Ranking the Best and Worst METROIDVANIAS | Cannot be Tamed
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- čas přidán 31. 05. 2024
- 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.
Want to see me on other social media?
Twitter - / jasyla_
Instagram - / cannot_be_tamed
Patreon - / pamd
My makeup channel (Cosmetic DLC) - / @cosmeticdlc
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... - Hry
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
Good job mate
Great job!
elevated bike
Did you draw that pic of you and the dog at the end of the video?
Thanks
I'm so glad we don't all call these games Castletroids.
Omg, that almost sounds like casserole lol
Hammerwatch + Metroid = Hammeroid
@@bdwilcoxRygarvania
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?"
guess i'm the only one
I still play Symphony of the night once in a while just to listen to the music. So good 😊😊😊
Yeah the soundtrack is great/
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
"WARNING: This disc only works in a Playstation system. But as long as you are here
I bought it this year. It's fantastic.
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.
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.
Sounds cool.
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.
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.
Hey, that's my crappy logo...
I guess CZcams has to duplicate them eventually...someday I'll get around to figuring out how to put a picture in. 😄
I find them very helpful myself so I like to put them on my videos
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!
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.
Thank you so much!
yet nobody talks about blasphemous not really being a metroidvania
@@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
Metroidvanias are my favorite, this video hit the spot in overviewing a bunch of these that I've never played. Thanks.
No problem!
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!
That's good to hear! I hope you like Blasphemous as much as I did.
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.
@@Inkompatibel Blasphemous looks great to me and I'd like to check it out, if you haven't been messaged already. Thanks!
@@Inkompatibel still have the key Available?
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.
Ty for taking the time to do this, hope everyone appreciates it
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
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.
@@wackyswacky1374 LOL Super Metroid, one of the best games of all time, not considered a metroidvania. Oh god, sure man, sure.
@@samuelmartinez1014 I said nothing about the quality of the game.
@@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.
Love that you put Blasphemous in the S tier, apparently its a polarizing game. I'm playing the sequel now and loving it.
The second one is really good. Both are good, but the second one really slaps.
I've been looking forward to this video. I love your love of metroidvanias. Thanks!
No problem, hope you enjoyed
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.
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.
This is an awesome video because it gives us recommendations for games we haven’t tried or heard of. Thanks for sharing your list. 👍
You're welcome!
can’t beat hollow knight, no other comes close
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
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
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.
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!
there's a collection? I played these on the GBA back then, they really are cool.
This is amazing, thank you for ranking all the Metroidvanias Pam! 😀
No problem
I am consistently in awe, you put so much effort into these videos for us and it's no problem, thanks again Pam! 🙇♀️
You are brutally honest, I love that. Giving dead cells and cave story + the lowest score , some would call that blasphemy lol.
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
OWLBOY. Such an overlooked gem.
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.
Thanks for the recommendation. I hope you like Robot Named Fight
Hollow Knight shirt, Hollow Knight music over the video, gee I wonder if Pam likes Hollow Knight :D
Can't wait for Silksong omg
Me neither! One day it’ll come out
Awesome video. I have so many of these in my backlog, so helps prioritize.
Glad it was helpful
Great list!
Definitely had some titles I was completely unaware of and might check out at some time. :)
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
I really want to play ESA. I was hoping for a console release at some point, but doesn't look like that will happen.
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.
I whole heartily recommend Yoku Island Express, it manage to deliver on both polish and innovation.
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.
@@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.
I’m halfway through your video and thanks to your great explanation and dissecting, Blasphemous and Headlander are next on my to-play list.
Awesome, hope you enjoy them
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.
Thanks so much, it is pretty cozy in here
Thanks Pam! Another half dozen or so games for my Steam Wishlist! Love your videos! Keep 'em coming.
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.
came here for deedlit
I have finished Super Metroid yesterday, to get ready for Metroid Dread in 2 weeks.
This video put a smile on my face.
I hope Metroid Dread is good.
@@Cannotbetamed1 I hope so too.
But usually Metroid games, are always good i can´t remember a bad Metroid game.
@@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.
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!
Thanks so much
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!
Thank you. Welcome to the channel!
Even though I had never considered it before, I have to agree that “Batman: Arkham Asylum” is a very well done 3-D Metroidvania!
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!
I'm looking forward to trying it.
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!
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!
Thanks so much. Welcome to the channel
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
Thanks! I’d like to try Vigil. Momodora started out very difficult and I gave up on it.
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.
@@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.
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!
Yea I was pretty disappointed with Outbuddies DX
Environmental Station Alpha was surprisingly amazing. Loved the environment and had lots of fun trying to solve the very cryptic late-game puzzles
Update- Circle of the Moon - A, Harmony of Dissonance - B+, Aria of Sorrow just started and it’s good 👍🏼
@@shaunmartinell5825 what was the final ranking for aria?
