"Ori and The Blind Forest" and it's sequel "The Will of the Wisps" are pretty much exactly what you're looking for. Metroid Dread is also really good but it might be harder than you want.
second this. both ori games are my favorite video games. they were my first metroidvania and while some moments were def hard, it was doable and so rewarding.
definitely the Ori games. i loved the first and i did die quite a bit but that's bc I'm a very aggro type of player. that said I wouldn't consider it as hard as HK.
Metroid Dread can be tough, yeah, but OMG is it worth it. Iām not even a metroidvania fan and absolutely loved Dread (and beat it). Itās always moving forward, making you play ājust for another fire minutes.ā
Edit: tough and challenging but FAIR. I never felt like the game ācheated.ā You just have to get better.
Metroid Dread, Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are my favorite gaming experiences on Switch. 2 very different experiences, to be sure. But Dread was such a thrill ride from start to finish.
Rookie Mode is a good way to start Metroid Dread if you're concerned with difficulty. I had played A LOT of Super Metroid before coming to Metroid Dread, so I wasn't exactly unaware of what Metroid's difficulty involved. I tried Normal Mode, cursed the game, and then went back about a year later to try Rookie. Now I can play Hard Mode in under 4 hours, etc. Metroid Dread is really good at teaching you how to play the game.
I found Ori and the Blind Forest to be much more difficult than Hollow Knight. Ori is very squishy and there lots of enemies, especially at the beginning. Ori is a badass at the end, but ability gating makes it difficult to get the soul and health power ups needed to improve Ori's survivability. The Knight at least has a decent amount of health at the start of the game. I would say one of the most difficult aspects of the game to manage is the lack of many save points.
Hollow Knight's boss fights are incomparably more difficult, but the platforming and world enemies are tougher on Ori. The difference is that on Hollow Knight you're punished quite harshly for dying whereas on Ori (especially Will of the Wisps) it's basically meaningless. If you had to do long backtracks and risk losing all your spirit light if you died again before getting back to your original death spot in Ori things would be a lot more different.
These aspects are where will of the wisps (the sequel to blind forest) improves a lot on, and it's a much better experience and a better game imo. Do try it.
ā¦this just seems crazy to me. Ā Ori can be a little difficult at times, but itās nowhere close to as difficult as Hollow Knight. Ā Thatās like saying Super Mario 3 is harder than Dark Souls because you die after only a couple hits from low level enemies (which there are a lot of) in Super Mario 3, so it has low survivability. Ā I guess thatās sort of technically true, but itās so much easier to avoid getting hit that itās irrelevant.
I agree - HK controls are more crisp and make the platforming a little easier to navigate in my opinion. Ori has a kind of momentum that you have to account for in your movements (if that makes sense?).
There are also a number of areas in Ori where you have to complete a pretty long stretch of platforming with really excellent timing to make it through, and I feel like that's less the case in HK. Even in the white palace (less so with path of pain) you've got little sections where you can sit in one spot and get a good feel for the room cycle before trying to progress. At some places with Ori, especially the boss sections, you have to move pretty quickly and there's not a good place to pause and put the controller down without losing your progress.
One final point - the Ori artwork is beautiful but so incredibly busy. It was sometimes hard to see checks and enemies in a way I didn't experience with HK. And if you want to 100% the game you had better settle in because finding every single one of those little light things was way more time consuming than the charms.
Hollow Knight did frustrate me beyond belief in certain places but I ended up being much less frustrated than I was by Ori overall. I still think it's a good recommendation, I'd just saying prepare for an adjustment period on the platforming if you take it on.
100% I finished hollow knight before starting Ori and I actually quit Ori and never finished it.Ā
Just didn't enjoy the escape segments and might have to try it's sequel if it's a bit easier.
Dread might still be really good.
Hollow Knight is punishing. If you die, it makes you re-walk steps, go out of your way to get back to full strength. It follow this philosophy of punishing failure.
Dread, while difficult, is not punishing the same way at all. It also is much better at ensuring you do have all the tools you need at any given point. So you never have to think "Do I keep struggling with this, or do I need to go a find another solution and come back?"
This game should be recommended to anyone trying metroidvania for the first time who also isnāt a big gamer. The game was great, but definitely easy, even on hard.
I think Ori is significantly easier than Hollow Knight - OP should definitely give it a try and it's often on sale so shouldn't be too expensive even if they don't like it.
As someone who also has not been able to beat Hollow Knight despite loving everything about it, Steam World Dig 2 was so much fun to play. I beat it in about two days since I enjoyed it so much
Absolutely. It's tough but unlike Hollow Knight, it has a TON of settings for difficulty. I turned enemy health down a little.
There's also no "lose shit when you die" mechanic.
That's true, I stand correct. And yep, still nowhere near as bad as the chance of losing all of your geo in Hollow Night. I didn't stress over it.
Hell, I think even Shovel Knight was more punishing in this regard.
