Top 10 Best Metroidvania Games You've Never Heard Of!

Metroidvania fans rejoice! In this video, we'll be taking a look at the Top 10 Best Metroidvania games That You Should Play! Whether you're a fan of horror, action, or exploration, there's something for everyone in these games. These are truly overlooked hidden gems that are some of the best in the genre.
#indiegames #indiegaming #playindie
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 ► Introduction
00:48 ► Itorah
02:07 ► 3000th Duel
03:01 ► HunterX
03:40 ► Dex
04:28 ► The Vagrant
05:34 ► Aggelos
06:30 ► Valdis Story: Abyssal City
07:29 ► Lost Epic
08:33 ► After Death
09:40 ► Vigil: The Longest Night
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[@IDreamofIndie]

Did you recognize any of these Metroidvania titles? Let us know in the comments below! Defeat the gaming echo chamber at patreon.com/idreamofindiegames

[@jounivaljakka8540]

I composed the music for Vigil: The Longest Night and I thank you for your kind words! 🤘

[@IDreamofIndie]

That's awesome! Really sucks that the game is currently delisted we hope it returns.

[@jounivaljakka8540]

Yea I really hope the situation will be solved soon @@IDreamofIndie

[@DarkKin-ob8if]

The music was absolutely unforgettable. Congrats on truly doing a fantastic job at what you do friend

[@fredb3143]

Really 😮😮, Dephil the first one and Endless Courage are my favourite tracks. And all around, the music is uncanny, nice work 👍👍👍👍

[@jerryplaysaugust9609]

@@IDreamofIndie and it did return :)

[@pavlotverdokhlib7627]

Vigil has been recently re-listed on steam, without a publisher- seems like the devs got the rights to the game back. Itorah was a lot of fun, but the ending really goes hard on a lot of anime tropes. Still, nothing really beats fighting on top of a flying Quetzalcoatl I was a kickstarter backer for Dex. It's indeed a great game. Basically a side-scrolling Deus Ex.

[@IDreamofIndie]

That was great news about Vigil!

[@Zalure]

I can vouch for HunterX. That one caught me off guard with how good it plays and its visuals aren't too bad either. Definitely a don't judge a book by it's cover game.

[@IDreamofIndie]

Agreed!

[@retrochomp]

If you haven't played it yet, hunterx developers also made 3000th duel. While the theme of that game is high fantasy they feel the same in gameplay and difficulty

[@retrochomp]

Whoops i rewinded the video and they already explained the part about 3000th duel it seems 😅

[@nyakstar]

​@@retrochomp I think it's too much like the 3000th duel. Even the menu display is like a total copy and paste. It's like they didn't even do anything new except change the main character

[@Sandboxcode]

Excellent list of games! Some I have never heard of. Great job as always

[@IDreamofIndie]

❤️❤️

[@OMGLVLUP]

If any of you have not played Valdis, PLEASE do yourself a favor and play it. Its literally one of the best metroidvanias to date

[@IDreamofIndie]

Thank you so much for watching and supporting the channel with an engagement!

[@petersomogyi7245]

Vigil is a masterpiece..a work of pure genius! One of my favourites of all time! ❤❤ Itorah, Dex, 3000th Duell and Hunter X are so fantastic…love them so much 😍

[@gostreiver8036]

Bro where can you even find Vigil now? I am so sad it’s not available anywhere

[@SeanTheEvans]

you can't currently "buy" it, there's your hint @@gostreiver8036

[@anthonywesselby3528]

Man it’s the first video of yours I’ve watched and you just nail the delivery of each game description. I was amazed you’ve found your true calling my friend. Great show 🙏👊😇 I myself have just begun “Itorah” which I have been on the fence with…now I will be sure to finish. Have a gander at one called Scrooge and the invisible universe, it’s new and good christmas theme. Can’t wait for the next reviews. Thanks

[@IDreamofIndie]

Welcome aboard! Thank you!!

