Ranking the Best and Worst METROIDVANIAS | Cannot be Tamed

Today I'm ranking games from one of my favourite, and currently most played, genres - metroidvanias. I have 49 to rank, so strap in for a long video. I start out with a description of what I think makes for a good metroidvania, so you can tell if our tastes align.
#Metroidvania #HollowKnight #Castlevania
00:00 Intro
00:13 What is a metroidvania?
01:48 What I look for in a good metroidvania
3:37 Rank descriptions
4:57 Rankings in alphabetical order - A
8:40 B
13:43 C
18:41 D
21:03 E
22:29 F
23:20 G
26:05 H
28:47 I
31:45 J
32:51 L
35:12 M
40:56 O
42:55 R
44:07 S
52:39 T
55:45 U
56:59 W
1:00:45 Final rankings
If you want to use this ranking template, you can find it here: tiermaker.com/create/pams-met...
Video footage is mostly from trailers, some was recorded by me. Music in this video is from Hollow Knight.
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Intro artwork, logo and banner by: @theMagdalenRose
"Cantina Blues" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
creativecommons.org/licenses/b...

[@Whatthetrash]

Timestamps: (upvote so people can see) 4:57 The Aquatic Adventure of the Last Human 6:26 Axiom Verge 7:28 Axiom Verge 2 8:40 Batman: Arkham Asylum 9:50 Blasphemous 11:09 Blaster Master 12:22 Bloodstained Ritual of the Night 13:43 Carrion 14:38 Castlevania Symphony of the Night 16:22 Cave Story 17:20 Control 18:41 Dead Cells 19:42 Dust: An Elysian Tale 21:03 Ender Lilies 22:29 Finding Teddy 2 23:20 Ghost 1.0 24:42 Guacamelee 26:05 Headlander 27:02 Hollow Knight 28:47 Iconoclasts 29:35 Indivisible 31:01 Inmost 31:45 Journey to the Savage Planet 32:51 La Mulana / La Mulana 2 35:12 The Messenger 36:32 Micetopia 37:15 Monster Boy in the Cursed Kingdom 38:13 Monster Sanctuaury 39:29 The Mummy Demastered 40:56 Ori and the Blind Forest 41:44 Ori and the Will of the Wisps 42:19 Owlboy 42:55 A Robot Named Fight 44:07 Shadow Complex 44:42 Sheepo 45:45 Song of the Deep 46:26 Songbird Symphony 47:17 Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order 48:02 Steamworld Dig / Steamworld Dig 2 48:52 Strider 49:54 Super Metroid 51:08 Supraland 52:39 Teslagrad 53:44 Timespinner 54:28 Touhou Luna Nights 55:45 UNepic 56:59 Wonder Boy in Monster World

[@SPEEDYDAESKIMO]

Good job mate

[@vincentarmus3439]

Great job!

[@nickylyzta1178]

elevated bike

[@sugarhieroglyph]

Did you draw that pic of you and the dog at the end of the video?

[@Sentinel82]

Thanks

[@Chris-Courage]

I'm so glad we don't all call these games Castletroids.

[@sodapants3328]

Omg, that almost sounds like casserole lol

[@bdwilcox]

Hammerwatch + Metroid = Hammeroid

[@Chris-Courage]

@@bdwilcoxRygarvania

[@MotherKojiro]

Me too, and we almost did; back in the day, when it was relegated to the Igavania titles, rather than just any old game, the more popular term was Castleroid. Of course, that always reminded me of the gargoyle from Conker's Bad Fur Day. "Ever sit on a piece of Gothic Architecture for several centuries?"

[@HiNRGboy]

guess i'm the only one

[@chocolocojames213]

I still play Symphony of the night once in a while just to listen to the music. So good 😊😊😊

[@Cannotbetamed1]

Yeah the soundtrack is great/

[@hepwo91222]

I generally play Super Metroid and Symphony of the Night at least once a year since the 90's. The apex of the genre IMHO to this day only seriously challenged by Hollow KNight and Ori 2

[@kerred]

"WARNING: This disc only works in a Playstation system. But as long as you are here

[@philosophyoftrucking]

I bought it this year. It's fantastic.

[@HELLBENTSOUL]

Symphony of the Night is one of the games I double dip. I've got the original PS1 copy, digitally on my PS3, the Dracula X Chronicles on PSP, the Requiem collection on PS4, and I have the official Android version of the game. Hoping it will convince Konami to release Symphony on Switch, Grimoire of Souls on Android/Switch, and create a new Castlevania game. Preferably one that takes place during 1999 so we can play as Julius in his prime and defeat Dracula once and for all.

[@telesway]

I'll say one thing for Super Metroid: There's definitely a period when it feels clunky, but the more you play, the more fun it gets, and once stuff like mockball, single-wall wall jumps etc. become second nature, the initially clunky movement starts to feel incredibly fun and provides a lot of freedom and self-expression. One 2D metroidvania I'd recommend is Vigil: The Longest Night. It's almost dressed up to look like 2D Bloodborne, it has some surprising story twists, fluid movement/abilities, a skill tree, the focus is more on combat and exploration rather than difficult platforming, and unlike most 2D MVs, when you change armor, the player character's look actually changes, you can see each individual armor/clothing piece on her, same with various weapons, spells etc. that each have unique models. The art, atmosphere, and music are also great, the controls are tight, and while there are difficulty options, your "build" and weapon/spell selection also affects difficulty, so you have a lot of freedom to tailor the experience to your liking.

