What are the best metroidvania games for PC?

Provides a good change of pace to what many modern titles offer. Axiom Verge is a well crafted combination of the original Metroid 2D platformer style, with unique game mechanics that make it refreshing. See More

Top Pro

Retro feel with a modern spin

Top Con

Not modern enough

It's intentionally retro style makes the world monotonous and dead compared to modern Metroidvania's. See More

Top Pro

Somewhat complex story

While maybe not necessarily mind-blowing, it does have some interesting twists that one usually is more likely to find in movies rather than games. Also multiple endings. See More

Top Con

Soundtrack can feel repetitive

While the soundtrack has some great electronic music, it can start feeling repetitive over long play sessions, especially when you find yourself just wandering around, looking for items or the next destination. See More

Top Pro

Tons of power ups to collect

In addition to having lots of things to find, the power ups give you diverse abilities that allow you to interact with the world in new unique ways. See More

Top Con

Too short

And no reason to replay. See More

Top Pro

Beautiful art and environments

The game is more about puzzle solving and exploration than combat. Unlike traditional Zelda/Metroidvania games. See More

Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition

Top Pro

Amazing art and atmosphere

Top Con

Non-combat focused

Demolij's Experience

Expecting to be put off by how cutesy it was, I was drawn in and finished it in a single playthrough. It may not be my favorite compared to games like Dead Cells or Hollow Knight, but it's an excellent first step for players looking to get into platforming. See More

Top Pro

Great soundtrack

Very nicely made music. See More

Top Con

Boring combat system

The combat system is kinda boring and repetitive. It's just about mashing buttons. See More

PracticalAntaeus's Experience

Made me cry the first playthrough, I also didn't even know about the "lights off" section of the map, I played it through 2 times before I found it! See More

Top Pro

Great Metroidvania gameplay

Top Con

Really short

I managed to finish the game with nearly everything unlocked and most secrets in a little over 5 hours, on my first playthrough. It's not a game that you can sink a lot of time into. See More

LogicalAidos's Experience

MASTERPIECE See More

Top Pro

Fantastic soundtrack

CleverAnahita's Experience

Amazing game, even more amazing sequel! See More

Top Pro

Enjoyable gameplay

The controls are intuitive, the difficulty feels just right, the boss encounters are fun, there's a really nice upgrade system, and there are tons of secrets to be found. As a result, Ori and the Blind Forest is an enjoyable experience. See More

Top Pro

Compelling puzzle design

Top Pro

Available DRM-Free

It took a while, but Ori did eventually release DRM-Free via GOG. See More

Top Pro

Amazing skills

Amazing upgradeable skill set. See More

Getting the best ending requires a few highly counter-intuitive if not nonsensical actions to be taken. See More

Cave Story+

Top Con

Getting the best ending is almost impossible without a guide

Top Pro

Tons of fun and unique weapons

In cave story you have access to tons of upgradable weapons with unique properties for different situations. See More

SmartHadur's Experience

Way to simple and onedimensional gameplay and mechanics, confusing and just weird story and leveldesign, actually quite short, challenges and traps are either super easy or overkill but pretty much less between, not much variety. For a few coins or free it is okay to say the best. But overall it's just not much and looks alot older than it actually is because of very simple graphics, mechanics, design and storytelling. See More

Specs

With how cute the game looks, the story is surprisingly dark. See More

Top Con

Disturbing story

Top Pro

Great soundtrack

Great soundtrack, superb. See More

Top Con

No complete version

The exclusive content based in platform means that there is no single edition that has every available option. The Switch release seems to come closest, but even it is missing some options available in other releases. See More

Top Pro

Great storyline

Cave Story offers a pretty deep storyline, more than one would think by just taking a quick glance at the game. There is a reason this game is still so popular after being around for so many years and it's story is it. See More

Top Pro

Incredibly challenging, with hard mode for veterans

Cave Story is hard and the hard mode even harder, which makes this game great for players looking for a new challenge. See More

Top Pro

Multiple versions available

After the initial release in 2004, the game has been ported to other platforms and updated along the way by various fans and indie devs. See More

Lots of places that you can come back to later when you have the right type of weapon to open the right type of door (similar to Metroid Prime). See More

