Hollow Knight & Dark Souls Fans Should Try This Hand-Crafted Metroidvania In 2026

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The Metroidvania genre has seen a surge in popular games recently, including the eagerly awaited Hollow Knight: Silksong and the new Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse. While these games look fantastic, they stick closely to the traditional, often challenging, platforming and combat the genre is known for. However, one new Metroidvania is doing things differently, borrowing ideas from action RPGs like Dark Souls and adding its own unique twists.

One of the most engaging parts of a Metroidvania game is its combat – titles like Hollow Knight really shine in this area. The best Metroidvanias combine exploring expansive worlds with exciting, challenging fights, encouraging players to search for upgrades and new areas. When a Metroidvania looks good and feels smooth to play, it’s sure to attract a large and loyal fanbase.

Solateria Mixes Hand-Drawn Metroidvania World Building With Parry Driven Soulslike Combat

Solateria is a fast-paced action game in the style of classic Metroidvanias. It features a beautifully hand-drawn world and a haunting fantasy setting. The story takes place in the land of Solateria, which is being consumed by a dangerous plague. You play as a small fire warrior who awakens with amnesia and is guided by a mysterious voice to find the missing King and restore the world.

Solateria features a rich world filled with diverse bosses, enemies, and characters, offering players plenty of quests to complete. The game world is highly interactive, rewarding careful exploration and investigation of every area. Similar to how Hollow Knight: Silksong tells its story, you’ll piece together the narrative through conversations with characters and by uncovering fragments of your own character’s past.

The world of Solateria is massive and full of hidden secrets to discover as you journey between interesting locations. The game features a beautifully detailed world with diverse environments that you can explore in any order you choose. What sets Solateria apart from other Metroidvania games is that it doesn’t lock you into areas based on the abilities you’ve learned. While some obstacles will encourage you to revisit places later, you’re mostly free to explore based on your own curiosity.

Complex & Stylish Combat Comes With Various Difficulty Modes For A Customized Playthrough

What really makes Solateria stand out is its challenging and satisfying combat. It’s more than just jumping and attacking; battles are intricate dances where you and your enemies react to each other. You can block attacks with a well-timed parry, but to win, you’ll need to study each enemy’s moves and learn when to deflect. As you progress, you’ll face tough opponents with a lot of health and a variety of skills, making each fight a real test of your abilities.

Like challenging Souls-like games, Solateria‘s battles focus on learning from your mistakes and studying enemy patterns. Overcoming a difficult enemy feels incredibly rewarding, especially as you gain new skills and abilities. You can customize your fighting style with Core Stones and Parts, creating a build that suits your preferences and the enemies you face. Collecting rare items unlocks Heat Cores, which provide additional power and enhance your abilities.

As I’ve played more of this game, it’s really starting to feel like Dark Souls! It’s not just a little bit either – everything from managing my stamina when I block or dodge, to carefully building my character and resources, makes it feel like a proper action RPG. It’s a Metroidvania, sure, but with so much depth! Every enemy encounter feels like a puzzle; there’s no one right way to win, it all depends on how I’ve built my character. It’s really making me think about my approach to each fight.

The Massively Interconnected Map Structure Of Solateria Mimics Many Iconic Titles

Like most Metroidvania games, the world of Solateria flows together smoothly, but its level design has some clever touches. The game automatically marks areas you can’t reach yet on your map, so you’ll always know where to go back to. Plus, you can use the money you earn from defeating enemies to reveal the locations of collectibles, which is perfect for completionists.

Compared to similar games like Hollow Knight: Silksong or Dark Souls, Solateria is much easier to pick up and play. The game lets you customize your character to adjust the difficulty of combat. You can equip skills that make fights simpler – for example, one skill gives you a larger window to parry attacks. This makes the game more accessible for newcomers, while experienced players can still choose to play it as a challenging experience.

Similar to the original Dark Souls, Solateria‘s world cleverly connects different areas. While it draws inspiration from other games in the genre, it also introduces unique twists on familiar mechanics. That alone makes it worth checking out for Metroidvania fans, especially considering its beautiful art style and fresh gameplay, which hint at an exciting evolution for the genre this year.

Planning to check out Solateria in 2026? Let us know what you think in the comments, or discuss it with other fans on the ComicBook Forum!

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2026-05-09 17:15