PixlBit

 Look, Metroidvania's might just be my favourite genre of all time. Games like Super Metroid, Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, Metroid Prime, and Dark Souls litter my top 20. I guess I'm a sucker for games that heavily encourage exploration and give tangible progression that does more than simply damage enemies more.

 If you're like me, boy do I have some games for you. I'm going to be focusing on lesser known indie stuff. You should all know stuff like Guacamelee, Cave Story+, Ori and the Blind Forest, and Axiom Verge, so they will be emitted from this list. If you don't know about those games, you need to play them before you even begin this list. And uh, have fun, they're all awesome.

 So without further ado, I bring to you - MARSHALL!

 I apologise for that incredibly dated Eminem reference. I'll just start the list.

Hollow Knight

If You Like: Dark Souls, Momodora, Atmosphere, Australia, Me.

 I'll start with a recent one. Hollow Knight has already built up a decent amount of hype, and hopefully if you're reading this in the future you'll be screaming "everybody knows about this game ya doofus." If you are, YAY!

 This is a game from a  South Australian studio and you can straight away tell they took massive influence from Dark Souls, though not as much in the challenge aspect as a lot of other games. Instead, they took a few core mechanics - namely how bonfires and death worked - as well as storytelling methods and atmosphere.

 Mechanically it's a fairly run of the mill metroidvania. You jump, hit things and they die, get powerups, and fight bosses. However, it does deviate from that core in enough ways to make it unique. For one, the way mapping works is interesting. In most metroidvanias, your progress is automatically mapped as you progress. In this game, you start without a map. You stumble through the game blind until you buy a map. But that only shows you where the mapmaker has travelled, and if you want to add more areas to the map you have to buy a quil, and it doesn't auto complete when you enter a new area, you have to go to Hollow Knight's version of a Bonfire if for the map to fill in. On top of that, you can't even see where you are on the until you buy a compass!

 I can see why some people find that frustrating, but I love it. It's a really interesting way to make basic mechanics feel new again. There are other cool things like this in the game, but I'll let you find those out.

 Oh, and that hand drawn art... *shivers intensely*

Alwas Awakening

If you like: Shovel Knight, NES games in general

 I haven't played a great deal of this game, so I can't say too much unfortunately. I've only played about an hour, but I really liked what I played. And since it really hasn't sold many copies I thought I'd give it a shoutout.

 I want to say first up: I'm not at all nostalgic for the NES. The only games I've played for the NES are Super Mario, Super Mario 3, Metroid, and Castlevania 1-3. Hell, I'm barely nostalgic for the SNES, since I grew up with the Sega Genesis. So NES aesthetics generally don't tickle my fancy. Hell, I'm not even a fan of Shovel Knight. I know, I know, blasphemy. I just don't think it's anything more than a good game, and since it doesn't jerk off my NEStalgia boner, I give zero fucks about it.

 However, I like the aesthetic to this game. It's quite similar to Shovel Knight in many ways, but it just pops a bit more to me. I also like the way movement feels in this game. It's a bit floatier than I generally like, but that works with a lot of the other power ups you get to make it feel quite pleasing.

I can't say too much more other than if the screenshots and steam videos make you feel funny in certain places, absolutely give it a go. I plan on playing more soon!

La-Mulana

If You Like: Spelunky, Using your noggin.

This is definitely one of my favourite Metroidvania games, and one I consider a classic. However, for something that influenced Spelunky, far too few people know about it.

 Unlike most games on this list that draw heavily from either Super Metroid or Symphony of the Night, this draws more from obscure Japanese MSX games. That results in this feeling a bit fresher than most other games on this list, as it's dramatically different.

 For one, a lot of progress is gated not just by ability walls, but also mental walls. It works in a similar way to The Witness, in that you see these puzzles everywhere, and eventually you find the rosetta stone that "unlocks" your ability to solve them. As a result, you feel like you're getting to know this world better, and growing alongside your character.

Word of warning though, this game is fucking tough. Some of these puzzles will break your brain. It is so rewarding if you stick with it though.

 There's supposedly a sequel in the works, so now is a great time to jump in.

Odallus: The Dark Call

If You Like: Castlevania, Castlevania, and More Castlevania.

 Yay. More NES worship. 

 To be fair, this is much less NES accurate than most games inspired by it. Aesthetically, it looks like a weird mix of Castlevania 3 and 4, in that it has the NES pallate but still has some almost SNES level character sprites.

 Castlevania is definitely the influence here, both mechanically and in terms of structure. It has the level based format of classicvanias, but retains the upgrades and alternate pathways of latter games. As such, it kind of feels like the bridge between Rondo of Blood and Symphony of the Night.

 Like it's other retro inspired indie brethren, it aspires to capture the simplicity and challenge that made those old games great while also chucking out all the bullshit that comes with those. This game mostly succeeds at that and the challenge largely feels fair.

 It's good guys. Try it.

Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight

 If you Like: Dark Souls, Hollow Knight, Salt and Sanctuary

 I already covered this game in a past one of these segments, but I'll do it again, because it's a fucking fantastic Metroidvania title that needs more love.

"This is a more recent title, and one that unfortunately got a bit over-shadowed by Salt and Sanctuary coming out in the same week. It's a shame really, because while this game also takes more than a few pages from the book of our lord and saviour From Software, this one is a bit more subtle about it. The combat is more about timing your rolls right and getting hits in than playing defensively, and ranged combat is also somewhat of a focus.

What absolutely flawed me though was the atmosphere. The first level feels a bit generic, but from the second area onwards the tone takes a dive into Metroid Prime style ambiance, with reverb soaked bass and ambient noises making up the soundtrack. It's genuinely unnerving stuff, and combined with the satisfying combat and an excellent sense of exploration, this is one you should almost definitely check out.

This is the fourth game in the series, so if you like these games, you should definitely check out the others. Though I should warn you, they don't look as pretty, and therefore are less deserving of your love."

 There's now another one coming out that's in full 3D and looks like a cross between Zelda and Dark Souls, and that definitely makes my pants region a bit tingley.