[@Cannotbetamed1]

Sounds cool.

[@freddychopin]

I played Super Metroid for the first time last year and thought it was easily S-tier. However, I played with some fan QoL hacks, as well as the widescreen hack. It was an *incredible* experience that way, felt like it hadn't aged a day.

[@rasul01]

I appreciate you putting timestamps for everything, especially the timestamp for your explanation of the ranking. It makes it easy to go back to how you define the tiers later on in the video.

[@retluoc]

Hey, that's my crappy logo... I guess KZbin has to duplicate them eventually...someday I'll get around to figuring out how to put a picture in. 😄

[@Cannotbetamed1]

I find them very helpful myself so I like to put them on my videos

[@Genose]

Excellent content! This is exactly what I was looking for in terms of a ranking list. I love that you call out those games that try to paint themselves as a Metroidvania, but aren’t.

[@Cannotbetamed1]

Thank you so much!

[@bluezapdos0]

yet nobody talks about blasphemous not really being a metroidvania

[@canontheory]

@@bluezapdos0blasphemous is a Metroidvania even though it doesn’t have enough movement ability’s like double jump/wall dash it’s still a metroidvania cause it has abilities and backtracking with the map

[@MattG-nl4pp]

The elements of isolation and lack of dialogue are why I love the Metroid games. For me, an immersive experience draws me in more than a good story. I really hope the first three prime games get a switch release.

[@craigfairweather3644]

This is an awesome vid! The Cave Story F rocked me to my core but, I fully see why someone might bump off it. Fully cracked up when you called out the Control map as dogshit. I was screaming that the entire time I played this game. Gahhh!

[@meaninglez100]

Love Cave Story myself, but yeah, I wouldn't consider it a Metroidvania. Heck, the dude made it way before that was even a term that was being thrown around

[@mariahtasker]

Just bought Blasphemous! Awesome to see you rank it so highly. One look at the trailer made it a must-buy for me. Also your cat name-sake is doing well!

[@Cannotbetamed1]

That's good to hear! I hope you like Blasphemous as much as I did.

[@Inkompatibel]

Still have a key left for Blasphemous. Already bought it on release , got another key due to the Humble Monthly in December 2019. So in case anyone is interessted, write me a message and you can have it for free.

[@dryzalizer]

@@Inkompatibel Blasphemous looks great to me and I'd like to check it out, if you haven't been messaged already. Thanks!

[@djking6940]

@@Inkompatibel still have the key Available?

[@benkizer9509]

I've been looking forward to this video. I love your love of metroidvanias. Thanks!

[@Cannotbetamed1]

No problem, hope you enjoyed

[@blumiu2426]

The Advance Collection is actually done very well. It's great and I think framerate is actually ticked up. Sounds odd, but I remember these games not being fluid. One game I'd recommend is another Konami game, Getsufumaden. It was another classic series, though not all of the first one was metroidvania style. This new one is and I really thought it was a great game with replayability built into it.

[@narwhalgamingvariety]

Just completed Circle of the Moon on this collection, was just as good as I remembered! Nearly 100%'d it. Highly recommend every game on this pack!

[@lastgunman5270]

there's a collection? I played these on the GBA back then, they really are cool.

[@matthewbain21]

Metroidvanias are my favorite, this video hit the spot in overviewing a bunch of these that I've never played. Thanks.

[@Cannotbetamed1]

No problem!

[@ganondorfchampin]

The reason Cave Story is included is for historical reasons - it's pretty much THE game that started the Metroidvania trend. While it was not the first Indie Metroidvania (Eternity's Daughter is older), it was the first to get much attention, and it's success inspired other indie developers to attempt Metroidvania. If it wasn't for Cave Story then most games in this list probably wouldn't exist. Anyway, while it's not much of a Metroidvania by modern standards, I still enjoyed that game a ton. There are another two historically important Metroidvanias that I think you should play that you'd enjoy a lot more, An Untitled Story and Aquaria. The prior was the primary influence on Sheepo and widely considered by those in the know to be one of the greatest Metroidvania games of all time, while the latter is not only the first aquatic Metroivania game, but also the first commercially successful indie Metroidvania as the prior ones were all either freeware or done by studios through a publisher.

[@Cannotbetamed1]

Thanks for the recommendations.

[@NooqGaming]

Thanks a lot for zooming the whole board at the end i like to take screenshots of those for quick references later on ! Just found your channel and i enjoy it, i wish you the best

[@SonicHaXD]

I mostly agree with your opinions on this list (especially on Super Metroid), 2 Metroidvania's I really love that I would recommend are Environmental Station Alpha and Yoku's Island Express. ESA is a very well polished Metroid inspired game that perfects the flaws I had with Axiom Verge and Super Metroid. Yoku is just a damn enjoyable Pinball Metroidvania that I really had fun with. And would recommend anyone to play! Glad I watched this list. And now I have some new Metroidvania's I wanna try out XD

[@Cannotbetamed1]

I really want to play ESA. I was hoping for a console release at some point, but doesn't look like that will happen.

