Metroid

Why recommended

• Masterful environmental storytelling and interconnected world design that encourages constant backtracking and discovery, echoing the original's core exploration loop.
• Criteria — Delivers a challenging difficulty through demanding platforming, complex boss patterns, and resource management, requiring precision and strategic use of abilities.
• The iconic suite of upgrades, from the Speed Booster to the Grapple Beam, provides satisfying new ways to interact with the environment and overcome obstacles, a hallmark of the Metroid experience.

Why recommended

• Features a sprawling, hand-drawn world that gradually unfolds, rewarding meticulous exploration and backtracking with new abilities and hidden pathways, much like Metroid's map progression.
• Criteria — Offers a high level of challenging difficulty through demanding boss fights, precise platforming sections, and a 'Souls-like' death mechanic that punishes mistakes.
• The sense of isolation and discovery is palpable, with a narrative conveyed through environmental clues and cryptic NPC dialogue, immersing players in a mysterious, decaying world.

Why recommended

• Emphasizes fluid movement and precise platforming, with new abilities constantly opening up previously inaccessible areas, mirroring Metroid's core loop of power-up-driven exploration.
• Criteria — Presents a challenging difficulty through intricate environmental puzzles, demanding escape sequences, and boss encounters that require mastery of Ori's diverse moveset.
• The world of Nibel is a character in itself, offering a rich sense of adventure and discovery as players uncover its secrets and restore its light, akin to exploring Zebes.

Why recommended

• Features a constantly shifting, interconnected environment where newly acquired supernatural abilities (like Launch or Levitate) are essential for accessing new areas and secrets, much like Metroid's progression.
• Criteria — Offers challenging action combat that requires quick reflexes, strategic use of powers, and environmental manipulation to defeat diverse and aggressive enemies, maintaining a high level of engagement.
• The game provides a strong sense of adventure and mystery, with players exploring the Oldest House to uncover its secrets and the truth behind the Hiss invasion, akin to Samus's solitary missions.