If you’re someone who stays up on the bleeding edge of what’s happening within the video game industry, then you’ll likely know that there is a new sub-genre right on the cusp of becoming mainstream.
Much like Souls-likes and walking simulators carved out a space within the market, we are entering the age of theMetroidbrainia.
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For those out of the loop, these games champion player agency and discovery. They basically drop you into a world with no real context or pointers and effectively say to the player, ‘Work it out for yourself.’
These are incredibly experiences where knowledge is its own reward and discovery is what keeps the player coming back for more. Showcasing that a traditional gameplay loop isn’t always needed.
But if you need some examples of games within this newfangled sub-genre, then allow us to showcase some fine examples.
As there is a lot of debate regarding what the definition of a Metroidbrainia is, I’ll quickly give you my take. For this list we are considering Metroidbrainias to be games that champion player agency and discovery, as well as games that use knowledge as the primary means of progression. So, no, they aren’t all Metroidvanias.
10Leap Year
Every Leap Could Be Your Last
We begin with one that you have probably never heard of, but equally, one that you’ll want to get acquainted with as soon as possible.
Leap Yearis a puzzle platformerthat has you play as a little dude who can leap like any traditional platforming character. But there’s one problem. They can’t survive a jump from their standing position. Effectively meaning if you do a full jump, you’ll die upon landing.
This leads to a game where you must explore the world looking for the different days of the Leap Year calendar with each individual movement feeling like a puzzle in its own right.
Every moment of this short game is a discovery as you slowly come to grips with this core mechanic and it’s a joy to behold. It’s a wonderfully accessible Metroidbrainia for those that hate their generally obtuse nature, and it may be criminally short, but while not a long time, it is a good time.
9Gone Home
You Can’t Choose Your Family
This entry may feel slightly out of left field, as this is a walking simulator at its core. However, when you think about it, Gone Home is actually one of the first modern Metroidbrainia titles ever.
Like all the other games listed, you can only unlock portions of the Greenbriar Estate by exploring thoroughly and gaining insight into the stories of each family member.
The intrigue and constant questions lurking in the back of your mind drive you forward. This curiosity will reveal new information and new areas to explore and eventually lead to a dramatic conclusion.
However, when you reach the end, you’ll realize that if you had the knowledge you do at the game’s close, you could have finished the game in mere minutes.
In the end, you don’t need upgrades, items, or to hit certain checkpoints. You just need knowledge.
8Rain World
Suffer & Survive
Rain World
I know firsthand just how much theRain Worldcommunity hates their beloved game being called a Metroidvania, which is completely justified. It’s not a Metroidvania, but it is a Metroidbrainia.
It’s a game that drops you in the deep end with some metaphorical bricks attached to your torso, then lets a metaphorical shark into the metaphorical pool and demands that you swim or die.
In short, the game is punishing, and the only way to alleviate the pain and suffering is by learning how the ecosystem of this strange world around you works, and using these little nuggets of knowledge to your advantage.
It’s arguably not a fun game, but if you’re willing to endure some hardship, it is a very rewarding game worth checking out.
Secrets Below The Surface
A Metroidbrainia list wouldn’t be complete without the game that arguably Kickstarted the genre many moons ago.
Fez is a title that not only offers one of the coolest perspective-altering explorations on record. It’s also a game that shrouds key aspects of the game behind knowledge checks, as the game will force you to get the bad ending before giving you the Rosetta Stone needed to understand the world’s language needed to make sense of your surroundings.
However, as soon as you understand this code, you have all the tools needed to truly understand Fez. Which, is not just a groundbreaking 2D meets 3D puzzler. But a captivating, enigmatic mystery begging to be unraveled. So pop on Gomez' cute little hat and get going.
6Chants of Sennaar
Where’s Google Translate When You Need it?
You’ll find that secret languages are a recurring trend on this list, but it’s only because a cipher is about as effective of a knowledge key as any, making them perfect for the Metroidbrainia format.
With this understanding of a cipher, you’re able to slowly allow the player to progress through a game, enjoying satisfying moments of discovery as you go. Something thatChants of Sennaarabsolutely nails.