Strider

Top Pro

Big Game World that Rewards Exploration

Top Con

No "Fast-Travel" really

It is a big game world, and most of the time you are stuck exploring it all by foot. There is something that lets you travel between areas, but they are few and far between and not really all that helpful. Plus, it is unlocked fairly late into the game. If you know there is something you need to return to on the other side of the game, you are in for a good hike. See More

Marcos Vazquez's Experience

It's a meh game. Good if you don't have anything else to play. See More

Specs

Tons of upgrades to find, plus concept art, story intel, character intel, and costumes. The upgrades are marked on the map, but the other stuff is not. There are also challenges to unlock: Survival and Beacon Challenges. These are also not marked on the map. I imagine getting 100% in this game would be pretty tough. That being said, every area has a notification of what percentage of its items you have collected that displays on the map screen. See More

Top Pro

Tons of Collectables

Top Con

Cannot skip pre-boss chatter

This is not an issue if you don't die to a boss, but if you do, you have to sit through their introduction and banter every time. You cannot skip talk scenes you've already seen. The final boss, in particular, is quite the chatter-box. See More

Top Pro

Fast, fun combat

The boss fights are fun. They may seem really cheap at first, but there is a way to predict and counter them all. It is just a matter of finding it. See More

Top Con

Story is not explained

There are undertones of a story aside from "Good guy defeating evil tyrant", but none of it is ever fleshed out. See More

Top Con

Gamepad support

There isn't good gamepad support for this title. See More

Top Con

Weeb trash

The single worst thing in universe See More

Attacks in Guacamelee are done with combining lots of different attacks into one devastating and fun to execute combo. See More

Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition

Top Pro

Fun fighting combo system

Top Con

Controls on the keyboard don't work that well

The game is clearly designed with a controller in mind. Specifically, a mechanic that allows throwing enemies and various objects uses the analog stick to aim. Aiming using the keyboard is limited to 8 directions and is not sufficiently precise. See More

Kaspar Mairowitz's Experience

Loved every second of it, some fun and challenging platforming combined with a good fighting system. See More

Specs

Genre:Action / Platformer / Metroidvania

Co-Op:2 Player Couch

Controller Support:Full

Pop-culture as well as other popular titles within the metroidvania and platformer genres are referenced throughout the game in various situations for comedic effect. And it's done in a very unobtrusive way as to not be annoying. See More

Top Pro

Well executed pop-culture references as well as references of other titles

Top Con

Subpar combat system

The combat feels clunky in comparison to actual fighting games. See More

RickZeeland's Experience

Now on offer for free in the Epic Game Store: https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/guacamelee-stce-7cdbc8 See More

Top Pro

Local co-op

Guacamelee has local co-op support. See More

Top Pro

Game progression through new moves

Areas in the game are unlocked by performing moves on obstructive blocks, which allows your move complexity to increase proportionally with game progression. See More

All the little details come together to make Dead Cells incredibly rewarding to play with very little frustration. You die a lot, but you're constantly permanently progressing as well. Also every level is procedural generated, so even when you die and have to restart it feels unique and different every time. See More

Dead Cells

Top Pro

Brilliant game design

Top Con

It's rather a roguelite than a metroidvania

Demolij's Experience

This game is so addicting, and it keeps getting better. I don't know if it will go up in price once it's done, but I'd advise getting it sooner rather than later. I certainly got my money's worth out of it. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Overwhelmingly Positive

Genre:Roguelike, Metroidvania, Action, Platformer

Not a real metroidvania, just a 2D-Souls Game. See More

Top Pro

Beautiful pixelart graphics

Top Con

No real Metroidvania

Marcos Vazquez's Experience

Although I love the game, it's not a Metroidvania game. It should be removed from the list. See More

Top Pro

Presents a good challenge

Making one mistake can mean death, which makes the game challenging but also fun as you learn how to take on certain enemies with different sets of weapons and skills. See More

Top Con

It's not a metroidvania

Fantastic game that does not belong on this list. No backtracking to open new paths/rooms. No skills that can be used in movement/combat that also unlock new routes. The keys that unlock new routes have no other use in or out of combat. See More

