If you’re someone who knows the Metroidvania genre, you’ll know that, by and large, the games that occupy this category tend to deliver the action from a 2D perspective. Castlevania and Metroid both created the genre with games played from a 2D perspective, so that’s entirely understandable.
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However, there are no hard and fast rules that a Metroidvania needs to have 2D platformer elements. Because, in truth, all a game needs to do to be considered a Metroidvania is provide gated progress linked to items that encourage backtracking and exploration.
That being said, an expansive map capable of befuddling even the best cartographer is damn near essential too.
So, with that in mind, we intend to show you that games produced from a 3D perspective can deliver Metroidvania experiences worthy of the genre.
11 Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver
What A Legacy
I would be lying to you if I said I was anything other than a Blood Omen guy, but even a vampire-loving dude like myself can see the brilliance of the recently remastered classic, Soul Reaver.
While many would argue that this title has more of a Zelda-like feel to it, which is common when discussing 3D metroidvanias, I believe that this one does enough to squeak into the 3D Metroidvania discussion.
This is due to the interconnected world, the insistence on backtracking to make use of newly acquired power-ups, and the inherent sense of getting lost that comes part and parcel with navigating a Metroidvania world.
I’ll concede, a lot of the backtracking is optional in a game that is completely linear if you want it to be, but if you seek out the metroidvania aspects here, there’s plenty to be found.
10 Shadowman: Remastered
Voodoo Mama Juju
It’s always good to cast your mind back to the good old days and dig up some underrated gems of eras gone by, and in terms of 3D metroidvanias, Shadowman is certainly one of those.
This title was originally released during the Dreamcast era, but despite the popularity of the comic book Shadowman was based on, it was one of those titles that paled in comparison to the action-packed Tomb Raider, Castelavania, and Dino Crisis titles of the era.
However, thanks to the remaster, gamers can now play a polished version of this 3D Metroidvania gem that has a dark, gritty setting, fantastic voodoo-fuelled mechanics, and a semi-linear format that offers player freedom when it comes to progression.
The combat and movement still feel cumbersome and stiff, but if you can get past that, there’s a lot to love about this undead, Vin Diesel-looking dude.
9 Powerslave Exhumed
Rip And… Explore
Staying on the thread of old relics brought back from the pits of abandonware hell; we have a PS1 boomer-shooter hit that has more than enough Metroidvania elements to appear on this list.
It’s definitely cut from the same cloth as games of the era like DOOM, Quake, Wolfenstein, and Duke Nukem, but where it sets itself apart from those iconic shooters is how it handles progression.
Here, you aren’t just mindlessly killing demons to push through to the next room; you’ll need to acquire items, backtrack, and navigate an overworld with new areas to unlock.
It’s all the bloodthirsty, bombastic action of a boomer-shooter but with thoughtful, joined-up level design, making for a more elevated Rip-and-Tear experience.
8 Castlevania: Curse of Darkness
A Legacy Pick
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- Released
- November 1, 2005
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood, Violence
- How Long To Beat
- 13 Hours
- Metascore
- 70
While everyone may have been waiting for the mention of Lords of Shadow, the simple fact of the matter is that while it’s a good game, it’s not all that stands out when it comes to Metroidvania aspects due to its linear approach.
The same is true of Curse of Darkness, but here’s the thing. We are including this one for two reasons. One, it’s a game that steps things up compared to all other 3D Castlevanias with an excellent story, great combat, and the compelling ID system. And two, we love it in spite of the labored Metroidvania elements.
The level design is poor, with large empty sections filled with enemies to pad them out, which feels like a drag, making exploration a chore.
However, if you can battle through these sections, everything else is brilliant and offers quintessential CV action.
7 Hob
An Isometric Icon
- Released
- September 26, 2017
- Developer(s)
- Runic Games
- Publisher(s)
- Runic Games
- Engine
- OGRE
- ESRB
- e
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
If you’re looking for a game that blurs the lines between Zelda-Like and 3D Metroidvania, then you’ve found it, as Hob is the perfect balanced blend.
In terms of combat and abilities, the game leans very much towards the Zelda formula, with a top-down hack-and-slash design that feels accessible and fluid in practice.
However, when it comes to world design, this is one straight out of the Metroidvania playbook, as players will be thrown into a world with little explanation of what’s going on and will need to explore, chart their map, and make sense of their surroundings.
Then, as you discover more Schematics for your glove, you’ll be able to reach new areas, uncover new collectibles, find new shortcuts, and more.
It’s a gorgeous, dynamic, and criminally underrated 3D metroidvania that deserves your time and attention.
6 Lunacid
A Dark Souls Demake
Before we start talking about the real thing, how about a first-person indie Dark Souls to whet your appetite for the FromSoft giant coming up?
