Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is the closest modern match for most fans of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. It combines gothic presentation, a connected world, action combat, equipment, abilities and RPG-style progression in the same broad design tradition.
Your ideal choice changes if a different part of Castlevania matters most. Pick Hollow Knight for the deepest exploration, Blasphemous for grim and punishing combat, Dead Cells for fast repeatable runs, Ori and the Will of the Wisps for fluid traversal, or Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown for movement-led exploration.
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Which game should you play after Castlevania?
Use this short list if you already know what you want from Castlevania:
- Closest to Symphony of the Night: Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night.
- Best for a huge interconnected world: Hollow Knight.
- Best for dark atmosphere and severe combat: Blasphemous.
- Best for speed, build variety and replayable runs: Dead Cells.
- Best for graceful platforming and movement: Ori and the Will of the Wisps.
- Best for modern traversal in a different setting: Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown.
“Like Castlevania” can describe several different experiences. The exploration-focused games in the series are built around a connected or nonlinear map, new abilities that open previously unreachable areas, action combat, secrets, bosses and a strong sense of place. The Symphony of the Night tradition adds equipment, character growth and RPG-style choices. The recommendations below are separated by those traits rather than by the loose label “Metroidvania.”
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At a glance: six modern Castlevania alternatives
| Game | Best for | Exploration structure | Combat and progression | Atmosphere | Main caveat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night | The closest modern Symphony-style experience | Interconnected gothic exploration | Action RPG with equipment and abilities | Gothic fantasy | Check the current edition and platform availability before buying |
| Hollow Knight | Deep exploration, secrets and bosses | Vast interconnected world | Skill-based combat and ability progression | Atmospheric, mysterious and melancholic | More demanding and less equipment-driven than Bloodstained |
| Blasphemous | Grim tone and punishing swordplay | Nonlinear map with shortcuts and warp points | Hack-and-slash combat, sword upgrades and relic customization | Dark religious horror | Harsher and more severe than classic Castlevania |
| Dead Cells | Fast action and replayability | Ever-changing routes across repeated runs | Rogue-lite progression, weapons, spells and permadeath | Gothic action-platforming energy | It is a RogueVania, not a conventional fixed-map Metroidvania |
| Ori and the Will of the Wisps | Fluid traversal and expressive platforming | Connected exploration | Movement-led platform action | Bright, emotional fantasy | Traversal matters more than gothic horror or equipment depth |
| Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown | Movement-focused modern adventure | Metroidvania-style exploration | Traversal powers and action combat | Persian fantasy | Its setting and emphasis differ sharply from gothic Castlevania |
1. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night — the closest overall successor
Why it fits Castlevania fans
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is the strongest first recommendation when what you miss is the particular blend associated with Symphony of the Night: a gothic world to map out, action combat, character growth, equipment choices and abilities that gradually expand where you can go. Editorial comparisons consistently position it as the closest overall modern fit and the most “Vania”-oriented option among these recommendations.
The important match is structural, not merely visual. You are encouraged to revisit areas as your abilities and equipment improve, and the adventure is organized around discovery rather than a sequence of unrelated stages. That makes it a better substitute for the exploration-heavy side of Castlevania than games that only borrow the series’ monsters or gothic color palette.
What to expect from its progression
The game combines action-RPG systems with exploration. Equipment and abilities are part of the appeal, so experimentation matters more than in a purely skill-based Metroidvania. If you enjoy changing your loadout, testing how upgrades affect combat and finding a route through a large interconnected environment, this is the recommendation most likely to feel immediately familiar.
Who should choose it
- Players whose reference point is specifically Symphony of the Night.
- Anyone who wants gothic presentation without giving up RPG-style progression.
- Players who prefer a hand-authored world to randomized runs.
Verify the edition and platform listing available in your region before purchase, because current availability can vary by storefront and release version.
2. Hollow Knight — the exploration-first choice
A world built to be discovered
Team Cherry describes Hollow Knight as “a challenging 2D action-adventure.” Its defining strength is the scale and interconnection of its world: areas link together, secrets reward careful observation, and new skills and abilities change how you understand places you have already visited. The mystery beneath the kingdom of Dirtmouth gives exploration a narrative purpose rather than making the map feel like a checklist.
For a Castlevania fan, the key difference is where the game puts its emphasis. Hollow Knight is less about collecting a large equipment wardrobe and more about learning enemy patterns, reading the environment and choosing when to push deeper into an unfamiliar area. Its atmosphere is quiet, strange and mournful rather than flamboyantly gothic, but it creates the same pleasure of gradually comprehending a once-impenetrable world.
