Most likely you have already heard the term Metroidvania more than once or even played similar games on Game Karma, where there are a lot of them. But let’s see what lies at the heart of such games and how they stand out. And besides, where exactly did the term “Metroidvania” come from?
Origin of the term Metroidvania
And the first question that we will cover is who is at the origin of this term? There must be a starting point, a moment when someone decided to combine “Metroid” and “Castlevania” to give us this name, which is now widespread throughout the network.
The answer has been found, at least in part, in the archives of Usenet, an old forum network that was very widespread before the mass democratization of the Internet. First, a lot of users met this term on Usenet talking about everything and nothing. So on June 15, 2001, a certain Richard Hutnick created a discussion called “Metroidvania is great… like for Castlevania: Circle of the Moon”.
Thus, Hutnik wants to celebrate the richness of the gameplay of Castlevania, which has just been released on the Game Boy Advance, subtitled Circle of the Moon, and emphasizes in his message the close connection between this game and Metroid games, in particular Super Metroid.
What is Metroidvania?
The problem with the definition is that if everyone more or less sees what the term covers, then it is immediately much more difficult to establish an objective list of criteria to accurately define the genre. Similarly, it is difficult to make an accurate list of all the games that can be placed in this category.
- The first criterion is the construction of the game itself. Metroidvania consists of a single, rather large (even huge) world, with different areas fully connected to each other. Progress is non-linear, with movements up or down, as well as left and right, to find your way in this usually confusing world;
- The second key point is that promotion has a certain obsession. The player will often find closed doors or inaccessible locations without the right object, the right key, or the right equipment to advance. Therefore, the player will have to repeat their steps to find the said object, either by solving puzzles or by facing bosses or mini-bosses;
- The third element stems from the previous one: increasing the strength of the character. Since equipment must be collected to advance in the game, it usually makes the character stronger, allowing him to face stronger opponents;
- The fourth point is related to the fact that for many, Metroidvania is basically a 2D platformer/action/adventure game.
As you can see, an incredible variety of such connected and independent elements at the same time create a rather unusual and interesting genre that has been very popular for many years now. Why a particular genre? Yes, because such a mixture of elements has also led to the fact that for many it is confusing and makes it impossible to call such games something else.