Nail Arts are helpful abilities that the Knight can learn from the Nailmasters. There are three different Nail Arts - Cyclone Slash, Dash Slash, and Great Slash - that are all boosted by the Nailmaster’s Glory charm, which can be obtained from Sly after you learn all three Nail Arts. This charm increases the effectiveness of using Nail Arts by decreasing the time needed to charge the Art

Yoku's Island Express is a Metroidvania pinball adventure. Now, that’s a new genre. It sounds weird but it worked so well. It also stars a bunch of bugs, but unlike Hollow knight charms Knight , it’s a lot more upbeat. This may be the best diversion to play immediately after finishing that game. Try not to smile when playing

So it is no surprise that the game eventually broke out of the indie bubble, managing to steal the hearts of players of all ages. And that universal appeal is exactly why its critic score sits so high above the competit

Like Hollow Knight , Guacamelee has a huge focus on combat. You will explore the interconnected world like any Metroidvania i.e. collect new powers to explore new paths, get new health upgrades, and so forth. What makes it different is the wrestling focused in combat with tons of moves to perform and master. The big plus is that it offers co-op. Both this and the sequel are worth checking

Add all of that to the fact that Hornet is the playable character in this chapter with brand-new abilities (to love and hate, sure), plenty of challenging bosses are waiting for you in every corner, there are a bunch of quests with even stranger NPCs around, and that Shakra’s voice is simply amazing – and that’s it. You have another Metroidvania masterpi

Goldman designed the boss’ look and named him after himself as a sort of memorial. Team Cherry was happy to work with Goldman, describing him as "a really cool young guy we were fortunate enough to meet and get to know." Team Cherry revealed Seth in a Reddit post teasing that he "guards a secret long forgotten and will attack any who stray too close", and "will fight until the very end, and beyond." Goldman got to see Seth in action before passing, "I saw some footage and he is amazing and fast." It was easy to read pride in another post where Goldman called Seth "a monst

After Goldman’s death, his father sent Monroy an email (graciously shared with TheGamer.com) telling her, "Seth had a real dream come true" due to her work with Team Cherry. "He LOVED that game," he said, adding "Seth's soul lives on in a video game and in the hearts of all that knew h

This reduced charge time is especially useful when dispatching multiple enemies at once, such as in the Colosseum of Fools. It only costs one notch to equip it, so there’s no real downside to using

I think pretty much everyone can agree that Ori and the Blind Forest is just as beautiful and challenging as Hollow Knight – and some would say that it is even more challenging, mostly because trying to survive its platforming hell sequences while tears are coming out of your eyes is a genuinely elite-level t

It is a difficult quest all by itself, but it is something players can spend their time on. Plus, it comes with a decent amount of interesting lore for those who are interested in it. But be warned, attempting to complete this quest can easily frustrate some players. With the quest requiring the player to abstain from fast travel, it is not at all uncommon for a player to be forced to retry the quest over and over ag

Bloodstained is the most recent Metroidvania on this list as of 2019. It falls more in line with the "vania" part of the equation as it is truly emulating Castlevania from the look, RPG elements, castle, and so on. It’s not as ominous as Hollow Knight and it falls on the easier side if one grinds enough. That said it does have a fun gameplay loop filled with lots of secrets to uncover while exploring the castle’s dep

Most good Metroidvanias thrive on satisfying players out of the mere act of exploration itself, and Hollow Knight is no exception to this golden rule. Exploring every nook and cranny of this intriguing world is a marvelous experience and something that no self-respecting fan of good Metroidvanias should miss out

This may have the least to do with Hollow Knight , but it's somewhat relevant. The reason it made it on the list is because it has excellent animations for a sprite-based game. It’s a shooter in the vein of a 2D Borderlands mixed with Monster Hunt

One of the biggest selling points of Blasphemous is its setting, which is as interesting as can be, lifting heavily from Spanish folklore. The religious motifs and allegories present make for a truly entertaining experience ind

Sometimes I catch myself thinking about how Hollow Knight ’s development story is still one of my favorites in the gaming industry. Not only because it was a Kickstarter project that barely reached its goal days before the campaign ended, but also because it serves as a brilliant reminder of how a simple idea can evolve into something truly signific