[@shortbreadhead]

I highly recommend Afterimage as well, I see so little talk about that game and I couldn't get enough of it

[@IDreamofIndie]

Afterimage is 👍

[@johanandersson8646]

I dont know what forums and such you're on, but people talk about it constantly on the metroidvania reddit

[@DeffNinja]

I think as a whole Metroidvanias, outside a few(hollow knight.. ect) there isn't much talk in general. If your into MVs, Afterimage gets brought up a ton.

[@shortbreadhead]

@@DeffNinjaI actually am extremely into MVs I just don't involve myself in any kind of community or conversation regarding them, I keep my opinions my own and don't usually bother looking into subreddits or opinion pieces on the matter. I love this channel though so watched this to see what ones were brought up to see if any newer ones were mentioned or ones that slipped past me, so I thought I'd mention it for any who hadn't heard of it since I would place it highly.

[@DeffNinja]

@shortbreadhead oh I get that that's why I watched his vid to find one's I haven't played. I'm just saying on the community side Afterimage is quite popular.

[@gamepapa1211]

One of my main issues with more recent Metroidvanias is how they constantly try to ape the Hollow Knight formula. That's why I believe The Vagrant should be higher on the list, since that game embodies what a classic Metroidvania is supposed to be like, Symphony of the Night style.

[@irlshrek]

I don't think there's anything wrong with clones, so long as they add a little something extra to push things forward and make it feel fresh. I think that's how genres progress

[@messofilho]

If you haven’t played Valdis Story, stop whatever you are doing right know. This game is fantastic.

[@craigwilks2202]

1000% agree. This game is ahead of its time, still can't believe it's out for a decade. If you are a classic metroidvania junky, Valdis Story is just another sleeper hit

[@SomaKitsune]

Nice. I'm on a Metroidvania roll right now. I just finished Timespinner last night and still playing Aeterna Noctis and Vernal Edge. I've played a bit of Monster Boy and enjoyed it so I might pick up Aggelos.

[@IDreamofIndie]

Excellent!!

[@MotherKojiro]

I have played Dex, Aggelos, and Valdis Story (just demos for the first two), but they didn't quite do it for me for one reason or another; I did hear of most of these, but 3000th Duel was completely new to me. One I'd say that gets overlooked a lot is Outland; it blends the genre with the likes of Ikaruga, and while it starts out so simple and easy that it's boring, it quickly picks up, and gets to being an absolute blast.

[@IDreamofIndie]

Thanks for the recommendation it is appreciated!

[@CFWhitman]

I have _The Vagrant, Dex,_ and _Vigil._ Some of the others I'm interested in as well.

[@IDreamofIndie]

Thank you for sharing a comment!

[@Yesnomu]

I was like, ha, I know the genre pretty well, I doubt it! But I've only played Vigil and Valdis Story, nice selection. Itorah and 3000th Duel especially sound interesting, thanks for the video!

[@IDreamofIndie]

Excellent! Glad you found some games you aren't familiar with!

[@RavenHinamori]

It will always blow my mind that Sword of the Vagrant was only listed at $10 on the play station store. Tell me vanillaware made it and throw a $60 price tag on it and I wouldn't have batted an eye and I'd be waiting for them to re-release a collector's edition next generation. Legit one of my favorite games I've ever played. Amazing soundtrack too. I lowkey feel like I robbed the devs by only having to pay ten dollars for something this good. Also shoutout to ya for the extra info on lost epic. I'd been on the fence about picking it up for a while now and I think you just sold it to me.

[@IDreamofIndie]

Happy to help!

[@Zafarion]

Thanks! I didn't know the existence of half of these, which suprised me because I play a lot of metroidvanias and steam usually recommends me. I prefer the ones with more RPG elements and character customization. Vigil is like this and was a great game, but I read it were delisted from steam and everywere else due to legal problems. I recommend Salt & Sanctuary, an unknown gem!

[@IDreamofIndie]

Glad I could help!

[@JackCross3]

You weren't kidding! I'd only heard of like 3 of these. And some of em look really good!

[@IDreamofIndie]

Mission accomplished haha

[@GreatNationX]

Played both HunterX and The Vagrant, both great games. I'll have to check out Itorah and 3000th Duel, appreciate you guys.

