10 More Delightful Metroidvania Titles To Play!
Castlevania is a classic video game series that has captivated players for years. Each entry has a dark atmosphere, pleasing gameplay, and a catchy soundtrack that brings their worlds to life. From its eerie castle setting to the beautifully designed enemies and environments, Castlevania creates a visually immersive world that’ll excite many gamers. Whether you’re a fan of titles like Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest or Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, you’re bound to find one of the titles listed below enjoyable.
If you’ve finished playing the Castlevania series and are looking for alternatives – fret not! We’ve combed through the archives and saved you the hassle with our top 10 picks.
Of course, for all the games we’ve reviewed, we’ve also added a handy link, so you can check out our full thoughts on that and see if it’s something you want to invest your time in.
So without further ado, we present 10 games to check out if you’re looking for games like the Castlevania series.
Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon
Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon is a fabulous retro platformer brought to you by the famous Kenji Igarashi. This game offers a challenging and rewarding experience, reminiscent of the classic titles that shaped the genre. Curse of the Moon’s detailed pixel art and vibrant colors and dreadful atmosphere mirrors that of the Castlevania series.
Furthermore, the gameplay mechanics pay homage to the classic titles wonderfully. They’re tight and responsive, requiring players to have precise timing and skill to progress through each level. The game’s lead protagonist, Zangetsu, embarks on a journey to stop a menacing demon who lurks in a castle. The people Zangetsu meets carry unique abilities and items that’ll aid him.
From Miriam’s whip to Alfred’s magic spells, players will adore having them along for the ride. On top of having challenging platforming sections and intense boss battles where you must analyze enemy attack patterns to prevail, Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon is a great alternative for fans of the classic Castlevania titles.
Infernax
Infernax is a modern Metroidvania title that many Castlevania enthusiasts will love. Like the classic Castlevania titles, Infernax features challenging 2D platforming segments that require precise jumps, dodges, and attacks. The premise centers around a knight who returns to his homeland, only to find it plagued by a strange curse.
It carries with it strong demon themes but a dark atmosphere that closely resembles Castlevania’s tone. The knight’s journey has him fighting many bloodthirsty monsters, each having incredible designs and animations that match the game’s horrifying nature. This title also offers shared split-screen co-op support and multiple endings for you to uncover, based on your decisions in the game. In addition to having a fabulous Deux Or Die update that adds more value to the game, Infernax is a must-play for Castlevania fans.
Hollow Knight
Hollow Knight is a fantastic Metroidvania title with an immersive setting, a well-written plot, and a fantastic art style. Like Castlevania, this game gives players a vast and lively world to explore. During your quest, you’ll meet many colorful NPCs and challenging bosses. Each boss fights differently, requiring players to adapt and develop excellent strategies to defeat them.
Like Simon Belmont, Hollow Knight’s Knight has many tricks up their sleeve that’ll make your time with the game enjoyable and thrilling. Furthermore, the game’s littered with many secret areas and encourages players to participate in some backtracking shenanigans.
Lastly, both games feature dark yet compelling worlds rich in lore and history. If any of that interests you, give Hollow Knight a chance.
Timespinner
Another Metroidvania title that takes direct inspiration from the classics of the genre is Timespinner. Like the Castlevania series, this game adopts the side-scrolling action platformer format. It emphasizes precise combat, exploration, and platforming. In it, you’ll control Lunais, a time-traveler who battles many enemies and confronts powerful bosses.
Lunais’s journey mirrors the protagonists found in most Castlevania games. You’ll obtain new weapons, traverse challenging locales, and discover secret areas. Furthermore, both games emphasize player progression and character development. The upgrades you receive throughout Timespinner will enhance Lunais’s skills, allowing you to deal better damage to your enemies.
In addition to having a dark and foreboding atmosphere like Castlevania, Timespinner is a great alternative for fans to play.
Cathedral
Cathedral is a Metroidvania title with gameplay that mirrors most Castlevania titles. It’s a side-scrolling platformer that requires you to navigate through challenging levels while battling enemies and avoiding traps. It emphasizes precision-based combat and encourages players to time their jumps and attacks carefully to prevail in the end.
Furthermore, this game’s art direction and themes are similar to the Castlevania series. Cathedral includes spooky depictions of graveyards and castles that echo the foreboding settings found in the Castlevania series. Additionally, Cathedral’s pixel art is visually stunning and will remind players of their times traversing through Dracula’s castle and other areas in Castlevania.