[@AlquimistEd]

I second the ESA recommendation. Really really good Super Metroid inspired game, with some light "la-mulana"-esque puzzles that I really enjoyed but that are all optional post-game challenges.

[@QvsTheWorld]

I whole heartily recommend Yoku Island Express, it manage to deliver on both polish and innovation.

[@kgoblin5084]

Major caveat on Yoku's Island Express: it is a combination of Metroidvania & Pinball. If like me, pinball just frustrates the crap out of you, you are NOT going to enjoy it. Note that I'm not saying it's a bad game, just that it isn't a game for everyone due to it's pinball genre (which arguably applies to metroidvanias as well!) Other titles missing from Pam's list that probably deserve a mention, commentary added where I felt needed: * Valdis Story: seriously, it's a shame how often this game gets overlooked & unmentioned. Great, pure metroidvania in the SotN style, with a mixin of boss-rush && souls-like influences * Alwa's Awakening * the Shantae series * Supraland: a lot of the metroidvania type rewards tend to be 'get a lot of money', which isn't great, but the game itself is fantastic and really satisfies on the exploration factor. Also a great example of a good 3d metroidvania * Metroid Prime games: deserve a mention for how the successfully moved the classic formula into 3d with relatively little disruption * 1000 Amps: A short but interesting title which de-emphasizes combat (well, until right at the end where they give a sort of boss battle). Makes you literally have to touch almost every square of the map to restore power to the space station or whatever it is your little robot is on.

[@QvsTheWorld]

@@kgoblin5084 That's funny I'm not really found of pinball and that's kinda why I was surprise by how much I like that game. For me, platformers live and die by their movement mechanics and I thought that Yoku brought something fresh to the concept of navigating your character across the world.

[@inasuma8180]

I’m curious to see how you like Metroid dread seeing as it will have a decent focus on lore (at least for the beginning and end, not sure about the rest). Great list of games here. Lots of variety!

[@Cannotbetamed1]

I'm looking forward to trying it.

[@knighttrax4237]

This is an awesome video because it gives us recommendations for games we haven’t tried or heard of. Thanks for sharing your list. 👍

[@Cannotbetamed1]

You're welcome!

[@danawhiteboy]

can’t beat hollow knight, no other comes close

[@chadgreenaway8289]

Ty for taking the time to do this, hope everyone appreciates it

[@thegameneededme5]

Not gonna lie, I initially came here just to see where Hollow Knight would rank and then saw the Hornet shirt and a shade plushie in the background and went ah yes, this is going to be a good video.

[@jeremybowers3181]

OWLBOY. Such an overlooked gem.

[@javelin6831]

If you ever get the chance, you should play Astalon: Tears of The Earth. I like it, and it's retro-styled Metroid-vania where you can upgrade your skills each time you die in the game. You can also play up to 3 characters and gain 2 more along the way. It's also inspired by games like Castlevania 3: Dracula's Curse, Little Samson and Mega Man.

[@paintraincomin]

this

[@Tyidol23]

Hello Pam, this was a really good video covering a lot of games in this genre. It was neat to see games such as the Wonder Boy games, and Blaster Master on this as well. Bloodstained RotN was the most recent metroidvania I've played on this list. Batman Arkham Asylum was a neat surprise and even though its been awhile since I played that one, it is totally a metroidvania in its own right hehe. Super Metroid and SotN are staple classics and I recent downloaded Castlevania Requiem again on my ps4 to have another crack at both Rondo of Blood and SotN. Thanks for the ranking video again Pam, brought a lot of new games to my attention regarding this genre

[@shawnp601]

Thank you for ranking these Pam. I haven’t left a comment on one of your videos in several months (although I am watching them and giving them likes 😀). Really liking the new location (yes I know you’ve been living there for a bit now). The ambiance of the room looks is especially inviting in this video.

[@Cannotbetamed1]

Thanks so much, it is pretty cozy in here

[@dryzalizer]

Nice job Pam, a very thorough list and I'm glad you included the really unique Monster Sanctuary. I think I'm the audience for A Robot Named Fight! so thanks for making me aware of it! Another fairly new but old-school metroidvania I liked that you might want to check out is Astalon: Tears of the Earth.

[@Cannotbetamed1]

Thanks for the recommendation. I hope you like Robot Named Fight

[@winterburden]

This is amazing, thank you for ranking all the Metroidvanias Pam! 😀

[@Cannotbetamed1]

No problem

[@winterburden]

I am consistently in awe, you put so much effort into these videos for us and it's no problem, thanks again Pam! 🙇‍♀️

[@sertaki]

Great list! Definitely had some titles I was completely unaware of and might check out at some time. :)

[@blake4084]

Wow. Just stumbled into this video and after watching just the intro I am a huge fan. Subscribed. Finally, a person who reviews games and has very similar ideas about them. Just super stellar stuff. So excited to watch other videos of yours!