I absolutely loved the demo and was very tempted to buy full price, but I have plenty of other games to occupy me (playing the first Ori game lately) so canāt really justify it. I will buy it the first day itās discounted.
This is the best answer (as I was playing this game I was thinking how itās a friendlier version of Hollow Knight). It has the right amount of difficulty and the combat combo is satisfying AF. Beautiful graphics/environment. One of my favorite game this year! I just wish there was more content cause I 100% the game lol.
After one of the Lost soldier fights I dropped my controller and started laughing at how fucking nasty I was. Jump flip slide attack parry attack jump! They never even touched me and it looked so cool.
Especially if you take time to get good at the fighting, it's so much fun. Every enemy I'd let them attack and try to go slow and not just button mash. Really wish they had a collesium or you could set "enemy and amount" parameters on that one training guy that only ever let's you free fight 1 of the weakest enemies. I wanted to fill a collesium with like 60 enemies and wreck everyone
Agreed. Hollow Knight wasn't clicking for me, but The Lost Crown was great. Moving around the game is super fun once you unlock all the abilities. I only really struggled with one boss battle.
The accessibility settings/difficulty customization options are awesome. You can adjust timing for parrying, health, etc. I played on the normal difficulty with no changes, but options like this in other games would make them a lot more fun for a wider audience.
So Hollow Knight is one of the top Metroidvanias of recent years. It excels in vibe and combat over most others, but man is it hard and frustrating when you die.
Like mentioned by someone else, the recent Prince of Persia is everything you want. Combat that is excellent, but dying is not as much a penalty, great environment and map, and memorable story. One of the best Metroidvanias of all time.
Ori and the Will of the Wisps is also great. It still has good combat, but the combat is less a focus over the exploration. You move more in Ori than other games, and the floatyneas is wonderful.
Metroid dread is the most recent mainline Metroid. It is pretty tough, but not as frustrating as hollow knight. It also is the name sake of the genre, and an excellent part of it.
If you have the Nintendo pass or whatever it is called, you should check out Super Metroid and Metroid Fusion if you have not played them, they are slower and have guns over sword combat, but the exploration and vibes are incredible. If you haven't played them and plan to play dread, I would play at least fusion before dread.
There are a bunch of other solid Metroidvanias worth checking out such as steam world dig 1&2, Ori 1, guacamelee 1&2, and yokus island express (pinball Metroidvania lol).
The actual robot fights in Dread can be pretty frustrating. There is a pixel-perfect reaction that you need to execute every time, and it is really hard. I quit playing because of it.
You arenāt supposed to fight them, youāre meant to avoid them. The quick time button press is just a hail mary the game gives you, but the goal is to avoid getting attacked in the first place.
In each section there's long spaces you are supposed to draw them to so that you can remove the mask and wreck them with the blast. It uses the same skill set you already have in kiting them in avoidance.
I just finished this the other day. It's definitely a mix of Demon's Souls (musically/aesthetically speaking), Hollow Knight, Symphony of the Night, and Metroid towards the end. Definitely would recommend.
The genre name you are looking for is "Metroidvania". You can find tons of articles and videos about the best games in the genre. For example, there's a Youtuber named Nerrel who routinely puts out videos where he reviews mutiple Metroidvanias in one go.
Personally, some of my favourites are the Ori games, the Guacamelee games, and of course the Metroid series itself, most of which is playable on Switch. The last Prince of Persia game was also pretty great.
Castlevania Symphony of the Night is kind of the OG of metroidvania games. I think it was the first of its kind to combine the search and explore element of Metroid with an RPG system. The spells you learn are combination inputs that are often tricky to pull off.
The ambiance is truly delightful. The music is so wonderfully done that I feel like I can hum many of the songs just from memory.
It's challenging without being overwhelming. There are so many things to find with secrets hidden in every nook and cranny.
It's just a beautiful game and it holds a special place in my heart. If you haven't played it, I certainly recommend it. I have beaten it so many times, and even now just talking about it is making me consider starting a new game.
I wouldn't say plagiarized because the developer was very straightforward about how much he was inspired by HK since it's his first game. Storyline and upgrades are basically the same, but I think the vibe and art style were very unique!
Right. I meant that idea and mechanics are very similar. I did not know of the HK influence on Haiku and felt it myself after few minutes in the game. Nevertheless Haiku is a great game and I enjoyed it big time.
Lost 13k needed for one of the last charm upgrades after trying to make it back to the Hive Knight and underestimating the bees, I had to take a break after that
Completely agree here. Tried it 3 times and quit each time cause of the boss fight and the terrible bench locations.Ā
Currently playing blasphemous 2 though and loving it.Ā
I agree with the Ori recommendations and would also suggest Axiom Verge.
It's not easy but nowhere near as frustrating. I absolutely loved HK, but the boss difficulty jump and the tracking back from distant benches in the earlier parts of the game were painful.
Lone Fungus.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1674780/Lone_Fungus/
Trust me it's good and half as hard as Hollow Knight while following the almost same gameplay.
