Metroidvania Bucket List

A metroidvania one man drew, coded and scored over five years and then gave away; the game that made indie mean something.

Soma Cruz absorbing the souls of everything he kills, and the best of the DS trilogy.

The first handheld Metroidvania of the run, with a card system that stacks two decks of magic.

Samus sent to exterminate the Metroids on their home planet, on a Game Boy screen with no map.

MercurySteam rebuild Metroid II on the 3DS, with a melee counter that changes every encounter.

Samus stranded on Viewros with a psychic link to her ship; Retro Studios after an eight-year restart.

Team Ninja give Samus a voice and a chain of command; the entry the series argues about.

Soul-stealing in 2035, and the GBA Metroidvania fans rate highest.

The 1986 original remade, plus an escape sequence without a suit.

A Metroidvania with time powers and a map you annotate; Ubisoft Montpellier again.

Samus hunted by the SA-X on a research station; the tightest 2D Metroid.

Light and dark Aether, and a doppelganger that steals your beams.

A luchador Metroidvania in a Day of the Dead Mexico; DrinkBox.

A blob in a labyrinth of secrets within secrets; the 2024 Metroidvania of hidden layers.

A scientist wakes on an alien world; one man's Metroid.

Dark Souls in 2D on an island; Ska Studios.

A Metroidvania of Andalusian Catholic horror; the Penitent One.

Samus hunted by E.M.M.I. robots on ZDR; the 2D Metroid nineteen years late.

A roguelike Metroidvania with combat that flows; Motion Twin.

A guardian spirit through a dying forest; hand-painted, with an escape up the flooding Ginso Tree.

Bigger, harder and with an owl; Moon Studios' sequel.

Samus with Wii pointer aiming across three planets; the trilogy ends.

Samus in first person on Tallon IV, scanning everything; Retro Studios' miracle.

Alucard explores Dracula's castle, then the castle upside down; the other half of Metroidvania.

The atmospheric map, the wall jump and the baby Metroid; the SNES masterpiece.

Samus Aran on Zebes, and the reveal at the end; the first half of Metroidvania.