[@Cannotbetamed1]

Thanks so much. Welcome to the channel

[@user-et3xn2jm1u]

Hollow Knight shirt, Hollow Knight music over the video, gee I wonder if Pam likes Hollow Knight :D Can't wait for Silksong omg

[@Cannotbetamed1]

Me neither! One day it’ll come out

[@EduardoRobertoSales]

Great video! I played most of these as well and agree in general with your placement. You should try Batbarian, Momodora, Vigil and Tails of Iron!

[@Hawkent]

I found your channel yesterday and have been binging your videos since. You have SUCH great taste and your review style is super thorough. The passion you have for games and talking about them is obvious and refreshing!

[@Cannotbetamed1]

Thank you. Welcome to the channel!

[@jswright2005]

Wonderful video as always! I’m amazed there are this many to even rank. And thank you so much for using the chapters feature! It’s so helpful for videos like this where so many great games are covered that I’ll no doubt refer to it again and again. Also, amazing makeup. Sure, I know nothing about it and have no discernible taste, so coming from me this means next to nothing…but you’re a true pro!

[@Cannotbetamed1]

Thanks so much

[@codekhalil6437]

These are called Metroidvanias for a reason. And Super Metroid is the best of them. It can be tedious at times and that map can be daunting. But when I look at the other games on this list, that is the only one that can evoke the emotions that it does. While I don't fully agree with your views on the game, I respect the time and work you put into this vid. Cheers

[@wackyswacky1374]

Super Metroid was a precursor and (in my opinion) doesn't quite fit the description of a Metroidvania. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night in 1997 is considered the defining Metroidvania game, incorporating role-playing game elements from The Legend of Zelda series with non-linear traversal within the Castlevania series. Honestly these games could just as easily be called Zeldavanias instead of Metroidvanias.

[@samuelmartinez1014]

@@wackyswacky1374 LOL Super Metroid, one of the best games of all time, not considered a metroidvania. Oh god, sure man, sure.

[@wackyswacky1374]

@@samuelmartinez1014 I said nothing about the quality of the game.

[@xSayPleasex]

@@samuelmartinez1014 You do realize Metroidvania is a combination of Metroid and Castlevania styles (IGA style), it's literally the name. A pure Metroid game isn't necessarily the definitive example of what it means to make a Metroidvania, even though I would include it in the genre of course.

[@ophidianmind333]

This is a decent ranking list and here are some suggestions for metroidvania games to review/rank in the future: 3,000th Duel, After Death, Aggelos, Astalon: Tears of the Earth, the Blasphemous: Wounds of Eventide DLC when it comes out later this year, the rest of the Igavania-style Castlevania games, Death's Gambit: Afterlife, Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth, Dex, Metroid Fusion and some of the other Metroid games, Mindseize, Odallus: The Dark Call, Salt and Sanctuary, The Vagrant, Valdis Story: Abyssal City, and Vigil: The Longest Night.

[@withoutthejuice7193]

came here for deedlit

[@CS-cd6zg]

I think this is my favorite of your videos so far! I love Metroidvanias and you've clued me in to a bunch I've missed over the years. Thanks for the great content.

[@Cannotbetamed1]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@DeadlyGamingLV]

Awesome video Pam! Your criteria for rating all these games is outstanding. One game I recently finished and had fun with was AM2R. Now there's some games I was unaware of that I need to check out thanks to you covering them. Thank you for sharing! :)

[@Cannotbetamed1]

No problem, glad to introduce you to some new games.

[@Soily9]

I haven't played it (yet) but I heard Dead Cells was an awesome game. Therefore, it's a shame to put it in the F category because it's "not a Metroidvania". I mean, if it's not a Metroidvania, you should simply not put it in the Metroidvania ranking. Putting it in F makes it seem like it's very bad game.

[@Cannotbetamed1]

Only if you don’t listen to what I say about it.

[@Soily9]

@@Cannotbetamed1 Well obviously, I did listen. And I think it's a bad decision. If you think it's not a Metroidvania, you just shouldn't rank it in a Metroidvania ranking. You didn't put any Forza or Call of Duty game as F-ranks in your ranking, did you? Then why put Dead Cells ?

[@Cannotbetamed1]

I also addressed that in the video

[@fatux]

Sweet list, thanks for putting in the work! The Castlevania's on Nintendo DS are definitely some of the best and some I'm sure you would love.

[@someonefromcanada2668]

Loved your take on this topic. Just discovered your channel and I love it already!

[@Cannotbetamed1]

Thanks. And welcome to the channel

[@rayceeya8659]

Thanks Pam! Another half dozen or so games for my Steam Wishlist! Love your videos! Keep 'em coming.

[@WheezeLotus]

Can't wait to hear your take on the GBA Castlevanias! I like all three, but the real star of the show is Aria of Sorrow, especially if you liked Bloodstained's monster skill mechanic. 🙂

[@koobsmooth]

That’s nice to hear since I’m having a blast with CIRCLE OF THE MOON. Absolutely, love trying the DSS weapons. I’m on the second”s MAGICIAN play through

[@GabePuratekuta]

@@koobsmooth So you're the only fan of Circle of the Moon!

[@koobsmooth]

LOL. Happy to be. I love it and am thankful for it! I am NOT enjoying HARMONY OF DISSONANCE nearly as much. I may just start ARIA OF SORROW.

