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If you want another game after Hollow Knight: Silksong, choose by what you want most: demanding boss fights, fluid platforming, secret-filled exploration, or a more directed action adventure. Nine Sols is the closest pick here for deflection-led combat; Ori and the Will of the Wisps suits expressive movement and atmosphere; and Animal Well shifts the focus toward puzzles and discovery. None reproduces Silksong’s exact mix, and the recommendations below differ in combat, challenge, progression, and platform availability.
How to choose a game like Silksong
“Metroidvania” covers more than one kind of experience. Before picking a game, decide which part of the appeal matters most to you:
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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Voidwrought Standard Edition - Nintendo Switch | $34.43 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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ULTROS - Nintendo Switch | $34.53 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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Shadow Labyrinth Nintendo Switch Standard Edition | $19.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
![Metroid Prime Remastered Standard - Nintendo Switch [Digital Code]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41WaOVAna-L._SL160_.jpg)
|
Metroid Prime Remastered Standard - Nintendo Switch [Digital Code] | $39.94 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
|
The Messenger - Nintendo Switch | $26.99 | Buy on Amazon |
- Combat: Do you want technical deflections and bosses, responsive action, or a game where avoiding enemies and solving puzzles matters more?
- Progression: Would you rather explore and revisit a connected world, or follow a more directed route?
- Movement: Are you looking for demanding platforming and acrobatic movement, or exploration at a slower pace?
- Mood: Consider whether you want an emotionally expressive story, a mysterious world, or a castle-and-monster setting.
- Platform: Confirm the current platform and edition for your region before buying. The sources cited here do not establish a complete, up-to-date platform list for every game.
The recommendations are based on published game descriptions, not a shared difficulty scale or comparative testing. Check each linked page for current platform and edition details.
Best games like Silksong by preference
Nine Sols: demanding, deflection-led combat
Choose Nine Sols if your priority is technical fights and challenging bosses. GamesRadar characterizes it as a difficult Metroidvania/Soulslike built around relentless deflection-based combat. That makes it the strongest fit on this list for players seeking a demanding action challenge, rather than a substitute for every aspect of Silksong’s exploration and progression. GamesRadar’s Nine Sols recommendation.
#1 Best Overall
- Descend below the star-scorched surface and explore multidimensional depths filled with secrets and lore. Witness the corrupted revelry of the Court, lose yourself in the icy tunnels of the Old Waters, and discover the grim fate of the Abandoned Expedition.
- The world is filled with treasures sought by the learned, the brave, and the mad. Scour the halls of your shrine, rend the corpses of defeated deities, and hunt in the hidden corners of the cosmos to find objects capable of granting unique powers.
- Excavate into the rubble of the Gray City to construct a shrine filled with loyal followers. As you expand your shrine and followers, new secrets, rewards, and horrors come to light.
- In-game text languages: English, French, German, Hungarian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, and Traditional Chinese.
Ori and the Will of the Wisps: fluid platforming and atmosphere
Ori and the Will of the Wisps is a strong option if movement, visual presentation, and music matter as much to you as combat. GamesRadar highlights smooth platforming, hand-painted art, orchestral music, emotional story beats, bosses, and puzzles. A separate genre roundup also praises its platforming, atmosphere, and improved combat. GamesRadar’s Ori recommendation; genre roundup.
Animal Well: secrets and puzzles rather than combat-first action
For a more mysterious, puzzle-led experience, consider Animal Well. Its appeal, as described by GamesRadar, is a labyrinth full of secrets and puzzles that reward creative solutions. It offers a different balance from recommendations centered on technical combat or boss fights, making it a useful choice if exploration and figuring things out are what you want most. GamesRadar’s Animal Well recommendation.
Rank #2
- ULTROS is set in a multifaceted realm - a vast alien landscape teeming with life
- Experience brutal, intimate, close-quarter combat with cosmic lifeforms, driven by a sense of urgency
- Intense combat is juxtaposed with cultivating the greenery and tending to plant life in The Sarcophagus, providing precious moments of contemplation & peace
- A unique loop-based mechanic will allow you to start over at key moments in the story, providing opportunities to unfold secrets
- Experiment with and master your own specific fighting style as you explore the world of ULTROS
Metroid Dread: side-scrolling action with more directed progression
Metroid Dread is suited to players who want side-scrolling action but are comfortable with a more linear route than Hollow Knight. GamesRadar explicitly notes that difference and lists Nintendo Switch as the game’s platform. Check current regional availability and edition details before purchasing. GamesRadar’s Metroid Dread recommendation.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown: acrobatic action and time powers
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown combines exploration, puzzles, quests, boss fights, traps, and platforming with time-manipulation abilities. Ubisoft describes it as a Metroidvania; GamesRadar also emphasizes its sprawling world, combat, bosses, and platforming. It fits players looking for an acrobatic action adventure with a distinctive time-power hook. Ubisoft says its Complete Edition includes the base game, the Mask of Darkness story DLC, outfits, an amulet, and a digital guide; consult the official page for edition and availability details. Ubisoft’s The Lost Crown page; GamesRadar’s recommendation.
