*Two other great examples of Hollow Knight's environmental storytelling via the world* : Finding the Blue Lake atop the City of Tears and realizing that it is the reason for the constant rain dripping from the ceiling in the city. Even more importantly and much stronger: The part of the Soul Sanctum after defeating the Soul Master. I won't spoil what you see and realize, but without a single spoken word, you understand this place. Everything works together. The visuals, the music, and even the type of enemy you'll encounter tell you more about this place than any cutscene ever could. It feels deep, personal, and bears emotional weight.
Another great one is the dead bodies that fall from the sky in Kingdom's Edge, hinting at the existence of the Colosseum of Fools above. I also think that one area where Hollow Knight excels compared to other Metroidvanias I've played is the sound design-beyond just the music, most enemies and NPCs have distinct audio cues and in the dark and mazelike passageways of the game you'll often hear them before you see them.
The best example of it [SPOILER] is when the Hollow Knight starts stabbing himself and the music turns even darker and more depressing, revealing that he's being controlled by the radiance and is straggling to fight it.
Another one [spoilers again] is the collector being all black and having the same body structure as the guards at the white palace, hinting at the fact that the collector is another creation of the king made of void
Imo the best part of Lore is the Void. The Void is full of masks destroyed,those are all the Knights that the Pale King sent to stop the Radiance and they failed,until Hollow Knight,then they sealed the Void entrance .
mmm... Ori and the blind Forest, it's is a good game representative of the genre and yet has no battles against bosses. That's an interesting element (and I personally like it), but it's not necessary to make a good metroidvania.
@@teamonepiecemugenos2818 I would say that it had more boss levels I guess for lack of a better word? Like when you had to beat the water rushing to the top of the tree with the newly acquired slingshot esque skill. Its not a "boss" in the traditional sense, but it does force you to use the skills that are available.
In the not-so-distant past, I'd scour google for indie Metroidvania titles just to get a monthly fix; now, there's a goddamn feast. I love it. Also, identifying Dark Souls as a Metroidvania just made something click in my brain... I might finally play those. Thanks!
I played so many okay to mediocre indie games and handheld games in the aughts looking to get my Metroidvania fix after playing all Metroids and Vanias. Then Shadow Complex came out and the dam broke and suddenly there were awesome Metroidvanias everywhere.
If u like metroidvania games u will love dark souls and bloodborne(GOAT) having similar characteristics. Also you get alot more gameplay out of them, having 500+hrs in all 5 games.
Do you have a PS4? Even if you try Dark Souls and decide it's not for you, I'd strongly recommend Bloodborne, which is unfortunately a PS4 exclusive. I love all of the games in the Soulsborne series, but Bloodborne is HANDS DOWN the best title in the series, no contest.
I don't think Dark Souls would count. It has Metroidvania world design, but no item gates whatsoever. I guess that doesn't sound like much, but when those are basically the only two aspects of the genre then it means it's missing about 50% of what makes the genre what it is.
Dogman_35 Need lordvessel to access Nito, dukes archives, lost izalith and 4 kings. Need a ring to jump into abyss. Need ring to walk on lava. Then there's the optional areas/bosses that usually require items
g l Metroidvanias use upgrades as keys instead of actual keys. None of the things listed further your abilities, they're all literally keys that give you access to new areas. I suppose you could make an argument for the Abyss Ring, but it's literally used for that one thing so it doesn't really progress your character at all.
Myerscodex Agreed. But OP said there aren't any item gates whatsoever and I'm just correcting him. Though I do believe dark Souls is a good example of a 3d metroidvania
g l It's close, but like OP said it's an integral part to the genre. It's worder poorly but I think he probably means *powerup* gates, which the DS games don't have. The Metroid Prime series is the only true 3D Metroidvania I can think of, but from the sounds of it, Sekiro might feature new abilities that grant you access to different parts of the world.
Dark Souls 1 is the greatest Metroidvania of all time, IMO. I don't think it's the best Souls game, but it is the best Metroidvania. No other game world has come close to Dark Souls. I mean, yeah, it goes beyond just Metroidvanias; I think Dark Souls has the greatest video game world ever created, from a level design perspective. In this way, every Souls game since DS1 has been a let down. I think Bloodborne(which is my favorite of all Souls games) came closest, but was still a notch or two below what was done in DS1 in regards to the level design. If you haven't played it, do it! And whatever you do, DO NOT look up guides, otherwise you will not experience the true genius of the level design. Be open to making your own mistakes, it's a big part of the fun, and also the prime reason that it's my favorite video game world ever, at least from a design perspective because hey, contextually and from the point of view of the atmosphere and story, I prefer Bloodborne, because I enjoy the Victorian setting more than the Medieval one of Dark Souls by default. Bloodborne aligns exactly with my taste and the Victorian setting is something I've always enjoyed in all forms of media, whereas I never liked the Medieval settings. It was in fact Dark Souls that made me like that setting. But even then, Dark Souls is the only Medieval Fantasy that I enjoy, hhaa.