Rank #2
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Combat and difficulty
Combat is skill-based and demanding. Bosses and ordinary encounters both reward timing, positioning and knowledge of attack patterns. The game expects you to improve as a player, not simply to out-level every obstacle through equipment. That makes it a strong choice if you want the tension of difficult fights and the satisfaction of mastering them.
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Who should choose it
- Explorers who value secrets, shortcuts and a world that keeps unfolding.
- Players who want bosses and combat to test execution rather than inventory management.
- Anyone comfortable with a more demanding adventure and a less equipment-driven progression model than Bloodstained.
3. Blasphemous — the grim, punishing alternative
Gothic horror with a harsher edge
Team17 calls Blasphemous “a ruthless ARPG platform game set in a dark and nightmarish world where metroidvania style gameplay meets hack’n’slash action.” That description captures its appeal to Castlevania players who want severity rather than comfort. The setting is oppressive, the imagery is built around dark religious horror, and the combat has a weightier, more punishing character than the series’ lighter adventure entries.
How its map works
The world is nonlinear, with shortcuts and warp points that make its regions easier to reconnect as you advance. Exploration is therefore about building your own route through a hostile landscape, finding the safe links between areas and deciding which dangers to tackle first. The structure rewards returning with new knowledge as much as returning with a new ability.
Combat and customization
Its hack-and-slash foundation places the sword at the center of encounters. Sword upgrades improve your ability to deal with increasingly demanding enemies, while relic customization gives you ways to tailor the character beyond simple damage increases. The result is a more deliberate and punishing combat loop than the equipment-forward feel of Bloodstained.
Who should choose it
- Players who want the darkest atmosphere on this list.
- Fans of demanding melee combat and enemies that punish careless attacks.
- Castlevania players who enjoy nonlinear routes, shortcuts and warps more than lighthearted exploration.
Choose it with the understanding that its tone and combat are deliberately harsher than classic Castlevania.
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Why it is similar—and why it is different
Motion Twin’s official description is explicit: “Dead Cells is a rogue-lite, Castlevania-inspired action-platformer, allowing you to explore a sprawling, ever-changing castle… assuming you’re able to fight your way past its keepers.” That makes it a useful answer to “what should I play after Castlevania?” when the priority is fast action, but it should not be presented as an identical replacement for a fixed, hand-authored map.
Rank #3
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Every run asks you to make new route and equipment decisions. The castle changes, failure sends you back into another attempt, and permadeath is central to the loop. You are learning layouts, enemy behavior and your own preferred combinations over repeated runs rather than permanently clearing one map in a single campaign.
Combat and build variety
The game combines nonlinear progression with weapons, spells and alternate routes. Bosses are pattern-based, so success comes from recognizing attacks and responding quickly. The action is faster and more immediately replayable than the slower process of opening a single interconnected world one ability at a time.
Who should choose it
- Players who want short-to-medium attempts that remain interesting after repeated failure.
- Fans of rapid movement, reactive combat and changing builds.
- Castlevania fans who enjoy the mood and action vocabulary but do not require a permanent, fully mapped castle.
Call it a RogueVania: a roguelite built with Castlevania-inspired action-platforming ideas, not a standard Metroidvania with randomized decoration.
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Traversal over gothic horror
Ori and the Will of the Wisps belongs on this list for a different reason. Its strongest appeal is fluid traversal and expressive platforming, supported by a brighter and more emotional fantasy tone. If your favorite Castlevania moments are the ones where a new movement ability transforms an old route, Ori offers that sense of physical growth without reproducing the series’ gothic presentation.
The world is connected and exploration remains important, but movement is the main source of satisfaction. Sections are designed around momentum, precision and the pleasure of chaining abilities together. That makes it particularly attractive to players who see a Metroidvania as a platforming game first and an equipment or RPG game second.
How it differs from the darker recommendations
Ori’s tone is brighter, and its identity is less tied to horror, grim religious imagery or loot-driven experimentation. The comparison is therefore about traversal rather than atmosphere. It is a better fit for players who want graceful movement and an emotionally expressive fantasy adventure than for someone seeking a direct gothic successor.
Rank #4
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Who should choose it
- Players who value platforming flow above inventory depth.
- Anyone who wants a more luminous emotional tone.
- Castlevania fans looking for ability-gated exploration with a strong movement focus.
6. Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown — modern traversal in a new setting
A Metroidvania-style adventure outside gothic fantasy
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is a strong recommendation when the part of Castlevania you remember most is movement through a complex map. Editorial roundups classify it as a full Metroidvania-style adventure and highlight its traversal-focused design. Its setting is Persian fantasy rather than gothic horror, so the appeal comes from the way movement powers reshape exploration, not from visual imitation.
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The game puts modern platforming and traversal at the center of the adventure while retaining action combat and ability-based exploration. It is a sensible bridge for players who enjoy reaching a previously inaccessible ledge, opening a new route and using a growing movement toolkit to reinterpret the world.
Who should choose it
- Players who want a contemporary movement system and clear exploration momentum.
- Fans who are open to a distinct cultural and visual setting instead of gothic horror.
- Anyone who prefers traversal-led progression to equipment-heavy role-playing systems.
Check the current platform and edition details for your region before purchase, since those specifics can change and are not uniform across releases.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Choose by the Castlevania feature you miss most
If you want the closest Symphony of the Night structure
Start with Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night. It is the only recommendation here whose central pitch combines gothic exploration, action combat, abilities, equipment and RPG-style progression in one package.
If you want to get lost in a world
Choose Hollow Knight. Its vast interconnected design, secrets and ability progression make discovery the primary reward, with demanding combat reinforcing the need to understand each region.
If you want oppressive atmosphere and hard melee fights
Choose Blasphemous. Its nonlinear map, shortcuts, warp points, sword upgrades and relic customization support a deliberately ruthless style of play.
Best Value
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If you want to keep starting another run
Choose Dead Cells. Its changing castle, permadeath, alternate routes, weapons, spells and pattern-based bosses are designed around repetition and improvement rather than one definitive map-clearing journey.
If you want movement to feel spectacular
Choose Ori and the Will of the Wisps for fluid platforming and a brighter emotional fantasy, or Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown for movement-focused exploration in a Persian-fantasy setting.
How these games differ from one another
Fixed-world exploration versus repeated runs
Bloodstained, Hollow Knight, Blasphemous, Ori and Prince of Persia are built around learning a persistent world. You can form a mental map, remember a blocked passage and return with the tool needed to open it. Dead Cells uses a changing castle and repeated attempts instead, so its exploration is about adaptation and route selection within a run.
Equipment systems versus player mastery
Bloodstained leans furthest toward equipment and RPG-style choices. Hollow Knight places more responsibility on player skill and ability progression. Blasphemous sits between those poles with sword upgrades and relic customization, while Ori and Prince of Persia make movement abilities the most visible form of growth. Dead Cells constantly changes the weapons and spells available during a run, turning build decisions into part of its replay loop.
Gothic mood versus other kinds of atmosphere
Bloodstained is the most direct gothic-fantasy match. Blasphemous pushes that darkness into religious horror and nightmare imagery. Hollow Knight is mysterious and melancholic, while Dead Cells channels Castlevania through action-platforming energy. Ori is brighter and more emotionally tender, and Prince of Persia uses Persian fantasy instead of gothic horror.
Difficulty and replayability
Hollow Knight and Blasphemous are the clearest choices if demanding combat is part of the appeal. Dead Cells offers the most inherently repeatable structure because failure is expected and each run changes. The other three are better suited to players who want to develop one persistent adventure and see how the world opens over time.
A practical buying checklist
- Identify your reference game. If your favorite is Symphony of the Night, begin with Bloodstained. If you mainly remember difficult bosses or acrobatic movement, use the specialized picks below instead.
- Decide whether you want a permanent map. Choose one of the fixed-world recommendations if you want to remember every shortcut and return to old areas. Choose Dead Cells if changing routes and repeated runs sound better.
- Choose your progression preference. Pick Bloodstained for equipment and RPG choices, Hollow Knight for skill-led growth, Blasphemous for sword and relic customization, or Ori and Prince of Persia for movement abilities.
- Set your atmosphere preference. Gothic fans should start with Bloodstained; players seeking darker religious horror should choose Blasphemous; those wanting a brighter fantasy should choose Ori; and those open to a different cultural setting should choose Prince of Persia.
- Confirm the current release listing. Platform, edition and physical-availability details can vary by region and storefront, especially for older releases and alternate editions.
Final recommendation
For the broadest answer to “what are the best games like Castlevania?”, start with Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night. It most closely reproduces the gothic, exploration-heavy and equipment-driven side of Symphony of the Night. Move to Hollow Knight if exploration matters more than gear, Blasphemous if you want a harsher world and combat, Dead Cells if you want a RogueVania built for repeatable runs, Ori and the Will of the Wisps if movement is the main attraction, or Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown if you want modern traversal in a Persian-fantasy adventure.
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