Hollow Knight is one of the most relevant indie games of recent years. It was developed by Team Cherry and released in 2017. Since then, it has captivated most fans of Metroidvania games around the world. But why is Hollow Knight so special? 

In a few words, Hollow Knight changed the way we understand the Metroidvania games. The developers have implemented new mechanics and an incredible-interconnected world, in addition to some of the best memorable characters in platform games.

In this Games Like Hollow Knight article, we’ll mention a few games that share some aspects with this Team Cherry’s game and are surely worth trying out. 

Dead Cells

Dead Cells is a strange game, a good combination between the genre of dungeon exploration, or Roguelite, and Metroidvania. What’s more, Dead Cells is the first “Roguevania” game in video game history and a relevant indie game of recent years.

In Dead Cells Steam CD Key, you control a cluster of cells that take over decomposing bodies. You must explore a huge castle that grows and changes all the time thanks to preprogrammed algorithms. Dead Cells also integrates the permadeath mechanics. Anytime you die, the cells that make up your body take on the body of a random prisoner, who must build their path through the randomly conformed halls. 

Ori and the Blind Forest

Ori and the Blind Forest is one of those games that change the rules in several aspects forever. In the first place, The Blind Forest has many of the classic Metroidvania elements, such as interconnected zones with different environments, but focuses on the beauty of the color palette and the atmosphere of each zone. 

In Ori and the Blind Forest Definitive Edition Steam CD Key, you control Ori, a white guardian spirit, and Sein, the light and the eyes of the Spirit Tree. As Ori, you can jump, climb, and use unique skills. As Sein, you can fire Spirit Flames at enemies. 

As you progress through the game, you get new abilities that allow you to reach new zones, just like the Metroid games. 

Shovel Knight: Treasure Cove

Although Shovel Knight: Treasure Knight takes a lot from games like most Mega Man titles, DuckTales, and Super Mario Bros 3, even Dark Souls (the money you have stay where you die – you must recover it), it shares some aspects with Hollow Knight. 

Shovel Knight: Treasure Cove Steam CD Key is a pixel art 2D platformer video game with some RPG elements. As a knight, you must cross the map through several independent stages, gathering resources, items, and discovering secrets to get improvements.

You'll be able to attack all enemies with your shovel as well as unearth treasures and secrets to fight against the Order of No Quarter. 

Blasphemous

Blasphemous is very likely the most similar game to classic Castlevania games on this list. And, of course, very similar to Hollow Knight in general aspects.

Blasphemous is one of the best Metroidvania of recent time, a magnificently detailed pixelated game that doesn't skip out on the gore. 

Blasphemous Steam CD Key is inspired by European architecture and Christian iconography. You play as The Penitent One who has to uncover what's causing a curse to ravage the land of Custodia. 

Blasphemous features challenging combat with a hack and slash action. You wield the Mea Culpa, a powerful sword adorned with an effigy that gains power and abilities in return for Tears of Atonement when you visit Altars scattered by the map. 

You will fight enemies in every corner of the world and face frequent boss battles. Once you defeat them, you’ll be rewarded with special items and many Tears of Atonement. 

Hollow Knight fans love this Metroidvania game, so you probably will too.

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is a Japanese Metroidvania developed by the former Castlevania saga producer, Koji Igarashi. The "Vania" half of "Metroidvania" owes a large part of its legacy to Koji Igarashi, who worked on several of the best-remembered Castlevania titles. Thanks to this, and as you can imagine, this game is very similar to Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. 

This Metroidvania title features high-speed combat and a character progression through several skills you gain while advancing on the map. 

Regarding the plot, in Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night Steam CD Key, you control Miriam, a female warrior awakened from her slumber. You must explore a labyrinthine series of rooms, just like the classic Castlevania game, in the form of an original platform game. 

Bloodstained focus on melee combat and ranged combat with basic and special abilities. When you defeat an enemy, you can get new resources and equipment, such as armor and accessories. Having that, you’ll gain new attributes and offensive and defensive bonuses.

Axiom Verge

Axiom Verge is a pixel art side-scroller action-adventure game where you control Trace, a scientist who wakes up in an ancient high-tech alien world. Just like every Metroidvania, Axiom Verge has a heavy emphasis on exploration and action.

Set in a vast and labyrinthine world, in Axiom Verge Steam CD Key, you’ll have to plumb a subterranean lab on a remote planet that brings back the best features of a Metroidvania game. In this open-ended exploration, you’ll find dozens of new weapons, items, and supernatural abilities to face the frequent boss battles and uncover all the planet's secrets.

With gameplay that reminds us of games like Contra, Bionic Commando, and Blaster Master, Axiom Verge is a title that Hollow Knight players will love.

Hyper Light Drifter 

Hyper Light Drifter is a 2D action role-playing game, and a tribute to 8-bit and 16-bit games with a strong art style similar to titles such as The Legend of Zelda: The Link to the Past, and Diablo. Players control a lone wanderer called the Drifter, a character who uses advanced technology previously used by the inhabitants of the game world. 

