How to Get Into Metroidvania Games as a Beginner

You bought a metroidvania because everyone called it a masterpiece, and two hours later you are stuck in front of a locked door with no idea where to go. That moment pushes a lot of new players away from metroidvania games for good, which is a shame, because the genre rewards exactly the kind of patience most of us already have.

I have played somewhere around forty of these games over the last fifteen years, from Super Metroid on a borrowed SNES to Hollow Knight, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Dead Cells and Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. This guide is the map I wish someone had handed me before my first one.

What metroidvania games actually are

The name glues together Metroid and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, the two series that set the template. Strip away the history and the formula is simple. You explore one large, interconnected world, usually seen from the side. Many paths are blocked at first. As you find new abilities, such as a double jump, a dash or a way to break certain walls, those blocked paths open up, and the map slowly folds back on itself.

That last part is the heart of it. A linear platformer moves you from level 1 to level 2. A metroidvania hands you one big level and asks you to remember it. The ledge you could not reach in the first hour becomes the shortcut you use fifty times in hour ten.

Most entries share a few traits:

• A single connected map rather than separate stages
• Ability gates that lock areas until you have the right tool
• Backtracking through old rooms with new movement options
• Hidden upgrades such as extra health, energy or weapon capacity
• Bosses that guard the most important abilities

Why new players get lost, and how to fix it

Getting lost is part of the design, but there is a difference between productive confusion and wasting an evening. Here is the routine I use when I hit a wall.

1. Open the map and look for gaps. Unexplored doors, dead ends and rooms with exits drawn but not visited are your first leads.
2. List what you cannot do yet. If you saw a high ledge, a cracked floor or a water pool you could not survive, write it down. A notes app on your phone works fine.
3. Return to the most recent boss area. New abilities usually open paths close to where you earned them.
4. Set a 20 minute limit. If you are still stuck after twenty minutes of honest searching, check a spoiler-light hint, then keep going. Nobody gets a medal for suffering.

Many modern games help here. The Lost Crown lets you take a screenshot and pin it to the map as a memory shard, which is brilliant for remembering that odd wall in the sewer. Metroid Dread marks breakable blocks once you have scanned them. Use these tools freely.

The best metroidvania games for beginners

Not every classic is a good first pick. Hollow Knight is wonderful, but its world is huge, its early map system is stingy, and some bosses are punishing. Here is how I would rank entry points by friendliness.

Prices change, but most of these sit between 15 and 40 dollars at full price and drop to 5 to 15 dollars during regular store sales. Axiom Verge and Ori in particular show up at low prices several times a year, so there is no reason to pay full price for a first experiment.

If you already enjoy short, repeatable runs, take a look at our beginner's map through roguelike games, because hybrids like Dead Cells mix both genres and can be a gentle bridge.

Why you should not 100 percent your first metroidvania

Common advice says the joy of the genre is finding every secret, so you should hunt every upgrade before moving on. I disagree, at least for your first game.

Chasing completion early creates the exact frustration that makes people quit. You end up scraping walls in a room that has nothing in it, because the item you want needs an ability you will not get for five more hours. The game is designed so that most secrets become obvious later. A wall you cannot break today will be one dash away tomorrow.

My suggestion is to follow the main path and grab only what you stumble into. Once credits roll, decide whether the world grabbed you enough for a cleanup pass. Many games, including Metroid Dread and Ori, let you keep exploring after the final boss, and that second pass feels great because every shortcut is already open. For a related angle, see what makes a game actually replayable.

Settings and gear that make the genre easier

These games live and die on precise movement. A few small changes help more than you would expect.

Use a controller if you can

Keyboard play is possible, and some players love it, but most metroidvanias are designed around a pad. Diagonal aiming in Metroid games, wall jumps in Hollow Knight and the bash ability in Ori all feel more natural on analog sticks. If you are shopping, our guide on choosing a PC gaming controller that lasts explains what to check on d-pads and triggers.

Turn on assist options without guilt

The Lost Crown, Ori and several newer indies include options that reduce damage or let you skip tricky platforming sections. Using them is not cheating. They exist so the world stays open to people who play for discovery rather than reflex tests.

Play in longer sessions when you can

A 15 minute session is enough for a roguelike, but metroidvanias reward 45 to 90 minute blocks. You need time to remember where things are. If you only have short windows, end each session at a save point and type one line about what you planned to try next.

How to tell if the genre is for you

Give your first game about four hours. By then you should have gained two or three movement abilities and backtracked at least once. Ask yourself one question: when an old area opened up, did you feel a small spark of satisfaction? If yes, you are a metroidvania player, and there are dozens of great games waiting. If it felt like busywork, that is useful information too, and a more linear action platformer may suit you better.

Frequently asked questions

What is the easiest metroidvania game for beginners?

Ori and the Blind Forest and Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown are the friendliest starting points. Both give clear direction, forgiving checkpoints and smooth controls. The Lost Crown also has adjustable difficulty, so you can tune it to your comfort level.

How long does it take to beat a metroidvania game?

Most take between 8 and 25 hours for a first playthrough. Big games like Hollow Knight can run 40 hours or more if you explore thoroughly. Smaller indies such as Axiom Verge sit around 10 to 12 hours.

Is it okay to use a guide when playing a metroidvania?

Yes, as long as you use it sparingly. Try searching on your own for about 20 minutes first, then look up a hint rather than a full walkthrough. That keeps most of the discovery intact while saving you from quitting in frustration.