Top 10 Metroidvania Power-ups and Abilities

It's been almost 20 years since the last new 2D Metroid entry, and the Metroidvania genre has seen a massive influx of stellar games since then. To celebrate the release of Metroid Dread, I look back at my favorite Metroidvania games and try to rank my top 10 favorite powerups.
Did I miss any of your favorites? Let me know what your top Metroidvanias and powerups are in the comments!
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0:00 Intro
1:16 #10
2:11 #9
3:15 #8
4:25 #7
5:52 #6
7:18 #5
9:07 #4
10:37 #3
11:52 #2
14:08 #1
16:06 Outro
#metroidvania #metroiddread #gaming

[@evancarestia1409]

This might not count as an upgrade necessarily, but having the downward slash refresh your double jump in hollow knight was such an amazing feature!

[@KevynTheJar]

Yeah that's a great move! If you liked that you should check out The Messenger. The game is built around the cloudstep move, which refills your double jump anytime you hit something while in midair.

[@LethalChicken77]

Pogoing in general is such a good move, it really raises the skill ceiling for boss fights

[@Astrovite]

5:55 Axiom Verge has one of my favorite mobility upgrades of all time. The drone teleport is fantastic for sure, but the Red Lab Coat makes backtracking an absolute breeze. The Brown Coat is pretty awesome too but when I got the Red one, I felt like a god. I also really enjoy the wall jumping in Super Metroid because it feels really satisfying when you get it down.

[@merfah7022]

A fun thing about Ori bash is the time stop and how you can simply use up and down to aim. A lot of games with aiming mechanics fail pretty bad because they end up relying way too much on controllers capabilities (if your control sucks, the game will suck). But Ori avoids that issue pretty well.

[@KevynTheJar]

Never thought about that! It's little details like that that make all the difference when it comes to game feel

[@a.m.t.lambert1206]

I love bash abilities a lot, but I don't usually think of the Ori example. I'm talking about the "slam yourself into the enemies like a feral being and go take a power trip" kind. It just feels so satisfying to just crash into a horde of enemies and mow through them all like grass, simply because you're going fast. It's why I love Wario-likes as a genre, and also why I consider sharp shadow a must-have in my hollow knight loadout.

[@timbo8925]

Kinda surprised Metroids Speed Booster/Shinespark didn't make it to the list especially it's iteration in Dread. Easily my top 1 ability and it's not even close. You feel unstoppable and powerful but at the same time it's balanced because you can't pull it off that easily but when you do you feel like a god. It's pretty versatile to use and overall just perfect with addictive sfx and animations.

[@SuperVillianStudios]

Just discovering this channel. Really love hearing his opinion on various roguelite/metroidvanias elements. Very thought provoking stuff!

[@Veralos]

Environmental Station Alpha's hookshot was one of the first thing that came to my mind, so I'm glad it made the list.

[@rmt3589]

All of these seem awesome, and I'll definitely be incorporating some of these. Gave me the idea for a wing gage, to make it like a prolonged double jump.

[@ReadyAimFire_]

Id say double jump is most influential, nowadays it is present in 90% of games.

[@Poniksei]

Thank you for talking about the drone from axiom verge, I've been designing concepts for a witch themed metroidvania and I wanted puzzle sections with a familiar that you control and seeing it work somewhere else makes me feel much more confident about including it 😊

[@benhmedia]

Not sure if you’re still reading the comments on this video but one metroidvania I love with unique power-ups is Elephantasy: Flipside. Nearly every power-up has multiple uses and the game is packed with fun secrets to discover!

[@Yuhara_rev]

Got recommended this video, this is quite well made. Subbed.

[@PitiITNet]

Amazing video! Full of inspiration :)

[@lukostello]

should have shown Supraland and some point. Every upgrade in that game is like "no way the devs just gave me this ability, this completely breaks the game and there is no way thier going to contain me now" Then the devs manage to contain you for the most part but it doesn't stop you from climbing random stuff just to see if you can. My favorite example is a tool that allows you to make a rope that connects from any 2 points apart that you can climb.

[@slovetro]

Very cool video and nice list! Definitely need to play Ori and ESA. Subscribed!

[@guii6545]

very good video! In my opinion, abilities that flow with combat are the best, like dash, bash or "pogo jump".

[@johanandersson8646]

Been thinking more about this subject. For me the top three games with the most fun abilities are axiom verge, dread and will of the wisps. Burrow is so fun but of course good level design is a big part of it.