[@IDreamofIndie]

Thank you!!

[@r_apt_ure]

Momodora, Hunters Legacy, both of these i enjoyed a lot. I would love to see Shadow Complex come to Switch.

[@IDreamofIndie]

Great choices!

[@tedecoo]

Glad to see Dex on the list, I love it!

[@rangoononline]

This video was SO fun. Aggelos looks lit

[@IDreamofIndie]

Thanks brother!

[@PrettyboyPR]

Nice list!

[@IDreamofIndie]

Thanks!

[@astartesretrogaming]

Excellent, thank you!

[@IDreamofIndie]

You are welcome!

[@fredb3143]

From the creators of unepic and unmetal, Ghost 1.0 ist an overlooked gem. As for Vigil the Longest night, its literally a union of Diablo 1 (for atmosphere) and Castlevania..a fantastic game

[@FlowerAngelRave]

Great list of games here. I will admit I have heard of all of them but I've definitely not played all of them. I need to get around to that to be honest. Hopefully this will give Metroidvania fans who might not have gotten a chance to try these games a good opportunity to give them a go. Thanks for the video.

[@IDreamofIndie]

Really glad you enjoyed the list :)

[@wahidovich2021]

Decent list, I played: 3000th Duel (finished) Vigil (finished) Valdis (unfinished) - Itorah & HunterX - new to me will give them a go. Thanks for the list.

[@IDreamofIndie]

Of course 😁

[@janwhite3877]

Valdis Story has been one of my favorite games for years now, and just today I had a random thought that it is indeed a metroidvania, then got this video in my feed. Funny coincidence. 100% can vouch for the game. With 4 different characters that have unique endings (plus hardmode endings) and 3 separate skills trees each this is the only metroidvania I replayed (and did so at least 10 times)

[@psc1558]

I don't usually go for Metroidvania's, mostly because I'm not great at video games, and I like casual play but a lot of these are peaking my interest. Itorah looks really nice. Thanks for the list! I'll have to check these out 🙏🏻🤠

[@IDreamofIndie]

Give em a go!

[@CFWhitman]

Though it is very natural only having heard it to expect the phrase to be "peak my interest," it is actually "pique my interest." I only mention it because I hate it when I keep making a mistake and nobody lets me know about it.

[@psc1558]

@@CFWhitman thank you for correcting me 🙌🏻🤠

[@psc1558]

@@CFWhitman the way I said it didn't really make sense lol

[@rd-um4sp]

even though metroidvanias are not as close to my top wishlist as they once were there are a couple that certainly deserve attention. And Vigil looks amazing. A shame it's been delisted.

[@IDreamofIndie]

It really is a shame! Always hate to see that happen to a game.

[@Mindesyn]

Glad I got Vigil on my Switch, I had no idea it was delisted

[@alanarkham143]

As a Metroidvania Fan I am always looking for games like these, thanks for your video. There are 3 titles and I am defintely getting. I strongly recommend Unbound Worlds Apart for all those who restlessly seek Metroidvanias. A must play game ;)

[@IDreamofIndie]

Not a problem we appreciate you watching 🙂

[@Qwarky]

Aggelos was alright! I'm so happy to finally see a game on one of these games I've actually played lol

[@IDreamofIndie]

😆

[@Slitheringpeanut]

I have Vigil: Longest Night, Vagrant, Lost Epic, Valdis Story and I just picked up 3000th Duel because it was on sale.

[@IDreamofIndie]

Amazing!! Bravo!

[@Slitheringpeanut]

@@IDreamofIndieI'm a HUGE Metroidvania fan so anything that plays like one, I'm interested in. And I'm glad I did with those. They're hella fun! Thanks for highlighting them.

[@HallowedBeThyGame]

Hot dang! This is an epic list!

[@IDreamofIndie]

Thanks!!