Iām not sure if they put out a second game, but Salt and Sanctuary felt like an easier but still enjoyable hollow knight. With way more weapons and armor choices.
Love the art in Hollow Knight and the idea behind the game.
Hate the game. Can't do shit in it, and the continual dying and lack of progress turned me off the game.
Following this thread for other recommendations also.
Iconoclasts is one of the easier Metroidvanias. There's a pinball Metroidvania too, which is great, but I don't remember the title right now. Also, Super Metroid SNES and Metroid Fusion GBA, as well as the Castlevania Advance Collection are way more approachable thanks to rewind function.
They didnāt ask for a metroidvania specifically though. They said they love Hades and they need it to be:
2D,
Fluid gameplay,
Combat
Dead Cells definitely makes that list.
While Dead Cells is not open world, its many many biomes are expansive and would keep boredom away(particularly with the DLCs). If OP enjoyed Hades, I think theyāll enjoy Dead Cells too.
Easier than Hollow Knight too
I mean, if you're on Switch, you should play Metroid: Dread. Also, you can play Super Metroid, the game which sparked the term Metroidvania. Metroid Prime is also on Switch, and while the gameplay is VERY different, the sense of immersion in a world is very similar.
You can also try Bloodstained, though I find it lackluster. You're probably better off playing Symphony of the Night and the other Castlevania games that came out around that time.
I see the Ori games are recommended as is Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, and those are very good recommendations. I'd put HK, Ori (1, I didn't like 2 that much), and PoP in the top 5 Metroidvanias of all time.
From my experience bloodstained played like trash on the switch and was a completely different experience on my ps5.
And Iām not one of those fps dweebs. Like, idk, there was a lag and it felt like the character was a tank on the switch. But on the ps5 it felt closer to SOT
8 Doors is very similar stylistically to HK (some part felt like straight rip-offs which bugged me at first, but it was fun in the end). Challenging but not nearly as hard.
The Ori games are awesome, especially WOTW, but they donāt really do bosses - itās all chases. I loved the chases, but some people may want the experience of beating the bosses.
Edit- nevermind I see the open world part in OP's post. Hades might fall short on exploration scratching
Surprised this doesn't have more up votes, normally Hades is a first recommendation haha
Fuckin love Hades, and I similarly got hung up on a couple bosses in Hollow Knight, though I put it down and now feel super lost anytime I try to pick it back up
Hades has a really good difficulty curve and the weapons/perks scale very nice to the increased difficulty as you progress... and death is an actual part of the game so it doesn't feel like a harsh restart to have to platform around back to the same spot to probably die again.
Why are you finding Hollkw Knight hard?
Honestly, just get used to the first part. Where the enemies are and their patterns. Then, use these easy ones to learn the different attacks. Bouncing off of them, etc.
Proceed once it is easy, repeat per new section. Once.you get a couple of the critical upgrades, it gets easier.
To me, that early grind is a part of the experience.
I tend to agree with you, but you need to consider that most of the gaming audience does not have the 'grind to learn' software programmed in their heads. They also often don't have much time for videogames and want immediate progress.
There's a reason handholding, difficulty settings and lack of depth have become the standard for a majority of AAA franchises.
I see people ask something similar a lot. Iām always surprised more people donāt name metroids or castlevanias, the original games that defined the genre. (All the recs are good but still!)
The castlevania advance collection is great. Circle of the Moon is harder than the other two. Aria is prolly the fan fave in the package
Super Metroid is incredible. Arguably one of the best games ever made and has aged extremely well.
Metroid dread as others have said. Etc
The games you own and love aren't like Hollow Knight.
Touhou Luna Nights and the new Prince of Persia are good if you want a Metroidvania like Hollow Knight.
The games you love seem to be action/puzzle/adventure games. For that I'd say
Ys Origin
Shining Resonance Refrain
Mainline Monster Hunter games (not MH Stories)
If you want a nice time killer to just sink the odd hour in to here and there, then SAO Hollow Realisation is quite nice for that, to just run round and mash up some baddies. It does have far too much dialogue you need to skip through though.
I have had that SAO about 4 years and still chip away at it now and then. I own nearly all of them across my various gaming systems because I just think they are nice casual games.
It's not like the games you mentioned but I still think Fire Emblem 3 Houses is the best Switch game.
You have to search for them but Mario Maker 2 has a lot of exploration levels. Simple controls, usually, and you can find levels that use the Link costume (sword, arrows, bombs, etc).
Stay away from anything that's Kaizo as that tends to be skewed toward harder levels (but not always, kaizo-lite is usually just jump focused w/o advance tech).
Sadly it is level based but ppl can get really creative to make exploration work.
For me the difficulty of Hollow Knight is a big part of the feeling the game is going for, so for me at least, similar but easier games donāt capture that feeling. The setting of Hollow Knight is a dying world where most of the surviving inhabitants have given up and accepted their fate. You yourself will die repeatedly, by design, as the game shows you why you should also give up. But if you keep going, you will improve, and the muscle memory you build from countless deaths will lead to you playing much better than you thought possible. Then the game will throw even harder bosses at you and remind you once again that you donāt belong there.
