DIATOM RAVINE

Find a new Metroidvania to love

About

Jowday

Who, What, Why?

Hi! I’m a professional software engineer from Massachusetts, USA. My first video game was the arcade version of Pac-Man when I was two years old. I haven’t stopped since then! As a kid I was obsessed with Nintendo. Metroid instantly held my attention the first time I played it… the rest is history.

Metroidvanias have always been a special interest of mine. The backtracking and constant recontextualization of familiar places via new abilities never fails to fascinate me. I also personally enjoy the feeling of being lost and isolated in a strange world, and the exploration that comes with that (not a requirement, but a fairly common theme). It’s not hard to guess why some of my personal favorites are Hollow Knight, Axiom Verge, and of course Super Metroid.

Metroid-

This series has been a common thread throughout my life. I’ve also really enjoyed digging into the world of romhacks and unofficial games. It’s a great way to get more mileage out of a series peppered with long, agonizing gaps between games. Some of my personal favorite Super Metroid romhacks are Subversion and Vitality.

-Vania

I didn’t play a ton of Castlevania games as a kid. I wouldn’t start getting into them until the various excellent GBA and DS iterations of the early ’00s. Finally ended up playing SotN a couple of decades late, and loved it! Next on the list is Castlevania ReVamped, to hopefully make up for missing out on the original titles.

Technical Stuff

I started this project in 2023 as a pure React app with only a few dozen entries. You can see the general idea I was going for in the original prototype. Over the years I’d try little experiments - switch from JavaScript to Typescript, eventually adding a Rails API.

This year, I dropped React entirely in favor of Hotwire (Turbo/Stimulus), which helps simplify the deployment process. The site finally became “real” in June 2026, complete with its own domain.

Data and Curation

Currently, there are over 1800 live entries in the catalog. Listings have been acquired in a variety of ways - IGDB, Steam, and lots of futzing around on the Internet. This can mean Googling around to find lists, read reviews and figure out tags, or trying to stay up to date with r/metroidvania.

Unfortunately, a significant amount of the aforementioned games are mislabeled (looking at you, Steam). It’s pretty hard to find what you’re looking for in an ocean of thousands of misclassified games. I’m slowly working my way through the catalog to ensure accuracy. Some games really are different enough that they don’t make it into the catalog. For the rest, there’s a weighted score to measure its “Metroidvania-ness”.

What’s the Goal?

One universal constant is that people can’t agree on the Internet. There’s a lot of disagreement in what a Metroidvania can and can’t be. This project was born out of a desire to make that argument irrelevant - if you don’t like a feature, exclude it! My goal is for this catalog to be a space for games that are Metroidvanias as well as Metroidvania-adjacent, but with the ability to fine-tune your search.

Have Fun

I’m really happy with how this project has turned out so far, and I hope you’ll find this to be a useful tool! Or if you like, check out the list of Metroidvanias and other catalogued games (some are proto, some are brainia, etc.) I’ve played below and my thoughts on them (still a WIP).

Playing

  • Cover for Metroid Planets
    Playing

    Metroid Planets

    Developer: vacantshade

    Notes: Excellent modern refresh of NESTroid. Features an amazing randomization/custom room system, with a huge community library to choose from.

  • Cover for Metroid Prime Origins
    Playing

    Metroid Prime Origins

    Developer: Lv.4 GAMES

    Notes: Absolutely fantastic demake of Metroid Prime. Grappling hook is worth noting - so much more fun than any other game.

  • Cover for Super Metroid
    Playing

    Super Metroid

    Developer: Nintendo

    Notes: I’m never really done with SM since there are always new romhacks around the corner. Just played through Mirrortroid and it was super disorienting.

Completed

  • Cover for ANIMAL WELL
    Finished

    ANIMAL WELL

    Developer: Shared Memory

    Notes: Such a great experience. Some of the puzzles ended up a little too “out of the box” for me, but I definitely enjoyed my time in this strange world.