[@GabePuratekuta]

@@koobsmooth Aria of Sorrow is the best of the GBA Igavanias. It's sequel, Dawn of Sorrow, is even better.

[@koobsmooth]

@@GabePuratekuta Is it the best on the DS?

[@shaunmartinell5825]

Great “S” ranks. Just started the Castlevania Advances and Circle of the Moon looks like it’s gonna be a B or C. Avoid Outbuddies Dx but you may LOVE Environmental Station Alpha! Also Ender Lillies isn’t hitting that sweet spot for me but Bloodstained did - even though it got really silly at the end. So much more I wanna write. Just keep up the great work all around Pam!

[@mattpilkington2456]

Yea I was pretty disappointed with Outbuddies DX

[@madamid100]

Environmental Station Alpha was surprisingly amazing. Loved the environment and had lots of fun trying to solve the very cryptic late-game puzzles

[@shaunmartinell5825]

Update- Circle of the Moon - A, Harmony of Dissonance - B+, Aria of Sorrow just started and it’s good 👍🏼

[@yogainstructor4437]

@@shaunmartinell5825 what was the final ranking for aria?

[@shaunmartinell5825]

@@yogainstructor4437 hey, ARIA gets an A, couldn’t put it down and dreamed about it all day at work. That’s an A in my book 📚

[@fentazen2677]

Awesome video. I have so many of these in my backlog, so helps prioritize.

[@Cannotbetamed1]

Glad it was helpful

[@QuestMode]

Seeing this pop up on my feed made my night. Thank you!

[@Cannotbetamed1]

No problem

[@avalond1193]

Thanks for the Great video! definitely adding some of these to our collection. May I suggest 2 that were not on your list, Vigil the longest night and momodora reverie under the moonlight. Both great metroidvania games I think you may enjoy

[@Cannotbetamed1]

Thanks! I’d like to try Vigil. Momodora started out very difficult and I gave up on it.

[@telesway]

I'd 2nd Vigil, it's excellent. Also, the devs have been great at patching bugs and improving the experience with lots of new content, some quality of life changes based on customer feedback etc, so that's also a plus.

[@lesserspottedmugwump.363]

@@Cannotbetamed1 I’d give Narita Boy a miss as well. It’s very stylish but it’s too twitchy. I don’t understand the reviews it got, definitely for people who have rose tinted glasses about the 80’s.

[@brentladue]

was really surprised that you haven't played any of the other castlevanias? the GBA and DS ones are incredible. Aria, Dawn, and Order of ecclasia in particular are super cool, but if you only played one I think it's safe to say Aria. Have fun playing the collection, going through it myself right now. Great vid!

[@matthewbain21]

Yeah there were 3 for the DS that are great. Circle of the Moon gets reviewed as the worst of the GBA, but it has the most replayability by changing the characters stats etc.

[@Cannotbetamed1]

Thanks!

[@kerred]

Hopefully the remake improves on the audio which kind of detracts me when playing a GBA game.

[@jason01611]

@@matthewbain21 circle is so good

[@ragzard]

First time seeing your channel. Video was really enjoyable so, an easy subscription. Thanks for the great work with the tier list.

[@Cannotbetamed1]

Welcome to the channel

[@Dhalin]

If you liked Wonder Boy in Monster World, they recently did a Remaster of Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap. This game is a lot like Monster World, only there are two differences: One, you can play as a girl (which has a nice little touch that it changes the Title Screen to "Wonder Girl: The Dragon's Trap") and two, the 'thing' in this game is that you collect different forms you can shapeshift into which is kind of a neat mechanic, and all of the shapeshift forms have different things they are good at (the mouse can wall-run, the bird can fly, etc) and the equipment you find in the game is also unique, as some swords and armor are great in the hands of some shapeshift forms, but do far less in the hands of others for example, there's a sword that is really powerful while you're a Lion, but yet if you use that sword as anybody else, it's rather weak, so equipment isn't just a "This is +20, that's better than the +10 I had" and never end up using that first sword ever again. It has almost no dialogue, and it has an interconnected world, with plenty of secrets to find, and the game has a little bonus that you can seamlessly switch between the original and the remastered graphics and sound.

[@Cannotbetamed1]

That sounds cool, I’ll check it out at some point.

[@JeffJonesJr]

I recommend giving Yoku's Island Express a look, it's a pinball themed Metroidvania.

[@Tom-tg4ib]

Just playing through it right now, it really is a sweet little game

[@carsonrutz9659]

I wouldnt call it a metroidvania. Its an adventure exploration game.

[@dkyx]

I’m halfway through your video and thanks to your great explanation and dissecting, Blasphemous and Headlander are next on my to-play list.

[@Cannotbetamed1]

Awesome, hope you enjoy them

[@remixisthis]

Unsighted is criminally underrated

[@johndilleyjr.9620]

Enjoyed your ranking video. As a fan of this genre and your channel I would be interested to hear your thoughts on the castlevania advance collection if decide to make a video about it. I purchased it the day it released but won't have time to dive into it for awhile. It's been about 20 years since I played harmony of dissonance and aria of sorrow.

