Metroidvania

12Dec

By PaulNo Comments

Paul’s 5 Most Anticipated Games of 2025

With 2025 less than a month away, it's time to get excited about the games releasing next year. This list is but a fraction of the titles I have on my radar — next year is shaping up to be another extraordinary year for gaming. Let's dig in to my most anticipated games of 2025. The list below is in no particular order. Wanderstop Wanderstop is the debut game from indie studio Ivy Road. On the surface it's a game about running a tea shop, gathering resources, and serving customers. Deeper than that, though, it's a story about how you can't force healing from trauma by using escapism purely as a means to an end. With Stanley Parable's Davey Wreden on design duty, it's safe to say not everything will be as it seems. Hopefully we can help Alta find peace and comfort, and learn some...

5Nov

By Ruddy CelestialNo Comments

PC Reviews

Voidwrought – PC Review

Please be aware this article contains gifs that may include flashing lights and patterns Voidwrought is an action, adventure, metroidvania that was developed by Powersnake and published by Kwalee. This game is Powersnake's first project and which was previously announced back in 2021. You can follow their development progression on their twitter profile. Seeing from where they started to how they improved and finished the game is impressive in my eyes. With the success of Voidwrought, I hope they continue to improve and make another game. Because honestly, I do want to see another game from this studio. Honestly, if this is what being in a cult is like, then it'll have me leaning on a fence. So, grab your faux goats and sacrificial daggers because we're going to drink the kool-aid into...

27Aug

By Tony CNo Comments

PlayStation Reviews

Crypt Custodian – PS5 Review

From Ori, Hollow Knight and Dead Cells, to the games that gave the genre its name, Metroid and Castlevania, Metroidvania's are some of the most beloved games across the decades of videogame lineage. Crypt Custodian is a charming new addition to the fold. 9 Lives Exhausted - Crypt Custodian Brought to life by the sibling team of Kyle and Eric Thompson and published by Top Hat Studios, the game is out now on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC. Gameplay Players take on the role of a cat, Pluto, who has just died and has passed into the afterlife. The mischievous feline is banished to spend eternity cleaning the world of the afterlife. You grab your trusty boom and head off on an adventure of exploration. Enemies are well designed not onl...

20Aug

By Tyler DenyerNo Comments

PC Reviews

Ario – PC Review

Ario, developed by Vata Games and published by Artax Games, plunges players into a vivid yet troubled world. Ario tells the story of a young warrior named Ario, who embarks on a perilous journey to rescue his mother from the clutches of dark forces. What begins as a quest to reunite with his missing parent soon becomes an epic battle against nightmares, curses, and a host of demonic enemies. With its combination of action, platforming, and tower defence elements, Ario attempts to carve out a niche in the crowded 2.5D action-adventure genre. But does it succeed? Ario, this game needed some more air yo. What really stands out in Ario is the vibrant art style and dark atmosphere. It does a great job of creating a world filled with tension and mystery, making exploration genuinely exciting...

6Jun

By DidiNo Comments

PC Reviews

Pine Hearts – PC Review

Explore the great outdoors and discover all the secrets in this small caravan park in Pine Hearts, developed by Hyper Luminal Games and published by Little Nook. This wholesome exploration and Metroidvania-lite title was released on May 24th, 2024, and is available on Steam and Nintendo Switch for £15.99. Pine Hearts and Heart Strings At first glance, Pine Hearts is a cozy, hiking game where you meet various characters and explore different locations to achieve a personal goal. It is also a tale about grief and honouring the memory of loved ones through you. If you are going through a period of grief, this may bring out strong feelings. Gameplay The story of Pine Hearts begins on a cloudy day in a train carriage. You meet Tyke, the main character who is flipping through a journal o...

18Dec

By Ruddy CelestialNo Comments

PC Reviews

Tevi – PC Review

Through the adventure going through Tevi, I've experienced some great storytelling and amazing world building. But something got caught in the cogwheel during my playthrough. And it was the time around me that would disappear playing. No regrets. Tevi is an Action, Adventure Metroidvania with some Bullet Hell splashing on there by a bucket. Developed by CreSpirit who also made a similar game format called Rabi-Rabi that I've had the pleasure of experiencing before. The game first appeared on people's radars at the OTK Games Expo 2023 on June 13th. They've even hosted a demo event from 7/21 - 8/18 to let people try it before people can wishlist it. As of writing this, they now allow people to demo the game before purchasing. I wish more developers follow CreSpirit's lead and do more...

6Jun

By VinnoNo Comments

Gaming, PC Reviews

Magenta Horizon – PC Review

Today we'll be looking at Magenta Horizon, a Metroidvania from one-man developer Hellfire Railway Interactive and published by YouTuber turned indie game micro-publisher 2 Left Thumbs. Magenta Horizon is available now for PC via Steam and will cost £8.29/$10.99. Don't Fear The Reaper Magenta Horizon is a Hollow Knight-esque Metroidvania, where you play as Gretel, a Reaper looking to make her way back to the Nest Sanctuary after her exile. Along the way you'll rescue lost souls, find new upgrades and of course, fight hordes of monsters, demons and bosses. It's a fast-paced action game that'll keep you on your... thumbs? Yeah, we'll go with that. Gameplay After choosing the difficulty, you start the game with the coffin of Gretel being stumbled upon by an old Scottish fella called...

Metroid Prime Remastered – Switch Review

10Mar

By Oliver RevoltaNo Comments

Switch Reviews

Metroid Prime Remastered – Switch Review

If you’ve never played a game in the Metroid Prime series, it’s likely that your preconceived ideas are wrong. Screenshots suggest a trio of pretty-standard first person shooters, but these games are—true to the design of the wider Metroid series as a whole—metroidvanias through and through, though rendered in a first-person 3D style. They feature the same emphasis on map-reading and exploration and almost identical platforming and action, down to the pacing of the encounters with enemies and the giant bosses. On its original release back in 2003, Metroid Prime was hailed as a masterpiece. And the game was impressive—I remember it vividly—there was something powerful in its all-encompassing atmosphere, and how via a hundred artful details and design choices it made you feel part of ...

5Jan

By Tony CNo Comments

PlayStation Reviews

The Knight Witch – PS5 Review

The Knight Witch is a single player bullet hell metroidvania adventure game. Created by Spanish developer Super Awesome Hyper Dimensional Mega Team, this is their second console release after their maiden console title Rise & Shine. Spell Cast Bullet Hell Blast Played here on PS5 the game is also available on PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC. Gameplay In The Knight Witch you play as a Rayne, a young witch who is on a quest to save her world from destruction by an invading force. You wield a customisable deck of cards which allow you to modify weapons and cast spells for attack and defense. Make your way through the world using a dual thumbstick control scheme with one stick for character movement and the other for aiming weapons in a 360 degree rotation. Fi...

12Apr

By Gareth TruemanNo Comments

PC Reviews

B.I.O.T.A Review

Developed by Small Bros and published by Retrovibe. B.I.O.T.A is a 2d Metroidvania action platformer that was released on the 12th of April 2022 for the PC. Let's bring back some good old nostalgia shall we with this B.I.O.T.A review. B.I.O.T.A - These Aliens Won't Even See It Coming When you say 8bit to gamers the first thing that will pop into their mind is Mario, Castlevania, Metroid, Sonic. Every now and then a game will surface that uses the old school 8bit graphics and give that game a modern twist. B.I.O.T.A is one of those titles so strap into for some gaming goodness. If you enjoy this review then why not check out my latest one here. You can also catch up with what the rest of the Thumb Culture team is up to on our social media. Gameplay Straight away off the bat, you'...