[@KevynTheJar]

Great picks! And that's a good point, even the coolest abilities are nothing unless they're paired with good level design that properly showcases them.

[@clebersonvasquesdapenhafer5736]

I have to mention Haiku the Robot. In this game, you found a Space Disruptor. It gives you a teleport move, nothing new. But, what makes it stand out is that his only real limitation is range. In most of the games this power exists, some type of limitation is imposed (can only be used in certain spots, high cost, some type of object\wall are impervious to it, ...). In this game, this don't happen. No need for a specific target, no expense, nothing. Even the most solid wall can be ignored if its thickness is less than the teleport range. It's just deliciously broken.

[@soggie7157]

that's not all that correct. There're plenty of places where you can't teleport through; doors for example.

[@randomrandom450]

Really cool video.

[@azuarc]

I found Bash to be one of the most frustrating abilities to use in any game. It's annoying to use for sending yourself in a direction, especially in frantic escape sequences where you have to use it repeatedly, but where it really sucks is when they expect you to aim a projectile in the *reverse* direction because there's very little indication exactly which way that was. In the area where you get it, there's a couple spots where you're expected to bash a slow projectile and then quick catch up to it, and bash it in another direction, aiming at a target that takes at least 3 bashes, each of which have to be just right in order for the next one to not be at an impossible angle, and I just find it so, so aggravating due to the precision required. I think there may be a controller vs M&KB argument here, but I almost didn't want to play Ori 2 for fear I'd have to deal with it. Thankfully they mostly minimized it in Will of the Wisps.

[@KevynTheJar]

Interesting, I haven't talked to anyone who felt that way about the Bash yet! Were you using a controller or M&KB? I found that the delay the player is given to aim before releasing the bash button was usually enough time, but maybe an option to extend that period or even make it indefinite would have been helpful.

[@thesaucylorax]

Skill issue

[@MH-lr6ue]

I love the number 1 choice. I thought it was a very good idea when I first played the game.

[@shock9616]

I'm guessing that Dread came out after this video, because there's no possible way that Dread's speed booster could have missed being on the list 😅

[@BSTRDSTV]

slide is the perfect early game power ups

[@acoral1035]

Bash is amazing. You can skip almost all the combat and have fun with platfoming, and if you have the reaction - you are invincible, so it feels like unlimited power in your hands.

[@nathanspaulding7380]

My favorite powerup ever is the crystal arrow from aeterna noctis. It’s like a combination between bash from ori and drone teleport from axiom verge and it’s so good

[@KevynTheJar]

I just recently discovered that one and it's pretty awesome!

[@pauljackson3491]

I don't know how common it is but dash like in HK could be good. Though they are not Metroidvanias the double jump exists in some games like the Wii LEGO games. The wall jump is also in the very old NES game Ninja Gaiden.

[@d00mnoodle24]

Listen i know it's basic but i JUST LOVE wall climb. It's literally my absolute favorite game mechanic ever. Specifically ori's wall climb. It feels SO good. My favorite type of platforming challenges are those were you need to wall climb on a solid surface and dash over some spikes to the wall on the other side, like blind forest's sorrow pass, which is one of my absolute favorite levels of any game ever. It's platforming perfection, the visuals are gorgeous, the soundtrack (especially once you get super jump) is amazing and the payoff musically and visually once you reach the top is unrivaled.

[@KevynTheJar]

An underrated one for sure! Not a metroidvania but I did love the wall climb in Celeste too!

[@Enkeria]

Tried all of these, and finished none, since they are skill-based. I am a fan of Igavanias though, which are item-based, its nice. Thanks for the list though, taking notes. And the Ori Bash or what not, is Shanoas main movement ability in Order of Ecclesia, an Igavania.

[@micahrobbins8353]

I'm shocked you didn't mention getting screw attack after space jump

[@type-moonfag4413]

the bash is also my number one pick, and i don't think ori 1 is in my top 10 metroidvanias either so that's how good it is, the moment you get it it recontextualizes all of what you've seen up to that point and changes the game drastically for the better

[@Alianger]

1:50 Reminds me of Sonic Adventure Solid list!

[@KevynTheJar]

Oh yeah, it's like the ring dash!

