The Greatest Metroidvania Games Released In 2025

In 2025, there wasn’t a Castlevania game released, and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond isn’t a Metroidvania game. Despite this, the Metroidvania genre was still strongly represented during those 12 months without the two series that created it.

Independent studios, in particular, produced some fantastic entries in the genre. Some provided fast-paced action, others showcased strong storytelling, while several proved just how fun traversal can be. Regardless of which areas they truly excelled in, the following Metroidvania titles were the stars of 2025 and helped prove that the genre remains one of the best.

Primal Planet

Primal Planet places you in a world that is reminiscent of a time before civilisation. So, you control a caveman and his family as you attempt to survive and deal with the litany of dangerous dinosaurs that roam the land. While Metroidvania games aren’t known for having a particular setting or aesthetic, the premise still feels unusual and unique for a game like this.

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Many open worlds, revealed one power-up at a time.

Of course, a good Metroidvania game can’t get by on aesthetics alone. It also has a nice crafting system that lets you build anything you need to survive. As for the combat system, it relies on you using a bit of strategy and craftiness, which makes battles interesting.

Shinobi: Art Of Vengeance

Shinobi: Art of Vengeance isn’t a pure Metroidvania title. In fact, it’s better described as an action platformer. Yet, there are still Metroidvania elements. This is because you can return to a level to use new powers that enable you to reach places you couldn’t before. So, the spirit of the Metroidvania genre is found in this game. What is also found is a beautiful-looking world with a stunning hand-drawn art style.

You don’t have much time to enjoy the scenery, though, because you have a constant slew of enemies that you must take on. Thankfully, battling them is a lot of fun. Combat is very fluid, and you can unleash some very spectacular combos to bring your foes down. Your reason for eliminating them is revenge, as you want to get back at those who attacked your village. There isn’t much more to the narrative, but it’s a nice way to give you a reason not to feel sorry for all the people you kill.

Constance

The first thing you notice in Constance is the item the protagonist is holding. It isn’t a sword, gun, or staff as you expect to see. She is holding a paintbrush, which gives you an idea that this isn’t a traditional Metroidvania experience. She uses that brush to attack enemies and traverse the world. Helping her traverse is her ability to transform herself into paint, which makes for a neat feature.

Along with some interesting mechanics, this game is notable for dealing with some serious topics. Topics like anxiety and depression are tackled during the game, particularly when you get flashbacks of the protagonist’s life. These scenes are often very powerful and can even be hard to watch if you can relate to what the protagonist is going through. It makes Constance one of the most mature and emotional Metroidvania games of 2025.

Blade Chimera

Blade Chimera follows the adventures of an unlikely duo consisting of an amnesiac demon hunter and a shapeshifting demon. Therefore, the premise is pretty interesting. That said, the demon hunter and demon combination is even more interesting when it comes to gameplay.

You primarily control the hunter, but you can use the shapeshifter in multiple ways, including having him turn into a sword or serve as a shield. You need to make use of his skills and your own weapons to defeat the many dangerous creatures you could come up against. These shapeshifting powers make the solid core combat even more entertaining. However, these abilities aren’t solely used for battle. They can also be handy when it comes to traversal and puzzle-solving. So, they’re very versatile, and you can even combine some of them to make them even more effective.

Guns Of Fury

Guns of Fury stars a special operative who is on a mission to rescue an important scientist. This sounds like a mission that requires a bit of clever planning and subtlety. This Metroidvania game doesn’t do those things, though. After all, it’s also partly a run-and-gun game. Therefore, instead of sneaking around, you charge through the world, blasting everyone in your path using an array of weapons and explosives.

There is constant fire, chaos, and death all over the screen, meaning the game is a bit more action-packed than the average Metroidvania. The seriousness of all the deaths is downplayed a bit, though, due to the cartoonish art style. It helps give the game more of an arcade feel like the Metal Slug games, which this title is clearly inspired by.

Ender Magnolia: Bloom In The Mist

Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist is a game about a fallen kingdom inhabited by a bunch of strange life forms called Homunculi. They were originally created to serve the kingdom, but these beasts have become violent. You play as a child who has the power to remove the corruption from some of the Homunculi. Therefore, it’s up to her to save the kingdom.

While the child may have special powers, they aren’t much of a combatant, so you don’t directly fight enemies as her. Instead, you attack using the powers of the non-corrupted Homunculi that you recruit during the game. It makes the core combat unique and visually distinct from what you see in most other games. The true greatness in this game comes from the storytelling, though. The narrative moves at a nice pace and includes great depth and compelling characters.

Hollow Knight: Silksong

The original Hollow Knight was one of the best Metroidvania games of its generation. Thankfully, the sequel, Silksong, lives up to the first and is perhaps the most high-profile Metroidvania title to release in 2025. This one puts you in control of a different protagonist. This time, you play as the needle-wielding Hornet. She was in the first game, too, but she wasn’t the main character in that one.

So, in Silksong, you get to experience her impressive combat prowess firsthand. As her, you attack at an incredible speed. This creates some very fast-paced battles that are both entertaining and look incredible. Equally impressive are the game’s traversal mechanics. You get so many abilities to help you with traversing dangerous areas and completing platforming sequences. This makes the platforming as enjoyable as the combat.

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