Metroidvanias: Blending Combat, Puzzles, and Exploration

Metroidvanias are a genre of video games with a focus on non-linear progression. The name is a portmanteau of Metroid and Castlevania, early hallmarks of the genre. Due to the nature of these games, every playthrough can feel fresh and unique depending on what order you try to do things in.

My First Metroidvania

Back before I even knew what a Metroidvania was, I would play games on my older brother’s GameBoy SP. My absolute favorite was Kirby & the Amazing Mirror. I played it to 100% completion dozens of times and still enjoy it.

Kirby games aren’t usually metroidvanias, the majority of them are simple platformers. Kirby & the Amazing Mirror is unique in that the different worlds are interconnected. It’s also unique as a metroidvania since some paths have an actual ending that send you back to the main hub.

My Favorite Metroidvania

After discovering the genre of my favorite childhood game, I decided to look into other metroidvanias to play. The first one I tried out was a highly praised indie game: Hollow Knight.Hollow Knight takes place in the area surrounding the fallen kingdom of Hallownest, a mysterious infection has set in, turning the few remaining citizens into mindless husks. It’s up to you to do, well, something. One of Hollow Knight’s biggest strengths is its use of show-don’t-tell storytelling. For a decent portion of the game, it’s pretty normal to not quite understand the protagonist’s objective. The game is clear about what you should do and where you should go, but any hints at the ultimate reason you’re doing what you’re doing are incredibly cryptic. As the game goes on, you explore the world and have to put together the pieces yourself.

The Classic Metroidvania

Clearly, I consider myself a fan of metroidvanias, but in reality I haven’t played very many. In order to correct this, I decided to take a gaming pilgrimage and played one of the original Metroidvanias: Super Metroid.