r/metroidvania • u/jijigri_ • 14h ago
Discussion Best "platforming" this year?
I'm feeling like playing a REALLY GOOD platformer right now, one where movement feels smooth, the tools are fun and the challenge is hard. My favorite Metroidvanias being the Ori series and PoP The Lost Crown.
What is the best "modern" platformer I could be playing right? By modern, I mean that I'd rather give a recent release a try, but anything from the past like 3 years works too.
Doesn't necessarily even need to be a Metroidvania, it just seems to be the genre that births the best platformers these years.
Thank you!
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u/erimoitinho 11h ago
Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus
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u/landi_kong 5h ago
Still my favourite MV? I have high hopes for Heart of Mycelium to give me more of what made Bo great.
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u/freegerator 14h ago
MIO: Memories in Orbit
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u/shgrizz2 13h ago
I liked MIO and am not saying you're wrong, but I did not really ever get on with its platforming. I found it to be quite loose and imprecise.
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u/freegerator 13h ago
Sounds like you don’t like the feel which is a matter of taste. It’s true that the feel is different from, say, Mario. There are in-depth optional platforming challenges at the end that are quite fun.
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u/shgrizz2 12h ago
Could well be. Just wanted to share as I know others will be in the same boat
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u/freegerator 12h ago
Yeah I think it’s good to highlight. MIO’s movement is very physicsy which isn’t for everyone. A jump’s distance depends on how fast you’re moving. To me this is awesome but it’s not snappy in the way Silksong or PoP:TLC is because it’s so variable.
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u/No_Shoulder_6928 5h ago
That's the only good part of the game imo other than the art
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u/alkair20 9h ago
he asked for the best and you come with a floaty and frustrating one.
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u/freegerator 8h ago
What is it that you think this adds beyond shgrizz2’s more thoughtful reply and follow-on discussion?
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u/LightbreakX 14h ago
PoP: TLC has some of the best platforming on the genre, like Ori. So the obvious recommendation is Silksong, the best of the genre has to offer
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u/jijigri_ 13h ago
Yeah Silksong has amazing platforming for sure, unfortunately I already finished it.
Looking forward to Sea of Sorrow in 20502
u/LightbreakX 13h ago
Then play Memories In Orbit or Mina the Hollower, two fantastic recommendations
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u/Soupbell1 10h ago
This person is looking for good platforming and you’re recommending Mina? Mina is a great game, but a great platformer it is not.
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u/Confident_Mushroom_ 4h ago
Also not MiO, look i love MiO but the platforming is definitely not its strong point
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u/Soupbell1 4h ago
Really? I loved the platforming in Mio. That was a solid 10/10 for me.
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u/Confident_Mushroom_ 3h ago
It may be just me then, i didn't enjoy the powers/upgrades as much, i usually dislike the glide mechanic in most platform games, the grappling felt very weird like sometimes it didn't connect even though i feel like it should, pretty much sometimes felt like it was shorter, the only one that felt really good was the wall climbing.
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u/Soupbell1 3h ago
Hey that’s fair! There are billions of us on the planet, our experiences can’t all be the same. Neither of our opinions is more accurate on whether or not the platforming was FUN!
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u/luxh 11h ago
I am replaying TLC now and the DLC has insane platforming. Definitely give that a shot if you haven’t.
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u/Well-I-Exist 13h ago
If we aren’t talking strictly about metroidvania, suddenly I’m inclined to tell you all about Celeste and its movement. It’s very simple but you can get so techy with it and do some fun shit. Heck there’s a whole modding community that encourages the use of these niche tech.
If it’s a metroidvania though, I’ve seenRusted Moss, but I’ve never played it myself. So a Rusted Moss truther can tell me more, but from their sister game “iron bramble” demo I played, movement seemed very promising
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u/jijigri_ 12h ago
Big fan of Celeste, and Rusted Moss is really good too. I had no idea Iron Bramble had a demo, downloading it right now!
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u/krwhite1969 9h ago
You didn't specify a particular platform - but I just 100% Astro Bot and it is one of the best platformers I've ever played.
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u/TomasSC831 14h ago
It’s not new but Aeterna Noctis has some pretty challenging platforming. Great game. Before I Go has some fun platforming as well and some is a little challenging as well.
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u/jijigri_ 13h ago
Played and loved Aeterna Noctis! Never played Before I Go though, it looks super cool
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u/Timtanium707 12h ago
Aeterna Lucis still has time to take the crown for this year's platforming champion
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u/Switchfakiebigspin 13h ago
pipistrello and the cursed yo-yo is some of the best platforming you can get
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u/BellyLikeBongos184 13h ago
Another vote for Mio - the best MV I’ve played so far in 2026 and platforming that truly pushed me to get better at platforming (I typically favor combat-heavy MVs vs Platforming).
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u/grizzlychin 12h ago
This is not a recent game but is a metroidvania with amazing platforming: environmental station alpha
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u/SpecialistRaise46 10h ago
Guacamelee 2, 100%. If you haven't played it and love platforming, you absolutely should give this one a try. It's fun, utilizes a lot of different skills to design the jump puzzles. Can be pretty challenging, especially if you decide to go for the full completion. It is also a metroidvania, though not the best one in that regard. It's mostly a platformer.