[@Gaming_since_the_eighties]

I have finished Super Metroid yesterday, to get ready for Metroid Dread in 2 weeks. This video put a smile on my face.

[@Cannotbetamed1]

I hope Metroid Dread is good.

[@Gaming_since_the_eighties]

@@Cannotbetamed1 I hope so too. But usually Metroid games, are always good i can´t remember a bad Metroid game.

[@lesserspottedmugwump.363]

@@Gaming_since_the_eighties Art style is a bit cold. I know it’s a lab/space station. All that metal. It could get a bit samey.

[@PCGamingGoodies]

Prey (2017) and its progenitor, System Shock (1993), have metroidvania elements as well. Another metroidvania-esque first-person shooter I can think of is Hexen (1995, published by id), in which you can travel among different maps, trigger one thing in a map that has an effect on another map, etc.

[@gilgamesh310]

Exhumed as well. That did a lot of what Metroid Prime did, 6 years before.

[@bradsweeney8695]

While I didn't care for Prey 2017, it could be argued that if any other 3D game qualifies as a metroidvania, then so does Prey. Personally I think 3D games don't have enough platforming elements to be metroidvanias.

[@PCGamingGoodies]

@Craig Adams You're right. That's because many games in other genres have borrowed elements from Metroidvania games. The evolution of games are often about how different genres steal ideas from one another.

[@PaStef37]

Nice vid, I like the fact that you explain what the games are about in concrete gameplay terms, give a pretty good idea of them. Thx!

[@Cannotbetamed1]

Glad you liked it!

[@smokeback]

just subbed came aross your channel while searching for metrovaina games reviews and breakdowns currently working on one

[@Cannotbetamed1]

Welcome to the channel!

[@lilrockstar77]

That cave story ranking was tough 🤣. Great content.

[@michaelschuett]

You are brutally honest, I love that. Giving dead cells and cave story + the lowest score , some would call that blasphemy lol.

[@spladam3845]

Nice, this was a super complete list, so many good games here, a bunch I wasn't familiar with, thanks. Well done. The three GBA CV games are some of my favorite of all time, if you haven't played them you're probably gonna have a lot of fun.

[@realtime4559]

Great video. Really enjoyed. Thanks Pam!

[@Cannotbetamed1]

You're welcome!

[@whatiskensworth]

I definitely recommend Wonder Labyrinth (or the whole mouthful: -Record of Lodoss War-Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth-) it's made by the same devs as Touhou Luna Nights but has more of a SotN influence. It's also a short and easy one, but a good one nonetheless. Best $20 I've spent in a long time and happily bought it for my friends too.

[@Cannotbetamed1]

I'll be grabbing it as soon as it's on console.

[@-Tristan-]

+1 Wonder Labyrinth is really worth playing. Very cool (and unique) combat system.

[@andreasfreij4485]

Lodoss of war wasnt that easy in some areas....id say its normal. Try the hard hack on SOTN...its amazingly challenging in a fun way

[@matty5492]

You might like Shantae: The Pirate's Curse (one of my favorites). It's weird not seeing the GBA / DS Castlevania games on this list, given how much you liked SOTN. Neat video, it was fun to see you go through those 49 games.

[@bradsweeney8695]

The newest Shantae is in my S tier.

[@miahthorpatrick1013]

I recently bought The Pirate`s curse from the e-shop and I'm really loving it! Is there a newer Shantae game I'm not aware of?

[@matty5492]

@@miahthorpatrick1013 There are 2 shantae games that are newer... "Half Genie Hero" is the one after pirate's curse. "Seven Sirens" is the most recent one.

[@lesserspottedmugwump.363]

@@miahthorpatrick1013 Yeah, I bought that one as well. The others don’t go on sale that often. Seven Sirens has been out a while now so I would wait just a bit longer. There is nothing worse than buying a game then the week after it’s on sale.

[@bradsweeney8695]

@@miahthorpatrick1013 7 sirens is the newest and a great metroidvainia for newer and veteran playerss. Pirate's Curse is on my wish list.

[@hibryd7481]

Skip to 0:00 and check the upper-left third of the screen for a clue about where Hollow Knight probably ranks >.>; I had a somewhat similar experience w/ Hollow Knight. Heard rants and raves about it, but after about 4 or 5 hours I shelfed it...still haven't gotten back to it yet though. What did it for me was that I found the combat to be a little stiff somehow. I really liked Ori though, and the second one was even better imo. But as a whole I'm not huge on MetroidVania's anyways.

[@trevorelms]

I love Metroidvanias so this one is right up my alley Thanks for your efforts. Also bonus points for the cameos from both the dog and cat.

[@u.e.9948]

Loved this video. If you haven’t tried the game Outland, I highly recommend it. It’s such a beautiful metroidvania with great platforming.

[@Cannotbetamed1]

I think I have that. Haven't played it though

[@terrypayne8658]

Love these type of videos. Symphony of the night was my fave. Did you find the inverted castle?

[@Cannotbetamed1]

Yes

[@terrypayne8658]

@@Cannotbetamed1 the inverted castle blew my mind when a friend told me about it. I encourage everyone to do it

[@nicholasmiller10]

Excellent video! I'd like to see a part 2 of this with other games. I highly recommend you try Alwa's Awakening, Alwa's Legacy( Alwa's Awakening sequel), and Cathedral. Also yes fully agree to see your thoughts on all of Castlevania series ad well as all metroid games including new metroid Dread when it comes out.

