Metroidvanias and RPGs - different genres, similar "game feel"

[JarlFrank]

As a PC gamer who never had a console, I first discovered the so-called Metroidvanias on Newgrounds in the mid to late 00s. Around that time, a lot of free non-linear platformers with Metroid-style level design appeared on NG. I had a lot of fun playing those, and they made me a fan of the genre. Nowadays it has become one of my favorite genre tags on Steam.

Playing these, I can't help but notice that their gameplay is very RPG-ish in many ways. And I'm not even talking about those Metroidvanias that introduce a lot of RPG elements with levelups and all that - just the plain old Super Metroid clones that have you explore an open world, encounter obstacles you can't pass, and discover new abilities that allow you to overcome previously impassable obstacles.

It gives me the same feeling as playing a dungeon crawler like Might & Magic. You can explore the world in any direction you want, but you will encounter areas you cannot pass yet so you have to make a note and return later. Gaining new abilities not only improves your combat skill, but also enables you to explore previously closed off areas. It's a style of gameplay that's highly focused on exploration and discovery, very similar to classic dungeon crawlers in the M&M style, Ultima Underworld, Arx Fatalis, or open world RPGs like Elder Scrolls and Gothic.

They're obviously not RPGs, but the "game feel" they give you is very similar.

Lovely genre.

 

[Darth Canoli]

You can't name a genre after a game which didn't create it.
Ghost'n Goblins was released one year earlier and it's far from being the first side-scrolling action game.

 

[JarlFrank]

You can't name a genre after a game which didn't create it.

The term "Doom clone" was in fact the common term for first-person shooters until the late 1990s.

 

[Sykar]

You can't name a genre after a game which didn't create it.
Ghost'n Goblins was released one year earlier and it's far from being the first side-scrolling action game.

Sure you can.
Edit: Ok briefly watched a YT video and in what way is GnG a Metroidvania? It is a bogstandard sidescrolling platformer with no exploration or permanent powerups. It is closer to Mario than Metroid.

 

[Grauken]

As a PC gamer who never had a console, I first discovered the so-called Metroidvanias on Newgrounds in the mid to late 00s. Around that time, a lot of free non-linear platformers with Metroid-style level design appeared on NG. I had a lot of fun playing those, and they made me a fan of the genre. Nowadays it has become one of my favorite genre tags on Steam.

Playing these, I can't help but notice that their gameplay is very RPG-ish in many ways. And I'm not even talking about those Metroidvanias that introduce a lot of RPG elements with levelups and all that - just the plain old Super Metroid clones that have you explore an open world, encounter obstacles you can't pass, and discover new abilities that allow you to overcome previously impassable obstacles.

It gives me the same feeling as playing a dungeon crawler like Might & Magic. You can explore the world in any direction you want, but you will encounter areas you cannot pass yet so you have to make a note and return later. Gaining new abilities not only improves your combat skill, but also enables you to explore previously closed off areas. It's a style of gameplay that's highly focused on exploration and discovery, very similar to classic dungeon crawlers in the M&M style, Ultima Underworld, Arx Fatalis, or open world RPGs like Elder Scrolls and Gothic.

They're obviously not RPGs, but the "game feel" they give you is very similar.

Lovely genre.

Yeah, that's I think one of the reasons I like the genre so much, the best metroidvania feel like 2d dungeon crawlers to me

 

[wishbonetail]

First Ghousts nGoblins from 85 is a timed arcade. Metroid from 86 and Castlevania 2 Simon's Quest 87 have pioneered the formula.
Heven't played Metroid but Simon's Quest is still one of the best in genre, along with Symphony of the Night.

 

[Abu Antar]

I've seen you play a couple of them, lately. Rated both your Salt and Sanctuary, and Vigil: The Longest Night reviews.

I know that you don't like Japanese stuff, but I would still recommend Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night.
Maybe try Axiom Verge. Apotheon is very light on the metroidvania, but I wholeheartedly recommend you to at least give it a try if you like Greek mythology, and the art style appeals to you. Blasphemous looks absolutely gorgeous, but it's still in my backlog. DEX is basically 2D Deus Ex. A bit clunky, but gets better with a few power-ups. Dust: An Elysian Tail would make most codexers want to pour bleach straight into their eyes, but actual gameplay is fun. Guacamelee! 1 and 2 are also super fun. Based on Mexican mythology. I beat the first one with a friend. Hectic as all hell, but really fun. Plays smooth as butter. Outland is another game that might be a little bit light on the metroidvania, but a very solid effort. A game made by Housemarque. A studio that never lets me down with the quality of their games. The Shantae series is fairly solid, too. Valdis Story: Abyssal City seems to be appreciated by those who have played it. Another backlogged game of mine. The Vagrant is a poor man's Odin Sphere, which is yet another backlog game of mine.

You have even more games than me, so it wouldn't surprise me if you have all of these. Another wildcard that I will mention is Batman: Arkham Asylum. My favorite superhero game, and it has the feel of these games. The progression is similar. The other games in the series lost a lot of what I enjoyed about the first game.

What you wrote about is why I have a subsection in the upcoming rpgs thread. Deep down, I know that most of them aren't "true" rpgs, but some of them have enough traits to have their own sub genre.

 

[Sykar]

I am still pondering if I should get a WII just so I can finish the Metroid Prime series but having a console makes me feel dirty.

 

[JarlFrank]

You have even more games than me, so it wouldn't surprise me if you have all of these.

I do have most of these. Bloodstained RotN, Axiom Verge, Guacamelee 1, Shantae, The Vagrant, Blasphemous. They're all on my to-play list.