[@andyauthor2007]

I highly recommend the Shantae games for Metroidvanias. Half Genie Hero, and The Seven Sirens are great games. The Pirate's Curse is also good up until the final stage. You have jumps with very strict timing, pixel perfect jumps, pixel perfect drops, and a final boss that has 5, count them... 5 forms, not 1, not 2, not 3, but 5 forms. If you like a BRUTAL final stage and final boss, The Pirate's Curse is for you. Half Genie Hero, and The Seven Sirens are more enjoyable (although the final boss in The Seven Sirens is more of an endurance run than anything else.)

[@IDreamofIndie]

Thank you so much for watching and supporting the channel with an engagement!

[@ophidianmind333]

That is indeed a great series, thank you for mentioning it!

[@autoscopy]

Sword of the Vagrant is on sale. $2.99 on PS. sweet score

[@deadpixstudios]

I just love the work you do on indie and niche games on your channel. Can I send you a key for my humble game I developed myself, and maybe, a few more so you can share with the community?

[@The_Conundrum_Crew]

I played Valdis Story. It is REALLY good. 👍👍

[@pitchblack189]

Didn’t know about Itorah and I’m so glad it’s on Xbox definitely gonna check it out. I’d like to give an honorable mention to 8 Doors: Arums Afterlife Adventure

[@IDreamofIndie]

Nice shout-out thanks!!

[@Amanost]

Bueno, Vigil The Longest Night es imposible de conseguir ahora mismo. ¿Se sabe si volverá a estar disponible?

[@wadeepperson6906]

Funny I picked up half these games on sales. Sword of the vagrant has to be my favorite so far.

[@clutchmc22]

The Vagrant is so good don't sleep on it people

[@RenciaFennaas]

Lost Epic is amazing! My fav game metroidvania game.

[@IDreamofIndie]

Awesome!

[@LexOrtiz]

Astronite, skelemania and neversong are really good and I dont hear many people talking about them :) Great list btw. I got most of the games in the list but learned about some I've never heard about

[@IDreamofIndie]

Thank you so much for watching and supporting the channel with an engagement!

[@LexOrtiz]

@@IDreamofIndie thanks. Have u played any of the ones I mentioned? They are really awesome

[@IDreamofIndie]

@@LexOrtiz Neversong yes!

[@LexOrtiz]

@IDreamofIndie it is a beautiful game :) the other two are great too. Skelemania is simple but fair amount of challenge, good power ups and can be completed in 7 minutes i think xD astronite is very difficult soulslike but is fun and have very interesting bosses, i haven't been able to finish astronite due to some difficult platforming in some areas in the late game but is still awesome

[@cello3544]

If you're looking for a different kind of "Vania" game, I'd recommend Yoku's Island Express. It's a "Pinball-Vania" game that's super fun and looks great!

[@IDreamofIndie]

Really fun game!

[@ophidianmind333]

Thanks for the recommendation. I'm also a fan of video pinball games, so I'll have to check that out!

[@MissaB108]

I own all but one, After Death, and can say I’ve enjoyed playing all of them. Gonna have to check out After Death though. Also, Vigil is one of my all time favorites. I’ve played it twice so far on my switch. Was disappointed that they took it out of the Steam store though because I wanted to pick it up for my Deck.

[@IDreamofIndie]

Very cool!

[@nemo9396]

I'm so glad you mentioned both Aggelos and Valdis Story. Both games are great and it's an injustice they got overlooked like that. They're worth every coin.

[@IDreamofIndie]

❤️❤️

[@Matt-jz7pn]

Valdis Story is such an incredible game and rarely gets mentioned. Glad you folks have it on your radar, IDoIG. Looking forward to checking out a few of these others about which I'd never heard.

[@psycholuigiman]

I actually can't play Valdis Story anymore. For some reason, whenever I try to play it, it's plagued by crazy amounts of aliasing and screen tearing. It's weird cuz it ran better on my old jank laptop than it does on my modern PC. Haha! Still great game though.

[@Matt-jz7pn]

@@psycholuigiman Interesting! I wonder why. That's disappointing to hear. I was thinking about another play through over the holidays as I've only played two of the characters previously. For what it's worth, it plays beautifully on the steam deck.

