Drawing heavily on the Metroid and Castlevania properties. As you explore the globe, you’ll discover new equipment and talents that will allow you to reach previously inaccessible locations. While Metroid and Castlevania are mainly based on horror games themes, modern Metroidvania games have expanded variety of ways. Here are our selections for the finest Metroidvania Games for Nintendo Switch to play on the Nintendo Switch, as well as why they are so good.
Here is the list of Best Metroidvania Games for Nintendo Switch
Axiom Verge
Axiom Verge on Switch is an excellent port of an excellent game, nothing more and nothing less. We strongly encourage anyone who missed out on this game on other platforms to pick it up here; this is the complete Axiom Verge experience, and it’s available in a format that supports both portable and home play. For those of you who have played it on other platforms, it essentially comes down to how much you enjoy this game. This is the same great game you’ve played before, so whether you want to buy it again is entirely up to you. Whatever side you take, Axiom Verge is a terrific example of how to execute a Metroidvania well.
Metroid Dread
Many people thought Samus’s time had come to an end. The greatest bounty hunter in the galaxy appeared to be condemned to gaming’s nostalgic past, with Metroid Prime 4 seemingly postponed indefinitely. But then Metroid Dread arrived in 2021, reminding everyone of the genius of the franchise that started it all. Metroid Dread takes everything we love about the genre, including wide-scale exploration, a sense of solitude. The quest for power-ups, and gruelling boss fights, and gives it the aesthetic of a modern AAA game. This is Samus’s biggest 2D adventure yet, and it’s already her best-selling game. It has resurrected a franchise that has seen more ups than downs in recent years, and we have no reservations in proclaiming it the best Metroidvania game on the Nintendo Switch.
Timespinner
That much is certain: Timespinner is an intriguing creature. The game is an odd cross between Symphony of the Night and Chrono Trigger, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t function. On the contrary, it creates a lovely merging of genres to produce a unique adventure. Few games merge sci-fi and fantasy as successfully as Timespinner, and the attention to recreating old ’90s gaming vibes is also noteworthy. The platforming and exploration are both quick and polished, and the utilisation of magic in an odd future environment will undoubtedly garner it some real acclaim.
SteamWorld Dig 2
SteamWorld Dig 2 is another assured effort from Image & Form, and a deserving successor to a game that is a prized possession in many eShop collections. It’s stylish and appealing, with the series’ usual humour and, yeah, a decent soundtrack. It improves and expands on the original’s strengths and hits some delectable high points, while some of the smartest pieces and concepts appear only briefly. It also lays the stage for future material and games, which is encouraging. Fans of SteamWorld Dig are likely to buy this regardless of our advice. Dig 2 is a must-have for those who missed the original game; its appealing look and cast set the stage for a well constructed and brilliant exploration game.
Dead Cells
You’re a failed alchemic experiment with a yearning to learn more about the world. You only have one shot to finish a run, and if you die, you must restart from the beginning. Every run is generated at random, so you’ll never see the same thing twice. You’ll need to explore every room, find equipment and abilities to advance, and defeat strong enemies who will put your talents to the test. This is a genuinely difficult roguelike Metroidvania, and it’s often regarded as one of the best Nintendo Switch survival games you can get if you enjoy the genre.
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
Given that the team behind Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night was also behind the original Castlevania series, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night was bound to appeal to Metroidvania fans. They were aware of what fans were seeking for. Miriam goes to a castle plagued with demons to do some housecleaning in order to break the curse that has been placed on her. The fighting is difficult but never unfair, and some of the powers are immensely enjoyable to use against your opponents. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night feels and looks like a spiritual successor to old-school Castlevania titles, right down to the game’s name structure. However, as you play it, you’ll notice that its gameplay is very similar to Metroid.
The Mummy Demastered
You shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, and you shouldn’t judge this game by its movie tie-in, too; with The Mummy Demastered, WayForward may have hit its pinnacle. It deserves to be recognised as one of the best recent instances of not only a pixel art look, but also an excellent blend of run ‘n gunning, platforming, and exploration. The Mummy Demastered benefits from paying respect to several 16-bit forefathers rather than just keeping to its celluloid source material; the game is a polished, accomplished, and rewarding adventure that will appeal to more than just Metroidvania enthusiasts.
Hollow Knight
It’s difficult to put into words what it is about Hollow Knight that makes you want to watch more of it. Maybe it’s because it has the most stunning caves in the genre? The intriguing mood, nicely complemented by Christopher Larkin’s soundtrack? How do you take command of a charming bug who turns out to be a badass knight? Getting through Hollow Knight’s bosses is as difficult as getting past its appeal. Perhaps it’s just that it takes a lot of wonderful features from earlier Metroidvanias – Souls-like rest pauses, fighting your ghost for equipment, using Soul cores to unleash magical abilities – and combines it into a truly gratifying overall.
Blasphemous
While the game borrows heavily from the Vania portion of the genre, Blasphemous is a horrific and gory action platformer that will have any Dark Souls fan ready to pick up the Penitent One’s blade and hack-and-slash their way through a slew of horrible abominations. Some may be willing to die, but they will not go quietly. The graphics are without a doubt the game’s greatest distinguishing element, and it’s very astonishing to see how imaginative and graphic 16-bit sprite work can be. This is easily the most brutal and terrifying Metroidvania on Switch, and players who pick it up better be prepared to fight for their lives.
Cave Story
If you’re searching for another Metroidvania with a moving tale, check out this one about an amnesiac robot soldier who sets out to save the creatures he was meant to murder. Cave Story doesn’t have a lot of retracing, which is a good thing considering how big it is. It’s a labour of passion by lone developer Daisuke Amaya, and it’s absolutely free on the Cave Story website, or as Cave Story+ on Steam if you want to show your support. Not only is Cave Story massive, but the variety of rooms and riddles demonstrates the amount of work that went into it long before Metroidvanias became a popular genre in their own right. Currently, this is one of the best Metroidvania Games for Nintendo Switch that you can download from official website right now.
Final Words
The best Metroidvania Games for Nintendo Switch are listed above. The Nintendo Switch, as one of the most popular gaming consoles in the recent decade, features a plethora of Metroidvania titles. Metroidvania refers to games that mix the gameplay concepts popularised by Metroid and Castlevania games. You’ll spend hours getting lost in dozens of interconnected rooms, solving puzzles game, and backtracking, once you earn a new item or power that allows you go somewhere you couldn’t previously, but seeing your progress develop, makes it all worthwhile.
