Five More Metroidvanias to Play

Over the past few weeks your very own Perth Gaming Crew has been celebrating the Metroidvania genre, particularly the classic 2D Metroid and Castlevania games of the 8-bit and 16-bit eras respectively.

While there are many great Metroid and Castlevania games to choose from, I thought it would be in the spirit of the season to wrap up the last few weeks of celebration with a focus on five Metroidvanias that aren't from either the Metroid or Castlevania franchise, but nevertheless exhibit the fundamental and most appealing elements of the genre; an interconnected world to explore filled with secrets to uncover, progression locked behind the acquisition of new abilities or items, and a healthy dose of backtracking and the unlocking of shortcuts and/or opportunities for fast travel.

In no particular order, the five games are:

ORI AND THE BLIND FORREST

All the way back in 2015 Austrian indie developer, Moon Studios released the critically-acclaimed Ori and the Blind Forest. Drawing inspiration from classic animated features such as The Lion King and The Iron Giant, players assume control of Ori, a small white guardian spirit and Sein, who is the "light and eyes" of the Spirit Tree.

Players need to move between platforms and solve puzzles to advance through the game's four main biomes (Underground, Mountain, Pools, and Desert). The game also features a save system called "Soul Links", which allows players to save their progress at will (using energy cells collected during gameplay), and an upgrade system that allows players to strengthen Ori's skills and abilities.

Ori and the Blind Forest is available on PC and the Nintendo Switch and Xbox consoles. 

AXIOM VERGE

Also in 2015 (what a great year for Metroidvanias btw!), US-based indie developer and publisher, Thomas Happ released side-scrolling, adventure game, Axiom Verge.

Inspired by classic games such as Metroid, Contra, Blaster Master and Bionic Commando, Axiom Verge puts the player in the shoes of Trace Eschenbrenner, a scientist who, after suffering a crippling injury, wakes up in an ancient and high-tech world. The game focuses on action and exploration, and features over 60 items and power-ups. Gameplay is punctuated by challenging boss encounters where getting down patterns and uncovering weaknesses is key to gameplay progression. 

Axiom Verge is available on PC and most consoles, including PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch consoles.

PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE LOST CROWN

Did you grow up in the 80s or 90s? Do you remember swapping game cartridges with mates? Well...partly in response to my visible confusion during the April 2025 Nintendo Direct's explanation of the new virtual game card and GameShare features, earlier this year Jonathan and I instituted PGC GameBorrow™ allowing crew members to share their (physical) video game libraries with fellow crew members and their closest friends (just like in the good ol' days!). Having been a fan of the MS-DOS version of Prince of Persia back in the day, naturally I gravitated towards the idle copy of Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown in Jon's extensive Nintendo Switch library!

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, developed and published by Ubisoft in 2024, is a 2.5D action-adventure platformer that centers on the blade-wielding protagonist, Sargon and his quest to rescue a kidnapped prince from the mysterious Mount Qaf citadel. Sargon jumps, slides and air dashes his way through The Lost Crown's action and even has a Metroid Dread-esque parry manouvre in his arsenal that allows him to unleash a special ability once fully charged. 

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is available on PC, Mac, Mobile (both Android and iOS), and the modern PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch consoles.

FAXANADU

I may be stretching the Metroidvania definition slightly with this one, but in my defence the term 'Metroidvania' didn't exist when Hudson Soft developed and published Faxanadu for the Famicom in Japan in November 1987 (i.e. not much more than a year after the original Metroid released for the Famicom, and mere months after the release of Castlevania II: Simon's Quest in Japan). 

While often understandably pegged as an action-RPG (and to be fair the game is certainly more linear than either Metroid or Simon's Quest!), there is more than meets the eye to this gem from the Famicom/NES era! You play as the nameless protagonist, a wandering elf who arrives in his hometown only to find it virtually abandoned and under attack by hostile Dwarves. It soon becomes clear that the Elves' fountain water, their life source, has been stopped and all other remaining water has been poisoned. The wanderer's journey to uncover the cause of the Elven kingdom's plight takes him to four key areas of the giant tree that the game takes place in i.e. the tree's buttress, the inside of the trunk, the tree's branches and finally the Dwarves' mountain stronghold. Progress through the game depends on gaining different abilities to enter new areas, accessing weapon upgrades, and using gold to buy keys that allow access to many of the game's locked doors.

Sadly though Faxanadu is only playable via the original NES/Famicom hardware for the foreseeable future - this has been the case since the closure of the Wii Virtual console back in January 2019. Here's hoping that Faxanadu someday makes an appearance on the Nintendo Switch Online service!

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES III: RADICAL RESCUE

All the best TMNT games are side-scrolling, beat 'em ups right?

Wrong! In 1993, Konami, who also brought us the Castlevania series, released Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: Radical Rescue for the humble GameBoy. Drawing heavily on the animated series and TMNT comics of the early 90s for plot elements and character design in particular, this GameBoy classic puts the player in Michaelango's shell as he battle enemies, rescues his brothers (along with Master Splinter and of course New York City's favourite yellow jumpsuit-clad reporter, April O'Neil), whilst exploring a non-linear, maze-like environment. This single-player adventure features the turtle-swapping mechanic that was also a critical to a successful play through of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on the NES, although in this game the turtle-swap mechanic is only unlocked after Michaelango rescues each of his bros.

Being a huge fan and avid collector of the late 80s/early 90s Archie Comics run of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures, I'm eagerly looking forward to trying out this well-reviewed GameBoy game the next time I'm in the mood for some TMNT gaming fun. 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: Radical Rescue is featured in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection, which is available on PC and modern Playstation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch consoles. 

These are all games that I hope to play before 'troidvania season next rolls around! Are there any other Metroidvanias that you've been looking forward to playing or would recommend to a super fan of the genre? If so, fast travel right on over to Instagram and Bluesky and let us know all about it!! 

---Johnny @PGC

30/10/25