Metroidvania

What used to be called non-linear and open world in the old days, before nowadays those terms have gained new meaning, inbetween the 80's and 90's, Metroid arguably layed the foundations of "getting stuck and only being able to progress by obtaining a particular item through backtracking."

Metroidvania, or as I like to prefer calling the subgenre, Castleroid, is a popular phenomenon which is cherished by speed runners, passionate gamers whom beat the games as fast as possible, either by glitches or by conventional ways.

Over the new century, dozens of new Metroidvania games have appeared. The 2 main inspiration sources are Super Metroid and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Today, I would like to talk about 4 similar games which pay respects to both:

A charming throwback game towards good old gaming with plenty of inspiration sources. Its story is engulfing, the music and graphics go hand in hand with each other and the gameplay is exciting and fluent. Perhaps the best known independent game from Japan in the 00's, Cave Story essentially could had been released as an NES game back in the day!

Rating: 8.3

Now this is pretty. A platform adventure in the vein of Metroidvania and Castleroid esque formula’s alongside appealing visuals reminding me of Muramasa: The Demon Blade somewhat. Ori and the Blind Forest features a touching opening and an otherworldly narrative that vaguely guides our little hero through this vast area of interconnected locations.

With an orb acting as your guide and your melee combat, explore the surroundings for not only your next destination, but many secrets awaiting too, of which most of them are conveniently marked on the overall map.

What’s different is that you are able to create your own checkpoint almost anywhere, given that you sacrifice an energy ball which is normally used for special powers such as blowing objects up. Other permanent special abilities which await you are amongst others double jumping, wall climbing and the fun maneuver of grabbing objects or enemies and using their momentum to either reach higher ground or to crush other objects or enemies.

While some parts of the game can be quite frustrating to die a lot into, it would be wise for players to remember that an auto save feature is absent, while traditional bosses for these kind of games are also missing. Ori and the Blind Forest is mesmerizing, fresh, artistic and captivating.

Rating: 8.0

Created and designed by a single person, similar to Turrican from the 90’s, Axiom Verge is everyone’s proper Metroid fix for the fans that have been waiting so long for a 2D Metroid to return, or even a good 3D Metroid. 

As a scientist protagonist, you emerge on an alien overworld called Sudra after a disastrous experiment went wrong. With a retro style of graphics accompanying the effective soundtrack, exploring these areas is fun because as the traditional Metroid formula is used, new abilities will make you progress further through backtracking.

Abilities such as controlling a remote drone and teleport blinking short distances make it stand out from other recent Metroidvania’s, but Axiom Verge really is the closest we currently have on our hands when it comes to going way back to the original Metroid and capturing that one’s style and presentation. And Nintendo should take notice. 

Rating: 8.2

After a long exclusive status, Shadow Complex is now coming over to new generation consoles, as well as PC. Being heavily inspired by Super Metroid and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, it’s format is presented in 2.5D, meaning that the world is three-dimensional but the player can only move in two dimensions, reminiscent of a classic side scrolling video game.

In order to progress, you will have to find weapons and abilities so that you can open certain obstacles marked with different colors which you can see using the flashlight. The framerate is quite smooth but there are moments when lag appears.

Experience points and leveling up makes the player go gradually stronger, and there are extra ammo packs to be found in hidden areas, which is very similar to Metroid. To be honest, if Metroid were to return once more in 2.5 format, Shadow Complex would be a great example to follow as the level design is neat, it encourages speed running and it’s nifty in several factors such as being able to shoot(with auto aim) at enemies in the third dimension(or background).

Rating: 8.1