While saying the journey is as important as the destination is a bit of a cliché, I think it’s a particularly pertinent idea for the Metroidvania genre.
Contrary to what many believe, especially given the rise of Soulslike games, titles that take their cues from Metroid and Castlevania aren’t just about earning upgrades and defeating bosses; they’re also deeply tied to a sense of adventure.
“Discovering”, “experiencing”, “testing”, and “learning” are the kinds of verbs I like to use to describe these works’ hearts, and these can only be understood based on each video game’s ability to make you feel spontaneously and willingly part of its world.
It’s easier said than done, though numerous representatives of the genre perfectly demonstrate what I mean, as I invite you to discover through this list of ten Metroidvanias with the most rewarding exploration.
10
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
Challenges Are The Prize
Although Ubisoft is a company I’ve stopped following for many years, I recognize they won over a part of me with Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown.
The game reminds me of the French studio from the beginning of the last decade that knew how to take a winning formula and fully exploit it with a remarkable personality, which is completely true for Sargon’s journey.
Although the rewards of exploring its beautiful map usually come in the form of cosmetics or minor tools you’ll probably never use, I’m including it because its mechanics are so refined that the challenges themselves are the reward.
Given how demanding these sections are, I imagine the developer refrained from including very interesting or powerful items to prevent less skilled players from feeling left out, which I understand may upset some users.
However, just for the fun of completing a convoluted platforming sequence or defeating a mini-boss, I’ll include it and celebrate it, as I believe not everything has to be productive to be worthwhile.
9
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance
A Secret To Reveal
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance may not be the purest Metroidvania in history, but it’s among the best games of 2025 and the most enjoyable to explore in depth.
Since every area is separated by screens and has clear indicators of what you missed in each one, the incentive to re-explore them is noticeable even for those, like me, who aren’t usually interested in fully completing games.
Following in The Last Crown’s footsteps, rewards are often negligible, but the joy of overcoming the most difficult platforming sections and waves of enemies in the game is excellent thanks to Shinobi: Art of Vengeance’s wonderful combat system.
Even so, the most decisive factor has to do with a secret boss fight hidden behind an exhaustive exploration of absolutely every corner of the game. I don’t want to spoil it too much, but I wholeheartedly recommend you look for all the Lab Keys; you’ll thank me for it.
8
Blasphemous 2
Upgrades Don’t Appear By Themselves
It’s both interesting and unusual that Blasphemous 2 breaks Metroidvanias’ standards and has almost no optional content, as everything interesting is usually mandatory.
However, the fact that I can’t claim there are hidden bosses or secret areas doesn’t mean that exploring isn’t a delight, which is precisely due to the gameplay refinement it has compared to its predecessor.
From fighting common enemies to platforming, everything has a tremendous level of polish, and behind each challenge, there are typically significant rewards that energize the gameplay and make the campaign more accessible.
I know I said not everything you do in a video game has to be productive, but when the map is so well-structured and everything is so fluid to find, it’s tough not to find satisfaction in its usefulness.
Also, the final boss is one of the hardest I’ve had the opportunity to witness in the genre, so you’ll need all the help you can get. Still, just to see more of Blasphemous 2’s divine audiovisuals, it’s worth finding every last pixel.
7
Ori and the Will of the Wisps
Between Quests and Secrets
As exploration is vital to a Metroidvania, engaging movement mechanics are equally indispensable, which is why I’m a huge fan of Ori and the Will of the Wisps.
The sequel expanded the first title’s scope in multiple ways, though its greatest success was a quest system that finally gave me compelling reasons to see more than just what was strictly necessary, taking advantage of its improved gameplay.
The world is more alive, the secrets are more unique, and the connection with its characters is more genuine, though everything feels perfectly cohesive thanks to how enjoyable it is to exploit Ori’s movement as he acquires new abilities.
Again, Ori and the Will of the Wisps embraces the concept of not hiding tools or items too important behind this content. However, believe me when I say you’ll only truly appreciate the experience by fully exploring its world, acting as a cartographer to help the locals, and bringing soup to the Mokis.
6
Aeterna Noctis
Boss Fight Overdose
Aeterna Noctis isn’t exactly a popular title among its peers, and honestly, I understand: it’s extremely difficult in every aspect, to the point where even an experienced player of the genre might not be able to finish it.
Nevertheless, if you’re able to push past its high level of difficulty, you’ll find yourself in one of the most content-dense Metroidvanias, with several areas, bosses, platforming challenges, and secrets that honestly seem out of this world.
The game isn’t as refined as previous titles on this list, but what it does excel at is making you want to discover the end of the map, because it’s thrilling to go from an underground robotic city to a paradise of flying islands with dragons or the cosmos itself.
Most of the time, your reward for exploring is a life-shattering boss, so I have to emphasize this isn’t a title for everyone. However, if you’re all about pushing yourself to the absolute limit, I can think of few alternatives better than Aeterna Noctis.