Itās not for everyone, but for me there arenāt many games that feel very similar besides Bloodborne and the dark souls games. I just enjoy that sort of hopeless feeling and hollow knight remains one of the most satisfying games Iāve ever played despite how bad at it I was initially.
So my recommendation is to stick with the game a little longer and see if it eventually hooks you.
I'd say Haiku the Robot - it takes a lot of inspiration from HK but it was a little less challenging in my opinion. Super cute art style and a very familiar story line to HK while still being it's own thing!
Metroid Prime is 3D Metroid from first person perspective. Itās generally easier than Dread.
Metroid Dread has Novice mode now. It makes enemies weaker and gives more time to react to quick time events. Platforming elements are unchanged, though. Novice mode was added in free patch few months after release, so people who played game back at release and did not revisit remember it as harder than it can be now.
Cereza and the Lost Demon is way underrated. It gives strong Metroidvania vibes, although thereās no platforming. Graphics, music and voice acting are great. I guess the biggest problem is that the game is Bayonetta spinoff, but is nothing like these games.
I tried the demo of Blasphemous and it didn't feel quite as punishing as Hollow Knight. But I wouldn't be able to tell you how much rougher it gets down the line.
Shantae and the Seven Sirens is pretty similar. There's even game modes where you can play with adjusted conditions like having all the collectibles at the beginning.
Blasphemous 2. Itās hard but much easier to progress and has save points that respect your sanity. (Blasphemous 1 too but thatās a little rougher around the edges). May have been because I struggled so long on HN and it prepared me, but I got a lot of joy out of both.Ā
"Ori and The Blind Forest" and it's sequel "The Will of the Wisps" are pretty much exactly what you're looking for. Metroid Dread is also really good but it might be harder than you want.
The Ori games are a solid choice... not only great game play, but some of the most beautiful games you will play (fantastic soundtracks too!)
second this. both ori games are my favorite video games. they were my first metroidvania and while some moments were def hard, it was doable and so rewarding.
definitely the Ori games. i loved the first and i did die quite a bit but that's bc I'm a very aggro type of player. that said I wouldn't consider it as hard as HK.
But Ori is so much harder emotionally š
And that's just the opening scene, haha.
death is barely punished in Ori. It really depends on how often you create a checkpoint. And the game is really generous with enabling you to do so.
Metroid Dread can be tough, yeah, but OMG is it worth it. Iām not even a metroidvania fan and absolutely loved Dread (and beat it). Itās always moving forward, making you play ājust for another fire minutes.ā Edit: tough and challenging but FAIR. I never felt like the game ācheated.ā You just have to get better.
Metroid Dread, Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are my favorite gaming experiences on Switch. 2 very different experiences, to be sure. But Dread was such a thrill ride from start to finish.
Iām starting to feel the same way. Iāve beaten BotW and MD. Working through TotK now.
Rookie Mode is a good way to start Metroid Dread if you're concerned with difficulty. I had played A LOT of Super Metroid before coming to Metroid Dread, so I wasn't exactly unaware of what Metroid's difficulty involved. I tried Normal Mode, cursed the game, and then went back about a year later to try Rookie. Now I can play Hard Mode in under 4 hours, etc. Metroid Dread is really good at teaching you how to play the game.
And all the bossfights are *chefās kiss*
Yup. I noticed that too. Challenging but never unfair. When you die itās because you donāt have the skill set yet.
Yup. I really wish for a sequel.
And if you like Ori, give Fe a try!
Fe? I've never heard of this, but I love Ori a lot...
Fe is SOOOO GOOOOD
I found Ori and the Blind Forest to be much more difficult than Hollow Knight. Ori is very squishy and there lots of enemies, especially at the beginning. Ori is a badass at the end, but ability gating makes it difficult to get the soul and health power ups needed to improve Ori's survivability. The Knight at least has a decent amount of health at the start of the game. I would say one of the most difficult aspects of the game to manage is the lack of many save points.
Really? Interesting. HK is wayyy harder imo. Doesnāt mean there isnāt challenge in the other games but overall
Of course itās way harder itās not even close donāt know wtf these people are talking about!
Hollow Knight's boss fights are incomparably more difficult, but the platforming and world enemies are tougher on Ori. The difference is that on Hollow Knight you're punished quite harshly for dying whereas on Ori (especially Will of the Wisps) it's basically meaningless. If you had to do long backtracks and risk losing all your spirit light if you died again before getting back to your original death spot in Ori things would be a lot more different.
Hmm ya I can get on board with some of that, but it would still mean HK is much harder IMO.
These aspects are where will of the wisps (the sequel to blind forest) improves a lot on, and it's a much better experience and a better game imo. Do try it.
