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Choose a Metroidvania by comparing three things: the kind of combat it asks of you, how much freedom or uncertainty you want while exploring, and the specific difficulty and navigation options it offers. The genre is a family of designs, not a fixed checklist. Team Cherry co-director William Pellen put its central idea simply: “All it means is a game set in a large, interconnected world.” PC Gamer’s interview with Team Cherry’s co-directors discusses how that world structure supports discovery and progression.
Start with the kind of challenge you want
A difficulty label alone rarely tells you whether a game will suit you. Consider whether you want combat to be a major test, whether you enjoy learning enemy patterns or reacting to precise timing, and whether the game lets you change the challenge. Then consider whether route-finding and backtracking feel rewarding or frustrating.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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Voidwrought Standard Edition - Nintendo Switch | $34.43 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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ULTROS - Nintendo Switch | $34.53 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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Shadow Labyrinth Nintendo Switch Standard Edition | $19.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
![Metroid Prime Remastered Standard - Nintendo Switch [Digital Code]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41WaOVAna-L._SL160_.jpg)
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Metroid Prime Remastered Standard - Nintendo Switch [Digital Code] | $39.94 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
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The Messenger - Nintendo Switch | $26.99 | Buy on Amazon |
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- Combat: Look for the actions encounters demand, such as timing counters, learning attack patterns, or managing movement during fights. Check which combat settings can actually be changed.
- Exploration: Decide how much you enjoy probing a connected map, revisiting earlier areas with new abilities, and sometimes having to work out where to go next.
- Support: Check for difficulty presets, individual settings, map or navigation aids, and accessibility options rather than assuming that a broad difficulty mode covers everything you need.
These are preference axes, not an objective ranking. A game can be a good fit for its exploration and a poor fit for its combat—or the reverse.
How much exploration freedom do you want?
In many Metroidvanias, getting a new ability changes how you read the map: a blocked route may become reachable, or an old area may hold a newly accessible path or upgrade. The amount of guidance varies, so it is worth checking how a particular game helps when you lose your bearings.
#1 Best Overall
- Descend below the star-scorched surface and explore multidimensional depths filled with secrets and lore. Witness the corrupted revelry of the Court, lose yourself in the icy tunnels of the Old Waters, and discover the grim fate of the Abandoned Expedition.
- The world is filled with treasures sought by the learned, the brave, and the mad. Scour the halls of your shrine, rend the corpses of defeated deities, and hunt in the hidden corners of the cosmos to find objects capable of granting unique powers.
- Excavate into the rubble of the Gray City to construct a shrine filled with loyal followers. As you expand your shrine and followers, new secrets, rewards, and horrors come to light.
- In-game text languages: English, French, German, Hungarian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, and Traditional Chinese.
If you enjoy discovery and backtracking
Look for interconnected areas and progression that sends you back through places you have already visited. The appeal is not just finding the next exit; it is noticing how a new capability changes what the world makes possible. Team Cherry’s developers have described how discovery, ability progression, and the structure of Hollow Knight’s large interconnected world developed together. That is one example of the design, not a rule every game must follow.
If you prefer clearer direction
Check for map markers, highlighted points of interest, or other navigation support. Nintendo’s newcomer tips for Metroid Dread explain how players can highlight icons for points of interest and find ways to progress when they feel lost. Ubisoft’s accessibility feature for Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown also discusses reducing the frustration of feeling lost. These features can help with orientation, but they do not mean that every route is automatically obvious.
Rank #2
- ULTROS is set in a multifaceted realm - a vast alien landscape teeming with life
- Experience brutal, intimate, close-quarter combat with cosmic lifeforms, driven by a sense of urgency
- Intense combat is juxtaposed with cultivating the greenery and tending to plant life in The Sarcophagus, providing precious moments of contemplation & peace
- A unique loop-based mechanic will allow you to start over at key moments in the story, providing opportunities to unfold secrets
- Experiment with and master your own specific fighting style as you explore the world of ULTROS
Compare what the combat and difficulty settings actually do
Two games that both offer challenge choices may handle them quite differently. Read the details: does a setting change incoming damage, provide more health, adjust individual parameters, or unlock an extra mode only after a particular achievement?