@@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 📚
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.
Glad you enjoyed!
Great video. Really enjoyed. Thanks Pam!
You're welcome!
That cave story ranking was tough 🤣. Great content.
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. 🙂
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
@@koobsmooth So you're the only fan of Circle of the Moon!
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.
@@koobsmooth Aria of Sorrow is the best of the GBA Igavanias. It's sequel, Dawn of Sorrow, is even better.
@@GabePuratekuta Is it the best on the DS?
Loved your take on this topic. Just discovered your channel and I love it already!
Thanks. And welcome to the channel
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!
Glad you liked it!
I recommend giving Yoku's Island Express a look, it's a pinball themed Metroidvania.
Just playing through it right now, it really is a sweet little game
I wouldnt call it a metroidvania. Its an adventure exploration game.
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!
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.
Thanks!
Hopefully the remake improves on the audio which kind of detracts me when playing a GBA game.
@@matthewbain21 circle is so good
Great video! I’ve added Blasphemous and Touhou Luna Nights to my wish list x
Great vid, I will try some of your recommendations.
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.
I'll be grabbing it as soon as it's on console.
+1 Wonder Labyrinth is really worth playing. Very cool (and unique) combat system.
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
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.
this
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.
Great idea for a tier list - I love Metroidvanias and love hearing about new ones. Check out Deaths Gambit and Deedlits Adventure
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.
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.
Nice, I plan to pick them up soon
The DSS can be thoroughly abused for some crazy combos but Aria Of Sorrow is still my absolute favorite.
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.
First time seeing your channel. Video was really enjoyable so, an easy subscription. Thanks for the great work with the tier list.
Welcome to the channel
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.
Loved this video. If you haven’t tried the game Outland, I highly recommend it. It’s such a beautiful metroidvania with great platforming.
I think I have that. Haven't played it though
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.
The newest Shantae is in my S tier.
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?
@@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.
@@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.
@@miahthorpatrick1013 7 sirens is the newest and a great metroidvainia for newer and veteran playerss. Pirate's Curse is on my wish list.
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.
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! :)
No problem, glad to introduce you to some new games.
Highly recommended Grime, Salt and Sanctuary and Vigil the longest night there all really good MetroidVania's
Love these type of videos. Symphony of the night was my fave. Did you find the inverted castle?
Yes
@@Cannotbetamed1 the inverted castle blew my mind when a friend told me about it. I encourage everyone to do it
Cave Story in F tier is just tragic to see. I get why people wouldn't consider it a Metroidvania, but boy do I just love it as a game.
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 :)
Thanks, glad you liked it
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.
Exhumed as well. That did a lot of what Metroid Prime did, 6 years before.
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.
@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.
Axiom Verge is a very high B or low A for me (because I love when a game's story gets weird), with its sequel at a solid B, though my mood tends to change from time to time. Any of the no-map games (even if I haven't played them) would immediately plummet to an F, even if I wanted to rank them higher (thankfully, Blaster Master Zero is a thing!). The Switch version of Bloodstained kept crashing on me and I couldn't do casual randomizer runs, so it was sitting at a high F for a while. Post-update, Bloodstained is now sitting higher (even with and in spite of its JRPG schlock and leveling system, which almost no games have done well IMO) at a solid D. I don't want to play SotN for some of the similar reasons... ... ... and...
...teleporting around the map just doesn't feel good in any of the IgaVanias.
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Apologies, this goes on for quite a bit.
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Teleporting around didn't bother me as much in Ax Ver 2 and Timespinner, but I feel like teleporting can be a very obnoxious crutch for improper world design... sometimes. Alwa's Awakening handled it so much more... tactfully? ...where as Alwa's Legacy borked it to an extent. (Love both Alwa games though. Those Elden Pixels dudes rock the house down.) Super Metroid had an excellent handle on a sort of "hub and spoke" map traversal system, which I feel would be absolutely ruined by teleporting around the map. One of the top reasons for this is I want to feel like memorizing the map TRULY matters, instead of just teleporting around and bumbling about until I find out where to go next. SotN makes for some solid gameplay LP's, but I don't want to touch it, because I know I would have to have grown up with it. I would rather avoid disliking it more than I do now, and watch other people enjoy it, especially the randomizers. I don't know. Maybe an old dog can learn new tricks?
Super Metroid...
...is an extremely high and ever so classic A rank for me, and I didn't even beat it until I was in my 20's. I love the map's traversal, and getting good at the game's controls... shoot, the mach ball glitch... mmm. Just super delicious. Timespinner's story was interesting, but somewhat cringe (care about our characters! ...whether you like it, or not!) but I was super impressed by A LOT of what it wanted to do, to the point where I'm afraid it'll be underrated, due to the leveling system. I'm really impressed, because it is a lot easier for me to discern the game developer's intentions. On potential alone, it would be a C rank, but I'm going to have to rank it as a high B. Not as high as the first Ax Ver though.
