It’s hard to believe there was once a time where Metroidvania games came out sparingly. What was once a trickle turned into a full-on hurricane of choices during the lifespan of the Nintendo Switch. It’s not hard to find a decent Metroidvania game these days, but it’s that much harder to find the very best ones. We’ve put together our list of the best Metroidvania games on Nintendo Switch to help you out. On to the games!
Hollow Knight
It’s hard to imagine anyone interested in the Metroidvania genre hasn’t already looked into Hollow Knight, but one can never be too careful. Hollow Knight’s bleak atmosphere, massive world, challenging boss fights, and satisfying stakes have seen it find a place among the very best Metroidvania games of all time for many players.
Blasphemous/Blasphemous II
The two Blasphemous games have a slightly different flavor from each other, but either one deserves to be included in a list of great Metroidvania games on Switch. The tough combat takes the forefront in the original game, while the second one expands more on the exploration aspects. Both games have a powerful mood to them and some truly fantastic art. It’s easy to see why this developer was tapped to create Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound.
Metroid Dread
Both halves of the Metroidvania portmanteau will be appearing on this list, and here’s the first part. Metroid Dread brought back the pioneering series for its first wholly original 2D outing since 2002’s Metroid Fusion on the Game Boy Advance. It also finally pushed the timeline forward, if that’s something you’re interested in. Developer MercurySteam used its experience from the 3DS Samus Returns to create a tense adventure that manages to avoid recycling too many beats from previous games.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
In some ways, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown represents a return to the spirit of the original game. After all, that first entry was an exploratory platformer (sort of) with a flair for the cinematic. There are a lot of great points about The Lost Crown. The basic movement feels really good, the battles are interesting, and while the story takes a little while to get properly cooking, it’s engaging. The agility of the main character lives up to the traditions of the series, too.
Islets
It takes a little while for the specific charms of Islets to show themselves. Specifically, it takes a bit of time to get used to the main character’s slightly floaty movement. Once you get the swing of it, controlling the character is very satisfying. The boss battles are really strong here, leaning on bullet hell conventions that require you to make some slick moves to survive. The pacing of Islets is also a point in its favor, as the adventure runs a relatively leaner number of hours to complete than many of its peers.
Nine Sols
With the obvious influence of Dark Souls on many Metroidvania games of the last several years, it’s not surprising to see some games drawing on some of its progeny for inspiration. Nine Sols looks heavily to the parry-based combat of Sekiro for its own counter-based battles to great effect. This game also puts a lot of effort into its story and setting, helping to establish the world you’ll be spending so much time in. Those two elements are key to the enjoyment, so if you enjoy parrying and reading lore then you’re going to want to check out Nine Sols.
Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Nights/Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist
The distinguishing point of this pair of games is in how combat is handled indirectly through contracted spirits rather than requiring you to get your own hands dirty. Otherwise, the strength of the Ender games is simply in how they don’t really mess anything up. Every aspect of these games is done to a high level of quality, making for a duo of very enjoyable adventures for Metroidvania fans.
Timespinner
If you’re a player who yearns more for the pre-Souls style of Metroidvania, Timespinner should be of interest to you. It comes across as a game that looked to Castlevania: Symphony of Night for how it plays and unfolds. As you might guess from the name, there’s also a time manipulation mechanic here. Using special sand you’re able to freeze time for short intervals, an essential technique in solving certain challenges and very helpful for evading particularly troublesome enemy attacks.
Ori and the Blind Forest/Ori and the Will of the Wisp
The Ori games are certainly among the absolute prettiest Metroidvania games on the Switch. They look and sound amazing from top to bottom, and it’s not to just gawk at everything on your first run through each of them. They’re not just getting by on their presentations, though. These are excellent games, with strong map design, good puzzles, and well-considered mechanics. If you haven’t played the Ori games, you need to put them on your to-do list as soon as possible.
Axiom Verge/Axiom Verge 2
For those who like their Metroidvania games to be a bit more Metroid than Vania, the Axiom Verge games are a good choice. The first game is more interesting than the second one, playing around with the player’s preconceived notions of the genre a lot more. Still, both games are worth investigating if only because there isn’t much else out there like them.
Guacamelee!/Guacamelee! 2
Metroidvania games often vary in how they balance the various elements that make the whole. Guacamelee! and its sequel go harder on the platforming challenges than most other games in the genre, and the battles can be quite intense as well. Wrap all of that up in a very bizarre sense of humor and you end up with a series that stands out in this very crowded genre.
Castlevania Advance Collection/Castlevania Dominus Collection
As promised, here is the Castlevania portion of the program. It’s been a long while since Konami released a new Metroidvania-style Castlevania game, so we’ll have to content ourselves with these two collections containing just about every previous one. The three Game Boy Advance games offer slightly more conventional takes on the concept, while each of the three Nintendo DS games chooses its own distinct twist on things. You can have a great time with either of these, though it’s easy enough to recommend both.
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
With that having been said, the producer behind many of those Castlevania games did release his own spiritual successor on the Switch. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night unsurprisingly nails the feel of those classics almost perfectly, and it’s highly recommended for those looking for a great Metroidvania game to play. The Switch version has a lot of technical issues that hinder the experience, but it’s playable enough if it’s the console you prefer to play on.
Touhou Luna Nights/Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth/Blade Chimera
What are these three seemingly unrelated games doing together here? Well, they’re all made by the same developer: Team Ladybug. As such, there’s a common gameplay feel and design sense running through them, and all three are extremely smooth examples of the genre. Whether it be Touhou’s fairly straightforward approach, Deedlit’s archery puzzles, or Blade Chimera’s satisfying action, there’s a lot to like in any of these three awesome Metroidvania games.
SteamWorld Dig 2
Another one from the earlier Switch years, SteamWorld Dig 2 took the compelling framework of the first game and significantly expanded on it to make a full-sized adventure. The protagonist of the first game, Rusty, has gone missing and it’s up to his niece to get to the bottom of the mystery. There’s only one way to do that: dig. The digging mechanic and in-game economy help distinguish this one, along with its memorable cast of quirky characters.
Those are our picks, but how about you? What are your favorite Metroidvania games on the Switch? Head down to the comments and let us know so that we can all enjoy even more exploratory platforming!
Bloodstained is a great game but it’s awful on switch. I wouldn’t call it playable at all. The studders and skips are unbearable