order to avoid traps and uncover new abilities to overcome previously insurmountable obstacles.
As Dandara, you’ll leap across pitfalls and employ the heroine’s unique ability to cling to various surfaces. The title has received several noteworthy nominations — including Best Portable Game of the Year — and even won some of them. Moreover, the Trials of Fear Edition comes with new content, including new bosses, challenges, and upgrades, unavailable in the initial release. Dandara costs $3.99 but is also included with a Play Pass subscription.
Dead Cells
When it comes to indie titles released in recent years, few have amassed as much critical praise as Dead Cells. That said, this is a game that puts a greater emphasis on combat as even the slightest misstep during a fight can lead to permadeath.
Dead Cells is more or less a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to mobile games. It combines the merciless gameplay of a roguelike with elements of Metroidvania. It’s also one of the most technically-demanding titles on Android, with gorgeous visuals and astoundingly high framerates. Dead Cells goes for $9.99 on the Play Store or free with the Play Pass subscription. Several DLCs have launched since release, which make Dead Cells one of the most content-packed Metroidvania games out there.
Grimvalor
Grimvalor combines 2D platforming along with Metroidvania mechanics and even a few elements of the souls-like games. This 2D action platformer throws you into a dark world where you must learn the pattern of enemy attacks and only attack when an opening presents itself. Sounds familiar?
While the full version will set you back $6.99, Grimvalor gives you a chance to play through the game’s introduction for free. Alternatively, Grimvalor is included in the Play Pass subscription. Furthermore, Grimvalor has been updated with new content in the form of new equipment and a New Game+ mode.
Teslagrad
Teslagrad would make a great name for a Soviet-era city ruled by Elon Musk. But jokes aside, Teslagrad is brought to you by Playdigious, the company responsible for Dead Cells and Streets of Rage 4, so you know you’re getting a bang for your buck. Or seven, in this case, as unlocking the full game will cost you $6.99. It’s all worth it, though, as Teslagrad features beautiful hand-drawn visuals and an enticing story to boot.
In Teslagrad, you control a boy who has the ability to manipulate electromagnetic fields and objects. Utilize these unique abilities to overcome obstacles, solve puzzles, defeat imposing bosses, and ultimately, bring down a tyrannical ruler from his throne.
Tiny Dangerous Dungeons
It’s dangerous to go alone, but Timmy does it anyway. Guide Timmy through deadly traps, moving platforms, and bottomless pits, all the while evading a plethora of different enemies. To progress, you’ll need to solve puzzles and unlock abilities that’ll help you to move further.
True to its Metroidvania roots, Tiny Dangerous Dungeons sees you explore deep depths to collect items and upgrades that unlock more of the game’s environments. While short on the main campaign side, Tiny Dangerous Dungeons extends gameplay with unlockable achievements, as well as a time trial mode.
Unlike Bloodstained and Castlevania, Tiny Dangerous Dungeons features cute visuals, reminiscent of old-school Game Boy titles.
Toziuha Night: Order of the Alchemists
Alchemists, dark gothic environments, whips, and even count Dracula himself. It’s immediately apparent where Toziuha Nights draws its inspiration. Toziuha Nights pays homage to pixelated 2D platformers of yore and even features a CRT TV video filter to further engross you in the era.
Similarities to Castlevania seep into the gameplay as well. Take control of alchemist Xandria and use her whip and spells to battle through hordes of enemies and uncover secrets. Toziuha Nights was originally released for free on itch.io and is likewise available on Android. Upcoming updates seek to introduce new content in the form of additional playable characters, as well as the ability to create your own maps. Pretty cool, huh?
Now it’s time to 100% all of them
If you’re a completionist, it’ll take you quite a while to fully explore each game on this list. In particular, Symphony of the Night tricks you into thinking that you’ve seen everything it has to offer, before surprising you with its biggest secret.
Castlevania might be dormant, but Metroid is going strong, and there’s no shortage of developers still drawing inspiration from both. Have you played a better Metroidvania game than the ones listed? Leave a comment by clicking on the red button below, and we might feature your choice in the next update.
