Easy Metroidvania Games For Beginners

The Metroidvania genre is one of the most popular in gaming history. Two of the gaming world’s biggest franchises, Metroid and Castlevania, have such long legacies that their style transformed itself into a full genre within the gaming industry, which has remained hugely popular to this day among indie developers. The blend between Metroid/Castlevania makes for some great games.

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While it can be difficult to get into the Metroidvania style, there are a few modern games that are great for new players attempting to try it out. Building fantastical worlds and introducing in a gentler fashion some of the brutal aspects of this genre, these games will allow players to fall in love with the idea of playing more difficult Metroidvania games later such as Hollow Knight.

8 Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

While there are easier Metroidvania games, it is hard to ignore the idea of beginning a player’s new journey in the genre with one of the games responsible for its creation. Castlevania and Metroid are the two franchises whose style inspired all future Metroidvania games, and Symphony of the Night is the very best Castlevania game ever to exist, having inspired plenty of games more recently.

There are a lot of reasons why this is a good jumping-on point, but besides all of that, the difficulty isn’t actually as bad as it initially seems. Metroidvania games almost all come with some challenges, but Castlevania generally makes it easy to over-level and get less challenge out of the game if players so wish.

7 Chasm

One of the more recent great entries within the Metroidvania genre, Chasm was released in 2018 and is available on a variety of platforms. One of the best things about Chasm, which was heavily inspired by Castlevania, is that the entire world map is procedurally generated, as opposed to just the contents of each individual dungeon.

The story of Chasm involves a young boy attempting to prove himself a worthy knight, and as such, there are several challenging boss fights throughout Chasm. These are good for aspiring Metroidvania players though, since most games in the genre have similar boss fights that rely on learning the attack patterns, and Chasm’s bosses are certainly less challenging than some similar game boss fights.

6 Guacamelee

One of the more comedic, light-hearted entries in the Metroidvania style, Guacamelee is not a pure Metroidvania game, it acts as more of a hybrid between a Metroidvania and a brawler game. Drawing inspiration from Mexican culture, focusing on Juan, who is killed and returned from the Land of the Dead bearing a mask that transforms him into a powerful Luchador.

There are many features in Guacamelee that are familiar to the Metroidvania style, especially the non-linear gameplay and gathering coins to buy more abilities. The best thing for beginners about Guacamelee is that players don’t have to play it alone, a second player can drop into their game to assist, making any challenge presented by this Metroidvania game much easier to handle.

5 Axiom Verge

The Metroidvania genre has been driven in recent years by the indie development scene, and Axiom Verge is a great example of an indie-developed and highly underrated Metroidvania. With an intriguing story about a scientist who awakens on an alien world after a lab explosion, the Metroid-inspired art and narrative make Axiom Verge one of the most fascinating games released in recent times.

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With over sixty different power-ups to gain and plenty of levels, Axiom Verge is a perfect beginner game in the Metroidvania style. Players are able to play at their own pace and gain plenty of these abilities, making the game much easier than it would be if players attempted to rush it.

4 Owlboy

This is one of the games that least represents the more in-depth style of Metroidvania games, but nevertheless remains a great choice for players to give a go because of the way it introduces so many elements of Metroidvania games to players who may not know much about them yet.

Owlboy is an easy game to get the hang of, players get to solve a variety of puzzles and engage in combat while using a variety of abilities, including Owlboy’s flight. The game involved a long development process of nine years in attempts to get the flight and other abilities right, but it came out as a sweet and wonderful game that is great for beginners to the Metroidvania style, and the indie developers behind it have a surprising next game on the way.

3 Timespinner

Another game that was greatly inspired by Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, this game allows players to take control of a time messenger as they explore a castle, fighting enemies and finding upgrades to allow previously inaccessible areas to be reached.

The great thing about Timespinner, besides helping players get familiar with almost all the controls they could expect from most Metroidvania games. But what makes Timespinner a truly great intro game is the capability the player has to stop time at will, allowing them to constantly get their bearings and take, quite literally, their own time with the game.

2 Shadow Complex

A 2009 release that set itself in 2.5D, Shadow Complex is heavily inspired by the Metroid franchise, taking place in an underground cavern where a couple find themselves after a spelunking trip goes awry. In the style of Metroidvanias, there is plenty to be done in re-traversing the same areas with new abilities, collecting those new helpful items, and more.

Shadow Complex is a stand-alone game apart from some of the infamous franchises that helped create the Metroidvania style, but it is still an ingenious one, having been nominated for many Game of the Year awards upon release. While there are bonus challenge levels available, the majority of the game itself is safe for beginners to try out, not providing too strenuous a challenge, and it has just recently been remastered for the PS5.

1 Ori And The Blind Forest

Often regarded as one of the best games, not just in the Metroidvania genre, to be released in the past ten years, Ori and the Blind Forest is an incredible game. Without touching Castlevania or Metroid, players can get an incredible narrative, plenty of new abilities and areas to revisit, and an artistic style that is completely mesmerizing, building a beautiful world with surprising darkness lurking within.

Ori and the Blind Forest is already responsible for helping find the Metroidvania genre plenty of new fans, this incredible game holds some challenges but is well worth trying, and it never becomes hard to the point of real frustration. It also has a much more challenging sequel for those looking to test themselves after they finish.

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