Video games in general can be very time-consuming to complete, with many modern games taking upwards of 30 hours or more to complete, especially when it comes to RPGs and open-world titles.
Similarly, by their very nature, metroidvania games can take a long time to finish, especially if players are striving to explore every nook and cranny of a game’s map, but metroidvania games can still offer fun, brief gaming sessions for those who have busy schedules.
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Here’s a list of 10 metroidvania games that can be completed in relatively short time periods but still offer fun, short gaming sessions that players can easily go back to whenever they have a bit of free time on the go or at home.
10
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Fighting Through Arkham Asylum
When people typically think of metroidvania games, they tend to only picture 2D games akin to Mega Man titles, but some of the best metroidvania games are actually third-person 3D titles, with one such game being Rocksteady Studios’ Batman: Arkham Asylum.
The first entry in the acclaimed Arkhamverse, Batman: Arkham Asylum has players embody Kenvin Conroy’s Batman one night as he’s forced to fight his way through Arkham Asylum after Mark Hamill’s Joker and the rest of the asylum’s crazed inmates broke out, took over the facility, and plan to terrorize Gotham City with bombs and legion of Titan enhanced criminals.
Arkham Asylum can take about 10 hours to finish its story, making it a perfect game to play in brief gaming sessions as players methodically take down Gotham’s most villainous inmates, especially for those who play the game on the go on Nintendo Switch or Steam Deck.
9
Aliens: Infestation
An Underrated Horror Metroidvania
Developer
WayForward
Release Date
September 29, 2011
Platform
Nintendo DS
The Nintendo DS and its successor handhelds were perfect platforms for traditional 2D metroidvania games and while many great metroidvania did debut on the DS to wide acclaim, I would argue that one of its best metroidvanias is still highly underrated, with that game being Aliens: Infestation.
Set shortly after the events of the Aliens film, Aliens: Infestation has players control Colonial Marines of Fireteam Fox as they’re deployed to investigate the USS Sulaco, only to find the ship swarming with Xenomorphs and eventually make their way down to LV-426, fighting all kinds of combat synthetics and monstrous Xenomorph variants along the way.
Being a DS game, Aliens: Infestation was designed for short game sessions on the go, and it still holds up fairly well today, with it being one of the few metroidvania games that allow gamers to play as multiple characters.
8
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
One of Ubisoft’s Finest Games of the 2020s
The 2020s hasn’t exactly been a great decade for Ubisoft as many of its more recent titles failed to meet both fan and investor expectations, leading to mixed reviews, game cancellations, and layoffs, but one bright spot of Ubisoft from the 2020s was the metroidvania Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown.
A sort of revival of the Prince of Persia franchise after a 14-year-long absence from major gaming platforms, The Lost Crown follows Sargon, a young warrior of the Immortals clan, as he sets out to save the titular Prince Ghassan as the Persian Empire rests on the brink of collapse.
In a way, The Lost Crown was a return to form for the franchise as it returned to the series’ 2D roots as opposed to the 3D, hack-and-slash-like entries of the 2000s and with it being available on the Nintendo Switch and Steam, it remains as one of the best POP games to play on the go.
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7
Guacamelee! 2
Into the Mexiverse
Sometimes all it takes for a game to be fun is a creative art design and an energetic style that keeps players engrossed for hours on end, even when people aren’t even playing the game, with one such metroidvania title being DrinkBox Studios’ Guacamelee! 2.
The sequel to the fantastic Guacamelee!, Guacamelee! 2 follows the heroic luchador Juan Aguacate once more as he’s recruited to save the multiversal Mexiverse from collapse and defeat the corrupted, reality-threatening Salvador.
Guacamelee! 2 is just as fun and stylized as the first game, but it’s especially fun to play in short gaming sessions as the sequel features four-player co-op, allowing friends to play together as eight hilarious characters from across the Mexiverse.
6
DuckTales: Remastered
Scrooge McDuck’s Nostalgic Adventure
Many gamers, young and old, likely grew up watching one or both versions of the beloved DuckTales Disney animated series and if fans of the Disney ducks wanted to play through a great game that would have people journey through a nostalgic adventure, then look no further than the metroidvania DuckTales: Remastered.
