All articles tagged with #metroidvania
Winds of Arcana: Ruination has joined Xbox Game Pass (Premium, Ultimate, and PC tiers) as a 2.5D action-platformer where you play as Aryn to wield weapons, magic, and unlock new abilities across an interconnected map; it features 47 achievements worth 1,000 Gamerscore, including challenging goals like Deathless and Speedrunner, with several secret and multi-run unlocks appealing to completionists.
Oh, My Doug is an upcoming hand-drawn metroidvania from Odd Men In Studios, set inside the body of a very unhealthy middle-aged man. Its grotesque, ’90s cartoon–inspired visuals place you in organ-themed realms where you can chat with a talking sperm cell and wander a cemetery in the host’s bowels, as Doug tries to get healthy. Players blend abilities to navigate interconnected interiors, battle grotesque foes, and explore a world drawn and animated frame-by-frame; you can wishlist it on Steam.
id Software previews Doom: The Dark Ages – Revelations as a 35-year-in-the-making, premium DLC that runs about 10–12 hours (base plus endgame) and expands the Dark Ages with a Metroidvania-style Slayer’s Hub, a new Chain Spear with upgrade trees and counters, six Master Arenas, and retro remastered classic maps. It weaves 2016, Eternal, and classic Doom lore into a deeper, more movement-driven combat experience, adds new enemies and a heavy soundtrack, balances certain tools, and offers a large, story-driven ending with a satisfying resolution and plenty of exploration—launching July 7 on all platforms.
PLAYISM, together with Rusted Moss developer Emlise and Mini Bunnies, announced Iron Bramble, a momentum-based Metroidvania for PC via Steam in 2027. The game emphasizes elastic grappling-hook movement, a cyber-gothic megastructure setting, varied weapons and outfits, challenging platforming, and accessibility options across multiple languages.
This Is Fine: Maximum Cope is a Steam metroidvania where Question Hound dives into his psyche to conquer fears, failures, and regrets, with nightmare worlds themed around teen mishaps, gym class humiliations, and workplace taboos; KC Green mostly blesses the project, and the game aims to deliver overdue therapy for the long-anguished dog via puzzle-filled boss fights and exploratory platforming.
Cyclos' Karma Exorcist, a PS5 Metroidvania inspired by Hollow Knight, shows flowing combat and slick visuals, with a limited Steam playtest available (the demo is unfinished and may have bugs) as the developer nears production.
Infini Fun and Cyclos unveiled Karma Exorcist, an Eastern mythology–themed Metroidvania coming to PS5, Xbox Series, Switch, and PC via Steam, with a limited-time PC playtest; the game features open-ended exploration of the underworld, dynamic combat using a 360-degree Chain Hook, various artifacts and Soul Gems to customize playstyle, and multiple paths to different endings.
A reporter rounds up 13 standout games seen at PAX East, from Grave Seasons’ horror twist on farming sims to Kiln’s pottery-powered brawler, Rain98’s time-displaced visual novel, a Cyberpunk Trading Card Game, an arcade-exclusive Throwback! Jai-Alai Heroes, The Secret of Crystal Mountain’s Zelda-inspired puzzles, Canvas City’s skatepunk tactics, Fishbowl’s grief-driven life sim, Gnaw’s dinosaur-infused Metroidvania, Of the Devil’s cyberpunk courtroom mystery, Reclaim!’s Ojibwe language adventure, Poly Fighter’s evolving fighting-game roguelike, and Pokémon Champions—each pushing genres in fresh directions and worth watching as upcoming releases.
Sony's PS5 exclusive God of War: Sons of Sparta, a 2D metroidvania spin-off exploring Kratos' youth, launched to a 66 Metacritic score — the fourth-lowest for a first-party PS4/PS5 release this generation — marking the first major critical flop of 2026; while critics are unimpressed, consumer reception is somewhat warmer and sales could still recover as the year progresses.
A punishing Metroidvania about a small robot exploring a decaying Vessel; MIO starts infuriating with tight platforming and formidable bosses, but patient play and clever design reveal a satisfying rhythm influenced by Hollow Knight and Dark Souls. Accessibility options (eroded bosses, ground-heal, pacifist mode) help balance the challenge, and a secret ending rewards persistent effort, all set in watercolor, hand-drawn visuals across PC and current-gen consoles.
The Perfect Pencil for Switch is a surreal, horror-tinged metroidvania that follows John through a dreamlike, labyrinthine world. It emphasizes exploration, side quests, and upgrading a projector-based attack, with creepy characters, Burtonesque bosses, and a quirky Camera Obscura mechanic that helps navigation. While combat exists, the game isn’t punishingly tough and shines in art direction and atmosphere; however, it can be dense and features long backtracking. Overall, it’s a distinctive, smooth-running addition to the Switch’s Metroidvania lineup with a memorable, eerie vibe.
This Week in Gaming (Week 4) highlights six new releases and early-access titles: MIO: Memories in Orbit, a metroidvania aboard a tech ark; Earth of Oryn, a medieval kingdom-builder; Strategos, a large-scale real-time tactics game set in antiquity; Duel Corp., a Souls-inspired action RPG with MMO vibes; Bladesong, a swordmaking simulator; and Escape from Ever After, a fairy-tale RPG where a megacorp clashes with storybook heroes. The lineup blends indie experimentation with expansive strategy titles, signaling a varied January slate.
Indie studio Douze Dixèmes’ MIO: Memories in Orbit fuses comic-style line work with painterly color and 3D space to deliver a hand-illustrated look in a Metroidvania. Art director Etienne Thibault-Buisson and render lead Joran steer a proprietary engine (with Blender) to enforce limited palettes, clean edges, and readable visuals for exploration, while level design supports non-linear discovery and culminates in a standout end‑game scene where the stage rotates around a giant character.
The article highlights several anticipated games for 2026, including lesser-known titles like The Sinking City 2, Phantom Blade Zero, Mortal Shell II, The Dark Rites of Arkham, and Wolfhound, emphasizing their unique styles and potential impact on their genres, from survival horror to pixel art adventures and Metroidvania action.
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, a popular Metroidvania game, is available for free on the Epic Games Store for less than 24 hours as part of a holiday promotion, allowing players to download and enjoy the game at no cost.