Rank #3
- Includes Base Game
- Search the remnants of an age-old intergalactic conflict, started long before your arrival, and discover new powers and abilities
- Master the fluid combat and combine powerful skills to create a playstyle of your own
- Team up with PUCK, and dive deeper into the maze of a mysterious alien world
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night: a Castlevania-style progression loop
If you want a castle setting and familiar ability-driven progression, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is an old-school alternative. GamesRadar describes abilities gained from defeated enemies, a progression loop that will appeal to players who enjoy steadily adding new ways to explore and fight. GamesRadar’s Bloodstained recommendation.
Dead Cells: repeatable runs and responsive action, with less exploration
Dead Cells is an adjacent action-platformer choice for players who value punchy combat and repeatable runs. GamesRadar notes its changing layouts and run-based progression, but also says it involves less exploration and backtracking than Hollow Knight. Pick it for action and replayable runs, not as the closest match for a sprawling exploration-led structure. GamesRadar’s Dead Cells recommendation.
Rank #4
- Become intergalactic bounty hunter Samus Aran and explore an alien planet in this critically-acclaimed first-person adventure
- Use and upgrade abilities like the Morph Ball, Missiles, and an array of beams to survive the harsh environments and lethal creatures of the planet Tallon IV
- Gain abilities and revisit areas to uncover the different routes and secrets hiding in a beautiful-yet-threatening interconnected world
- Scan your surroundings to gather information about the planet’s history and the creatures that call it home or to reveal enemies’ weak points
- Choose from multiple control options and experience revamped graphics, sound, and unlockable art in this remastered classic
Quick comparison
| Game | Best fit | Combat and challenge | Exploration and movement | Platform details established here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nine Sols | Technical fights | Demanding, deflection-led combat and challenging bosses | Metroidvania structure; specific platforming details are not stated in the cited description | Not stated in the cited source |
| Ori and the Will of the Wisps | Platforming and audiovisual mood | Bosses and tuned-up combat | Smooth platforming; puzzles and emotional story beats | Not stated in the cited sources |
| Animal Well | Secrets and puzzles | Not presented as combat-first | Labyrinthine exploration and creative puzzle solutions | Not stated in the cited source |
| Metroid Dread | More directed side-scrolling action | Side-scrolling action | More linear than Hollow Knight | Nintendo Switch is listed by GamesRadar |
| Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown | Acrobatic combat and time powers | Combat and boss fights | Exploration, traps, puzzles, quests, and platforming | Not stated in the cited sources |
| Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night | Castle exploration and ability growth | Abilities gained from defeated enemies | Castle setting; further movement details are not stated in the cited description | Not stated in the cited source |
| Dead Cells | Repeatable action runs | Punchy combat | Changing layouts, but less exploration and backtracking than Hollow Knight | Not stated in the cited source |
“Not stated” means the linked recommendation pages used here do not establish the detail; it does not mean the game is unavailable on other platforms or lacks that feature.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Includes the Picnic Panic DLC!
- Dynamic, acrobatic gameplay and ultra tight controls worthy of an epic ninja adventure.
- Character upgrades, new abilities, hidden levels, and branching paths to discover.
- Meticulously designed 8-bit and 16-bit sprites, animations, and backgrounds in the spirit of the classics.
- Original soundtrack by renowned chiptune composer Rainbowdragoneyes, handmade using Famitracker.
Which one should you play?
- Pick Nine Sols for deflection-heavy, demanding fights.
- Pick Ori and the Will of the Wisps for fluid platforming, music, and an emotional presentation.
- Pick Animal Well for secrets and puzzles over a combat-first experience.
- Pick Metroid Dread for side-scrolling action on a more linear route.
- Pick Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown for acrobatics, time powers, and a broad mix of action and exploration.
- Pick Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night for castle exploration and abilities earned from enemies.
- Pick Dead Cells for punchy combat and repeatable runs, accepting that exploration is less central.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
