15 Best Modern Metroidvania Games

METROID: SAMUS RETURNS

Well, of course there was going to be a Metroid game in a feature about Metroidvania titles. When Samus Returns came out for the 3DS in 2017, it had been eight years since the last major Metroid game’s release (no, we’re not counting Other M and Federation Force, because why would we), and even longer since the last 2D Metroid, that being 2004’s Zero Mission. So for fans of the series, playing Metroid: Samus Returns was like finding a cool and clear lake in the middle of a hot and scorching desert. Was it perfect? Well, no. But it was Metroid in its purest form- and that’s a beautiful thing.