Control...
...was (a big fat "F") dead on arrival for me. The (eww, I want to say box art instead) game art icon for the game didn't really tell me anything, and the description had too much "vague" ...with too much of a significant lack of "evocative" ...and then... cloud game? Yup. Outta here with that crap. Dead Cells? I feel like it more so breaks the rules of a standard MetroidVania, and some have probably rebranded it as a RogueVania, which doesn't probably sit right with some folks. I like it, but I have YET to complete a run. Definitely way too much of a backlogged game for me to rate it currently. The Messenger... hmm. I'm definitely at a level of bias where I can't trust my own current judgement. I adore the gameplay, but I'm stuck on a horrendously annoying boss fight and I haven't finished it yet. Definitely a game I feel like I have to finish before I can even get a feeling for how I would rate it.
Blasphemous?
I haven't finished it yet, but it is already feeling like a very solid A... currently. Not so much the soulslike system, but the game design flow of so much of its other parts... I want to say I like Axiom Verge a lot more, but even with my science fiction geek bias, I can't front. Blasphemous is of bloody high quality. I'm definitely a retro kid though, so I feel like Alwa's Awakening is always going to be sitting at a very high S rank for me, and Blasphemous may very well be above Ax Ver by the time I've finished it.
Hollow Knight...
...is a super solid A for me... and not an S, because it is an absolute BUFFET of a game. Every dang time, I want to overeat, and I end up stuffed and hating myself. If the game didn't have so much content, I would probably be done with it by now, because it is a game I prefer to binge-play until it is done, and I FAIL miserably, every time. I simply don't have a large enough gaming stomach to fit the entirety of the game from start to finish. One of these dang ol' days though. One of these days, I'll finish it. Not sure if it'll be this year though. I have the same problem with Owlboy, but Owlboy looks a lot more appetizing, just no where NEAR as actually tasty as Hollow Knight. Owl Boy definitely looks to be more of a yummy videogame, but like comparing Pop Tarts to Pillsbury Toaster Streudel... it just doesn't hold up as well.
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Sorry for the whole dang 'ol magazine article, but I do have some recommendations.
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Alwa's Awakening and Alwa's Legacy --- Super fun, the first one is way better.
Shantae and the Seven Sirens... as well as Shantae and the Pirate's Curse --- Cutesy, but both have some pretty dang sweet jams.
Cyber Shadow --- You might get more of a kick out of the 'TroidVania aspect rather than the controls (comparing to The Messenger), but it's worth a shot.
Cathedral --- I wish I could have played this as a kid. Alas, it is a much more recent game. It is retro as heck, but in a good way.
Battle Princess Madelyn --- I never knew I wanted Super Ghouls n' Ghosts, but as a MetroidVania. Currently backlogged, but I'm super stoked to get back to it when possible.
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I come back to this often to get ideas for new metroidvanias to play. Just wanted to say thanks!
You're welcome
Thanks for this. I’ve just been getting into metroidvania games and was looking for some kind of list of games to try out.
Yeah, I'm glad someone compiled a nice list. I've been getting into them recently as well.
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.
Glad you're liking Strider. I loved that game!
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.
Welcome to the channel!
Five Metroidvanias worth checking out:
- Sundered - Eldrith Edition.
- MO Astray.
- Yoku's Island Express.
- Insanely Twisted Savage Planet.
- Outland.
Great ranking!
Insanely Twisted Shadow planet has been on my list for a while, need to get to that
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.
Grime is my favorite metroidvania this year, it has a very unique look. The boss fights are challenging but fair.
I'm hoping it gets released on console.
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.
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.
Great video. Thanks. Helpful to know what clicks and doesn't click in metroidvania.
Glad you enjoyed it!
You should try Valdis Story: Abyssal City. One of my favorite metroidvanias particularly for the combat and character builds of it!
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
This is a killer list. The Messenger rating really resonated with me as well.
Thanks!
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.
I've been waiting for this list for too long! Thanks Pam!!
You're welcome!
RPG tier list next? You seem quite knowledgeable in that genre. You also have good taste and the right amount of critical perspective.
Disappointed that you didn't enjoy Cave Story. I found it amazing.
Yep, I was really surprised with that ranking. I enjoyed it and my 11-year-old likes playing it as well.
The tier list ranking is based on how they are as Metroidvanias, not overall quality
@@NerdyTransformedi mean no, she said she specifically didn’t like it as a platformer either. she just didn’t like the game
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.
