All articles tagged with #metroidvania
Sony's PS5 exclusive God of War: Sons of Sparta, a 2D metroidvania spin-off exploring Kratos' youth, launched to a 66 Metacritic score — the fourth-lowest for a first-party PS4/PS5 release this generation — marking the first major critical flop of 2026; while critics are unimpressed, consumer reception is somewhat warmer and sales could still recover as the year progresses.
A punishing Metroidvania about a small robot exploring a decaying Vessel; MIO starts infuriating with tight platforming and formidable bosses, but patient play and clever design reveal a satisfying rhythm influenced by Hollow Knight and Dark Souls. Accessibility options (eroded bosses, ground-heal, pacifist mode) help balance the challenge, and a secret ending rewards persistent effort, all set in watercolor, hand-drawn visuals across PC and current-gen consoles.
The Perfect Pencil for Switch is a surreal, horror-tinged metroidvania that follows John through a dreamlike, labyrinthine world. It emphasizes exploration, side quests, and upgrading a projector-based attack, with creepy characters, Burtonesque bosses, and a quirky Camera Obscura mechanic that helps navigation. While combat exists, the game isn’t punishingly tough and shines in art direction and atmosphere; however, it can be dense and features long backtracking. Overall, it’s a distinctive, smooth-running addition to the Switch’s Metroidvania lineup with a memorable, eerie vibe.
This Week in Gaming (Week 4) highlights six new releases and early-access titles: MIO: Memories in Orbit, a metroidvania aboard a tech ark; Earth of Oryn, a medieval kingdom-builder; Strategos, a large-scale real-time tactics game set in antiquity; Duel Corp., a Souls-inspired action RPG with MMO vibes; Bladesong, a swordmaking simulator; and Escape from Ever After, a fairy-tale RPG where a megacorp clashes with storybook heroes. The lineup blends indie experimentation with expansive strategy titles, signaling a varied January slate.
Indie studio Douze Dixèmes’ MIO: Memories in Orbit fuses comic-style line work with painterly color and 3D space to deliver a hand-illustrated look in a Metroidvania. Art director Etienne Thibault-Buisson and render lead Joran steer a proprietary engine (with Blender) to enforce limited palettes, clean edges, and readable visuals for exploration, while level design supports non-linear discovery and culminates in a standout end‑game scene where the stage rotates around a giant character.
The article highlights several anticipated games for 2026, including lesser-known titles like The Sinking City 2, Phantom Blade Zero, Mortal Shell II, The Dark Rites of Arkham, and Wolfhound, emphasizing their unique styles and potential impact on their genres, from survival horror to pixel art adventures and Metroidvania action.
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, a popular Metroidvania game, is available for free on the Epic Games Store for less than 24 hours as part of a holiday promotion, allowing players to download and enjoy the game at no cost.
Possessors is a familiar yet enjoyable Metroidvania-style game with strong combat, engaging story, and vibrant art, though it suffers from some exploration and navigation issues. The game features a demon possession mechanic, stylish combat, and a compelling plot centered on Luca and Rhem, but offers little innovation in its genre. Despite its safe approach, it remains an entertaining action game with notable character development and visual flair.
Redstart Interactive announced GNAW, a pre-apocalyptic Metroidvania side-scrolling action game set in a dinosaur civilization, coming to PS5, Xbox Series, Switch, and PC in 2026, with a demo available now for PC. The game features dynamic combat, exploration across seven regions, and a storyline involving a transformed dinosaur named Mack Ripley unraveling a mysterious threat to New Dino City.
The article discusses the challenging nature of Hollow Knight: Silksong and suggests alternative, less difficult Metroidvania games for players who find it too hard, emphasizing that game difficulty is a developer's choice and offering options for different skill levels.
Ash Parrish discusses her challenging experience with Hollow Knight: Silksong, highlighting how her motivation to keep playing is driven by spite and community influence, despite the game's difficulty and frustration.
Atari released its new Metroidvania game, Adventure of Samsara, on the same day as the highly anticipated Hollow Knight: Silksong, which appears to have negatively impacted its initial player engagement, with only 12 concurrent Steam players since launch, despite positive reviews and cross-platform availability.
Atari released the challenging Metroidvania game Adventure of Samsara on the same day as the highly anticipated Silksong, resulting in minimal player engagement for Samsara despite positive reviews and good graphics. The decision to release simultaneously appears to have significantly impacted Samsara's visibility and success, with only 12 concurrent players reported, and little promotional effort from Atari.
Hollow Knight is praised as one of the best Metroidvania games ever, distinguished by its subtle tutorialization, clever use of visual and environmental cues, and a design that empowers player exploration and agency, making it a masterful example of game design that deeply engages players psychologically.
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance, a visually impressive revival of the franchise, is marred by a bug that causes players to become stuck due to a missing grappling point in Neo City, which is essential for progressing through the game. The issue appears widespread and affects multiple platforms, but developers are likely aware of it. Despite the bug, the game has received high praise for its art style and gameplay.