Based on the original series from the late 1980s, DuckTales: Remastered sees players take control of Scrooge McDuck as he and his rambunctious nephews, Huey, Dewey, and Louie, set out across the globe and beyond in search of treasure.
Being a remaster of a 1989 game, DuckTales: Remastered is a family short game that’ll take most players less than four hours to complete but, despite its short length, it’ll still offer a fun nostalgic experience that Disney fans young and old are sure to enjoy.
5
Shadow Complex
Xbox Live Arcade’s Greatest Metroidvania
During the Xbox 360 era, Microsoft supported many indie developers by publishing their games on the digital Xbox Live Arcade storefront and while many great games were released this way, such as Braid and ‘Splosion Man, I’d argue that the best metroidvania to debut on Arcade was Shadow Complex.
Set in the same universe as Orson Scott Card’s Empire book series, Shadow Complex has players don the boots of Jason Fleming as he sets out to rescue his girlfriend, Claire, from a shady, underground, labyrinth-like complex run by the militant Progressive Restoration.
Shadow Complex is one of the most militaristic metroidvanias out there, but it’s also the closest Xbox will likely ever get to publishing a game like Metroid, and it’s an action-packed thrill ride all the way through, taking roughly five hours to complete its main story.
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4
Ori and the Blind Forest
A Calming Metroidvania
Xbox doesn’t release many console exclusives today, but back in the early days of the Xbox One, Microsoft published a good number of console exclusives, with one of the best being the animalistic metroidvania Ori and the Blind Forest.
Here, players embody the titular Ori, a small cat-like guardian spirit, as they set out to restore their home forest of Nibel after a mysterious event caused all plant life to wither away, leading many animals to starve to death.
Compared to most other metroidvanias that are centered around fantasy or sci-fi calamities, Ori and the Blind Forest is actually a rather calming game and certainly one that’s wondrous to look at during the roughly eight hours it takes to finish the game’s story.
3
DIVE or DIE – Children of Rain
Diving Into the Abyssal Pool
While the Lovecraftian rougelite DIVE or DIE – Children of Rain isn’t technically a metroidvania, I would argue that it should be considered as one as it features all of the gameplay mechanics of metroidvanias, such as backtracking through large interconnected areas and requiring certain items to progress.
Set in a world flooded by a supernatural, monster-making black rain, DIVE or DIE – Children of Rain has players manage one of the last surviving human communities as residents are forced to dive into and explore the Abyssal Pool in search of resources and a way to avoid the wrath of the Cthulhu-like Rainmaker in 40 days.
No matter if divers return to the surface or not, every dive into the Abyssal Pool will cause one day to pass, allowing players to manage buildings on the mountaintop island community or simply take a break for a while before they’re ready to dive once more and risk another survivor’s life for resources and salvation.
2
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
An Absolute Metroidvania Classic
When it comes to playing a definitive Castlevania game for hours on end or in multiple short gaming sessions, gamers would be hard-pressed to find a better title to check out than the pioneer of the metroidvania genre, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.
Set in the late 18th century, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night follows Dracula’s half-vampire, half-human son Alucard as he sets out to destroy the recently reappeared castle of Dracula, find Richter Belmont, and prevent Dracula’s resurrection.
While Symphony may be almost 30 years old, having originally launched on PlayStation 1, it still holds up pretty well today and players can easily finish its story in a matter of eight hours or more, depending on how much they explore Dracula’s castle.
1
Metroid Dread
The Best Metroid Game on Nintendo Switch
Without a doubt, one of the best metroidvanias of all time to play for long or short gaming sessions is MercurySteam’s Nintendo Switch exclusive, Metroid Dread, the ninth mainline entry in the long-running Metroid series.
Like most Metroid games, Metroid Dread has players embody the famed galactic bounty hunter Samus Aran as she’s hired by the Galactic Federation to journey to the remote planet ZDR and investigate the presence of the body-morphing X Parasites, only to wind up being attacked by hyper-lethal, reprogrammed E.M.M.I. robots.
Metroid Dread is easily the best Metroid game to launch on Switch systems so far, thanks to its haunting atmosphere, traditional 2D gameplay, and incredible enemy designs, and, given the Switch’s mobile design, gamers can easily playthrough in fun, short, bite-sized chunks on the go.
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