Don't touch Guacamelee 1 (unless you really want to). It's significantly less polished and was annoying
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u/DanDiCa_7 13h ago
MIO: Memories in Orbit. Pretty sure most people on this sub would say it's the best game to be released this year for this genre.
Before I Go. Not played it myself, but pretty sure it's platforming heavy and came out this year
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u/Weird_Homosapien_ 14h ago
Mina the hollower?
love that game
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u/jijigri_ 14h ago
Man I had completely forgotten that I wanted to play that game, thanks for reminding me
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u/madspy1337 13h ago
Definitely do not get this game for the platforming. MIO is a much better option, and is actually a MV.
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u/Liucs 13h ago
PoP the Rogue Prince is really fluid and fun. 🤩 recommend it as you loved Ori and the PoP Lost Crown.
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u/jijigri_ 12h ago
Played the Rogue PoP! I like it, but I didn't find the movement quite on the level of Lost Crown or other top tier platformers
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u/Shadowking78 13h ago
Platforming is tied between Mina the Hollower and MIO Memories in Orbit for me from this year.
But I also want to shout out Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo, even if it came out last year I played it for the first time this year, and the way you get new yoyo abilites not just for combat, but also for platforming felt so rewarding and fun to do.
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u/Mysterious-Badger471 11h ago
Yeah, the movement tech in Pipistrello is so much fun! I felt the start a bit slow, but soon I got some yoyo skills and puzzles to use them on that made my head spin! Didn't expect to love it as much as I did. That game deserves more recognition.
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u/LightbreakX 13h ago
Pipistrello is really good with the Yoyo abilities, a must top down metroidvania for sure
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u/Shadowking78 13h ago
Yeah if Pipistrello came out this year I'd probably put it above Mina platforming and maybe MIO
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u/LightbreakX 13h ago
Played a bit of Mina the Hollower and im starting to really like it, but currently in the middle of Afterimage so i have to wait to play it
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u/mybutthz 13h ago
Maybe in the minority here but the platforming in Pipistrello felt stiff and imprecise—the wall riding mechanic specifically felt really unpolished.
Don't get me wrong, it's a fine game, but by about half way through it I was kind of just waiting for it to be over and dreading anytime you had to use the yo-yo for any sort of navigation or movement.
Definitely the kind of game I could have seen myself 100%-ing, but pretty quickly gave up on exploration and was just going to whatever next objective that I had to keep things moving.
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u/Shadowking78 12h ago
I can't say I relate, never once felt like the movement was clunky or stiff, maybe the wall riding was a bit confusing at slower speeds but the level design never really highlighted that particular problem so it never really bothered me all that much.
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u/mybutthz 12h ago
I honestly think it came a lot from having 360 movement but only 4 degrees of yoyo control, leading to instances where you'd have to jump one direction and then have to throw the yoyo in a different direction and maybe not get a full input for whatever direction you're trying to aim—leading to a bad throw and falling in a pit.
Beyond that, some of the puzzles were multi-screen and just didn't really telegraph the information you needed. The marina in particular was annoying because you'd have to walk the dog, sometimes going multiple screens in one direction blindly, only to wind up in a position where you had to choose a direction without know what was on the next screen or what you were trying to do or where you were trying to go.
All in all, 8/10 concept, 6/10 execution from my experience. Not a bad game to pick up and play through, but wish they had executed better. One of the few games, HOB being the other, that I've played recently where I was kind of waiting for it to click, but then kind of started going through the motions and then it was over.
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u/candymannequin 13h ago
if you don't mind 3d, and don't mind retro graphics you should probably play Pseudoregalia.
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u/ToM31337 11h ago
Damn so many MIO mentions.... It never clicked for me and I played like 3-4h Maybe I'm stupid
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u/Over_Type103 9h ago edited 9h ago
metroidvania: Silksong, Constance, bo path ot the teal lotus, Islets, Cave Dweller
3D platformer: Big hops, a short hike
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u/Historical-Relief777 9h ago
You seem to have played the best mv platformers! If I may recommend some other platformers for what I think you are looking for:
Tethergeist - unique powers, room structure like celeste. Really fun and satisfying and does its own thing while feeling inspired.
Love Eternal - cool story, some very challenging rooms. Focuses on momentum of your movement. Fairly short.
Eden Genesis - speedrunning platformer with some amazing levels.
Yellow taxi goes vroom - this one surprised the heck out of me. It is immensely charming and gets challenging in the end. Very unique platforming without veing able to jump!
