Dust: An Elysian Tail review: Dean Dodrill's hand-painted Metroidvania about a sword-wielding amnesiac, the Sen-Mithrarin, and a million-copy indie hit.
The Messenger's 8-bit-to-16-bit leap is its plot, as Sabotage Studio turns a Ninja Gaiden homage into a time-loop about every Messenger before you
Salt and Sanctuary review: Ska Studios' hand-drawn Soulslike Metroidvania, its 600 items, skill tree, Saltborn lore, and why it still scores 8.5.
Yoku's Island Express review: Villa Gorilla's 2018 debut turns the pinball table into a Metroidvania open world with no jump button. Score: 8.4/10.
Guacamelee! review: DrinkBox Studios' luchador Metroidvania blends Day of the Dead folklore with tight combat. We score it 8.4 out of 10.
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night review: Koji Igarashi's $5.5M Kickstarter Castlevania successor delivers the loop fans funded, scoring 8.2/10.
Double Fine's The Cave sends three of seven strangers into a talking hole in the ground. A witty, thin adventure worth one descent and one replay.
Barbarian Saga: The Beastmaster is a hand-drawn 2D Metroidvania about revenge, a heart-devouring sword and a beast within, out on Xbox, PC, PS5 and Switch.
Akatori review: Contrast Games' 2026 action platformer pairs Mako with a red bird that becomes a staff. A 7.4 — colorful worlds, soft edges.
Song of the Deep review: Insomniac's 2016 ocean Metroidvania sends Merryn diving for her father, with buoyancy puzzles and Siobhan Hewlett's narration.
Rogue Legacy 2 review: Cellar Door Games turns death into inheritance with heirs, Heirlooms and classes, scoring 9.1/10 on IGDB.
The Swapper strands you on a dying station with a clone-swapping device. A tight, philosophical puzzle-platformer that still holds up.
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