What is Metroidvania?
Metroidvania is a genre of gaming that involves game play very similar to 2D metroid and Castlevania games. What sets metroidvania games apart from 2D puzzle and action platformers, is its focus on exploration, and locating new items or abilities that allow you to progress further in the game. While not all Metroidvania games are in 2D, a vast majority of them are. Now to get a little more specific about the Genre, there are few things metroidvania games must have
non-linear gameplay
power ups
Boss fights
1 - Non-linear game-play. Meaning no going from point A, to point B as if you were playing a mario game and have to beat the level. An integral part of the experience is in the exploration of the game world: It is rare for the player to be told exactly where they have to go. A staple for metroidvania games is to actually go back into earlier levels and use abilities to get to places you previously could not because they were either blocked off by an obstacles you can now destroy, or because they were located in a place you couldn't reach with your current move set. This is all called back-tracking, and a good metroidvania will have lots of it.
2 - Power ups. Another must, All metroid vania games have power ups that allow you to kill enemy's you couldnt previously, make you stronger, allow you to reach high obstacles, or destroy previously indestructible obstacles. A metroidvania game doesn't have to have power ups that do all of these things, but power ups that allow you to progress in a meaningful way are a staple.
And 3, boss fights. Without boss fights, metroidvania games would just be considered puzzle or action platformers. While a metroid vania games doesn't need to have trash monsters to kill, if it also doesnt have boss fights, then its just a puzzle platformer.
And thats pretty much it. A metroid vania game just needs those 3 things to classify. There can be other stuff added to metroidvania games, like an rpg leveling system, but if a game doesnt have any of these 3 key things, then its not a metroidvania. And thats probably why there arent too many metroidvania games out there. Although with the boom of indie games, 2D side scrolling games are making a comeback. And with new 2D sidescrollers, comes new metroidvania games. And this channel will only ever showcase metroidvania games.
Games in the video - Metroid Fusion, Zero Mission, Ori and the blind forest, Xeodrifter, Guacamelee, and Castlevania - Aria of Sorrow.