[@ophidianmind333]

For those interested in Vigil: The Longest Night, I have some great news. It is now back on Steam and is available for purchase for $21.99. It isn't yet back in the Nintendo eShop, but hopefully it will be soon.

[@TFGRhinehart]

Lost Epic also has online co-op so you can play it with friends who also have the game. It's not cross-platform netplay, though, I'm pretty sure, but as long as you and a friend or two have it on Steam, you'll have a pretty good time.

[@CobaltContrast]

Every time I see a list that does not have time spinner on it. I recommend that game. Time spinner is the perfect symphony of the night but with chronometric feel.

[@IDreamofIndie]

Thank you for sharing a comment!

[@seongkim9046]

It's very good content because nobody mentioned VIGIL before. It's a very nice and unique metroidvania game.

[@IDreamofIndie]

Glad you enjoyed the list!

[@rafresendenrafresenden.1644]

Very glad I bought Vigil: The Longest Night before it got delisted

[@IDreamofIndie]

Good call!

[@kuro0143]

thanx to you, eight more game in my wishlist >< (i already have valdis and vigil). Seriously thx for the discovery of these games they will be put in my waiting list (i think i'm at 50? ) :)

[@IDreamofIndie]

Glad you like them!

[@ophidianmind333]

I'm glad that you found the list to be helpful and I hope you enjoy the games!

[@danortvil-gamerhispalense4818]

I have got The Vagrant and Aggelos, both for to begin

[@atokantony2309]

Nice list! It's great to see After Death here. I loved it and deserves a lot more attention. And there are a few games I never heard of before... I will have to try them :)

[@IDreamofIndie]

Enjoy 😊

[@eternity9099]

Aggelos was so good.

[@IDreamofIndie]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@JordanLittle-bb3yq]

I've put a ton of hours into 'HunterX'. I love the game!

[@IDreamofIndie]

Great!

[@Paw3leX]

Yeah bro played both HunterX (which just recently got a sequel - HunterX codename T) and 3000 duel although didnt finish it, too annyoing in last 1/3 Will definitely check out Lost Epic

[@IDreamofIndie]

We do have a video on the new HunterX if you are interested!

[@112ajmartin]

I just finished 9 years of shadow I really liked it

[@Rulutieh]

I don't know how Rabi-Ribi isn't on this list, but if you haven't played I would highly recommend it. It is such a gem of a metroidvania. Also check out Tevi (just released), which is equally as good as Rabi-Ribi.

[@IDreamofIndie]

Thanks for the recommendations!

[@KyletheReflectionist]

I was hoping to find this comment! I second this, outside of some questionable writing in some places, Rabi-Ribi's a masterpiece.

[@daaa57150]

Yes! Rabi Ribi is such a good game. You need to look past the Rabbit anime girls everywhere if that's not your thing though ;). I'm not sure there are other games like this bullet hell Metroidvania.

[@gostreiver8036]

Vigil the longest night possibly never being available again is one of the greatest tragedies. I got a switch for Christmas and was heartbroken when I learned what happened with its removal from all sales platforms.

[@ophidianmind333]

Good news! It was just recently relisted on Steam, hopefully it will again be available on Switch as well.

[@tesselesk8]

Hidden gem: Fire in the Beastland

[@RicochetForce]

Wait, Vigil was delisted!? Goddamn, people are missing out due to that decision. It was a damn gem. Grotesque boss design is an understatement, we're talking literally spreading legs-transforming-and-birthing-minions at you-while-screaming-in-demi-human-agony type of body horror.

[@ophidianmind333]

Vigil is indeed something special and I really hope the legal matter will eventually be resolved so that it can become available again. More people need to have the opportunity to play this absolute gem of a game.

[@RicochetForce]

@@ophidianmind333 Yeah, it would be right up many people's alley. The tone the controls, the combat, etc... Do we know exactly what the legal trouble is?

[@ophidianmind333]

@@RicochetForce It involved the Chinese government wanting to censor part of a DLC expansion to the game that told about the history of the land. Apparently the developer Glass Heart Games has won multiple court cases to maintain the intellectual property rights to the game, so there is hope that it can become available again in the future and that the DLC will be released.

