Possibly the coolest genre of games, explained
Possibly the coolest genre of games, explained
Sometimes, us gamers aren’t amazing at naming and describing things. We have so many overlapping acronyms, like frames per second and first person shooter both being “FPS,” and hyper specific references to particular moments in that game’s culture, like the Super Mario Bros skip called SMK, named, of course, after “Super Mister Krabs,” a popular rom hack that involved that wall clip. Sometimes, these names are just dumb for the sake of it, like the Portal speedrun skip, the “Turret Flippy Skippy Tricky Flingy Wingy Swingy Thingy,” (no, that’s not a joke— it’s a real thing).
It’s no wonder, then, that some of our genre names won’t make much sense to the untainted mind. Take Metroidvanias, a mainstay in gaming history with a name that isn’t particularly descriptive. If you’re further towards the fringe of gaming history, you may be able to recognize that it’s a portmanteau of Metroid and Castlevania, which are two fairly popular video game series, but, unless you’ve played games in both of these series, or you’ve just played a bunch of other Metroidvanias, it’s difficult to tell what specifically the name describes. What facet of a game is decided by this title?
What exactly do Metroid, Castlevania, Ori and the Blind Forest, Nine Souls, Hollow Night, and so many other games have in common? Also, why do people seem to like these games so much?
Let’s discuss the age-old question: what is a Metroidvania? Let’s see what specific aspects of a game qualify it as a Metroidvania!
The absolute cornerstone of any Metroidvania game is that it’s built around 2D platforming. Restricting the game down to a second dimension, especially in the case with Metroidvanias, really helps with exploration and mystery. 2D games make it more difficult to get out of bounds and sequence break or learn information before you’re supposed to have it. There are, of course, still glitches that will be able to do this, which has built several amazing Metroidvania speedrunning communities, but the skill in playing the game still tends to be the primary driving force behind the more professional levels of play.
2D platforming will often, but not always, involve a few particular mechanics:
You typically encounter puzzles when trying to unlock new areas. This generally involves something like pushing around a box to sit on the pressure plate or activating some kind of lever to open a door. These are some of the most basic types of puzzles, but video game puzzles can encompass so much more. Generally, puzzle solving is not the most important part of the game mechanics, so Metroidvania puzzles tend to be a bit simpler, or they’ll rely on some of these other common mechanics in order to create a more enjoyable puzzle experience.
Precise movement also comes up quite a bit. This refers to what type of movement mechanics you would see in games like Assassin’s Creed or Celeste. You’ll often receive upgrades, which we’ll cover later on, as it will give you more movement options, like double jumps and grappling hooks. Type refined movement is a more modern hallmark of the genre, but even the original Metroid had a pretty heavy focus on its platforming elements, so its roots go pretty deep.
Combat is, in Metroidvanias, typically pretty unavoidable, but fighting enemies is not a core part of the genre necessarily. Games like Ori and the Blind Forest give you several options to tackle any situation, and they tend to vary mechanics used for the typical “bossfight“ between the combat mechanics and precise movement. You’ll still probably find it in pretty much every Metroidvania game, though.
A good example of the game blending these 2D platforming features together is Hollow Knight, which may not have much in terms of puzzles, but is full of an excellent blend of combat movement, in which both of those mechanics complimented each other to create an incredible, and incredibly challenging, experience.
Even the Metroid and Castlevania series have games that aren’t Metroidvanias. This is especially evident in games like the Castlevania: Lords of Shadow series, which is a third-person melee puzzle game set in a 3D environment. The Metroid prime series, which recently announced its next installment would be releasing this year, is a first-person shooter, also set in a 3D environment.
So, does that make Sonic the Hedgehog and Super Mario World Metroidvanias? No, because they lack the next important factor: an explorable open world. What really sets Metroidvanias apart from any other genre is their focus on exploration and discovery.
For example, let’s look at one of the formative games of the genre, Metroid. Released in 1986, the original Metroid made leaps and bounds in the amount of exploration that could be done on the NES.
As we discussed earlier, the 2D platforming element is crucial in making this exploration feel fun. In a two-dimensional environment, you’re stuck looking at just the information you’re supposed to have at the moment, which keeps you in the present, ready for anything the game might throw at you. Until you’re right up next to a brand new area, you probably won’t really know that area exists, so there isn’t much of a way to see what’s offered over there, creating a more intense mystery surrounding the world.
Generally, Metroidvanias tend to involve expensive maps of unexplored planets and ruined castles. This means a lot of the characters probably also won’t have a great grasp on the rest of the world, so piecing together this lost civilization is up to you.
You see upgrades in pretty much every game. You start off with nothing and you keep working through the game, gaining new skills periodically, and it’ll help you to do newer, cooler things. For Metroidvanias, though, place upgrades are a core part of the mechanics. You often have a limit, some sort of stamina for ammo, that, with upgrades you find throughout, you’ll be able to raise. The same thing goes for health. You may also find upgrades in the form of new abilities or improvements to your current abilities.
Metroidvanias treat upgrades differently from other game genres in the way they are prioritized. Gaining and playing with these upgrades, often just for the sake of completion, is a core part of these games. In a game like the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, you have the ability to walk into the final boss room within the first 30 minutes of play if you want that challenge. You still have pretty much no health, stamina, or weapons, but you can do it. In a Metroidvania, you typically have to find that final boss room using the mini abilities you gained along the way.
A Metroidvania, at its core, is a 2D platformer game with a strong exploration focus and lots of upgrades to collect along the way. It involves intense platforming, combat, and puzzles for the player to solve. The joys of exploration are what really keeps people coming back to these games. It feels really good to accomplish something like this. So, good luck in your travels, and fill out as many maps as you possibly can.