[@lesserspottedmugwump.363]

Cathedral is brutal. It reminded me of wizards and warriors.

[@feeamerie5011]

Great video! I’ve added Blasphemous and Touhou Luna Nights to my wish list x

[@TimDavis77]

Since you had OG Blaster Master on here, curious to hear your take on the Blaster Master Zero trilogy.

[@adamklesh3304]

I just bought the Castlevania Advance collection on Switch, and Harmony of Dissonance is my favorite of those games. I'm playing Circle of the Moon for the first time currently, and it's good fun as well.

[@matthewbain21]

you can replay circle of the moon a bunch of times and its the most underrated gba metroidvania. The next replay you get higher attack and defense but no magic. The replay after that you start out with all of the cards but have weaker attack and defense. The next one does something with your sub weapons and the final one gives your character extremely high luck.

[@Cannotbetamed1]

Nice, I plan to pick them up soon

[@mdstevens0612]

The DSS can be thoroughly abused for some crazy combos but Aria Of Sorrow is still my absolute favorite.

[@michaeloconnor1281]

This is a great video to watch after finishing Metroid Dread and about to finish Super Metroid (yet again) fantastic video I'm going to check some of these out. I'm in that zone, that very specific metroidvania zone.

[@martybrunner]

Great idea for a tier list - I love Metroidvanias and love hearing about new ones. Check out Deaths Gambit and Deedlits Adventure

[@Genethagenius]

Even though I had never considered it before, I have to agree that “Batman: Arkham Asylum” is a very well done 3-D Metroidvania!

[@CSword514]

Grime is my favorite metroidvania this year, it has a very unique look. The boss fights are challenging but fair.

[@Cannotbetamed1]

I'm hoping it gets released on console.

[@lesserspottedmugwump.363]

Daryl Delux has a great art style, the game is just one long fetch quest pretty much. Some of the jokes are unbelievably cheesy, I liked them. Not for everyone.

[@greatrulo]

It's great to see you enjoyed SOTN this time around. Also kudos for keeping everything so well put together despite not following a script.

[@Cannotbetamed1]

Much appreciated!

[@zerodreaming]

It is a cryin' shame not to see *the* best Metroidvania on this list: RAINWORLD. I mean, it ain't for everyone I suppose -- it takes a little "getting into" before everything clicks, and it's not a typical Metroidvania, but to me and its fans it is the most ingenious and enchanting Metroidvania out there. Also has new DLC coming soon after years of inactivity. Great, underrated game. Salt & Sanctuary is another very strong one that I don't think I saw on this list, unless I missed it.

[@MaybeeT]

Love that you put Blasphemous in the S tier, apparently its a polarizing game. I'm playing the sequel now and loving it.

[@mattmatter5643]

The second one is really good. Both are good, but the second one really slaps.

[@lt.branwulfram4794]

New Game+ on Blasphemous is punishing as hell. You have all the equipment and Mea Culpa upgrades you had from the first playthrough, however it's balanced out by more durable enemies and a squishier Penitent One. At some point you'll be fighting the Amanecidas and Laudes, which requires tons of muscle memory within the span of whatever time you allow to learn the pattern.

[@das6109]

Nicely laid out, and good job sticking to clear criteria and laying out what you're looking for in the games. Makes it clearer what dealbreakers for you might not be a big deal for the viewer. I gotta echo some people here and say it's absolutely crazy to have played this many games in the genre and not have played the GBA Castlevanias. I have particularly fond memories of AoS and SotN, and played them old enough to not have nostalgia weighing in. They're very good at what they do. I've heard the DS Castlevania titles were solid as well, but the GBA SP was the last nintendo console I owned unfortunately so I can't speak to them.

[@Greydawg]

I found this video after looking up info on that "Record of Lodoss War" game & watching this video feels like mushrooms... but I'm so glad I found this & immediately subscribed. Thank you for what you do!

[@Cannotbetamed1]

Welcome to the channel!

[@ericnorway77]

Catmaze is a cute Metroidvania in a Slavic setting. I recommend checking it out.

[@brandonkruse6412]

You should do a “Classicvania” list next 🙂 The Messenger and Curse of the Moon are too good.

[@DransPokeCorner]

subbed! found you looking at metroid playthroughs! great content!

[@Cannotbetamed1]

Welcome to the channel!

[@SharkyLovedOne]

Thank you so much for the content. Please make more tier list like this. By far the best I’ve ever seen with the gameplay in the video and the detail you hit is outstanding. Instant subscribe.

[@Cannotbetamed1]

Welcome to the channel!

[@northprime_unlimited]

Great video!! You have to try Flashback! It’s definitely in this category! I’m surprised you didn’t mention the NES version of Strider. It’s not bad.

[@sergeleon1163]

Love flashback, btw if you like the NES version of Strider I can also recommend you trying the Genesis/Megadrive version or even better the arcade version.