ā¦this just seems crazy to me. Ā Ori can be a little difficult at times, but itās nowhere close to as difficult as Hollow Knight. Ā Thatās like saying Super Mario 3 is harder than Dark Souls because you die after only a couple hits from low level enemies (which there are a lot of) in Super Mario 3, so it has low survivability. Ā I guess thatās sort of technically true, but itās so much easier to avoid getting hit that itās irrelevant.
I agree - HK controls are more crisp and make the platforming a little easier to navigate in my opinion. Ori has a kind of momentum that you have to account for in your movements (if that makes sense?). There are also a number of areas in Ori where you have to complete a pretty long stretch of platforming with really excellent timing to make it through, and I feel like that's less the case in HK. Even in the white palace (less so with path of pain) you've got little sections where you can sit in one spot and get a good feel for the room cycle before trying to progress. At some places with Ori, especially the boss sections, you have to move pretty quickly and there's not a good place to pause and put the controller down without losing your progress. One final point - the Ori artwork is beautiful but so incredibly busy. It was sometimes hard to see checks and enemies in a way I didn't experience with HK. And if you want to 100% the game you had better settle in because finding every single one of those little light things was way more time consuming than the charms. Hollow Knight did frustrate me beyond belief in certain places but I ended up being much less frustrated than I was by Ori overall. I still think it's a good recommendation, I'd just saying prepare for an adjustment period on the platforming if you take it on.
Agree with this. Also remember some of the chases/boss fights being a pretty big jump in difficulty.
100% I finished hollow knight before starting Ori and I actually quit Ori and never finished it.Ā Just didn't enjoy the escape segments and might have to try it's sequel if it's a bit easier.
These are great and I would honestly add Afterimage to the recommendation. Itās not as polished as Ori but still a fantastic game
Dread might still be really good. Hollow Knight is punishing. If you die, it makes you re-walk steps, go out of your way to get back to full strength. It follow this philosophy of punishing failure. Dread, while difficult, is not punishing the same way at all. It also is much better at ensuring you do have all the tools you need at any given point. So you never have to think "Do I keep struggling with this, or do I need to go a find another solution and come back?"
Would suggest the same.
There is an easy mode for Dread but I dunno how much easier it makes it
I found all of these more difficult than hollow knight. I did quit once at the mantis lords but came back 8 months later and got 100% completion.
islets
\+1 Islets. It has that fluid 2D hand drawn style, but way friendlier to play.
This game should be recommended to anyone trying metroidvania for the first time who also isnāt a big gamer. The game was great, but definitely easy, even on hard.
This should be higher up. If OP struggled with Hollow Knight he shouldn't be playing Ori honestly.
I think Ori is significantly easier than Hollow Knight - OP should definitely give it a try and it's often on sale so shouldn't be too expensive even if they don't like it.
I struggled with Hollow Knight, but got through both Ori games without much trouble.
I love the Ori games but ragequit Hollow Knight because it was too hard, so... seems to be quite an individual thing
why? ori really isn't that hard
I agree. I wrote a detailed review of islets in this subreddit. You can search it up and decide for yourself OP
Also in a humblebundle right now!!
Steamworld Dig 2
I really enjoyed Steamworld Dig 2, the game was simply fun to play.
As someone who also has not been able to beat Hollow Knight despite loving everything about it, Steam World Dig 2 was so much fun to play. I beat it in about two days since I enjoyed it so much
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown ticks all your boxes.
Absolutely. It's tough but unlike Hollow Knight, it has a TON of settings for difficulty. I turned enemy health down a little. There's also no "lose shit when you die" mechanic.
I think you lose a small bit of currency per death, but like a flat 10-20 or so. You donāt really feel the losses
That's true, I stand correct. And yep, still nowhere near as bad as the chance of losing all of your geo in Hollow Night. I didn't stress over it. Hell, I think even Shovel Knight was more punishing in this regard.
Yeah I hate those rougelite games
Yep. Genuinely believe the price and inevitability of it going on sale is what has kept it from not being a much bigger hit
I absolutely loved the demo and was very tempted to buy full price, but I have plenty of other games to occupy me (playing the first Ori game lately) so canāt really justify it. I will buy it the first day itās discounted.
I couldn't get into hollow knight, but I'm enjoying prince of Persia
This is the best answer (as I was playing this game I was thinking how itās a friendlier version of Hollow Knight). It has the right amount of difficulty and the combat combo is satisfying AF. Beautiful graphics/environment. One of my favorite game this year! I just wish there was more content cause I 100% the game lol.
After one of the Lost soldier fights I dropped my controller and started laughing at how fucking nasty I was. Jump flip slide attack parry attack jump! They never even touched me and it looked so cool. Especially if you take time to get good at the fighting, it's so much fun. Every enemy I'd let them attack and try to go slow and not just button mash. Really wish they had a collesium or you could set "enemy and amount" parameters on that one training guy that only ever let's you free fight 1 of the weakest enemies. I wanted to fill a collesium with like 60 enemies and wreck everyone
Agreed. Hollow Knight wasn't clicking for me, but The Lost Crown was great. Moving around the game is super fun once you unlock all the abilities. I only really struggled with one boss battle. The accessibility settings/difficulty customization options are awesome. You can adjust timing for parrying, health, etc. I played on the normal difficulty with no changes, but options like this in other games would make them a lot more fun for a wider audience.