[@azuarc]

Have played Dex and The Vagrant (neither of which I'd call a metroidvania at all) and Valdis Story. Aggelos and Vigil are or have been on my wishlist. Might have to check out Itorah. List of metroidvanias I've played that are under the radar: Ato TOMOMI Alwa's Legacy 8Doors: Arum's Afterlife Adventure Omega Strike Games that might be considered under the radar: Aquaria Dandara Phoenotopia Islets Headlander I didn't love all five in the second group, but at least here are some options for you to consider.

[@IDreamofIndie]

Thanks for sharing these with us!

[@cellohm]

Sword of the vagrant was a 2 dollar steam purchase but i loved it so much i double dipped the physical switch release for 70 dollars.

[@RoadKamelot2nd]

I've tried HunterX, and it's BRUTAL. Parrying will get the player a lot further than dodging, as dodging costs twice as much stamina and bosses tend to combo during their second phase, so even if you evade the FIRST attack, the second will catch you during recovery. The Grim Reaper boss killed my interest. Dex sparked my interest as I love cyberpunk, but holy butterball, the combat is so clunky, it's not funny. Not to mention enemies having longer reach than your sluggish and weak character, combat is a torture. The Vagrant/Sword of the Vagrant is my favourite from this list. The VanillaWare-inspired art, the long combos, the large variety of difficulty options (from forgiving to Souls-like) and a presentable story, the plenty of skills... On hard and lunatic difficulty you REALLY need to know what to dodge and which skills to use or you WILL die a lot. Also, status effects are sometimes a lot more likely to kill you than the bosses' wallops. The only thing it's sorely missing is an ACTUAL boss rush in place of the "Dungeon of the Decayed".

[@DarkKin-ob8if]

Guys don't miss out on: Time Spinner (a sequel coming as well) 8 Doors Arums Afterlife Record of Lodoss War Deedlit in Wonder Lab Cathedral Fearmonium Also, for any looking for a second opinion, I own every game they listed and enjoyed all of them

[@IDreamofIndie]

Awesome!

[@daaa57150]

Oh a sequel to Timespinner, cool! It was a surprisingly good game, especially the music.

[@ophidianmind333]

Those are all great recommendations. I'm very excited about the sequel to Timespinner and it's one of my most anticipated upcoming games.

[@DISCO-munication]

HEY! I found a new channel to subscribe to! :D

[@IDreamofIndie]

Welcome!

[@ophidianmind333]

Welcome! I hope you will enjoy our other metroidvania videos as well.

[@michaeltrost9048]

you should mention grime , was really surprissed by this masterpiece ... same goes for vigil :) although 1 of the monsterboy titles was a solid and fun metroid too^^

[@IDreamofIndie]

Good suggestions thanks!!

[@LexOrtiz]

Grime surprised me, for real one of the best metroidvanias I've ever played :)

[@daaa57150]

Dex is excellent I loved it. A bit stiff but you get used to it. I have a physical PS4 version that was bought cheap in France, is it hard to find now? I did not put it with my other Metroidvanias (I love those) but you're right it has all the elements to qualify. One Metroidvania I like that no one talks about is Headlander, did you try it ?

[@IDreamofIndie]

Tried Headlander long ago and it was pretty good!

[@ophidianmind333]

I haven't yet played Headlander, but it looks interesting and has an amusing premise. I'll have to check it out and thank you for the recommendation.

[@Dragoon960]

Chasm definitely is in my top 5

[@IDreamofIndie]

Awesome!!

[@kailomonkey]

Gal Guardians Demon Purge for your next list!

[@FredMaverik]

Besides Valdis Story i never heard of any of these.

[@rottenrabbit]

I have that Vigil game on Switch. Lucky I reinstalled it a few months ago to play through it again. I never understood why nobody talked about it, it's as good as Salt and Sanctuary to me. Like 2d Bloodborne, pretty much. I beat it twice, never got bored. Didn't know it was delisted.