[@northprime_unlimited]

@@sergeleon1163 I spent many many quarters on the arcade version!🤣👍🏽

[@lancelotlink007]

Disappointed that you didn't enjoy Cave Story. I found it amazing.

[@jst25]

Yep, I was really surprised with that ranking. I enjoyed it and my 11-year-old likes playing it as well.

[@NerdyTransformed]

The tier list ranking is based on how they are as Metroidvanias, not overall quality

[@coolman2805]

@@NerdyTransformedi mean no, she said she specifically didn’t like it as a platformer either. she just didn’t like the game

[@justavian]

This is my first time seeing your channel. I was surprised at how much i agree with most of your rankings - i kept waiting for you to rave about one of the ones i couldn't finish, like Dust and Iconoclasts, but i found myself nodding along with your analysis. My biggest surprise was that you didn't endorse Cave Story like so many do. Like you said, everyone always talks about how great Cave Story is, and while i finished it, i just wasn't impressed - and like you, i couldn't understand how so many people think that's a metroidvania. You actually introduced me to a few i had never heard of, so i look forward to trying them out, as this is my favorite genre. Anyway - thanks for this, it was fun!

[@andrewc9343]

I come back to this often to get ideas for new metroidvanias to play. Just wanted to say thanks!

[@Cannotbetamed1]

You're welcome

[@NorthernStarshine]

You should try Valdis Story: Abyssal City. One of my favorite metroidvanias particularly for the combat and character builds of it!

[@DonMiguelLaBestia]

Bleh, played this game for 3 hours and couldn’t go on. One of the few metroidvanias I couldn’t finish, didn’t like the combat or exploration

[@Kw3350]

There are a lot here that I've never heard of and will need to check out. A couple of other good ones that didn't make the list are Aliens: Infestation and Spider-Man: Web of Shadows, both for the DS. When they first revealed Jedi: Fallen Order I had no interest in it. Then I found out that it's a Souls-like Metroidvania and was instantly sold.

[@MrMarbles77]

I really liked Headlander and Song of the Deep! I'm glad you mentioned them. Enjoyed the whole video, was very fun and relaxing to watch :)

[@Cannotbetamed1]

Thanks, glad you liked it

[@Huguex00]

Five Metroidvanias worth checking out: - Sundered - Eldrith Edition. - MO Astray. - Yoku's Island Express. - Insanely Twisted Savage Planet. - Outland. Great ranking!

[@Cannotbetamed1]

Insanely Twisted Shadow planet has been on my list for a while, need to get to that

[@4ctionBastard]

Dead cells is certainly in a unique position in this category and ironically enough, i recommended it to a buddy of mine recently. Backtracking I agree is very different here but I wouldn't say its nonexistent. Death is how you backtrack essentially, which in a roguelike, works quite well. Its nontraditional and takes some getting used to but I did find it refreshing and even quite rewarding after awhile.

[@brockalbert5111]

"BEST METROIDVANIA MAPS" would be a great title for this video. Maybe make a video about the best mapping systems and what makes a good map(if you haven't already). I'd watch that.

[@TheJr1302]

Great vid, I will try some of your recommendations.

[@Chepo90]

Great video Pam!. So interesting to see your choices and your reasons for everyone 🤗 I really like Metroidvanias, little by little I'm playing several that I have pending. For me, TIER S are Hollow Knight and Castlevania Symphony of the Night, agree with you (I haven't played Blasphemous yet). Others that I played recently and really liked were Ender Lilies, Monster Boy and Castlevania Aria of Sorrow. But definitely the one that catches me the most and seems to me the most round in all aspects is Hollow Knight, I love that is so challenging. Also I recognize that walking through Hallownest ruins and enjoying the amazing artistic design and the soundtrack is phenomenal, feel like I don't waste my time at all. I hope u are very well, greetings from Argentina! 👋🙌

[@Cannotbetamed1]

Hollow Knight is a game that I think just keeps getting better the more you play it. Even though I'm working on finishing the end game stuff, I'm always tempted to just start a fresh new game to get to discover everything again.

[@andremedeiros1]

A suggestion: Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth. That is a very nice game, should probably be on your A or S rating.

[@capcomfan11]

anime is dope

[@burlesonresident7893]

@@capcomfan11 you're dope

[@steveericson9137]

You NEED to check out Astalon: Tears of the Earth. It's such a fun little MV with some clever and unique mechanics, with fun and colorful pixel art. I'd also highly recommend Vigil: The Longest Night and Salt & Sanctuary.

[@RMoocher]

Question, do you own a C64, or at least have a C64 emulator? If so, I highly recommend these 4 Metroidvanias released for it in recent years: Steel Ranger, Knight 'N Grail, Pains 'N Aches, and Wolfling.

[@Cannotbetamed1]

Nope

[@RMoocher]

@@Cannotbetamed1 Ah, ok. Easy enough to download an emulator. Have a look, and see what you think. New C64 games might remind of you NES, which I know you're a fan of.

[@BradyRay_333]

I think you had a good point about the lack of a map in Carrion. I ended up printing out a map off the internet to reference during my playthrough. I prefer playing without maps and learning the areas myself but that game gave me a lot of trouble. Fun list! Thanks for making it.

[@Cannotbetamed1]

No problem, glad you enjoyed it