This Tower of Babel-inspired epic forces you to take in the world around you, fill in the blanks with logic and reasoning, and read between the lines. Which will gradually allow you to build up your lexicon and become fluent in each language of this diverse and divided world.
It’s a masterfully crafted puzzle game where knowledge is power. So, if you feel like you have the brains to be a polyglot, this is your chance to prove it.
5The Witness
A Picturesque Puzzler
The Witness
Puzzles and the Metroidbrainia sub-genre tend to go hand-in-hand, as player agency and natural discovery combined with meticulously designed puzzles tend to make for the most satisfying puzzle solutions of all. So, it should be no surprise that the enigmatic open-world puzzler,The Witness,is on this list.
The Witness is a game similar toThe Talos Principle.It drops you into a world with no context and forces you to use your big ol' brain to carve a way forward and make sense of things.
There’s no right or wrong path of progression, and thanks to the mysterious nature of the world around you, every little nugget of context and info serves as the perfect puzzle-solving incentive.
So, if you feel like giving your brain a workout, this is the ideal choice.
4Return of the Obra Dinn
Become A Nautical Know-It-All
Return of the Obra Dinn
Lucas Pope is a developer who truly is in a class of his own, thanks to his ability to turn boring, bureaucratic processes into staggeringly engaging games.
Return of the Obra Dinndoes this by placing you in the shoes of an insurance rep piecing together the tragic stories of all those aboard the ill-fated Obra Dinn. A story which, only through keen observation of staged 1-bit tableaus, will you be able to understand.
Again, it’s a title where intrigue alone is what keeps the player hungry for more. And despite being able to rattle through each snippet in no time, you’ll find yourself agonizing over the littlest detail to finally put a name to a face and truly understand what their fate was aboard this nautical vessel.
It’s probably the best detective game of all time, and a brilliant Metroidbrainia to boot.
3Animal Well
A Mysterious Menagerie
Animal Well
The Metroidbrainia genre is rarely a game that actually comes packaged as an actual Metroidvania, making it a pretty terrible name in truth, but it seems to be the one that’s stuck.
However, one developer kindly decided to make a perfect game for this label, and that is Animal Well. A Metroidvania, which places you in a strange pixelated menagerie, and through exploring, interacting with the world, and finding a series of items, you’ll slowly piece together just what’s going on in this strange place.
There are no quest markers, no pointers or suggestions, and no right or wrong way to play. You simply explore, make sense of the world around you, and through excellent world design anddelicately woven, subtle puzzles, you’ll have plenty of eureka moments that help you forge a path to the finish line.
That being said, it’s over before you know it, so attempt to savor every moment.
Cunning, Like a Fox
I’ve seenTuniccompared to many games,often being referred to as aZeldacloneand a top-downDark Souls. I fully understand these comparisons, but in truth, there’s nothing quite likeTunic, and that’s down to its incredible world where knowledge is power.
Sure, the game features rewarding hack-and-slash combat, satisfying puzzles, and the like. But it’s what you learn along the way that truly shapes your adventure.
Like all these games listed, it’s all about unlocking knowledge in lieu of traditional upgrades, and in this game, understanding the language of the world around you will help you progress further.
Gradually piecing together your in-game manual, and by extension, the world is a joy to behold. It’s a sublime adventure game where natural discovery takes a front seat and is well worth checking out.
1Outer Wilds
The Ultimate Metroidbrainia Experience
Outer Wilds
Outer Wildsis a little like Fight Club in the sense that no one who loves the game will ever discuss it with you and instead ask you to simply play for yourself.
It may seem obnoxious on the surface, but they are doing you a solid, as knowledge and discovery are at the forefront of this game’s design, and to even take away one ‘A-ha’ moment from a potential player would be a tragedy.
In a nutshell, in Outer Wilds, you explore a pocket solar system and try to unravela time loop you’re trapped in. But how you do that is up to you.
You can fly anywhere, use your time as you choose, and with each loop, you’ll uncover more clues and more knowledge, and with enough persistence, all these clues will funnel you to the finish line.
It’s a breathtaking, unique, and masterfully designed game where knowledge is its own reward. So, visit Timber Hearth as soon as possible.
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