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute| Game | What the sources establish | Useful fit signal |
|---|---|---|
| Metroid Dread | Nintendo’s US listing describes Rookie Mode as increasing health gained from items and decreasing boss damage. It lists Hard Mode and says Dread Mode unlocks after completing Hard Mode; Boss Rush is an additional challenge mode. The game is for Nintendo Switch. Nintendo US listing | Consider it if you want side-scrolling action and exploration with named challenge choices. Rookie Mode changes specific parts of the challenge; it does not establish that every encounter will feel forgiving. |
| Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown | Ubisoft describes difficulty presets and individual settings intended to let players find a challenge suited to their capabilities, alongside attention to navigation support. Ubisoft accessibility spotlight | Consider it if you want to investigate adjustable challenge and navigation support rather than relying on a single preset. |
Ubisoft says the team sought to retain challenging combat and exploration while broadening accessibility, and identifies exploration, combat, and movement as design pillars. That explains the design intent; it is not a promise that every player will find the game easy. Settings and features can also vary by platform or version, so check the edition you plan to play.
Rank #3
- Includes Base Game
- Search the remnants of an age-old intergalactic conflict, started long before your arrival, and discover new powers and abilities
- Master the fluid combat and combine powerful skills to create a playstyle of your own
- Team up with PUCK, and dive deeper into the maze of a mysterious alien world
What the examples tell you about choosing
Metroid Dread: action, ability-led routes, and defined modes
Nintendo describes the 2D Metroid series as “known for its side-scrolling mix of exploration and action.” Its materials for Metroid Dread describe a sprawling world where abilities open new paths, including routes back through earlier areas to find newly accessible spaces and hidden upgrades. They also describe combat against dangerous creatures and E.M.M.I. Nintendo’s game page and US listing provide the platform and mode details.
The combination makes Dread a useful example for someone weighing action against exploration: progression involves both fighting and learning how the world connects. Its named modes give more information than a bare “easy” or “hard” label, but the specific changes matter more than the label.
Rank #4
- Become intergalactic bounty hunter Samus Aran and explore an alien planet in this critically-acclaimed first-person adventure
- Use and upgrade abilities like the Morph Ball, Missiles, and an array of beams to survive the harsh environments and lethal creatures of the planet Tallon IV
- Gain abilities and revisit areas to uncover the different routes and secrets hiding in a beautiful-yet-threatening interconnected world
- Scan your surroundings to gather information about the planet’s history and the creatures that call it home or to reveal enemies’ weak points
- Choose from multiple control options and experience revamped graphics, sound, and unlockable art in this remastered classic
The Lost Crown: adjustable challenge and help with navigation
Ubisoft’s accessibility materials make this a useful comparison for players who want to examine more than preset difficulty. The studio says players can choose presets and adjust individual parameters, while its developer feature explains the aim of keeping challenge while making the game more accessible. Check the settings on your own platform and version for the controls and support options available there.
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Hollow Knight is a useful reference point for what an interconnected map can mean: exploration and ability progression work together rather than sitting in separate systems. Pellen’s description captures that broad world-design idea, but it should not be mistaken for a promise that every game with a connected map will offer the same combat, guidance, or difficulty options.
Best Value
- Includes the Picnic Panic DLC!
- Dynamic, acrobatic gameplay and ultra tight controls worthy of an epic ninja adventure.
- Character upgrades, new abilities, hidden levels, and branching paths to discover.
- Meticulously designed 8-bit and 16-bit sprites, animations, and backgrounds in the spirit of the classics.
- Original soundtrack by renowned chiptune composer Rainbowdragoneyes, handmade using Famitracker.
A practical way to decide
- Identify your combat preference. Decide whether demanding fights are part of the draw or a barrier. Look for the actions encounters require and the settings that affect them.
- Choose your preferred amount of uncertainty. Ask whether you enjoy backtracking and working out routes, or want frequent direction and visible points of interest.
- Verify support features. Check for navigation aids, presets, and adjustable individual parameters in the specific game edition and platform you will use.
- Compare concrete examples. Use games’ documented features—not reputation or a single difficulty word—to see which combination of combat, exploration, and support sounds right for you.
If you are new to the genre, Metroid Dread and The Lost Crown offer different documented ways to examine challenge and navigation: Nintendo describes named modes and point-of-interest highlighting for Dread, while Ubisoft describes presets, adjustable parameters, and navigation support for The Lost Crown. Neither feature set settles which game is best for you; your preferred balance of action, exploration, and guidance does.
Optional extras for Metroid Dread
Nintendo’s listing describes a physical edition and optional amiibo. It says the Samus amiibo adds an energy tank and the E.M.M.I. amiibo increases missile capacity. These are game-specific extras, not prerequisites for playing or general recommendations for other Metroidvanias. Store and edition details can change, so confirm current information on Nintendo’s listing before buying.
Quick Recap
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