[@minhthuan9020]

im really love the bash

[@aruretheincomprehensible20]

I honestly wasn't a big fan of Environmental Station Alpha's grappling hook, particularly in the ruins. The ruins has certain rooms where you jump upwards to reach the next room, but the platforms you need to jump to are too short for your double jump, comes before you find the vertical dash, and is tedious but necessary to use the grappling hook to get out. I much preferred The Messenger's grappling hook since it was simple to use, let you move around quickly, and felt great to use overall. Some power-ups I really liked: - Hollow Knight's Vengeful Spirit and Desolate Dive: I like these due to feels more than anything else, since using any of these during a normal run makes you feel very POWERFUL. Some powerups that do this make you feel powerful but don't offer anything in terms of progression (which is why I don't mention their upgrades, Howling Wraiths, or the nail upgrades and techniques), but these offer a progression tool that is otherwise geared heavily towards combat and feels amazing to use. I also want to shout out the Monarch Wings as being an amazing-feeling - Unworthy's Gauntlets: After you've played a few metroidvanias, you can usually get a vague idea of what types of power-ups you're going to need in order to progress unless the game itself is non-standard within the metroidvania genre (like how Yoku's Island Express is a pinball metroidvania). This can make certain metroidvanias feel predictable and mundane unless they have a particularly unique progression tool (like Ori's Bash) or ramp up the game feel on the abilities you do use (like Hollow Knight's Monarch Wings). By contrast, the Gauntlets will make you speechless when you figure out what you use them for, so much so that I'm simplifying their name here to avoid spoilers. - Unworthy's Spirit Bow: Unworthy is a soulslike first and a metroidvania second, and a major part of what makes Unworthy's design work is how it balances the inability to jump with a traditional metroidvania progression structure that gives you new combat tools that double as progression tools and predominantly makes you rely on rolling as a defensive mechanism. The Spirit Bow, by contrast, gives you the liberating freedom of movement you find in other metroidvanias by letting you shoot arrows that you teleport to if it lands on a solid platform. It's one of the coolest traversal mechanisms I've ever seen in a metroidvania, and only works because of Unworthy's lack of mobility tools. It even manages to have use in a couple boss fights, which for this item is impressive. - Yoku's Island Express' Noisemaker: Yoku's Island Express has a lot of unique abilities and items by virtue of it (to my knowledge) being the only pinball metroidvania in existence and having no combat except for the game's 4 boss fights. Most of its upgrades are very limited in scope because they are only usable in a few circumstances, but the Noisemaker is an exception. All it does it blow a little noisemaker that you find at birthday parties, and it's used from a lot of different things ranging from waking up sleeping characters, blowing pinwheels to get fruit (which is both a currency and the equivalent of your health meter), and lets you blow up slugs when you get the Slug Vacuum. It's also just fun to use at a primal level at basically any time. - Iconoclasts' Electric Wrench: The Electric Wrench lets you ride rails, and charging it lets you ride those rails quickly in an extremely satisfying manner. There's even a boss fight where you need to use the charged Electric Wrench to avoid a particular attack, and that feels satisfying like a miniature version of Ori's setpieces: you're barely going to die, but you have just barely enough mobility to avoid death. - Cathedral's Magnus Apparatus and Ori and the Will of the Wisp's Kuro's Feather: These two upgrades I'm grouping together because of the storytelling these items provide in addition to their gameplay purpose. Kuro's Feather otherwise functions as a float ability, and in Ori and the Blind Forest it basically functioned like that with the possible use as a fan (I can't remember if it came in Blind Forest or Will of the Wisps), but I love how it takes on deeper meaning in Will of the Wisps, as a symbolic reminder of Kuro's redemption arc in Blind Forest, a token of family between Ku, her birth mother, and her adoptive family, a gameplay reminder symbolizing your progress within the game, and a constant reminder of who you're fighting for. Also, you can tickle a bear's nose, which I think is funny. The Magnus Apparatus is a basic ranged weapon that lets you shoot through walls. It's the first major item you get, but upon getting it you get a sidequest to learn more about the Magnus Apparatus, encouraging you to explore the map to find all you can about this mysterious artifact. - Cathedral's Bone Scepter: The Bone Scepter creates a platform that moves forward once you step on it. For platforming, it's strictly better than a grappling hook unless you need the grappling hook for momentum, and does all of this without needing to rely on clunky grappling hook mechanics and instead utilizing vastly superior platforming mechanics used in the rest of the game. I mentioned the ruins in Environmental Station Alpha and how tedious it is to get on those platforms without the vertical dash, but using the Bone Scepter to get on similar platforms in Cathedral feels so incredibly smooth. - Cathedral's Charm System: I'm cheating a bit here since it's a series of 6 upgrades (technically there's 9 but I'm not counting the pure combat-focused ones) rather than a single upgrade, but I can't talk about the genius of these without talking about the system itself. There's 3 rows with 3 charms each (the last of which combines the effects of the other two) and you can select 1 charm from each row from a shrine. The first row includes Telepathy (summons and controls your companion, who is smaller and can fly but has a time limit and the camera doesn't follow him) and Levitate (which is just a float), while the second row includes a Dash and Double Jump. The cool part of this system is that the game gives you mid-late game puzzles that requires the use of both charms in a particular row, and then gives you the third charm later in the game as a progression reward. Cathedral is a metroidvania with zelda-style dungeons, and its progression structure manages to fit both extremely well within the same reward structure.

