Summary
Metroidvania is a sub-genre of action-adventure that has become increasingly popular in recent years. While these games tend to stay more on the action side, focusing heavily on the player defeating enemies in a Sci-fi environment as seen by the game Metroid, which the genre’s name is heavily inspired by.
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To some players' surprise, they may be unaware that some of these games have actually also beenconsidered horror. These games tend to follow a Gothic theme or keep the player on edge as they travel through the platformer and encounter all sorts of violent foes. Therefore, these are by far the best horror Metroidvanias available.
The Last Faithis a player’s typical Gothic Metroidvania that follows an art style that is similar to theolder Castlevaniatitles. Waking up as Eryk, players learn that they have some sort of ancient affliction that is slowly deteriorating his mind. Players are in a race against time to find the cure before it is too late for Eryk.
On their travels, players will encounter all sorts of deadly foes and a variety of vicious weaponry to fight them with. The Last Faith combines Metroidvania with soulslike combat to create an epic yet horrifying gaming experience.
From the developers that createdSpiritfarer, Sunderedis no cozy title, but instead a Metroidvania with roguelike features. Players are left to explore a Lovecraftian-inspired cavern in the same phenomenal art style that made upSpiritfarer.
To escape this cavern, the player must defeat various deadlygigantic bossesby embracing or resisting the Eldritch powers that can be found while exploring. The player may need to risk their humanity if they hope to survive. Sundered is sure to be a chaotic adventure for any player who dares to test their luck in this unique take on the genre.
Many games have players defeating horrors, but few have them become the horrors themselves.Carrionconsiders itself to be a reverse horror where the player takes on the form of a disturbed-looking creature of unknown origins as it fights back against its capture.
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Players grow and evolve to unlock all-new abilities as they lurk through the facility where they find themselves imprisoned. Players are sure to strike fear into those they encounter as they consume the lab technicians and anyone else who tries to get in their way.
Grimemay be considered more ofa dark fantasy titlethan a horror, but these two themes go hand-in-hand nicely. Being born into an unknown world, the player must evolve to survive as they explore the anatomical horror that surrounds them.
Defeating bosses and absorbing them into the black hole that makes up the players' heads will only make them grow stronger as they collect new living weapons that also transform or mutate during each battle.Grimeis an incredible Metroidvania, as players have countless perks to invest in to make a character build that best fits their style.
Players encounter a facility of action and confusion withControlas they must stop the end of the world since a containment has been breached on a corruptive presence that was trapped inside the Bureau of Control.
Somehow, the player who controls Jesse Faden is the only hope for humanity as she navigates the mysterious facility and all of its strangeness. The Bureau is known for controlling the supernatural and therefore, the player will need to navigate this and harness the powers given to them to put a stop to the presence within.
Another title that fills the void left by classic Metroidvania titles isBloodstained: Ritual of the Night.This is another game that classically follows the style of the old Castlevania games as the player explores a Gothic world as they attempt to save their own life, and the worlds as their body slowly crystallizes.
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Naturally, it’s never easy to solve these issues and therefore, the player is tasked with fighting their way througha demon-infested castle. To put an end to the dangers that are likely to besiege the world.
WhileSalt and Sacrificehas since been released, many players still prefer the gameplay and story that they encountered for the first time inSalt and Sanctuary. Once they have created their character, the player finds themselves sailingat sea with a princess. However, in typical gaming fashion, the ship is attacked, and the player wakes up on a mysterious shore with the princess nowhere to be seen.
The player must fight to survive and explore the island in the hope of finding the princess. On their adventure, they will find all sorts of resources such as weapons and armor to better their chances against the foes of the uncharted island.
The originalBlasphemouswas already a phenomenal Metroidvania title that players enjoyed, but Blasphemous 2 took the format and made it even better, as both critics and players alike enjoyed returning to the battle against The Miracle as The Penitent One.
With a heavy focus on religious imagery throughout both titles, the foes encountered in the game pair nicely with thehorror-like game. With new ways to play and a fuller non-linear world to explore,Blasphemousis by far one of the best of the Metroidvania genre.