CuriousNefertum's Experience

I agree with detractors that it's not a traditional Metroidvania. However, as someone who loves MVs and has played most of them, this "feels" like a Metroidvania in terms of its playstyle, and has a lot more exploration than most people realize as doors open as you move up through boss cell counts. For anyone who loves MVs, I think this will scratch the same itch. See More

Top Pro

Supported by developers and community

The creators of the game are consistently updating the game with new features, adding entirely new areas and weapons each time. The game could have honestly been released a while ago and fared decently but they keep making it better. Even more importantly though, the developers have taken player feedback into account many times. The devs love the game and the community and it shows through their work. See More

Top Con

Frustrating for players new to roguelikes

If you're new to the genre, this may not be the best place to start. The game gives you one life (except with a certain perk), so if you die, then your whole run is over. This would be fine if it wasn't so easy to lose all your health in an instant and fall back to level one. This makes it frustrating if you spend a lot of time on a run only for it to all go down the drain from a small mistake. The punishing difficulty can be pretty overwhelming for newcomers unless you're really looking to push yourself. See More

ExcellentFujin's Experience

The best in this class. See More

Top Pro

Replayable

Never gets old, even after you finish the game on the highest difficulty level. See More

Top Con

Just a time sink

Tons of things to unlock that don't just have you grind for hours or even dozens of hours but instead hundreds of hours. How skilled you are doesn't nearly matter as much as how much time you invest. See More

Top Pro

Satisfying combat

The hits are impactful, the controls are super-responsive, and it's overall very fluid. See More

Top Con

Difficult without a controller

Pretty awkward to play with a keyboard. See More

Top Pro

Combat has a good amount of depth to it

The game has a good variety of weapons, skills and enemies that all change how the game plays out. Some weapons work best if the enemy is bleeding, some skills hurl enemies at you, some enemies are immune to attacks from the front. Which items you find and decide to keep will change what approach to combat you need to take. See More

Top Con

Shallow story

The story feels totally inconsequential. You feel motivated by the progression of the game rather than any emotional connection to the story. See More

Top Pro

It's hard

If you're a veteran of the genre then this is a must-have. See More

Top Con

Still in early access

Can be a pro, considering how good it is now, knowing that there will be more content is great. Already worth it for many people, but many early access games have failed, so time will tell. See More

Top Con

Frustrating to fail

The game gives you one life (except with a certain perk) so if you die then your whole run is over. This would be fine if it wasn't so easy to lose all your health in an instant. At least in Dark Souls you go back to a bonfire so you can fight a boss again, in this game it's back to level 1. This makes it frustrating if you spend a lot of time on a run only for it to all go down the drain from a small mistake. See More

The game includes lots of places to explore with secret areas to explore and sidequests to find, an extensive leveling system and huge amounts of of loot. See More

Unepic

Top Pro

Lots of content

Top Con

Poor controls

Specs

Controller Support:Partial

Co-Op:4 Player Online

Lots of jabs and jokes in this game. Try not to take it too seriously. Basically you play as a jerk who see himself stuck in a difficult situation that is created by humorous circumstances. The jerkiness of the character is to provide a level of amusement that is not supposed to be taken too seriously. See More

Top Pro

Fun comedic story

Top Con

Difficult to learn and master

Top Pro

Deepen

For those who loves Games like Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and good old styled ones it's very nice. It's a gloomy wonderful medievallike area to get deepen. See More

Top Con

High probability of dying on the first screen

With no indication on what to do differently. See More

Top Pro

Large amount of player created levels to complete

Top Con

Grindy

Casting magic requires reagents. And getting reagents means farming trash mobs. Not very fun when you need to stock up for some difficult bosses. See More

Hand-drawn graphics are pleasing. See More

Dust: An Elysian Tail

Top Pro

Gorgeous visual aesthetic

Top Con

Saving Issues

You can only save at fixed places, and sometimes it takes multiple tries to save a game. See More

SuccinctAnaideia's Experience

This was very fun to play and the aspects of the game are tightly integrated so there is little to no confusion. The art is stunning, and the controls are tight and responsive so you never miss a beat. The characters have real personality in addition to their being anthropomorphic. However, Dust is a story game, and like all story games, once you finish it it starts to get boring the more times you play it because you know exactly what happens at a given time. See More

