Metroidvanias occupy a curious yet passionate niche of the gaming community, and of all the games of Summer Game Fest, I know which one you're most hoping to see there. Hollow Knight: Silksong has been the side-scroller on everyone's lips for years now, so much so that the legacy of its drawn-out production process is almost working to Team Cherry's advantage, given how little it's discouraged fans from hoping against vain hope to see it finally launch in 2024. Still, although the Summer Game Fest 2024 schedule will continue its streak of filling the E3-shaped hole in our hearts, you might be looking for another Metroidvania to plug the Hollow Knight one for the time being.
Whether you love touching narratives in beautiful artistic worlds, punishing Soulslike dungeon crawlers, or a little mix of both, I've picked out a handful of Metroidvanias I'd love to see show up at SGF this week – as well as two pipe dream selections that I'm adamant we shouldn't give up on.
5. Mandragora
If the trailer debuted over Gamescom 2023 didn't whet your appetite for Mandragora, allow me to do the honors. Primal Games' upcoming action-RPG merges Soulslike gameplay with Metroidvania conventions to create a side-scrolling hack n'slash dark fantasy gem that looks set to blow us away. I think it's primed for a Summer Game Fest spot for the simple fact that it's been quite some time since Mandragora received a temperature check – and dare I hope for a release date, too? Either way, I'd be over the moon to see more of Mandragora this week in all its grimdark magic and mystery.
4. Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus
One of the prettiest indie Metroidvanias we'd love to see this week is Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus. Ancient Japan sets the scene for this 2.5D hand-drawn adventure game, and with its July 18 release date having been announced back in February and a demo released just days ago, it makes sense that publisher Humble Games might make a final pitch for it during SGF. Complete with stunning side-scrolling environments, haunting enemy design, and a heartfelt story to tie it all together, Bo is the kind of spellbinding fantasy I need to scratch this Silksong itch – and it just so happens to be a viable contender for a spot in SGF the rundown, given the wealth of indie showcases.
3. Eden's Guardian
A 12DOVE team pick for Metroidvanias at Summer Game Fest is brooding dark fantasy Eden's Garden. This indie offering overshot its Kickstarter goal by 285% in just three days to make it one of the hottest upcoming Metroidvanias to keep an eye on, and if the trailer is anything to go by, we're looking at one of the most intriguing traversal systems I've ever seen. It's been gaining traction for a few months now, and with multiple indie showcases planned for SGF weekend, we're hoping to see Eden's Guardian reach the audience it deserves.
2. Metroid Prime 4
You didn't think I'd leave the next instalment of the genre's co-namesake off my list, did you? Aside from its developmental restart some five years ago that saw it placed back into the hands of Retro Studios, Metroid Prime 4 is one of those fabled upcoming Switch games that we genuinely know next to nothing about. Strangely, that makes it even more plausible to potentially show face around or during the Summer Game Fest season. The publisher's track record means it'll likely reserve any Metroid Prime updates for an in-house event, and with a confirmed Nintendo Direct slated for June 2024, there's a chance it could finally show face soon.
1. Hollow Knight: Silksong
Forgive my clown face paint, but I still have high hopes to see something – anything – about Hollow Knight: Silksong this year. So why not at Summer Game Fest? Let me dream for a second: we've known since March 2023 that Silksong has been delayed to an as-yet unknown date. Just over a year and many months of hand-wringing later, I'd say the community is well overdue a temperature check from developer Team Cherry that amounts to more than simple reassurance that the game still exists. Many of us have already given up on hearing anything about it at all this summer, but how much more awesome would that make a surprise SGF appearance for Silksong? Stranger things have happened, so pass me the curly red wig and let me manifest it in peace.
