Metroidvania Games: 5 Characteristics of Metroidvania Games

A metroidvania video game is a subgenre of the action-adventure game platform that is mostly two-dimensional, where the player travels through a map to collect items and gain new abilities, both of which open up the world to further exploration. It also can combine the elements of a platformer game with the characterization and storyline of a role-playing game (RPG).

Part of the appeal of metroidvania games is their replayability. Since many of the items in the games are hidden, it requires backtracking and special moves to dig into the game design and find new areas. New games come out in the genre frequently and on multiple platforms including iOS, Android, PCs, and major consoles, such as Xbox One and PlayStation, giving gamers lots of options to choose from.

The term “metroidvania” is a portmanteau of the two video games that defined the genre: Metroid (1986) and Castlevania (1986). Video game writer Scott Sharkey is credited with coining the term, and coworker Jeremy Parish helped to popularize it.

The original Metroid came out on the original Nintendo Entertainment System, or NES. The gamer played as Samus Aran, a woman who fought against creatures named metroids, in a 2-D environment. The map the player travels through has vertical and side-scroller options, depending on the gamer’s location on the map. Metroid then developed into a full game series, including Super Metroid (1994) and Metroid Prime (2002)

Konami produced Castlevania, which also came out on the NES (and its Japanese counterpart, the Famicom), but appeared on other platforms as well, including MS-DOS. It shares the action game style of 2-D platformers like Metroid, with the same vertical travel options. However, it had a deeper RPG aspect to the game, with additional collectible items. Its success spawned a series of Castlevania games—such as the Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest (1988) sequel—and a Netflix show.

There are many variations of metroidvania games, but they all share common characteristics with Metroid and Castlevania.

1. 1. Maps open up with time. A typical platformer allows the player to move side-to-side within a map, with occasional movements vertically to access items. Metroidvania games turn the game world into a map, which has blocked passageways and doors that require keys or other tools. The player must hunt down those objects, which then expand the map and allow the gamer to progress further.
2. 2. The game is about exploration. Metroidvania games require the gamer to hunt for an object and use that item to move further in the game. This requires searching and traveling in areas that normally the player wouldn’t go, and makes the game feel like it has more depth. When the player discovers a secret, it rewards them with the item they need to continue or a gift that gives them extra value in the game, such as a new weapon or power-ups.
3. 3. Story and level design work together. Because every metroidvania game is a puzzle, a cohesive story is required to entice the player to continue forward. This makes the experience more immersive than a traditional side-scroller, but less so than a modern open world game.
4. 4. Experimentation works to the player’s advantage. Metroidvania games have hidden areas that are inaccessible through common means. A fortuitously timed double jump in the right spot might yield access to a hidden door or new weapon.
5. 5. Many—but not all—have a retro aesthetic. Part of the appeal of the metroidvania genre is nostalgia for the original Metroid and Castlevania, both of which were 8-bit games with visible pixels. Although today’s consoles and devices have much better resolution, there is a subset of metroidvania games that mimic the original games’ art styles.

Although metroidvania video games have roots in traditional platforming games, the gameplay between the two is very different.

• Movement: In a platformer game, such as Super Mario Bros. 3, the gamer can typically only move left and right. They can jump to add height, but there is only one destination—barring any secret exits, which are rare. Metroidvania games encourage backtracking, hunting, and going vertically in both directions.
• New abilities: While you can gain new abilities in both platformer and metroidvania games, increasing your skill level is emphasized in metroidvania games. The number of weapons and power-ups increase over time as well.
  
• Time: Although there are metroidvania games with timers, these games generally want the player to take the time to explore and find new levels. Platformers tend to have a time limit that discourages exploration.
• Role playing: The original Metroid game invested the player in the mission of main character Samus. This type of storyline is common in RPG, helps define the genre, and allows to be flexible in its use, with characters appearing as everything from ninjas to wrestlers. Role playing isn’t common in platformer games.
• Number of worlds: When playing a metroidvania title, the goal is to explore one world and all aspects of it. Platformer titles have multiple, interconnected worlds that the player moves between, rarely backtracking.

Although the term metroidvania is relatively new, there are several games that have become popular since its inception. Some of the best metroidvania games have been developed in recent years, particularly by indie developers.

1. 1. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (1997): This game continues the story of the first game in the Castlevania series, which explores vampiric themes. It’s widely considered to be one of the first metroidvania games.
2. 2. Shantae (2002): This game spawned a series of other games in the metroidvania genre and proved popular enough for a re-release on the Nintendo Switch in 2021.
3. 3. Cave Story (2004): Cave Story was a Windows game upon its release, with ports of the game being released up until 2017 with Cave Story+. The player is a robot named Quote who has no memory and has to escape from a cave by exploring his surroundings.
4. 4. Dust: An Elysian Tail (2012): In this game, main character Dust, who has none of his memories, finds a living sword and its guardian. They team up to save the victims of General Gaius.
   
5. 5. Guacamelee (2013): This indie game incorporates Mexican folklore. Players have to traverse levels just like in its inspiration, Super Metroid, but use fighting styles based on lucha libre wrestling.
   
6. 6. Ori and the Blind Forest (2015): Released on console and desktop platforms in 2015, Ori and the Blind Forest involves playing as Ori, a guardian spirit. It won Best Art Direction at the 2015 Game Awards. There’s also a sequel, Ori: Will of the Wisps (2020).
7. 7. Axiom Verge (2015): This game shares the 8-bit pixel look and feel from both Metroid and Castlevania, but modernizes it with difficult, yet entertaining, gameplay. The graphics also glitch in and out intentionally, giving the player the experience of the game falling apart.
8. 8. Hollow Knight (2017): This challenging game places the gamer in a world without any explanation or context. The player learns more about their surroundings as the game progresses and they get more secrets.
9. 9. Dead Cells (2017): In this roguelike metroidvania game, the player is a character made of gelatin located in a dungeon. Once they take possession of a body, they use it to escape their containment.
   
10. 10. Dandara (2018): Dandara, available on multiple consoles, mobile platforms, and on desktop, is a traditional metroidvania game where the gamer plays as Dandara, inspired by a historical Afro-Brazilian warrior.
11. 11. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night (2019): This game was produced by Koji Igarashi, who also worked on the Castlevania series.

Because of a few shared elements, there are several games that are incorrectly categorized as metroidvania, such as:

• The Legend of Zelda (1986): The Legend of Zelda is not a 2-D side-scrolling game and is instead a top-down 2-D design. Also, many items gained in the game have singular or minor uses; in a metroidvania game, additional items that are picked up add to the abilities and accessibility of the character.
• Dark Souls (2011): While it shares similarities with metroidvania games, it is a three-dimensional platformer and action-adventure game and does not encourage exploration or backtracking.
• Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate (2013): Though it is a 2-D game, there aren’t many collectibles to seek. Backtracking is also encouraged, but it’s not a core feature of the gameplay.

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