Specs

Cut scenes are deep and expressive. See More

Top Pro

Very emotional and funny

Top Con

Cheesy

Both character design and dialogues are incredibly cheesy. This may work well for kids though. See More

Top Pro

Spoken storyline

No need to read, just listen to the narration. See More

Top Pro

Great combat system

The combat system is smooth and entertaining. See More

Top Pro

Nice soundtrack

Throughout the game, the player always earns salt when defeating enemies. This salt is used to purchase upgrades and items in the game, so the more you have, the more you can purchase. However, you can lose all of the salt you have collected if you die, and since this is a difficult game, you will die a lot. The risk-reward mechanic in this is that you can either push on with low health, venturing into the unknown and possible death, but if you die, you will lose your money. This choice can be tough to make, but will constantly be on your mind, which elevates the risk of play. See More

Salt and Sanctuary

Top Pro

Risk reward gameplay

Top Con

You need to read the wiki to know which element does the most damage

E.g. boss damage, as there is no in-game indication of which element is the most effective (though there are about 10 different resistances). See More

Stuart Kearney's Experience

More of less a 2D dark souls. The combat is fun, the weapons are cool and the levels are fun to explore. You'll die a lot. See More

Top Pro

Exploration based gameplay

The player does not start with much in items or story. It is up to the player to explore and figure out little by little what is going on in the game. This makes for an adventure that the player can be immersed in by filling in any gaps with their own imagination, which in turn allows the player to be invested. See More

Top Con

Difficult to know where you are

There is no map in the game, which is exacerbated by the fact that this is a 2D title. In 2D there is basically no way to tell where you are in relation to where you want to go other than from memory. This can be troublesome if it has been a few days since you last played, as you now need to remember where you need to go and where you have been and how that all relates to where you are now, all without being able to see anything other than what is immediately in front of you on the screen. See More

Top Pro

Interesting perk mechanic

There is a feature in the game called "creeds" that allows on to sign up for one creed at a time. These creeds will give you access to certain specific perks such as building out their sanctuary (of which each creed has one) where you can customize vendors of items, find new quest givers and access fast travel points. All of this offers a level of customization that can give the player advantages in the game. See More

Top Con

Weapons not quite balanced

Each hit you make in quick succession deals twice as much damage as the last. This is a bad design choice by itself, but more importantly, it makes the spear vastly overpowered due to its spinning attack that deals a large amount of hits in a short amount of time. Bosses that seemed impossible with other weapons were made trivial by using a spear. See More

Top Pro

You can make a character that fits your playstyle

Your character has a large skill tree with many branching paths. It contains most abilities you see in a fantasy game, including spells, martial arts moves, and many others. This means you can make a fast mage, a bulky fighter, a mix of the two, or whatever fits your playstyle, making it a more enjoyable experience as a whole. See More

Top Con

Character design too cartoony

They look like ninja turtles. See More

Top Pro

Huge selection of upgrades

The player earns salt by killing enemies in the game. This salt can then be used to purchase upgrades and new abilities for their character on a large spherical grid. This grid has many branching paths that cover just about any skill or ability one can think of for a dark fantasy game. Want to branch off into magical abilities, you are free to do so. Similarly, you can branch off into more of a fighter build. You can even create a hybrid build of fighting and magic to suit you. There is no limit to the choices you can make, which allows for a game that is highly customizable to fit anyone's playstyle. See More

Top Con

Claims to be about skill, but it really isn't

It's down to luck (or reading the wiki). If one of the bosses wants to kill you, it will and no amount of rolling, jumping, attacking or blocking will change that. See More

Top Pro

Deep combat

While this is a 2D platforming game, the combat is actually quite diverse, depending on what equipment one is using (and there is quite a lot of equipment). Players have a light and hard attack that each can be charged. They can also be combined to create combos, with some that may even result in some juggling of enemies. Being that this is in 2D, the controls for the combat is quite responsive and there is a good bit of verticality (since there is no third plane to worry about) thanks to the level layout and jump mechanics. All of this combines to make for some deep combat that is enjoyable through customization, speed and level design. See More