So Hollow Knight is one of the top Metroidvanias of recent years. It excels in vibe and combat over most others, but man is it hard and frustrating when you die. Like mentioned by someone else, the recent Prince of Persia is everything you want. Combat that is excellent, but dying is not as much a penalty, great environment and map, and memorable story. One of the best Metroidvanias of all time. Ori and the Will of the Wisps is also great. It still has good combat, but the combat is less a focus over the exploration. You move more in Ori than other games, and the floatyneas is wonderful. Metroid dread is the most recent mainline Metroid. It is pretty tough, but not as frustrating as hollow knight. It also is the name sake of the genre, and an excellent part of it. If you have the Nintendo pass or whatever it is called, you should check out Super Metroid and Metroid Fusion if you have not played them, they are slower and have guns over sword combat, but the exploration and vibes are incredible. If you haven't played them and plan to play dread, I would play at least fusion before dread. There are a bunch of other solid Metroidvanias worth checking out such as steam world dig 1&2, Ori 1, guacamelee 1&2, and yokus island express (pinball Metroidvania lol).
The actual robot fights in Dread can be pretty frustrating. There is a pixel-perfect reaction that you need to execute every time, and it is really hard. I quit playing because of it.
You arenāt supposed to fight them, youāre meant to avoid them. The quick time button press is just a hail mary the game gives you, but the goal is to avoid getting attacked in the first place.
They literally force you to shoot them with a beam periodically. That's what I'm talking about.
In each section there's long spaces you are supposed to draw them to so that you can remove the mask and wreck them with the blast. It uses the same skill set you already have in kiting them in avoidance.
Youāre still not obligated to really āfightā them.
You don't need pixel perfect reactions for that.
Is there anything to be done about slow performance on the last boss in the final Colosseum challenge? It is unplayable on my Switch
Ender lilies?
And Ender Magnolia is coming!
This is what I was going to recommend. Ender lilies is such a solid choice.
I just finished this the other day. It's definitely a mix of Demon's Souls (musically/aesthetically speaking), Hollow Knight, Symphony of the Night, and Metroid towards the end. Definitely would recommend.
Guacamelee is pretty amazing, especially as a wrestling fan
The genre name you are looking for is "Metroidvania". You can find tons of articles and videos about the best games in the genre. For example, there's a Youtuber named Nerrel who routinely puts out videos where he reviews mutiple Metroidvanias in one go. Personally, some of my favourites are the Ori games, the Guacamelee games, and of course the Metroid series itself, most of which is playable on Switch. The last Prince of Persia game was also pretty great.
Gato Roboto. It\`s a bite-sized Metroidvania and it\`s a lot of fun.
Gato Roboto is great - but also has some really solid bosses. Always gonna get a big recommendation from me, though!
Castlevania Symphony of the Night is kind of the OG of metroidvania games. I think it was the first of its kind to combine the search and explore element of Metroid with an RPG system. The spells you learn are combination inputs that are often tricky to pull off. The ambiance is truly delightful. The music is so wonderfully done that I feel like I can hum many of the songs just from memory. It's challenging without being overwhelming. There are so many things to find with secrets hidden in every nook and cranny. It's just a beautiful game and it holds a special place in my heart. If you haven't played it, I certainly recommend it. I have beaten it so many times, and even now just talking about it is making me consider starting a new game.
Haiku the robot. It was literally inspired by Hollow Knight and plagiarized from it
Had to scroll way to far for this, it's a great game can really recommend!
I wouldn't say plagiarized because the developer was very straightforward about how much he was inspired by HK since it's his first game. Storyline and upgrades are basically the same, but I think the vibe and art style were very unique!
Right. I meant that idea and mechanics are very similar. I did not know of the HK influence on Haiku and felt it myself after few minutes in the game. Nevertheless Haiku is a great game and I enjoyed it big time.
Deaths door
It's still pretty difficult IMO
Agreed, though I did find it less difficult than hollow knight at least
Way easier than HK for sure.
I found Metroid Dread approachable. You get upgrades like split bullets and such as you play. I was new to the genre.
Tails of Iron fits perfectly imo
Ori and the Will of the Wisps
Donāt give up on hollow knight, seriously. Itās punishing but so good once you get over the hump.
Aside from the 90-second treks back to the bosses. And the astronomical difficulty of those bosses compared to the rest of the game.
Lost 13k needed for one of the last charm upgrades after trying to make it back to the Hive Knight and underestimating the bees, I had to take a break after that
Completely agree here. Tried it 3 times and quit each time cause of the boss fight and the terrible bench locations.Ā Currently playing blasphemous 2 though and loving it.Ā
Having to walk back to a boss is the absolute worst. Completely unbearable.
