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The Best Upcoming 2023 Metroidvania Game Releases Ranked
By BRYN GELBART
18. Heart Forth, Alicia
"Heart Forth, Alicia" is a retro side-scroller where you play as a girl who is discovering her witch powers, and that includes all the bells and whistles that come with witchcraft like casting spells and finding fairy companions. This cute and colorful Metroidvania RPG has ambitious-looking combat and boasts some pretty gorgeous pixel art to boot.
17. Crowsworn
In the gorgeous "Crowsworn," you play as a humanoid crow that wields guns and a scythe, tools needed to explore the underground world of Fearanndal, which is filled with deadly traps and enemies. The game is reminiscent of “Hollow Knight,” but "Crowsworn" is definitely faster and feels as if it has more potential for intense combo-driven action.
16. Worldless
“Worldless” is an abstract and stylized platformer that takes a minimalistic approach to the genre, but is still very much selling itself as a Metroidvania. With combat that focuses on a deliberate series of blocks, parries, and counters, "Worldless" is a nice contrast to the frantic action of most upcoming Metroidvanias — with the music and art adding to the serenity.
15. Akatori
There is so much sensational pixel art in all of the games mentioned in this list that adopt that art style, but "Akatori" is doing something really special with it, as the art direction is quite stunning. You play as the staff-wielding Mako, a young girl who gains the ability to "world warp" to new dimensions, but the focus seems to be on its deep hacking and slashing.
14. Frontier Hunter
“Frontier Hunter: Erza’s Wheel of Fortune,” is a highly stylized 2D action and exploration game from Finnish developer IceSitruuna, where you switch between three monster hunters with different abilities. With its anime art style and the ability to play and level up multiple characters at the same time, "Frontier Hunter" is super appealing for classic JRPG fans.