Top Con

Level up system offers no real choice

The comically large amount of perks you can choose from when you level up makes it seem like an intricate class system, but there is no real gameplay change to be gained there. Most of the perks only give you the ability to equip spells and items of a higher level, but the rate at which you gain points does not go hand in hand with the level of spells and items you can get. It would work as a proverbial carrot on a stick if you occasionally found good things you couldn't equip yet, but more often than not you'll find yourself capable of equipping things of a much, much higher level than you can actually acquire. See More

Top Pro

Good use of Metroidvania level design

Metroidvania genre games tend to lock portions of the game behind elements that can not be traversed until a certain item or skill is earned. This makes for a world that requires a lot of backtracking and familiarity, meaning the player needs to keep track of all the areas they have already explored. Once a certain item or skill is found that will allow the player to get past what was once a road block, new areas can then be explored and the story can be advanced. The mechanic of this used to be to save space while elongating a game, but now is used as a way to get the player to feel connected and familiar with the world. There is also a pleasure to be found once new areas can be unlocked as it gives a sense of satisfaction that you are progressing past a point that you never knew when it would be unlocked. See More

Top Con

May be too niche

The setting of the game is quite dark and may be draining to spend any significant amount of time in the world. The gameplay itself can be quite difficult as well, which means this may not be the game for everyone. See More

Top Pro

Creed mechanic keeps subsequent playthroughs interesting

There is a feature in the game called "creeds" that allows you to ally with a faction of NPCs. You can only ally one creed at a time, giving you access to their unique perks, items, quest givers, and access to fast travel points. All of this offers just enough variety to keep subsequent playthroughs interesting. See More

Top Pro

Immersive storytelling through exploration

Salt and Sanctuary doesn't tell you much in terms of story, so it's up to you to explore and figure it out. You can do it by talking to NPCs, reading item descriptions, and observing the environment. You'll piece the story together bit by bit, filling in the gaps with your imagination. This makes it feel like you're truly exploring the world of Salt and Sanctuary, finding out what interests you, without having exposition constantly thrown at you. See More

There is a level of combat akin to fighting games in the amount of combat control. The game is considered an RPG because of the intense customization available for how the player builds the main character. Character growth includes finding and equipping spells, armor and weapons that can be upgraded through a blacksmith in towns, reuniting with various crew mates that each offer unique buffs or auxilliary attacks, and in depth character skill trees and attribute stats. See More

Valdis Story: Abyssal City

Top Pro

Amazing depth of combat and character build customization

Top Con

Super challenging combat

This could be taken as a pro or a con. There are a few difficulty levels but even on normal the game requires players to make full use of all their character growth options and expects quick reaction. I found a secret boss that actaully grows in power based on an untracked counter throughout the entire game. By the time I challenged the boss she was ridiculously powerful but i made it a point of pride to beat her. I'll attach a video capture of my fight to the media section. See More

Specs

Controller Support:yes

Offers a level of replayability not seen in a lot of other metroidvania games. Seeing the story event from four unique perspectives gives great depth to the world. See More

Top Pro

Multiple characters with unique storylines and playstyles

Top Con

Challenging, almost frustrating platforming

There are puzzles, often timed, that require a precision only obtained by repeated failure and mastery of the given situation. See More

Top Pro

Beautiful artstyle

The game looks amazing. The world and lore build an awesome story and it all ties together to create an immersive and engaging experience. See More

Top Con

Map is bad

To really find your way around you will likely end up using a map from an external site, as the ingame map only shows your current area. See More

Pixel art graphics are top quality, soundtrack is superb. See More

Shantae: Risky's Revenge

Top Pro

Great graphics and soundtrack

Top Con

The depiction of female characters is hyper-sexualized

The designs and even the animations for the female characters in this game are all hyper-sexualized, which makes it difficult to take this game seriously and may be distracting. See More

Specs

Controlling Shantae feels just as tight as a game like this should feel. See More

Top Pro

Great controls

Top Pro

Great variety

Both in terms of upgrades you get and areas you can explore. See More

Top Pro

Free version on iOS

If you're feeling cheap. See More

If you have watched any video of this game, this is probably no shock, but the graphics are amazing. They are hand drawn, detailed, and beautiful. They give a surreal, almost unsettling feel without becoming overbearing or overwhelming. See More

