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The best metroidvanias are games that provide massive maps to explore, obstacles to conquer, and progression systems that provide constant “eureka” moments during your journey. Metroidvanias are one of the more popular genres out there, and with the gap between new Castlevania or Metroid games usually being lengthy, seeing the best elements of those franchises combined into games that find fascinating new ways to put a unique spin on the formula makes for some great entertainment.
Which metroidvania is best for you though? We’ve gone through a castle library of games in the genre, and found 15 examples that we’ve listed in alphabetical order below to help you get started on a 2D dive into this stylish field of games. Though we left Metroid Dread off of this list because we figured it’d be cheating, Switch owners absolutely should play through Samus’ latest adventure. Metroid Dread is featured on our roundup of the best Nintendo Switch games.