Thank you so much for the video! I really appreciated how you explicitly ranked the games as metroidvanias, it gives the list much more utility as a resource to me. Laying out your criteria as clearly as you did was also very useful; even though I couldn't disagree more wrt the place of story in the genre, you being so clear about your preference still makes your rankings valuable to me, since you've made it so clear where you're coming from with your analysis. It would've been interesting to hear you go into a bit more detail about what makes story content so untenable for you in this genre, since I know you're a big fan of other, more intrinsically story-focused genres.
Since you laid out your criteria so well, I found it hard to take issue with any inclusions or placements, though I found myself a bit puzzled about your thoughts on the first Ori game. While I agreed with most of the things you cited as positives about the game, when playing for the first time a few months ago, I found it had some pretty fundamental flaws as a metroidvania, in terms of how it handled/rewarded exploration, the map, backtracking, gathering of collectibles/100%ing and so on. From your criteria, I would almost have been tempted to put it in the E or F tier, since it felt to me like an amazing action platformer that did itself a pretty huge disservice by trying to also be a metroidvania.
A couple of notes on the video itself to finish:
Is the choppy frame rate on your own footage something you're working to address? It made for an uncomfortable watch to me, especially in the parts of the video where there wasn't any game footage to focus on. (Apologies if this is something you've addressed in another video; it's been a while since I watched your videos regularly, sorry)
I felt like the decision of playing music from a small handful of games on the list (instead of, for instance, either using no music or tailoring the music to the specific game in discussion) was very distracting. Since I was very familiar with most of the (admittedly amazing) music, the overall effect was of me constantly feeling like you were about to cut to footage from the game the music was from, or about to make a point related to the music choice.
Thank you again for the video, it's a lovely and exhaustive resource to have access to.
I'm not sure why the frame rate on this video was choppy, I recorded it the same way I recorded my other rankings. It recorded at 30fps and rendered at 30fps. Also, the music in this game is all from Hollow Knight, so it didn't really change at all.
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.
Cathedral is brutal.
It reminded me of wizards and warriors.
"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.
Catmaze is a cute Metroidvania in a Slavic setting. I recommend checking it out.
I'm so glad you pointed out how trash the map is in Control. That singlehandedly kept the game from being perfect.
Love watching these as a fan also of metroidvania games. Your opinions and rankings of these are almost exactly the same as me so i love seeing what games i don't own knowing i can trust your opinion. Thanks for the great vid.
No problem :)
Almost finished with Blasphemous. Perfect timing!
Nice!
I was one of those who recommended it to her 😊
Since you had OG Blaster Master on here, curious to hear your take on the Blaster Master Zero trilogy.
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.
No problem, glad you enjoyed it
Fantastic video, Pam. Your S tiers are also mine; three of my favorite games right there.
Arkham Asylum is the best. At this point, playing it is like meditation
You should do a “Classicvania” list next 🙂 The Messenger and Curse of the Moon are too good.
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!
Welcome to the channel!
Great list. I’d put Bloodstained in S tier, but that’s just me. I recommend the Shantae series, especially Shantae Half Genie Hero.
I liked Bloodstained, but it felt too much like SotN, thats good, but lacked the originality of SotN.
Agreed. Bloodstained and Super Metroid not being in the S tier were my biggest disagreements in the rankings. I'd even go as far create a tier above S exclusively for Symphony of the Night, Bloodstained, and Super Metroid.
@@ophidianmind333 I would put Bloodstained in A Tier, with SotN as S Tier, so I would agree with the list on that. Bloodstained is really good, but borrows a bit too much from SotN. Super Metroid is easily an S Tier and invented the Metroidvania as we know it today. Pam complains about the controls, I think they just required practice as platformers back then all had similar control schemes and they were trying to give that game its own feel that no other game had. A little practice, the control is fine. THings like the Space Jump or Wall Jump were timing or even control motion actions just require practice and you have to get more skilled in Super Metroid than most other Metroidvanias where you can grind and get overpowered.
@@hepwo91222 I agree about the Super Metroid controls just taking a bit of practice to build up the skill to use certain abilities. The wall jump is awesome once you get the hang of it.
As for Bloodstained, one of its main goals was to be a spiritual successor to SotN and it would have been a massive failure in that regard if it didn't take a great deal of the game play elements from SotN and tweak them as if they were going to be used in a direct sequel. That is why I think Bloodstained playing like a more polished SotN is a great success rather than a flaw.
@@ophidianmind333 Bloodstained was an excellent game, but some of the map was like a carbon copy of SotN. I mean even the waterfall taking up like multiple screens and a drop. Luved the opening boat level and the train level was somewhat original, but much of the map was too similar. Also the sidequests were more tedious than fun, but then SotN really didn't focus much on sidequests at all. Maybe if I was some kid that never played SotN before and knew nothing about it, I might even prefer Bloodstained if I played it first. But being so similar, I have to give SotN a lot more credit for the time it came out and it holds up about as well as any PS1 game.