[@ophidianmind333]

I'm a big fan of Vigil and hopefully a video like this will bring more attention to it. The reason why it was delisted is due to an attempt from a government to censor the story in a DLC for the game, but the developers have fortunately won multiple court cases on this matter so it may become available again in the future and hopefully soon. I'd really like the Switch physical release that was planned to finally happen.

[@jesk743]

One game i never see listed is "Cat Maze" - its based off of Slavic myths and you play a witch that uses different familiars/monsters as your attacks and you even have cats helping you lol. Its such a cute and fun game and i dont even remember how i discovered it but i never see anyone talk about it.

[@IDreamofIndie]

Thanks for the recommendation!

[@UltraGeezer]

The dev that made Cat Maze recently released Fearmonium. Great MV. It gets some haters because the art looks a lot like an MV Cuphead. Like that's a bad thing. Check it out.

[@S_Hyde]

Played HunterX earlier in the year and enjoyed it a lot, the story is pretty much non-existing though there are hints at an interesting world, and the gameplay carries it much higher than expected. JKs make everything better.

[@chris3904]

HunterX is definitely a good one, the parries were so satisfying

[@IDreamofIndie]

Check out the recent sequel too we do have a video on it!

[@chris3904]

@@IDreamofIndie sure I've seen a bit on it I'll probably consider picking it up soon

[@Kurt_Kaptan]

Can you talk about batbarian? I think it's the most underrated metroidvania.

[@ColeBury-to2cs]

Can you guys review Clash: Artifacts of Chaos? The game is honestly one of the best AA titles I’ve ever played but it’s desperately underrated.

[@IDreamofIndie]

We did!

[@davidsingleton2395]

Think I'm gonna try aggelos...

[@ophidianmind333]

I hope you enjoy it, I had a lot of fun with that game.

[@tirissotheios9821]

I can add some more castlevania game you never heard of. 1. Moonscars 2. HuntDown 3. Cookie Cutter

[@unchartedrocks1]

I was actually going to buy Vigil on Steam. I was just waiting for the next Steam deal sale but once it came it got delisted. 😢

[@IDreamofIndie]

That is a major bummer!

[@ophidianmind333]

That is really rough. Hopefully it will become available again one day.

[@VictorRodriguez-lj4lp]

Como quisiera ese 3000th y hunterX para PS4/5

[@bcclutch3822]

Blast Birgade vs the evil legion of Dr. Cread and Afterimage are both 10s.

[@N_Tertainment7]

Really wanted to play a new Metroidvania, But after playing Hollow Knight, Ori and Blasphemous. I can't find a metroidvania that's on that level (not counting metroid or castlevania as I'm playing on PC), So I hope any of these games are good enough.

[@IDreamofIndie]

Best of luck finding one that you enjoy!

[@michaelmads156]

afterimage !

[@zachpowell8653]

This list would have been nice during the Steam autumn sale. Though I Itorah is on sale right now for 5.99.

[@IDreamofIndie]

Great deal! It goes on sale often

[@ophidianmind333]

I would like to have had the list out a little earlier but I had to take some time off from the channel last month due to a death in the family. Maybe we can have a similar list out during to the time of a big Steam sale in the future. Thank you for the suggestion.

[@keepdeathonhold]

I’ve been playing sword of the vagrant, and I really don’t think you can call it a Metroidvania

[@blabla-fw9ix]

Vigil : The Longest Night was a great game . Beat it on ng and ng+ and the dlc . Shame to hear it got delisted as the game was an underrated gem imo .

[@IDreamofIndie]

It is such a shame!

[@broderickblack]

There's DLC for vigil?

[@blabla-fw9ix]

@@broderickblack yes , it added 2 more bosses ,a new location and a lot of balance changes and improvements .

[@broderickblack]

@@blabla-fw9ix And if I am interpreting this right which I think that I am, you can't purchase this anymore currently?

[@blabla-fw9ix]

@@broderickblack Nope , but if you are on pc and don't mind pirating games especially if you can't buy them well you get the point , the rest is up to you .

[@rhebbhulett]

Monster Sanctuary should be on here.