[@KevynTheJar]

Lots of interesting ones here! I need to go back and finish Cathedral

[@pen8142]

I liked the dual gameplay aspect of Blaster Master, with tank 2d platforming upgrades, that you get from clearing overhead ARPG style dungeons.

[@KevynTheJar]

Been wanting to check that series out for a while! Seems like a fun combo of two of my favorite kinds of games

[@pen8142]

@@KevynTheJar The original NES version, if you don't mind the dated graphics is the king, and still holds up. There were some attempts at sequels after that, that didn't quite hit the mark. The recent trilogy that was released is really good, with I think the first of the three being the most challenging, and the third being the most overall enjoyable while still adhering to fun difficulty.

[@Heno-fq3mt]

I watched 9 mins of this video and did not realize my phone was upside down btw

[@johanandersson8646]

Great video! Agree on everything except the screw attack. It almost always kills the game for me, it's like you say to OP.

[@LethalChicken77]

I may be biased but the grappling hook in my game is the best one

[@Dines646]

what is the game at 9:25?

[@marianna4469]

i'm a big fan of tape knives from touhou luna nights

[@fuzzydude64]

The best upgrade is the Morph Ball because it allows the titular Metroid to finally c-NO, YOU STOLE MY COMPLETELY ORIGINAL JOKE! I can't believe you've done this.

[@flowey2u107]

Favorite upgrade? Probably all of hollow knight combined!

[@jensentota]

metroid dread really fixed the space jump

[@weldlu11]

If you haven't played 'webbed', I felt as though they did the grapple ability really well. I mean, it's the main mechanic of the game. You play as a spider haha

[@KevynTheJar]

I have yet to try it but it's a game I've had my eye on for a bit! Love a game with a good grapple ability

[@guga5708156]

9:25 What is that game ? The boy with red knuckles

[@PrintCrizz]

a list of metroidVANIA power ups but no Castlevania reference? what a shame

[@yrbeat]

The grappling hook in F.I.S.T. is the best one in all of Metroidvanias IMO

[@KevynTheJar]

I still need to check FIST out, looks pretty good!

[@yrbeat]

@@KevynTheJar honestly as far as gameplay it might be top 5 Metroidvanias, it's incredibly good

[@The_Modern_Viking]

Yeah, I love the fact that Metroidvanias have become a really popular gaming genre, but Nintendo and Konami need to step up their game with the foundation.

[@Schrodinger_]

I respect the list, but I'm surprised there's no speed booster/shinespark. That is, IMO, the best metroidvania upgrade by a _large_ margin. I realize this list was made before Dread came out, but I'd say so even just based on Super Metroid/Zero Mission/Fusion.

[@KevynTheJar]

Yeah I think dread would have pushed it onto the list for me, feels especially great in that game!

[@pen8142]

Best grapple mechanics by far for me is in Terraria.

[@raht9578]

no castlevania?

[@fellocanadian3948]

14:25 I'm NoT rIChHhHhHh

[@WIld-cHILd-1273]

As much as I love metroidvania games I never had the privilege of trying metriod lol

[@axle4060]

If you're planning to get into the series, then I suggest you start with zero mission on gba

[@KevynTheJar]

I second that. I love Metroidvanias but I could never get into the original Metroid. It's just a little too dated for me to enjoy, and Zero Mission is a pretty great remake

[@iPropheci]

Over the horizon huh? 😂

[@dasgehtdichnichtsan6555]

You talk about "Metroidvania games" without mentioning a single Castlevania game. And that's despite the fact that the series coined the term metroidvania in the first place. What is a man? A miserable little pile of secrets. But enough talk... Have at you!

[@erikm9768]

Not the most creative things on this list... lol