Power in Metroidvanias is earned, not granted. Through deliberate exploration and ability progression, the genre offers a rare transformation, from fragile survivor to an unstoppable force. And in the best games in the genre, that progression can lead the player down a path where their toolkit expands not just in utility, but in spectacle, turning basic traversal and combat into feats of domination.
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Many games take the barriers away, letting players unleash their full potential with an onslaught of attacks and abilities that shred through everything in their path, leaving nothing alive once everything is said and done. This power fantasy is hard to achieve, but when done correctly, the resulting satisfaction is pretty hard to beat.
Record Of Lodoss War: Deedlit In Wonder Labyrinth
Complete Mastery Of The Elements
Record of Lodoss War -Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth-
- Released
- March 12, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Blood, Fantasy Violence, Partial Nudity, Simulated Gambling
- Genre(s)
- Action
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
Elemental control is the centerpiece of Record of Lodoss War. By endgame, switching between fire and wind spirits grants both invulnerability and amplified attacks, allowing players to bypass hazards and nullify entire enemy types, turning them into a mobile force that can barely be stopped.
Combat and movement fuse into a seamless loop of floaty precision, and every input feels meaningful at all times. Attacks become omnidirectional, and traversal evolves into a dance of moves, as the player becomes a spectral juggernaut, untouched and ready to take on anything.
Guacamelee!
Lucha Libre Godhood Unleashed
Guacamelee!
- Released
- April 9, 2013
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- e
- Developer(s)
- DrinkBox Studios
- Genre(s)
- Platformer, Beat 'Em Up
What begins as a charming brawler rapidly transforms into one of the most viscerally powerful Metroidvania experiences available. Juan’s combat starts simple, but each ability unlock builds toward a feeling of overwhelming strength.
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By endgame, the player becomes a whirlwind of unrelenting pressure, as enemies and hazards fold under their combo chains and instant-recovery dodges. The combat becomes an explosive thrill-ride that leans heavily into the overpowered end of the scale, leaving the player feeling like a deity-level threat with nothing to stop them.
Ender Lilies: Quietus Of The Knights
Divine Judgment Wielded Through Others
Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights
- Released
- January 21, 2021
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Blood, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Live Wire, Adglobe
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
In Ender Lilies, the player starts weak but quickly becomes a force of sacred destruction. The strength lies in the spirits that the player commands, as once-defeated enemies turned into avatars of vengeance. As the collection grows, so does the variety and devastation of attacks, ranging from swift blades to monstrous cannon blasts.
The game’s somber, holy atmosphere enhances the godlike transformation. What starts as a journey through ruin turns into an adventure full of power and might in the hands of the player, and despite the delicate nature of the protagonist, they still hold plenty of destructive capabilities in their arsenal.
Metroid Dread
Become A Mechanical Destroyer
Metroid Dread
- Released
- October 8, 2021
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Animated Blood, Fantasy Violence
- Developer(s)
- MercurySteam
- Platform(s)
- Switch
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Metroid Dread opens with Samus hunted, restrained, and weakened, but as upgrades compound, her movement and firepower become unmatched. Sliding through tight corridors, executing instant counters, and blasting through enemies feels less like progression and more like an ascension to something more, as the player becomes something to be feared.
By the finale, Samus operates on instinct and efficiency. Enemies no longer pose a threat, and they exist only to be dismantled. The final ability, an uncontrollable surge of Metroid DNA, cements her godhood in the game, and the world around the player is no longer a maze but a kill zone.
Blasphemous 2
Stylized Action That Never Disappoints
Blasphemous 2
- Released
- August 24, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Violence
- Developer(s)
- The Game Kitchen
- Genre(s)
- Soulslike, Metroidvania, Platformer
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS5, Switch, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Blasphemous 2 feeds into the godlike playstyle slowly and procedurally. Players begin with one of three weapons, struggling to traverse through certain areas, but after a few hours of battling, they soon become a force to be reckoned with that has very little that can put them down.
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Toward the end of the game, what really elevates the godlike state is the battles against deity-level entities, where the player is clashing blades with enemies on an equal power level to themselves. When all is said and done, nothing can even lift a finger to the player's insane strength, both in their melee combat and overall destructive capabilities.
Nine Sols
So Much Power And Mobility In One Tiny Body
Nine Sols
- Released
- May 29, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Teen / Blood and Gore, Language, Use of Alcohol, Violence
- Developer(s)
- RedCandleGames
- Genre(s)
- Action, Platformer, Metroidvania, Soulslike
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Nine Sols is easily one of the best metroidvanias released in the past few years and perhaps of all time. What makes the game so great is the blending of mechanics from parries to dashes, which, when combined, allow the player to fight everything and anything in a ballet-style dance of blades.
Players start their journey with no tools at all, but after just a few hours, things start to ramp up with extra dashes and combos to decimate enemies with style. And, when taking on the tougher bosses, the satisfaction is insane from every precise input needed to clear the fights. By the end, players feel like an inevitable hero with godlike powers, ready to take on the final barrier before their story ends.
Axiom Verge
Twisted Technology That Transcends Humanity
Axiom Verge
- Released
- March 31, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
Axiom Verge thrusts players into the role of Trace, whose upgrades turn them into something beyond human, rewriting environments, phasing through walls, and reprogramming enemies. Every tool feels subversive, breaking the rules of the game’s reality and turning the player into a force that isn't afraid to break down walls.
By the final hours, Trace is less an explorer and more a system administrator of the world itself. His arsenal doesn’t just kill, but it alters existence, and where others platform, he rewrites the world, mastering it with perfection.
Ori And The Will Of The Wisps
Graceful Movement That Feels More Godlike Than Grounded
Ori and the Will of the Wisps
- Released
- March 11, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E For Everyone due to Mild Fantasy, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Moon Studios
- Genre(s)
- Platformer, Adventure
- Platform(s)
- Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Switch, PC
Ori’s ascent to power is not about raw destruction, but perfect movement. With each ability learned, the character becomes increasingly frictionless, and the game evolves from platformer to art form, where combat and traversal blend into one seamless motion.
In the end, Ori is untouchable not because of his defense or insane attack moves, but because nothing can catch him. Chaining abilities across obstacles and enemies becomes second nature, creating a fluidity few games can match, and as players glide through areas with elegance and excellence, they truly transcend the organic world into something otherworldly.
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