Sundered

Top Pro

The graphics

Top Con

There's very little in terms of story

There's a frame of a story there, but it mostly progresses around boss battles, meaning that they significant chunks of time that you spend exploring, killing enemies, and grinding for powerups in between the handful of bosses feels very disconnected from any real narrative. See More

ClassyIxtab's Experience

Sundered was an amazing experience from start to finish. The stunning visuals, fluid combat, insanely huge boss fights, just made for a truly breath taking experience. The curve is not too intense to scare away newer people to the genre, yet challenging enough for even the hardened Metroidvania player. A solid pick in my book with multiple endings, and a ton of potential for speed running. See More

Top Pro

Combat is fair

As mentioned in my con, the combat can be a serious challenge. You will have to develop different strategies with the array of tools in your arsenal to succeed. That said, it is also incredibly fair. While you will frequently feel overwhelmed (especially early on) if you invest some time into learning the combat and purchase more upgrades, you will soon find yourself overcoming hordes of enemies that were previously unstoppable. Furthermore, there's no area that ever becomes too easy. Even the first area will require that you stay alert when you return. See More

Top Con

Too few bosses

As mentioned in the pros, the bosses are amazingly fun and well drawn. However, there's only 4 total (ok technically 6, but the 2 extra require multiple playthroughs). They are the highlight of this game, and you may find yourself wanting more by the end. See More

Top Pro

The bosses

If you like massive, seeming impenetrable bosses, then this game is for you. Seeing them for the first time is extremely fun, and just the prospect of getting to fight and conquer another one of these beasts feels like a real accomplishment. See More

Top Pro

Hack and slash

Go nuts with a big sword, or giant gun (later). Many hordes of enemies to fight. See More

Top Pro

Multiple endings

You choose whether you go for the "good" or "bad" ending based on whether you listen to the evil god. The last boss fight will change based on your choices. See More

Top Pro

Big skill tree to increase your powers

Each ability you find (in the metroidvania way), unlocks an extra banch in your skill tree. You find coins/crystals after beating enemies and bosses, which works as a kind of "XP" to increase your skill tree. See More

Top Pro

The approach to levels is original for the genre.

While this game has some rogue-lite elements in that you restart at a central hub when you die and the level design shuffles, it is a Metroidvania at heart as you gain new powerups which unlock new areas and combat techniques. What makes this game feel fresh is that the room layouts change which each death. They are not truly random in that there is a limited range of layouts, so you will start to memorize the potential layouts from rooms you die in a lot. However, this also means you do not have to get sick of fighting through (and dying in) the exact same generic hallway for the umpteenth time. See More

Top Pro

Lengthy game

Plenty of content to farm challenges to complete and bosses to kill. See More

Top Pro

Satisfying upgrades

Upgrades feel good, after big exploration & farming sessions you feel large spikes in power. See More

Top Pro

BIG map

The map is pretty large, though the game feels like it could be bigger. See More

Top Pro

Randomized map

Some sections of the map are randomized each play though / death. To make sure the game is "slightly" different each time. See More

Just like the simple but pleasant graphics in the game, the music matches this with a retro-sounding score that fits right in with the art style. There are a lot of catchy tunes that only use a few sounds to make up memorable songs. The simplicity really adds to the charm, with some of the songs easily able to get stuck in your head for days at a time. It's nostalgic enough for older gamers who grew up in the early eras of gaming, while still having enough to pull in newer gamers who aren't as familiar with games from the 1980s and 90s. There's something here for everyone. See More

Undertale

Top Con

This is not a Metroidvania game.

Top Pro

Incredible soundtrack

ReceptiveErecura's Experience

oh god, this is not metroidvani pls See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Overwhelmingly Positive

Genre:Role-Playing

Co-Op:Single Player

The first time going through the game it's a nice experience, especially when you know nothing about the characters, story, mechanics, etc.. By your next playthrough, you already know all the jokes and plot points. Even when taking a new route, it can take a while for you to notice anything different from one playthrough to the next, making things feel like a drag. See More