5
Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist
In Search of True Closure
Anyone who’s had the chance to read me knows what a massive follower I am of Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights, but I have to give the spot on this list to its successor, Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist.
Although the game doesn’t generate the same narrative impact or feature an equally iconic soundtrack, Lilac stars in a tremendously immersive Metroidvania whose aesthetics and interconnectivity kept me on edge every second.
All of the above makes it an excellent experience, but what cements its place in this article is the fact that exploring brings about the true ending, a trend many games of this ilk have begun to follow, and it works wonders.
If you want to engage with the title on a superficial level, you can beat it to its standard ending and move on with your life, but if you connect with it, explore its world, and make proper use of its mechanical possibilities, you’ll find a much more satisfying resolution to the journey.
Plus, that extra bit of digging deeper into the game brings with it access to new bosses and areas, which feels glorious when you think you’ve finished Ender Magnolia and are left wanting more (which is very likely).
4
Nine Sols
Point of No Return
I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say Nine Sols features some of the best combat the genre has ever seen, but praising its main encounters is only the tip of the iceberg.
The title boasts perfect gameplay where precision and rhythm make you feel like you’re on top of the world when you master them, also thanks to demanding bosses that will force you to be incredibly adept at the mechanics if you want to overcome them.
However, Red Candle Games is a studio that, like the developers of Devotion and Detention, knows how to create mind-blowing stories, and Nine Sols is no exception, as long as you’re willing to find every piece of lore, talk to every NPC, and defeat every Sol.
All of this is relevant to exploration because the main motivation for getting lost in this world is fighting, but the meaning comes from side missions given to us by our allies in order to, eventually, find the secret ending.
With that in mind, I’ll tell you a couple of things: Nine Sols has one of the best casts of characters in the genre, and probably the best boss fight in its history. If that doesn’t convince you of its quality, nothing will.
3
Salt and Sanctuary
The Light is Only for the Curious
In an era where Soulslike and Metroidvania games hadn’t yet fully established themselves, Salt and Sanctuary arrived to combine the two in the most prodigious way possible.
By merging two genres where backtracking, relentless exploration, and obtaining sensible upgrades to keep progressing are fundamental pillars, you get twice the satisfaction from the same structure, since they basically overlap.
I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve been amazed by snooping around a dark room and discovering an entire area, even after 30 hours of play, sometimes hidden behind midair parkour or kilometer-long falls that you think are impossible to go through, but actually are.
Whether it’s finding a new Creed, stumbling upon a burning warrior, or unearthing a game-breaking weapon, there will always be worthwhile reasons to dive into every screen Salt and Sanctuary presents, without a single second of filler that feels out of place or less valuable than the rest.
2
Animal Well
The Core of Everything
If there’s a game that thrives on exploration, it’s Animal Well, a work whose very core lies in the player’s intrigue to discover how its obtuse universe works.
Nothing speaks more in favor of good exploration than the voluntary act of pursuing it, and since absolutely nothing in this game is explicit or formally detailed, it depends entirely on your ability to act on the intrigue its strangeness generates.
It’s a risky design decision, but moments like discovering you can ride the disc you throw or there’s a song to return to the game’s HUB are things you’ll never forget because they are discovered naturally, without intermediaries telling you the answers.
It may not have traditional combat or bosses, but it doesn’t need them. Despite being a common characteristic among its peers, Animal Well turns one of the genre’s strengths—exploration—into its sole and main interest, making it stand out above all others in this department.
If you think otherwise, try playing it and containing the joy of discovering that a key you found in your first few minutes turned out to be useful in the other corner of the map 15 hours in. That magic is indescribable, and no one embodies it like Animal Well.
1
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Unimaginable Dimensions
I know what I said in the previous entry, but Hollow Knight: Silksong’s sheer scale and perfection are a force that not even the most atypical approach can match.
Team Cherry’s creation takes whatever reason I’ve outlined for including the previous titles in this article and gives them a better version, whether we’re talking about plot-motivating characters, pleasurable movement mechanics, or hidden areas you find behind a false wall in your fiftieth hour of play.
The look on your face when you’re three weeks into the campaign and discover you’ve only seen 78% of it is too incredible to explain properly, especially since Silksong is adept at surprising you more and more despite every fiber of your being telling you it’s no longer possible.
Recency bias may play a role in my statements, but I haven’t felt emotions like this while playing a video game since Elden Ring, and before that, probably never, as not even the equally outstanding Hollow Knight generated them in me.
Hollow Knight: Silksong is a once-in-a-lifetime title, largely because of the way it always gives you more and better. You’ll find yourself changing which is your favorite boss and area every time you play, and then eventually you’ll struggle to assemble your overall dearests (as I did) because it’s so horizontally masterful.