Lunacid is a gritty fantasy demake of sorts from the guys that made the incredible horror title Lost in Vivo, which places deep underground via the Deep Well, and through solving obtuse environmental puzzles, navigating this interconnected world, and bartering with a crow, you just might be able to survive and thrive.
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The combat is intentionally stiff, as if you’re playing Elden Ring on the N64, but this only adds to the overall charm, and the world is fascinating with loads of secrets to uncover, which will in turn, allow you to access new areas and explore further.
Anyone who loved King’s Field back in the day will adore this one, so be sure to check this one out.
5 Dark Souls
You Died
Okay, now let’s move on to the game that truly kicked off the Souls genre we know and love today. While many might dispute this one when it comes to its potential 3D Metroidvania status, I am not one of those people.
Due to the incredible world design complete with puzzles, boss gates and shortcuts. Not to mention, there is a wealth of items and skills players need to have at their disposal to reach certain areas, and it’s clearly bursting at the seams with metroidvania-inspired aspects.
Couple this with the fact that the game offers one of the most skill-focused, punishing, and rewarding RPG experiences ever produced, and you have a game that is a certified bucket list title.
Sure, it’s a little dated and probably not the best beginner souls game, but if you want to see what was the catalyst FromSoft’s industry domination, this is the game to play.
4 Batman Arkham Asylum
It’s Da Bat!
- Released
- August 25, 2009
- Developer(s)
- Rocksteady Studios
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 3
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Alcohol and Tobacco Reference, Blood, Mild Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- How Long To Beat
- 12 Hours
- Metascore
- 92
- PS Plus Availability
- Premium
The beloved Batman Trilogy may be best known for its robust combo-based combat system that has become a staple of action games and superhero games since. But, even if you didn’t realize as the time as you hurled punches at Henchmen, this one is a Metroidvania at its core.
Whether it’s by unlocking Explosive Gel or a Line Launcher, these bat-tools will allow you to access previously inaccessible areas and expand the interconnected world of Gotham’s notorious asylum for the deranged.
Plus, these tools double up as a means of smoother traversal, unlocking shortcuts while also acting as a critical means of taking down the brutes that would mean you harm.
It’s the joined-up thinking you would expect from a Metroidvania, just with some DC Comics flair and AAA polish.
3 Metroid Prime 2
A Prime Candidate
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First-Person Shooter
Metroidvania
- Released
- November 15, 2004
- Multiplayer
- Local Multiplayer
- Engine
- Heavily modified Metroid Prime engine
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Animated Blood, Violence
- How Long To Beat
- 17 Hours
- How Long To Beat (Completionist Runs)
- 21.5 Hours
I’ll admit, I was torn between the initial Metroid Prime and the fantastic sequel, but in the end, I feel that the sequel is the definitive way to play Metroid Prime, at least until the fourth installment comes along. You know, if it comes along.
This is because it takes the original’s brief of making Super Metroid into a 3D game, and then ups the ante in just about every way imaginable with awesome power-ups, a bigger, more varied world to explore, and more nuanced and detailed lore to uncover.
Plus, Prime 2 isn’t afraid to up the difficulty factor too, serving as a more stiff test for veteran Metroid fans.
I’ll concede: I don’t think anything tops the Sanctuary Fortress in the original, but pound-for-pound, Metroid Prime 2 is superior on all counts. And the less we say about Prime 3, the better.
2 Supraland
A Solo-Developed Gem
As the game’s description says, it’s a mix between Portal, Zelda and Metroid, and I couldn’t agree more.
you might think from the colorful art style that Supraland is a kids game through and through, but as soon as you’re stumped by one of the many incredibly designed puzzles, you’ll rethink that immediately.
This is a game that forces you to keep lots of mental tabs open to remember various things you’ll need to come back for later, forces players to think outside the box to great effect, and like a lot of metroidvanias, beating the final boss is far from a signal that you’ve reached the end.
The only downside is the combat which is rather one-dimensonal to say the least, but thanks to the expansive world, amazing puzzles and oodles of content, this is a small blemish on what is otherwise a pristine 3D Metroidvania.
1 Pseudoregalia
Do A Flip!
In a list all about remarkable 3D Metroidvanias, there’s only one correct way to put the cherry atop the cake, and that’s by giving the indie gem Pseudoregalia its flowers.
This title is a 3D platformer at its core, where players will start in an enigmatic world, and through exploring, they’ll be able to fight bosses, find new areas, and platform their way to new upgrades.
But here’s the thing, only with these upgrades will you slowly but surely unlock and learn to master this game’s truly fantastic traversal system.
It’s a title that allows players to enter a parkour flow state as they wall-run, gainer backflip, and leap to their next destination with the grace of a falcon.
Sure, it’s not a looker, and the controls take some getting used to, but it’s one of the most rewarding Metroidvanias out there and a one-of-a-kind experience you need to try.
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