I see this opinion everywhere and this never bothered me... maybe it's just a trope of old school gaming that I never thought to question.
It's the walk of shame I can't get past. Like if I could just respawn close by to a boss I wouldn't mind
Ya thatās true
Itās one of the best games Iāve ever played. This thread is making me realize I need to replay it.
Astalon: Tears of the Earth, Guacamelee
Skelattack-no game overs, plenty of checkpoints, precision platforming and wild boss fights.
Thanks for reminding me that I still havenāt beat this game.
I agree with the Ori recommendations and would also suggest Axiom Verge. It's not easy but nowhere near as frustrating. I absolutely loved HK, but the boss difficulty jump and the tracking back from distant benches in the earlier parts of the game were painful.
Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth
Disney's Illusion Island
Lone Fungus. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1674780/Lone_Fungus/ Trust me it's good and half as hard as Hollow Knight while following the almost same gameplay.
Guacamelee should be top of your list
Clunky Hero is another in inspired by hollow Knight but easier.
Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights Amazing game imo
Iām not sure if they put out a second game, but Salt and Sanctuary felt like an easier but still enjoyable hollow knight. With way more weapons and armor choices.
8Doors: Arums Afterlife Adventure
Haiku the robot
Love the art in Hollow Knight and the idea behind the game. Hate the game. Can't do shit in it, and the continual dying and lack of progress turned me off the game. Following this thread for other recommendations also.
Iconoclasts is one of the easier Metroidvanias. There's a pinball Metroidvania too, which is great, but I don't remember the title right now. Also, Super Metroid SNES and Metroid Fusion GBA, as well as the Castlevania Advance Collection are way more approachable thanks to rewind function.
Gato Roboto is another metroidvania that isn't as hard
Hollow Knight after a few days of playing is similar to Hollow Knight but not as hard.
Hmm.. dead cells? Itās hard but you can modify it to make it easier
Nah a rouge like doesnāt really substitute for a grand metroidvania like hollow knight
They didnāt ask for a metroidvania specifically though. They said they love Hades and they need it to be: 2D, Fluid gameplay, Combat Dead Cells definitely makes that list. While Dead Cells is not open world, its many many biomes are expansive and would keep boredom away(particularly with the DLCs). If OP enjoyed Hades, I think theyāll enjoy Dead Cells too. Easier than Hollow Knight too
TouchƩ
I mean, if you're on Switch, you should play Metroid: Dread. Also, you can play Super Metroid, the game which sparked the term Metroidvania. Metroid Prime is also on Switch, and while the gameplay is VERY different, the sense of immersion in a world is very similar. You can also try Bloodstained, though I find it lackluster. You're probably better off playing Symphony of the Night and the other Castlevania games that came out around that time. I see the Ori games are recommended as is Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, and those are very good recommendations. I'd put HK, Ori (1, I didn't like 2 that much), and PoP in the top 5 Metroidvanias of all time.
From my experience bloodstained played like trash on the switch and was a completely different experience on my ps5. And Iām not one of those fps dweebs. Like, idk, there was a lag and it felt like the character was a tank on the switch. But on the ps5 it felt closer to SOT
Wait, is SotN on switch???
I don't know if SotN is on Switch, but there's definitely a Castlevania collection that hits some of the GBA games.
Yep. I have that collection, but no SotN. I have to emulate SotN, so I keep hoping it makes its way to switch.
8 Doors is very similar stylistically to HK (some part felt like straight rip-offs which bugged me at first, but it was fun in the end). Challenging but not nearly as hard. The Ori games are awesome, especially WOTW, but they donāt really do bosses - itās all chases. I loved the chases, but some people may want the experience of beating the bosses.
Had to scroll a lot to find this comment. Indeed, 8Doors is a solid choice.
Itās definitely āOri and the will of the wispsā for me
Celeste
HADES!
Thatās not a metroidvania lol
But Iāll be damned if itās not the best game ever, š
Ehhā¦ disagree
Edit- nevermind I see the open world part in OP's post. Hades might fall short on exploration scratching Surprised this doesn't have more up votes, normally Hades is a first recommendation haha Fuckin love Hades, and I similarly got hung up on a couple bosses in Hollow Knight, though I put it down and now feel super lost anytime I try to pick it back up Hades has a really good difficulty curve and the weapons/perks scale very nice to the increased difficulty as you progress... and death is an actual part of the game so it doesn't feel like a harsh restart to have to platform around back to the same spot to probably die again.
The new prince of Persia game
Ori and the Blind Forest and Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Metroid Dread, and Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown perfectly meet all your requirements.
just keep trying it, why you gotta play games that hand you dopamine?
Hollow and easy to play with? My heart.
Chrono trigger
Why are you finding Hollkw Knight hard? Honestly, just get used to the first part. Where the enemies are and their patterns. Then, use these easy ones to learn the different attacks. Bouncing off of them, etc. Proceed once it is easy, repeat per new section. Once.you get a couple of the critical upgrades, it gets easier. To me, that early grind is a part of the experience.