I did play through Dex already in 2020, enjoyed it but the hacking minigame became a bit annoying after a while because it takes too long and breaks the flow. Too bad the lead designer died, so we're not gonna see a sequel. RIP

You forgot to mention Aquaria, an older title from the late 00s with an underwater setting. I really enjoyed that one back in the day, great exploration.

 

[Falksi]

Dex had potential, but I couldn't finish it for similar reasons. It felt very "false".

Fave Metroidvania games then lads? I need to get some Wishlisted

 

[rusty_shackleford]

I am still pondering if I should get a WII just so I can finish the Metroid Prime series but having a console makes me feel dirty.

dolphin is one of the better emulators that exists

 

[Grauken]

Fave Metroidvania games then lads? I need to get some Wishlisted

Hollow Knight
Astalon
Axiom Verge
Kunai
Yoku's Island Express
A Robot Named Fight
Environmental Station Alpha
Hero Core
An Untitled Story

Pretty much all of the 2d GBA/NDS Castlevania, all the 2d Metroids except Fusion

 

[Late Bloomer]

I would hope anyone posting here has played both Metroid and Castlevania series. You owe it to yourself to do so if you have not. Well, that 3d shit castlevania had can be skipped.

 

[Sykar]

Obligatory fastest Super Metroid speedrun.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

I would hope anyone posting here has played both Metroid and Castlevania series. You owe it to yourself to do so if you have not.

mediocre game, I kept dying from the nitroglycerin

 

[Metro]

Dex had potential, but I couldn't finish it for similar reasons. It felt very "false".

Fave Metroidvania games then lads? I need to get some Wishlisted

Terraria is a Metroidvania at its core... but chances are you have already played it.

 

[Hobo Elf]

Still haven't played Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth. Some day.. I also hope that Bloodstained gets a proper sequel some day.

 

[JarlFrank]

I'm currently having a go at REDO! and having a pretty good time with it. The styling of its title in allcaps and with an exclamation mark kinda reminds me of the manga BLAME! and it kinda goes for a similar theme of a high tech wasteland inhabited by various hostile machines.

It's pretty difficult and progress is slow, but the atmosphere is thick as fuck and the level design pretty solid. It's a very oppressive world with little human contact, all you see are ruins of civilization now inhabited by hostile robots who attack you on sight.

 

[randir14]

I am still pondering if I should get a WII just so I can finish the Metroid Prime series but having a console makes me feel dirty.

Just play them in PrimeHack.
https://forums.dolphin-emu.org/Thread-fork-primehack-fps-controls-and-more-for-metroid-prime

 

[Late Bloomer]

Anyone remember that old NES game Faxanadu? I had a good time with that. How about Rygar? Not sure Rygar would count in this category. I can still hum that 1st level tune that plays.

 

[Abu Antar]

You have even more games than me, so it wouldn't surprise me if you have all of these.

You forgot to mention Aquaria, an older title from the late 00s with an underwater setting. I really enjoyed that one back in the day, great exploration.

It was a decent game that I played some time ago. For some reason or another, I gave up on it.

As to my favorite games in the genre? That's a tricky one. Symphony of the Night is very good. I have a very soft spot for the NES games. I must have replayed those like 50 times as a kid. Choosing upper paths or lower paths, and so on.

The GBA trilogy is good, but I prefer the ones on the dual screen portables. There shouldn't be a problem with emulation.

I hear great things about both Deedlit and Luna Nights, but I haven't tried them yet. Hollow Knight is pretty cool. I would say that it is worth a shot. Still haven't beaten it, though.

Axiom Verge starts out weak but gets better as you go on. It has some cool power ups. I hope the sequel is just as solid.

Guacamelee! is really fun. It's my most beaten modern game in this genre. I think that I have three complete runs.

Salt and Sanctuary, I beat twice, so it belongs to my favorites.

 

[Metro]

Anyone remember that old NES game Faxanadu? I had a good time with that. How about Rygar? Not sure Rygar would count in this category. I can still hum that 1st level tune that plays.

Both great games. There's some throwback/retro game on Steam that reminds me of Faxanadu but I can't recall its name now.

 

[Hobo Elf]

One game I recommend that I don't think ever gets mentioned in any Metroidvania discussion is Demon's Crest for the SNES. It's a spinoff of Capcom's Ghosts n' Goblins series, but you play as a demon. It doesn't have a big interconnected world so in that regard it's not exactly like most metroidvanias, but it does have a degree of nonlinearity to its levels and as you unlock new powers you can visit old areas to get new power ups, or even entirely new areas within a level with more bosses to fight.

 

[JarlFrank]

Salt and Sanctuary, I beat twice, so it belongs to my favorites.

It's a great example for proving the shared soul of Metroidvanias and RPGs, actually.

It's basically a 2D Dark Souls clone. It has strong RPG elements, like the Souls games: full character creation where you pick your sex, class, and a special starting item (optional). You gain experience from killing enemies and level up, and you get a pretty big skill tree to unlock (similar in structure to Path of Exile's skill tree).

But it also feels very similar to Metroidvanias with how you unlock new methods of movement (like the air dash) to access previously inaccessible areas, and the non-linear exploration of a big interconnected world.

When you turn a dungeon crawling RPG like Dark Souls into a 2D sidescroller, it suddenly feels like a Metroidvania.
Pretty good evidence for the two genres being closely related in spirit.

 

[Abu Antar]

I suppose Mark of the Ninja doesn't count, but it's one of my favorite stealth games of all time. Can't beat the thief games, of course, but still a rock solid experience.

Another game that I want to recommend is Cave Story. I played a free version on my PSP, after I had downloaded custom firmware.