Top Con

Replaying can be a chore

Top Pro

Your choices lead you down different story paths

Depending on your choices, your playthrough can change in drastic ways. If you don't want to kill enemies in battle, you can choose to have a dialog with them instead. Doing this consistently is basically a pacifist playthrough where you don't kill anyone, and characters respond to you in certain ways based on that. Or you can go for a genocide playthrough, which is basically what it sounds like, where you kill everyone you come across whenever you get the chance. This can have serious consequences, since the game does its best to make you feel bad about this approach, by having certain characters hate you. It's an interesting way to get to see the world and story from different angles. See More

EnthusiasticBrizo's Experience

its not a metroidvania See More

Top Pro

Many interesting secrets to find

There are many secrets to discover in the game, like hidden mechanics that might take you by surprise. It may take a couple of playthroughs to find them all, but once you do, it may completely change how you see the story, the characters, and a lot more. There's a lot more to Undertale beneath its simple-looking surface. See More

Top Pro

Amazing characters

The characters in the game are written well, each with their own unique personalities. Some may be too shy, and will lower their hit points when you attack them in battle, just to avoid offending you. Others are deeply caring and do their best to help and protect their friends and family, including you as the player. Many of the characters are quite funny in their dialog and the unexpected choices they make throughout the story, including the ways they react to your choices. Almost every character is incredibly memorable and enjoyable to get to know better. See More

Normal play has eerie sound effects that make way for wonderful orchestral scores during cut scenes. The overall design of the sound for this game is well thought out. See More

Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet

Top Pro

Excellent sound design and aesthetic create an immersive, unique world

Top Con

Boring and repetitive

Specs

Co-Op:4 PLayer Online / 4 Player Couch

Controller Support:Full

There is an intro to the game that sets up the story and from there not much in the way of continuing this though cutscenes. It is up to the player to fill in the blanks with their imagination which lets one get to the gameplay with little interruptions. See More

Top Pro

Minimal story that lets the player get to the meat of the game

Top Con

Short

Only takes a 4 to 5 hours to finish the game. See More

Top Pro

4 player local and online co-op modes

Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet features a four player online and local co-op mode. See More

Blasphemous

All

1

Specs

The visuals, music and sound effects are both quirky and charming. You may stay for the gameplay, but you come in for the lovable world. See More

Built By the Slant team

Find the best product instantly.

4.7 star rating

Try it now - it's free

score 282 · Accepted Answer

Hollow Knight

Top Pro

Has character

Top Con

Slow first 2 hours

Game feels slow until you acquire an important upgrade. See More

Tom Raleigh's Experience

Excellent story, cute artwork, and a beautiful, atmospheric soundtrack. The map is massive, but more than that, the developers really utilized level design to tell the story; the rooms feel distinct enough that they're all very familiar by the time you're through. It's really refreshing to see this much attention to level design, when so many similar games are leaning on uninspired random level generation. On the other hand, it's often frustrating just for the sake of being frustrating. What other games employ as basic anti-frustration features - things like map indicators and normal invincibility frames - are skills that need to be bought/found and equipped in Hollow Knight, and use up several of your meager charm slots. Where Shovel Knight punishes you by taking some of your cash, Hollow Knight viciously strips you of all of it, which is downright cruel, coupled with the Super Meat Boy -style platforming segments. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Overwhelmingly Positive

Genre:Metroidvania

Co-Op:Single Player

The game world is enormous, with a massive amount of secret areas that really reward you for sniffing them out. See More

Top Pro

Rewarding exploration

Top Con

Choppy on certain hardware

A small percentage of users have issues with choppiness. See More

AdaptableGwynApNudd's Experience

Love the large world, the frustrating creatures and traps, the many relevant secret areas (and some not so much), and the terrific role-playing elements. See More

Top Pro

Amazing art and soundtrack

Has a very dedicated aesthetic that works beautifully. See More

Top Con

Too hard

Paul Jeanbart's Experience

My favorite game. I have no idea how it is still 15 bucks even after 3 free DLCs. See More

Top Pro

Fun, challenging boss fights

With a couple exceptions, the boss fights are challenging in a way that does not feel cheap. If you die, it is because you screwed up and not because the game didn't feel like keeping you alive anymore. See More

Top Con

Controller lag is an annoying issue

Deactivating VSync and lowering screen resolution did not resolve the problem. This issue has been widely reported by many players. See More