[@broderickblack]

The vagrant is a good classic and it's a shame that it gets as overlooked as it does by gamers

[@IDreamofIndie]

Indeed!

[@ophidianmind333]

I agree and hopefully it will one day get the attention and success it deserves.

[@broderickblack]

@@ophidianmind333 It deserved better, those boss fights were phenomenal spectacular and engaging to say the least.

[@youareacoward8459]

i want lost epic.

[@benmottesheard7576]

Who told you Dex was a metroidvania? Simple rule of thumb for identifying metroidvanias: As you progress, do you get new upgrades that allow previously unreachable areas to be reached, therefore incentivizing backtracking? If yes, it’s probably a metroidvania. Dex is most definitely not that. It’s a good looking game, I’ll give it that. Haven’t played Lost Epic, After Death or that Valdis one so I’m not sure about those, but the rest of the list are all 🔥🔥🔥 metroidvanias, can confirm

[@IDreamofIndie]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and watching!

[@rooksdoubleohseven9919]

Would be nice if you included platform in description. That way I don't waste my time getting jealous at what I can't play.

[@IDreamofIndie]

Noted and we have updated this for lists going forward!

[@devilpantsu]

Valdis Story was a clunky but fun game with some obtuse boss designs, but what really turned me off from it was the story. It's not that the story's bad, it just feels like half a story, like we the player come in halfway and are expected to know who the characters and factions are already, and the game doesn't really tell us much about them. I still finished a playthrough as the tired-looking sword-user, but had no real desire to play through again as anyone else.

[@Ekce]

It's so bizarre that there's people so out of touch with Metroidvanias that they talk about them as if they're a new phenomenon and only just became a "genre". They've been around for ages and have been popular in many circles. The only thing that's new is that it became popular with western game devs after the success of Hollow Knight -- which is also why you see a lot of Hollow Knight inspired mechanics in some of the newer western metroidvanias (but not all, like Fallen Order or Control). Valdis Story is imo the best metroidvania in this list (and certainly better than some popular western metroidanias like Blasphemous) but there are a ton of other amazing ones in the space worth checking out.

[@IDreamofIndie]

Thank you for sharing a comment!

[@AriesWarlock]

Lost Epic looks like a Dragon's Crown type of game.

[@KaiTenSatsuma]

Im pretty sure it's not so recent - Symphony Of The Night was the genre named and that game is older than some people watching this video. To be clear there were games of the style before it, but SOTN crystalized the concept in popularity

[@ophidianmind333]

That was implied in the intro to the video. The term was first used to describe the Castlevania games that were structured more like Metroid than the earlier linear style of the series, but it wouldn't be commonly used as a genre name to refer to games outside of that series until many years later.

[@ophidianmind333]

@@debeatz1012 If you're interested in retro proto-metroidvanias, then I would suggest playing Zillion, Lord of the Sword, the Wonder Boy / Monster World series, Faxanadu, Legacy of the Wizard, The Battle of Olympus, Blaster Master, Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, the Gargoyle's Quest series, Adventure Island IV, Milon's Secret Castle, Clash at Demonhead, Relics: Ankoku Yousai, and GetsuFumaDen.

[@KaiTenSatsuma]

@@ophidianmind333 Very pointedly I would suggest *not* Simon's Quest.

[@nexarath]

Vigil is far and away the most underrated game not only on this list but on any list, hell, even not just for metroidvanias. The game is on the level of "how the fuck did this happen" that I only hold Clive Barker's Undying - a thoroughly well-designed and awesome game in almost every relevant aspect that is easily a strong 8/10 if not better, yet a game that no one seems to know about. Baffling.

[@IDreamofIndie]

Thank you for sharing a comment!

[@tonybarnes2920]

Shame you didn't mention Strider. I know the perception it's not "indie", since it's a Capcom IP and published by Capcom, but the reality is it was done by a relatively small team in a small amount of time and was developed by a bunch of people who had nothing but love and passion for the game vs. some corporate cash grab.

[@IDreamofIndie]

Thank you for the comment!