Metroid-like games

Twitter Tweet. Email Email. Comment Comment. Ben Reeves. Benjamin Reeves is a writer, journalist, and geek sponge. For the last 12 years he has worked as an editor for Game Informer Magazine. He has a passion for video games, comic books, and pizza. Email Twitter. Popular Content. Strider is widely considered to be a sleeper hit, and it's definitely a must-play for fans of games like Metroid Dread. The ability to cling to walls, perform acrobatic maneuvers, and take out scores of opponents with a high precision blade are just some of the highlights of this kinetic title.

Symphony Of The Night is widely considered the king of Metroidvania-style games like Metroid Dread, and for good reason. Its iconic status has been cemented within Castlevania lore, and video game history in general, thanks to a wealth of in-game content, tons of secrets, unbeatable gameplay, and of course, a high fun factor.

It may not be a shooter, but it has the same explorative elements as Metroid Dread does. It even helped launch the enormously successful Castlevania animated series on Netflix. Few modern Metroidvania games have as much impact and acclaim as Shadow Complex, and it remains one of the closest in feel and scope to Metroid Dread.

Although it takes place on a 2D plane, the developers managed to give it a 3D-style shooting mechanic in order to spruce things up for the better.

The fantastic gameplay is married to a large game world with tons of secrets to find, and new areas to explore. The inventive use of weaponry is another big plus, encouraging players to switch up their arsenal while in the middle of combat to deal with threats more efficiently. It's sleek, fast, and fun. Ori and the Blind Forest was considered one of the most amazing, artistic, and emotional gameplay experiences of all time, and its sequel tried to build upon that.

At the same time, it took some much-needed sandpaper to the rougher edges of its gameplay formula and enhanced the experience for a new audience.

Guacamelee stars a young man who is robbed of his beloved by basically the devil. Upon dawning a special mask, he gains powers strong enough in order to body slam his way to victory. It pays homage to Metroid with some direct nods, like the Chozo statues, but is enough of its own thing to stand above the rest.

Plus it has co-op! It begs the question. Is Guacamelee a Wrestlevania? The first SteamWorld Dig was sort of like a Metroidvania. It fell more in line with a survival game at times. That said, the sequel cranked the Metroidvania-ness up to eleven, making it a superior experience from top to bottom.

The gameplay, visuals, story, and everything in-between standout and is the best title in this fractured series of games. As an extra plug, go, play them all! Hollow Knight is a cross-between a Metroidvania and Dark Souls. It has all the backtracking progression one finds in Metroid , but extremely difficult enemy encounters with some of the best bosses of any of these entries. On top of feeling incredibly rewarding after defeating such challenges, the game is just drop dead gorgeous.

Nothing looks even close to this right now. Lovecraft, it'd be absolutely perfect! For those sci-fi fans who want to tackle an alien menace on their own planet, this one is for you. Call it an honorable mention, call it strange and unusual, call it an excuse to include a fantasy title on our list, but we had to include the popular Dead Cells on our list of Metroid- inspired titles. If you were to take the explorative elements and immense world of Metroid and pair it with the heavy combat of Castlevania, this intriguing title would be the result of that union.

Dead Cells pulls the player into a hypnotic trance with its action, challenge, and replayability. While it might lack Metroid's alien world, its influence and sense of exploration is a cornerstone on which this game is built.

With two games for the price of one, we have to give a spot to the splendidly strange but fantastically fun Steamworld Dig games. Both the original and its sequel have large subterranean worlds to explore, plenty of upgrades to suit your robot character, and a charming setting and art style to keep your attention.

Don't let the bright colors, geometric designs, and quirky cast of characters fool you. This love-letter to the days of SNES adventuring definitely has more Super Metroid- inspired elements than you might think.

With ancient machines, perplexing puzzles, and a gorgeous alien world, Iconoclast is one of the most true-to-form titles on our list. Iconoclast could easily be a game released in the glory days of the '90s. Its alien world is saturated in bright colors, but its story is dystopian and tremendously serious at times.