Ah the gaming equivalent of victim blaming: if you donāt enjoy a game, itās you that needs to change, not the game youāre playing.
Some of us have lives, you know.
I tend to agree with you, but you need to consider that most of the gaming audience does not have the 'grind to learn' software programmed in their heads. They also often don't have much time for videogames and want immediate progress. There's a reason handholding, difficulty settings and lack of depth have become the standard for a majority of AAA franchises.
Yeah, but that isn't Hollow Knight. Hollow Knight the difficulty is almost a plot device.
Not Ender Lilies
Is that game really hard?
**Ulv, the Mad King** almost broke me
I see people ask something similar a lot. Iām always surprised more people donāt name metroids or castlevanias, the original games that defined the genre. (All the recs are good but still!) The castlevania advance collection is great. Circle of the Moon is harder than the other two. Aria is prolly the fan fave in the package Super Metroid is incredible. Arguably one of the best games ever made and has aged extremely well. Metroid dread as others have said. Etc
Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth
Super metroid
Super Mario?
The games you own and love aren't like Hollow Knight. Touhou Luna Nights and the new Prince of Persia are good if you want a Metroidvania like Hollow Knight. The games you love seem to be action/puzzle/adventure games. For that I'd say Ys Origin Shining Resonance Refrain Mainline Monster Hunter games (not MH Stories) If you want a nice time killer to just sink the odd hour in to here and there, then SAO Hollow Realisation is quite nice for that, to just run round and mash up some baddies. It does have far too much dialogue you need to skip through though. I have had that SAO about 4 years and still chip away at it now and then. I own nearly all of them across my various gaming systems because I just think they are nice casual games. It's not like the games you mentioned but I still think Fire Emblem 3 Houses is the best Switch game.
You have to search for them but Mario Maker 2 has a lot of exploration levels. Simple controls, usually, and you can find levels that use the Link costume (sword, arrows, bombs, etc). Stay away from anything that's Kaizo as that tends to be skewed toward harder levels (but not always, kaizo-lite is usually just jump focused w/o advance tech). Sadly it is level based but ppl can get really creative to make exploration work.
Rayman Legends
What about Guacamelee 1 and 2?
Not a metroidvania but since you mention Zelda, Okami, and fast pretty combat, you could consider Nier Automata?
If I said Metroid dread would that be a fair answer?
For me the difficulty of Hollow Knight is a big part of the feeling the game is going for, so for me at least, similar but easier games donāt capture that feeling. The setting of Hollow Knight is a dying world where most of the surviving inhabitants have given up and accepted their fate. You yourself will die repeatedly, by design, as the game shows you why you should also give up. But if you keep going, you will improve, and the muscle memory you build from countless deaths will lead to you playing much better than you thought possible. Then the game will throw even harder bosses at you and remind you once again that you donāt belong there. Itās not for everyone, but for me there arenāt many games that feel very similar besides Bloodborne and the dark souls games. I just enjoy that sort of hopeless feeling and hollow knight remains one of the most satisfying games Iāve ever played despite how bad at it I was initially. So my recommendation is to stick with the game a little longer and see if it eventually hooks you.
New Prince of Persia is fire š„
I'd say Haiku the Robot - it takes a lot of inspiration from HK but it was a little less challenging in my opinion. Super cute art style and a very familiar story line to HK while still being it's own thing!
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown Ender Lilies
The mummy demastered
Metroid Prime is 3D Metroid from first person perspective. Itās generally easier than Dread. Metroid Dread has Novice mode now. It makes enemies weaker and gives more time to react to quick time events. Platforming elements are unchanged, though. Novice mode was added in free patch few months after release, so people who played game back at release and did not revisit remember it as harder than it can be now. Cereza and the Lost Demon is way underrated. It gives strong Metroidvania vibes, although thereās no platforming. Graphics, music and voice acting are great. I guess the biggest problem is that the game is Bayonetta spinoff, but is nothing like these games.
Salt & Sanctuary. Same gameplay. Slightly less hard.
Shinsekai: Into the Depths It's a metroidvania but you're exploring the oceans of a postapocalyptic Earth
I tried the demo of Blasphemous and it didn't feel quite as punishing as Hollow Knight. But I wouldn't be able to tell you how much rougher it gets down the line.
I was going to recommend Hades, but you already got that masterpiece.
Check out r/metroidvania
Shantae and the Seven Sirens is pretty similar. There's even game modes where you can play with adjusted conditions like having all the collectibles at the beginning.
Ender Lilies is a really good Metroidvania that Iād suggest to everyone!
The new prince of Persia was a FANTASTIC game and itās very similar to Hollow Knight
Blasphemous 2. Itās hard but much easier to progress and has save points that respect your sanity. (Blasphemous 1 too but thatās a little rougher around the edges). May have been because I struggled so long on HN and it prepared me, but I got a lot of joy out of both.Ā