Gating player's progression by acquisition of new special abilities (like double-jump, lava immunity, etc) + minor rpg elements.
Does Hexen gate anything with abilities?Gating player's progression by acquisition of new special abilities (like double-jump, lava immunity, etc) + minor rpg elements.
Then Hexen and Powerslave are also "Metroidvanias"?
Was the original metroid redone to SOTN standards with save rooms?
Um, wasn't Symphony of the Night idea that there wasn't that much gating and most of the Castle was open to you from the start? Depending on character somewhat.
Fun fact: the Famicom disc system version of the original has save files.Was the original metroid redone to SOTN standards with save rooms?
Metroidvania is more of a design philosophy, not a game genre - since there are many differents games from distinct genres with extremly similar design.
Main charateristics:
-Doesn't matter if it's 2D or 3D, 3rd person or 1st (if that was the case then Metroid Prime coulnd't be considered Metroidvania);
-A continous open world, or even large interconnected areas. They are gated off by natural obstacles that can only be unlocked by exploring and acquiring the items and power-ups that unlock it. There's a big deal of backtracking because of this;
-Locations are built to appear like a real place rather than a videogame level
-Enemy and item placement (plus the enemy design) are also carefully made to suit the area in question in regards to it's design and story first, and it's combat challenge second;
-Focus on the exploration, athmosphere, narrative and specially the level design;
-Functional and decent combat system but in no way remarkable, complex or very tighly designed. It mostly serves to drain your resources, change the pacing of the experience, lock certain areas/items/upgrades and overall to increase tension. It's not the core of the experience;
-The player discovers most of the game's story by examing the enviroment, reading lore, talking to NPC's and completing tasks;
-The main content can be completed rather quickly once you know it;
-Game rarely lends you a helping hand.
He's thinking about the other one.Metroidvania is more of a design philosophy, not a game genre - since there are many differents games from distinct genres with extremly similar design.
Main charateristics:
-Doesn't matter if it's 2D or 3D, 3rd person or 1st (if that was the case then Metroid Prime coulnd't be considered Metroidvania);
-A continous open world, or even large interconnected areas. They are gated off by natural obstacles that can only be unlocked by exploring and acquiring the items and power-ups that unlock it. There's a big deal of backtracking because of this;
-Locations are built to appear like a real place rather than a videogame level
-Enemy and item placement (plus the enemy design) are also carefully made to suit the area in question in regards to it's design and story first, and it's combat challenge second;
-Focus on the exploration, athmosphere, narrative and specially the level design;
-Functional and decent combat system but in no way remarkable, complex or very tighly designed. It mostly serves to drain your resources, change the pacing of the experience, lock certain areas/items/upgrades and overall to increase tension. It's not the core of the experience;
-The player discovers most of the game's story by examing the enviroment, reading lore, talking to NPC's and completing tasks;
-The main content can be completed rather quickly once you know it;
-Game rarely lends you a helping hand.
Honest question, have you even played Castlevania: Symphony of the Night? I ask because your "definition" of Metroidvania would most definitely exclude the ONE game everyone and their mother agrees is a Metroidvania since the term was actually coined to define it.