Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth is a fantastic experience.

I also really liked Ender Lilies/Magnolias.

Other metroidvanias I've really enjoyed that haven't been mentioned yet are Blasphemous and Vision Soft Reset.

Blasphemous has a really cool theme and is pretty challenging.

Vision Soft Reset is more indie and probably PC only. It has a unique twist to the formula.

carrion is a reverse horror game where you play as the monster

So many solid suggestions here already. I have a soft spot for the more retro styled games, and despite being short Gato Roboto is one of my favourites. It just feels so good to play.

I love this style of game. I always have one on the go. Some times they scratch the itch, others they miss just a bit. I found that the blasphemous series more dark souls than Metroidvania. Biogun, chasm, bloodstained, any of the ori games, haiku, the mummy demastered, turnip boy commits tax evasion, dust an Elysian tale... I have more but that's a solid chunk. I'd love to hear from others if they do or don't consider these in the same family.

Do you consider Zelda64 a MetroidVania? If so then Darksiders has that action, similarly control, soul reaver 1 and 2, and blood omen 2.

Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom is top tier.

Castlevanias: Aria of Sorrow, Order of Eclessia, Dawn of Sorrow, Portrait of Ruin (no, no Symphony on my top-top list, it's awesome, but not that awesome);

Ori and the Blind Forest mentioned already;

Axiom Verge 1 and 2;

Some call it heresy, but... Dark Souls! bit harder, bit turn-based (combat, aye, heresy x2, but stamina system makes it turn based for me, thats wild)... but running all around, having maze with many options, each boss unlocks new paths and parts of map... 200% metroidvania to me.

Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin. IMO this is where the series peaked, perfected the formula and delivered a game packed with several large maps and three sets of bonus characters to replay the game with.

The only one I've played is Dead Cells, and it's fantastic. I haven't even bought any of the DLC, the base game is already endlessly replayable. I also listen to the soundtrack at least once a week.

I definitely want to get around to playing Hollow Knight and Animal Well at some point.

Headlander was surprisingly fun. Probably not my favorite, but certainly up there.

I have a list of Metroidvanias I've started but never completed. The only one that managed to hold my attention to completion that wasn't an actual Metroid title was Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night. Which is a shame, because Ori and The Blind Forest is beautiful and Hollowknight is very cute, but neither could really hold my attention.

Void Stranger. The most powerful progression unlocking item is knowledge. The second most powerful is the

Surprised it hasn’t been mentioned yet but Aeterna Noctis is one of my favorites and I have played a LOT of metroidvanias. Some of the platforming sections are quite difficult but there is an easier mode with easier enemies and platforming. It has a huge map and some really cool mechanics I haven’t seen before.

Edit: a couple more I thought of that aren’t listed. HAAK is a fun one, another one with some interesting mechanics and a fun story too. Souldiers is more of a 2d RPG game but it still has some Metroid mechanics. Four classes you can play as with a good story.

Aside from sotn of course, dead cells hands down.

Playing it for years now.

Edit: I would love for the downvote(s) to say (why/if) they didn't like dead cells or if they don't see it as metroidvania. (no discussion about opinions! ☺️)

I've played Ultros recently and thought it was really cool and unique.

Super Metroid. I really haven't liked any others that I've played.