When I was younger, I played a decent number of 3D platformers but generally steered clear of 2D platformers. This changed around the mid-2010s when I ended up playing the earlier Sonic games along with Super Meat Boy. Afterwards, I was far more receptive to them and would actively seek them out. However, as I continued to explore 2D platformers, I gradually became aware of a subgenre that is commonly, but not exclusively, associated with 2D platforming, Metroidvania. As I’ve played more and more of these games, I’ve come to realise that they’ve become one of my favourite genres. Having said all that, I thought it would be interesting to take a look at what a Metroidvania game is and how I’ve come to love them.
First, let’s start by looking at the name “Metroidvania”. Interestingly, the genre name is a portmanteau of Metroid and Castlevania and, understandably, speaks to the influence that these two franchises had. The original Metroid game, released in 1986, helped to establish the concept that your character starts out relatively basic with few abilities but explores a large map while gaining new permanent abilities that allows you to access areas that you weren’t able to before. Castlevania originally started out as a more typical platformer but shifted, with the release of Symphony of the Night in 1997, to a style similar to Metroid but including more RPG elements.
Since then, the Metroidvania subgenre has blossomed and thrived with both traditional developers and indie developers making excellent games that are critically acclaimed and sell well. While I can’t be entirely certain which was the first Metroidvania game I ever played, I do know that one of the earliest that I did end up playing was Shadow Complex which was developed by Chair Entertainment and proved to be an excellent choice to learn the gameplay and structure of Metroidvanias and also providing a challenge while not being as hard as many other Metroidvanias.
However, I think it may’ve been Hollow Knight that truly got me interested in Metroidvanias as a genre. Playing it in early 2018 due to its association with souls-likes, I was quickly entranced with its beautiful artwork, challenging gameplay and excellent platforming. Even though I could see some similarities to souls-likes, I could also recognise that this was its own thing and, upon looking into it deeper, I soon learned that the game was what one called a Metroidvania. Understandably, I soon went searching for Metroidvanias and have since played a decent number of them such as Ori and the Blind Forest, Unworthy, Mega Man ZX and more.
As for why these Metroidvania games appeal to me and how I’ve come to love this type of game, I can think of several reasons. I’ve always loved to see my characters develop over the course of a game, probably one of the reasons why I’ve always loved RPGs, and the continual feed of new abilities, skills and upgrades really invests me into these playable characters. On that same topic, many of these new abilities affect mobility such as double jumps, dashes, hovering, rolls etc., and, by the end of the game, it feels incredible to be able to string all of these abilities together to travel in incredibly efficient ways and access new areas and secrets you couldn’t access before.
Finally, I do think it’s important to address that there’s some debate regarding 3D Metroidvanias. Metroidvanias are typically associated with 2D but, since a Metroidvania is defined by its gameplay rather than its visual presentation, there isn’t any reason why there can’t be one in 3D and you sometimes see games such as Batman: Arkham Asylum and Control listed as such. However, while these games do feature interconnected worlds which steadily open up via upgrades, a problem many would have with labelling these Metroidvanias is the lack of, to be specific, skill-based platforming. While there is some element of platforming present in these games, it’s comparatively basic compared to 2D examples. Whether this means that those games are or are not Metroidvanias is somewhat nebulous but there is no denying that they are, at the very least, inspired by the genre.
Let me know your thoughts on Metroidvania games and my reasons why I love them, how you first heard of the subgenre, some examples that you’ve played, whether there are any good examples of 3D Metroidvania, whether you think a 3D game can even be a Metroidvania and any additional information you might have on the topic.
Thanks for reading and if you wish to seek any of the titles I mentioned, don’t hesitate to use amazon.co.uk or amazon.com for all of your needs! Also feel free to follow my curator page on Steam “JRPG Reviews” for thoughts and opinions on any JRPGs that I play and my YouTube channel “Victory Achieved Gaming” where I guide my friend through challenging games.