As the Drifter in Hyper Ligh Drifter Steam CD Key, you wield an energy sword that you can expand and make stronger. You can also use a huge ability arsenal that incorporates several types of weapons, such as guns and blasters. But weapons require power from batteries scattered around the game world to work. You load guns by hitting enemies and destroying objects with the energy sword. 

Weapons allow you to acquire new abilities and power ups. With these new abilities, you will reach previously inaccessible areas and face powerful bosses that require honing your tactics to succeed in your mission. You’ll feel you’re in souls like combat.  

If you’re looking for your first game like Hollow Knight and want to step into familiar territory, Hyper Light Drifter is the game for you, a great action role-playing game in its own right.

Hades

Hades is a roguelike action dungeon crawler video game set in the Underworld of the Greek Mythology. From a top-down camera perspective, you control Zagreus, the son of Hades, who is trying to escape from hell and reach Mount Olympus. 

If you see Hades Steam CD Key, you may wonder why this game is like Hollow Knight. Despite having a different style and general mechanics, Hades and Hollow Knight share the unforgiving difficulty and the series of rooms populated with dozens of enemies and rewards. 

The game focuses on a hack and slash combat system where you use a combination of main weapon attacks, dash, and magic abilities to defeat enemies while avoiding damage. In definitive, one of the games that Metroidvania fans have to play, even if it’s not a huge Metroidvania game.

Salt and Sanctuary

Salt and Sanctuary is an action role-playing game heavily inspired by the Souls saga and the Ori games. It is a good representation of the Metroidvania subgenre. 

Salt and Sanctuary Steam CD Key is very likely the game on this list that comes closest to that Hollow Knight feel. The artwork – full of nice colors that indicate several zones and the feeling of conscience – and the environmental puzzles.

Besides, this game features 2D hand-drawn visuals and seamlessly combines brutal 2D combat with RPG elements in a fantastic journey through a giant castle. 

Salt and Sanctuary offer a great crafting system, which allows you to obtain over 600 weapons, spells, armor pieces, and items. 

Ender Lillies: Quietus of the Knights

Platforms: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC Nintendo Switch.

Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights is a Metroidvania, a platform-adventure video game and one of the best games of 2021. So you may wonder, why is it not in the first place on this list? It’s because the games mentioned above have more similarities with Hollow Knight than Ender Lilies. 

In this original game, you control Lily, a surviving priestess in a rainy world. The rain transforms living things into undead. You must explore the rain world to find the source of this phenomenon. 

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

Platforms: PS3, PS4, PS5, Sega Saturn, Xbox 360, iOS, Android.

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is probably the most important game of the Castlevania series. This action role-playing game released in 1997 introduces us to Alucard, Dracula’s dhampir son, exploring his father's castle. Dracula resurfaced after Richard Belmont vanished. Your mission is to stop him and return him to his deep sleep. 

This is one of the two games that created the label “Metroidvania.” So it’s “The Game” of this franchise you have to play and a good one you’ll love and feel familiar with. 

Metroid Dread

Platforms: Nintendo Switch.

Metroid Dread is the latest entry of the classic Metroid saga. This new game brings us back to Samus Aran, the legendary bounty hunter of the Metroid series. As Samus, you must acquire different abilities to avoid death at the hands of E.M.M.I., DNA-extracting machines. 

The story focuses on the adventures of Samus on Planet ZDR, a remote planet that was the homeworld for the Chozo. Metroid Dread is the direct sequel of Metroid Fusion and the spiritual successor of Super Metroid.

In this new franchise game, you received a mysterious transmission from the planet mentioned above. Then you must explore the huge vast map trying to escape from the planet. But first, you have to recover your powers and fight against an unknown enemy. 

Cave Story

Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Wii, Nintendo DSi, Nintendo 3DS, OS X, Linux, Nintendo Switch.

In short, Cave Story is one of these hidden gems you have to play if you like Hollow Knight’s DNA and the classic Metroidvania genre. Launched in 2004 only on the Internet, Cave Story tells us about a robot called Quote, who wakes up suffering amnesia.

In these conditions, you must explore a vast cave in order to discover why you’re there and what is happening in those ruins.  To do that, you have to progress by navigating platform game puzzles while shooting enemies. You’ll collect multiple weapons, which can gain experience points to upgrade them.

To summarize, it’s an old game that is perfect for new players in the Metroidvania style.

Sundered

Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Stadia.

Sundered is probably the least known game on this list, but it is really worth playing. It’s one of the new Metroidvania generation's new titles, whose indisputable precedent is Hollow Knight. 

Similar to the game of Team Cherry, Sundered integrates classic Metroidvania elements into its gameplay loop, allowing you to backtrack to earlier sections after acquiring certain abilities. 

The game takes and immerses you in a great adventure in the civilization of Eschaton. Here, as Eshe, you must travel through huge caves with the company of the Shining Trapezohedron. It will provide you with hours and hours of dark fun!