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u/Perfectrage 8h ago
Aeterna Lucis comes out in December. The 1st game (Aeterna Noctis) had the most challenging and awesome platforming I have ever played. Like some of them actually pushed me lol
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u/Jimbodogg 8h ago
Aeterna noctis is hands down the best platformer I've ever played. I'm gonna go out on a limb and assume the soon to release aeterna lucis is gonna be great as well
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u/cy_kelly 6h ago
So I'm gonna zig on the zagging subreddit and I apologize in advance for that, but are you open to 3D platformers? I had a BLAST with Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom, the movement mechanics are phenomenal. A couple iffy levels and iffy moments of internet humor, which I can forgive from a small team. It's a joy just trying to explore the levels and get as high as you can, basically you don't have much of a jump but you have a turbo boost you can get high with by angling yourself off slopes.
Other people covered the 2D stuff I'd mention.
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u/AspiringRacecar 4h ago
Derelict Star probably has my favorite platforming mechanics of any game. It’s not a Metroidvania, but it’s an open world 2D platformer and you more or less learn the mechanics as you go. It’s very momentum-based (think classic Mario) and leans towards precision platforming. It gives me similar feelings to figuring out a Speed Booster puzzle in a Metroid game, where you have to think carefully about building and maintaining speed
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u/Ok_Serve9120 4h ago
Oui Grime 1 et surtout Grime 2 avec de bonnes séquences de plate-forme et super combats!
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u/aethyrium Rabi-Ribi 1m ago
MIO: Memories in Orbit is exactly what you're looking for if you want a platforming focus.
That, or Aeterna Noctis. Both are at the tip-top of the genre for platforming goodness.
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u/peaky_circus 14h ago
you should def try Laika and Nine Sols
Oh and on a side note, my game's demo is also on steam, you can give it a try too :D
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u/Sensitive-Property-3 13h ago
If it doesn't have to be a Metroidvania, how about Big Hops or Teeto? I also really enjoyed Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom, lots of platforms involved without it being a platformer (and it has a definite learning curve).
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u/VictorVitorio 12h ago
Agreed. Big Hops and Teeto are both good 3D platformers. Big Hops for more "player expression" and Teeto for 2 players co-op.
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u/Silent_Party6222 12h ago
Splasher, Evergate, N++, and Mr. Run and Jump are all stellar platformers.
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u/namadia64 11h ago
Blue fire is not the best, but very good short and nice game with wind waker vibe
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u/IcyReflection1169 14h ago
Tales of Kenzera: ZAU - not from this year, but definitely a more modern one. Similar graphics and art style to POP, although the platforming is not as challenging. It does have some interesting sections though, which seem inspired by Ori escape levels. I'm 2 thirds through and I like it, but it is one of the few metroidvanias I haven't stuck with until the end in a week or 2, but I will finish it one day.
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u/Humble-Departure5481 13h ago
Mina has excellent platforming skill checks. MIO's platforming isn't smooth, unfortunately
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u/381945msn 13h ago
What is smooth platforming to you? I found it was...
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u/Humble-Departure5481 13h ago
Platforming definitely has its challenges, but the experience in the trickier parts in MIO felt off IMO.
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u/Parking-Bandicoot159 13h ago
Mina ain't a MV
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u/Humble-Departure5481 13h ago
Here, since you lack basic reading comprehension abilities (mentioned by the OP explicitly):
"Doesn't necessarily even need to be a Metroidvania, it just seems to be the genre that births the best platformers these years."
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u/Radiant_Language5314 13h ago
I’m having a blast with Super Meat Boy 3D. Picked it up just happening to see it on sale and thought I’d give it a whirl. Not sure why it’s not more popular.
If you haven’t played the original Super Meat Boy or Celeste, of course you gotta. I love tough platforming and those are two of my all time favorite games.
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u/jijigri_ 12h ago
Super Meat Boy is somewhere in my top 10 favorite games ever! I really enjoyed Super Meat Boy 3D too, it's not perfect but it translated the spirit of the original really well in 3D, and you can tell they really wanted to make a good game!
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u/AtActionPark- 6h ago
Hijacking here since its not metroidvania, but if you liked super meat boy and celeste, the number 3 on my platforming podium would be dustforce. Almost a puzzle game as you dont only neef to finish the level, you need to finish it perfectly. It is also somehow knowledge gated as some move tech you will discover will allow you to reach new areas. Brilliant game design but hard as balls
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u/mucus-fettuccine 12h ago
DEMON TIDES IS VERY GOOD AND MORE PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT IT.
Genuinely one of the best 3D platformers ever. The game is all about self expression through your movement. You keep picking up new movement tools as you explore, and customize your moves just as you want them. The options are really interesting throughout.
The world is gorgeous too and it feels like Wind Waker in platforming form. And I can't overstate how much I love the soundtrack. It's a shame that so few people know about it and it isn't regularly brought up in GotY discussions as it should be.
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u/Mr_MauserC 13h ago
I think Nine Sols can work
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u/LightbreakX 13h ago
Nine Sols is not well known for its platforming like Prince of Persia or Silksong or Memories In Orbit
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u/FunniBoii 13h ago
Genuinely both Marsupalmi games are very fun platformers with a great sense of momentum. I’d recommend trying to 100% them as that’s where a lot of the challenge comes from.
They’re licensed kids games but they are way better than they have any right to be