MethodicalEpiphron's Experience

I played hollow knight and I really enjoyed it. but remember, if you want to finish everything, explore EVERYWHERE! backtrack also to make sure you didn't miss anything. and make sure you don't miss the real last boss! it is really challenging but it was also fun. hollow knight was the best game I've played so far. See More

Top Pro

Amazing story and lore

Top Con

Map system

To get a map, you must find an NPC first for each area you visit. Map updates whenever you find a bench. You also get sent to your last-visited bench when you die. It does not update in real-time, but the map will update with wherever you have been when you find a bench. This is all assuming you have bought the base map from the NPC in that particular area. See More

JoyousHermes's Experience

The game blew me away. not easy but very rewarding. interesting characters amazing art / soundtrack. See More

Top Pro

Large amount of content

Over 30 hours of gameplay. See More

Top Con

Some glitches inside

Some speed runners use glitches to finish the game very fast, including glitches that cause you to go to some other area or glitches that make you fly, but you might find some by accident. See More

Your Ally's Experience

Amazingly simple, and simply amazing See More

Top Pro

Tight and fluid movement

Every movement in the game makes you feel like you are in control. See More

Top Con

Hidden lore/story

The story and lore are revealed in a similar manner as Dark Souls. There is a lot of lore, but you have to piece it together on your own because they don't tell you much straight-up. See More

Kaspar Mairowitz's Experience

Probably my favorite Metroidvania ever, and it's my favorite genre. See More

Top Pro

Has free DLC

Three DLCs have been released, adding additional quests for free. See More

Top Con

Unresolved crashing issues

A few users have reported that they get random crashes in between room loads and at startup. See More

SkillfulThinanMalkia's Experience

-Huge world with tons of exploration (limited at first, but opens up greatly upon receiving new powers) -Tons of secrets -Good controls -Plenty of build customization (provided you do the exploration) -40 hours in and I'm still enamored with this game. See More

Top Pro

Mysterious story/lore

Makes you wanna explore more to find out whats going on and you may find secrets with NPCs that will tell you more or add to the mystery. This keeps things interesting. See More

WonderfulTawrich's Experience

I agree with almost all the positive reviews here. so much behind the scenes, so much hidden content, so many challenging bosses, DLC to come, great music, amazing amount of upgrades/nails/charms characters, and overall incredibly fun and atmospheric. See More

Top Pro

Forces you to learn attack patterns

You won't get far just going in swinging. Learning enemy behavior is much more important than in any other Metroidvania and that feels very rewarding. See More

Thomas's Experience

Great game with tons of content, added with challenging and rewarding game play. See More

Top Pro

Interesting puzzles

Demolij's Experience

I did find it somewhat irritating trying to find some secrets, and transitioning between this and Dead Cells was really confusing, but I sunk 50+ hours into this game and I am quite pleased with it. See More

Νίκος Περπερίδης's Experience

Masterpiece. See More

RickZeeland's Experience

Now on offer on Humble Bundle for only €7.49 https://www.humblebundle.com/store/hollow-knight See More

IntelligentErimon's Experience

A perfect Game See More

Emon Tiga's Experience

Very much fun to play See More

DaringSuaixtix's Experience

This game has everything a metroidvania should have. 10/10 See More

GenerousNinsar's Experience

This game is just Perfect, in graphics Sounds and Gameplay See More

Eshan Singh's Experience

One of the best metroidvanias ever, with beautiful art, soundtracks, fluid gameplay, challenging bosses, interesting mechanics, deep lore, and an INSANE amount of content for a completionist like myself. Just buy it already See More

CapableSatet's Experience

perfect difficulty great art style See More

VersatileBaldr's Experience

Cool metroidvania. BEST GAME EVER!!!! See More

EarnestViduus's Experience

Massive game with a ton of content. Fun and challenging boss fights, and particularly rewarding too. See More

NeighborlyCinteotl's Experience

best game in life See More

SophisticatedRohe's Experience

Very interresting world to explore and nice upgrade systems . See More

ExcellentFujin's Experience

Is Amazing! See More

OrganizedThaleia's Experience

This is one of the best games I have played ever. The amazing gameplay and art, topped with the amazing soundtrack makes for an amazing feeling when playing this game See More