  • Cover for Axiom Verge
    Finished / 100%

    Axiom Verge

    Developer: Thomas Happ Games

    Notes: One of my all-time favorites. Really nails the “you are isolated in a very strange place” feeling.

  • Cover for BIOMORPH
    Finished / 100%

    BIOMORPH

    Developer: Lucid Dreams Studio

    Notes: Really fun morphing and ability stealing concept.

  • Cover for Blasphemous
    Finished / 100%

    Blasphemous

    Developer: The Game Kitchen

  • Cover for Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
    Finished / 100%

    Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

    Developer: Konami

    Notes: Can’t believe it took me so long to finally play through this! Unfortunately a lot of things had already been spoiled, but I really regret missing this one during the PS1 era.

  • Cover for Crypt Custodian
    Finished / 100%

    Crypt Custodian

    Developer: Kyle Thompson

    Notes: A beautiful story about death and loss. Just the right amount of challenge for me.

  • Cover for Dead Cells
    Finished

    Dead Cells

    Developer: Evil Empire, Motion Twin

    Notes: I pick this up again a few times a year to see if I can get any farther. Still only around 2BC I think.

  • Cover for Hollow Knight
    Finished / 100%

    Hollow Knight

    Developer: Team Cherry

    Notes: 112%, technically. Haven’t done P5 yet though.

  • Cover for Metroid
    Finished / 100%

    Metroid

    Developer: Nintendo

    Notes: The biggest achievement of my life was playing through Metroid without dying when I was like 8 years old. Still hoping I can top that someday.

  • Cover for Metroid Fusion
    Finished

    Metroid Fusion

    Developer: Nintendo

    Notes: Definitely not my favorite in the series, but still good.

  • Cover for Minishoot' Adventures
    Finished / 100%

    Minishoot' Adventures

    Developer: SoulGame Studio

    Notes: Super cute, had a lot of fun with this.

  • Cover for MIO: Memories in Orbit
    Finished / 100%

    MIO: Memories in Orbit

    Developer: Douze Dixièmes

    Notes: Absolutely gorgeous, and my personal favorite of 2026 so far.

  • Cover for Öoo
    Finished

    Öoo

    Developer: NamaTakahashi

    Notes: This was cute, fun, and also really short!

  • Cover for Rygar
    Finished

    Rygar

    Developer: Tecmo

    Notes: I played this constantly as a kid, but didn’t make it all the way through until much later in life.

  • Cover for The Goonies II
    Finished

    The Goonies II

    Developer: Konami

    Notes: I still remember poring over the NES Player’s Guide, working my way through this one.

  • Cover for The Messenger
    Finished

    The Messenger

    Developer: Sabotage

    Notes: I had so much fun with this - never finished the DLC though.

  • Cover for TUNIC
    Finished / 100%

    TUNIC

    Developer: TUNIC Team

    Notes: The puzzles and knowledge-gating go far above and beyond most games. It has its own language and a cryptic in-game manual that might keep you up at night. More of a Metroidbrainia and Zelda-like than a Metroidvania.

  • Cover for Xeodrifter
    Finished / 100%

    Xeodrifter

    Developer: Atooi, Renegade Kid

    Notes: Unfortunately a bit on the linear side, but it was a nice short game to spend an afternoon on.

  • Cover for Ys: Wanderers from Ys
    Finished

    Ys: Wanderers from Ys

    Developer: Nihon Falcom

    Notes: Not really a Metroidvania, but I remember leaving the controller on overnight to max out my levels in some stupid mine on the SNES version.

  • Cover for Zelda Again: Link Is Adventuresome
    Finished / 100%

    Zelda Again: Link Is Adventuresome

    Developer: HoverBat

    Notes: Wonderful fan remake with some nice additions that blend in seamlessly with the original game. Hands down the best way to experience Zelda II. Multi-degree randomization system. Lots of community content as well (extra soundtracks, sprite packs, etc.)

Did Not Finish

Backlog

Contact

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