Top 40 / Best Indie Metroidvania Games on Nintendo Switch

Hollow Knight

Another one of the titles I didn't originally review for the system, this is another one of those games that would be cr...

Blasphemous 2

Building on the foundation of an already-solid predecessor, Blasphemous 2 soars to new heights of brutality

SteamWorld Dig 2

Widely, and quite deservedly, regarded as the best one of the best early indie games on the Switch (though perhaps St...

Infernax

Retro games looking to take on the rough look and feel of classics like Castlevania are always going to face a bit of an...

Ori and the Will of the Wisps

When reviewing games in general I try to carefully avoid hyperbole and excessive exuberance whenever possible. To tha...

CARRION

While it’s great to play games or watch movies cheering on the brave heroes who fight and persevere against horrible mon...

KUNAI

Kunai was a title that left me excited but a bit uncertain from its PAX demo last year. I loved the look, and the abilit...

Guacamelee! 2

While I really enjoyed the original Guacamelee I actually thought it got a bit more hype than it deserved overall. Whate...

Yoku's Island Express

In general, everything you need to accomplish is some riff on classic pinball mechanics. You’ll have flippers, bumpers, ...

Tales of Kenzera™: ZAU

An attractive, reasonably challenging, and smart Metroidvania experience awaits

Souldiers

Originally impressed by my time with it when I played the demo for it from Steam Next Fest, Souldiers is a Metroidvania ...

Unbound: Worlds Apart

While they weren’t initially very well-represented on the Switch, in the past 2 years the Metroidvania genre has been th...

Rebel Transmute

Perhaps being a bit too transparent in its inspirations, Rebel Transmute offers up a generally solid experience

Gal Guardians: Demon Purge

With its stunning pixel art visuals and an intense mix of slashing and shooting challenges, Demon Purge satisfies

Depths of Sanity

An absolutely distinctive approach to Metroidvania play, though possibly not for everyone

TEVI

The start-up is a bit on the slow side, but if you’re looking for a Metroidvania with some personality it delivers

Lootbox Lyfe+

Mixing together Metroidvania sensibilities with some challenging platforming makes for a refreshing budget package

Islets

With its colorful art and slightly different-than-the-norm Metroidvania flavor, Islets has legs on the Switch

Haiku, the Robot

A satisfying and generally very accessible Metroidvania experience awaits

ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights

When you’ve played enough indie titles over time it’s hard not to get a bit cynical when you see certain elements in gam...

Foregone

One glance at Foregone and many video game fans are likely to mistake it for the incredible Dead Cells… and given that t...

Gato Roboto

While there’s certainly an abundance of Metroidvania titles on the Switch, to date Nintendo’s premiere ass-kicking heroi...

Sundered: Eldritch Edition

Coming from the same team that worked on the boss fight-centric Jotun, Sundered has the same signature gorgeous hand-dra...

Rusted Moss

Simply a different twin-stick take on Metroidvanias, sporting a challenging grapple mechanic

F.I.S.T.: Forged In Shadow Torch

Metroidvania fans should be thrilled to have another viable indie contender in the space to enjoy, even if it has some flaws

Death's Gambit: Afterlife

Beneath the veneer of this very attractive side-scrolling Metroidvania-ish action RPG beats the heart of ambition&hel...

Pronty

With its unique underwater style and combat, this Metroidvania-esque adventure has its own feel

Astronite

Delivers some challenging Metroidvania play with a distinctive black-and-white retro look and feel

The Last Faith

While having an undeniably dark / attractive look and ambiance, the gameplay and overall design lack refinement

9 Years of Shadows

Undoubtedly giving off a feel of earlier days of grand environments, hacking, and slashing, but missing a spark to go next level

Elderand

The luscious pixel art and Metroidvania flow of Elderand give it appeal, just be ready for a pretty brutal challenge

The Darkest Tales

This very dark take on childhood fairytale characters is quite cool pretty, but it gets let down by less inspired combat and controls

forma.8

I’ve really been enchanted by forma.8 and the slow-paced tranquility it has offered me. In particular with craz...

HunterX: code name T

While not a major change from its predecessor the systems and general feel help to elevate it a bit higher this go-round

Trash Quest

When you’re looking to score a decent game on a budget you can’t always afford to be overly picky, but thankfully with s...

Touhou Luna Nights

Leave it to indie games to keep finding ways to push the “generic” genre experience of something so well-known as the Me...

Monster Sanctuary

When you create a franchise as successful as the Pokemon series it’s inevitable that there will be a long line of imitat...

Bookbound Brigade

As an English major and classical literature nerd of sorts the setup for Bookbound Brigade easily piqued my interest. Wo...

Dandara: Trials of Fear Edition

Possibly the most aggravating aspect of the game, especially when you pair it with the relative difficulty of dealing wi...

SteamWorld Dig

Ultimately, even getting on in years a bit, Steamworld Dig still works very well and is almost immediately as addictive ...

Nindie Spotlight