In addition to having a similar progression system where you obtain new weapons and upgrades during your travels, Cathedral’s a must-play for Castlevania fans.
Axiom Verge
Axiom Verge is a side-scrolling platformer with atmospheric world-building and fabulous gameplay mechanics. In it, players assume the role of Trace, a scientist trapped in a mysterious alien world known as Sudra. As Trace ventures through this interconnected setting, he’ll uncover numerous secrets and engage in heated battles with enemies. This sense of exploration and discovery will provide Castlevania fans with similar captivating experiences they had while playing through that series’s multiple titles.
Furthermore, Axiom Verge includes multiple weapons and upgrades for players to acquire during Trace’s quest. From conventional firearms to useful tools, Axiom Verge ensures that players will have ways to approach each scenario without issues.
Lastly, Axiom Verge’s world-building is on par with Castlevania’s. Players will adore exploring this game’s alien landscapes and growing attached to the life born within it.
If you’re looking for a fabulous sci-fi horror-themed Metroidvania-like game, check out Axiom Verge.
Wallachia: Reign of Dracula
Wallachia: Reign of Dracula is a game that channels the spirit of classic Castlevania and a bit of Contra to boot. Like the Castlevania series, this game has players navigating through various levels, defeating monsters, and avoiding dangerous traps as they go. Its protagonist Elcin is on the hunt for Vlad Dracula and plans to defeat him to free Wallachia of his control.
The seven levels of Elcin traverses contain a great amount of horror and depth like those found in the Castlevania games. From chained-up chambers to dreadful forests, Castlevania fans will feel at home while traversing through this game’s locales. Instead of a whip, Elcin wields a bow and arrow, allowing for more acrobatic forms of combat.
Nonetheless, the boss designs and battles should elicit fantastic responses from gamers. On top of having neat costumes for you to collect on top of some extra stages that’ll interest you, Wallachia: Reign of Dracula should leave you satisfied by the end of it all.
Chasm
Chasm is a fun game that takes inspiration from hack-and-slash and Metroidvania titles of the past. Like the Castlevania series, Chasm adopts a gothic-like aesthetic and has atmospheric locales that’ll help you stay immersed in its storytelling and gameplay. The game features many exciting locations for you to travel through from eerie castles to haunted forests.
Similarly, Chasm adopts pixelated graphics, capturing the essence of the old-school Castlevania titles. Additionally, Chasm incorporates a haunting soundtrack that enhances the tension felt during its critical segments. Furthermore, this game emphasizes exploration and has you searching for hidden passages and secret rooms.
Coupled with its emphasis on thought-provoking battles and epic boss battles, Chasm is a delightful platformer that should hold you over.
Toziuha Night: Dracula’s Revenge
Toziuha Night: Dracula’s Revenge leans a bit on the anime side of things, but captures the spirit of the older Castlevania entries well. In it, players follow Xandria, a girl who embarks on a quest to end the villainry that resides in Dracula’s castle to end Translyvania’s suffering. Like Simon and others, she’ll fight numerous beasts utilizing her iron whip, resulting in fun monster-slaying endeavors.
Combat aside, Toziuha Night embraces a similar dark and gothic atmosphere as the Castlevania series. The game’s pixelated visuals and haunting soundtrack create an immersive experience that transports players to a world filled with supernatural creatures and atmospheric dread. Coupled with its memorable boss encounters, symphonic music tracks, and easy-to-learn but difficult-to-master gameplay mechanics, Toziuha Night: Dracula’s Revenge should entertain Castlevania fans.
Blasphemous
So there we have it, our 10 video game picks to keep you busy after playing any of the Castlevania games.
What do you think of our picks? Do you agree? Are there any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!
Hi Doom,
I did some updates after giving the piece another read through. I have listed Infernax on the top of the list now. Thank you for the feedback! =D
Infernax is as close to castlevania as it comes and should have been one of the picks. It takes metroidvania style similar to Castlevania 2 Simons quest. Also the way you choose to complete quests determine one of multiple endings to the game. It uses demonic themes rather than gothic style but should be on everyone’s playlist that enjoys castlevania games!
None of these are like the castlevania you pictured, they’re like symphony of the night and later releases.