Ive played all the Dark Souls as well as Bloodborne. I just never thought of it as a Metroidvania.. I guess because "Soulsborne" just sorta became just that, soulsborne!! haha Like it's own style and genre within a genre! Bloodborne is one of my fave games this gen. I also love the setting like you
Dark Souls is Metroidvania in the sense that it has a big interconnected map with gating. The difference between Dark Souls and most other Metroidvania titles is that the gates are tied to player skill and character level rather than specific abilities or items. For example: you can go to the Catacombs as soon as you land in Lordran, IF you can deal with it. You can go straight to Blight Town, too. And The Valley of Drakes, or Darkroot, or the Undead Burg. On your first playthrough, the only thing stopping you from going to all of these places is the fact that you're not very good at the game yet, whereas in other games with similar level design, you're usually blocked because you haven't got the ability to Double Jump yet and the place you're trying to get to requires the Double Jump. Or maybe you need a bomb to blow your way through a wall, or maybe you need a weapon that freezes enemies so that you can use them as a platform to jump off of etc.. There are differences, but the approach to level design is the same, it's how you traverse it, and how it is gated, that's the difference.
yea it has aspects of metroidvanias but one of the core components of any metroidvania is platforming.... I feel like calling it a platformer is loose at best...
I don't disagree with you that the Souls series share a lot in common with metroidvanias in terms of exploration, but the lack of gear making new areas accessible kind of fails that for me. I've always felt that Dark Souls and Bloodborne, and to a degree Dark Souls III felt more like Zelda, again sans gear upgrades allowing for more world progression.
Yeah, I think Zelda is more Metroidvania than DS ever was. It has both gear gates and platforming. But it doesn't have backtracking or a seamlessly connected dungeon. I mean when was the last time you went back into a cleared dungeon again, except to find completely optional trinkets? Again, Megaman Legends was the closest thing to a 3D Metroidvania. There is only one dungeon in the entire game that spans the size of the entire overworld requiring various items and move sets to traverse. That was really something. But even then the dungeon clearing was never strictly required to beat the game. People could literally skip the best part of the game to beat it. I'm waiting for a true 3D Metroidvania. One that understands what it really takes to be a Metroidvania (gear gate, platforming, seamless dungeon) and translates that into 3D environment flawlessly.
No mention of Axiom Verge? It's maybe a little less modern than you're describing, but still a great game. Backtracking can get tedious in that one, but it does some cool things with movement and exploration.
Axiom Verge had a lot of potential: cool powerups and qute balanced a structure etc. It just didn’t feel very interesting to explore in after a while perhaps caused by backtracking, obscure plot, uninteresting combat… I don’t know, the world felt very alien and cool in a way but it didn’t always feel like it opened up or that I made progress when I found new areas. Maybe my minor dissapointment was only caused by the hype.
Gorgeous Gorillawitz More like a Metroid clone. People jeep forgetting the key to a metroidvania is personal growth. You have to get more powerful through fighting. Only Chasm had that aspect from those listed.
I recently played Steamworld Dig 2 on 3ds and it hit every one of these points super hard for me. Power gaining and traversal improvements made me feel excellent. The game starts you out with simple running and wall jumping mechanics, and while they have their natural limits, they didn't feel restrictive. The progression of the game makes you faster, stronger and more versatile, so by the end you don't feel like the limiters have been taken off, you just feel powerful.
What I’m missing here is not just “gear gating”, but the way you replay areas when you have new skills, and especially how you have to remember what areas were once locked or otherwise inaccessible to you as a player. Getting a new skill not only means “ooh i can do new stuff now”, but through level design it becomes “ohh i think i know where i can apply this new stuff now”
My first Metroidvania game was, ironically, the fairly nontraditional Kirby and the Amazing Mirror (which traded the linear levels and worlds of most of the rest of the series for a vast interconnected one with plenty of treasures and secret paths waiting to be discovered). The first game that helped me to recognize the genre as a discrete one that I really loved was Metroid: Zero Mission (which remade the original Metroid but with graphics and mechanics more inspired by the more technically impressive Super Metroid). Since then, I've enjoyed a fair number of games in that genre, including Hollow Knight. This video does a great job of articulating what makes this genre appealing and what separates a merely passable Metroidvania from one that excels.
One thing I really liked about Metroid Prime was how the story was pretty much optional. Instead of forced cutscenes they let you piece together the story on your own with the scans and I felt that was a really cool way to talk about the lore of the world
Danny Sullivan I dunno how anyone could mess that up, the journal says they’re the Mantis Lords. Their boss title says Mantis Lords. They’re in the MANTIS VILLAGE.
Guillermo Stancanelli I agree, I love dead cells, but if i were forced into having it be a metroidvania in my mind I could not recommend it. What it provides is too different than what i look for in a metroidvania. But as I said I do love dead cells.
Dead Cells' hybrid style honestly solved something that I'd always found anti-fun about Metroidvanias. One of the core loops of those games is finding places where you cannot progress without the some traversal ability, then coming back to explore that. While that's usually fine for larger critical-path type things, trying to keep track of every little loot room I meant to go back to when I got the double jump or whatever honestly kind of kills the fun for me, especially when nine times out of ten the reward isn't near worth the trouble of remembering where it was and going back to find it (and the tenth it's something super important you'd kick yourself for missing). I know this is super YMMV, and this is where the fun is in this kind of game, but I've never enjoyed it much even when done very well. By prodedurally generating the individual maps and forcing you to run through them each playthrough, Dead Cells removes the pressure of remembering where that each tiny gear gate was, which makes the game a lot more fun for me...
Guacamelee (1 and 2) is a cool modern metroidvania beat-em-up and I think it deserves a shout out, it might not have the dark, broodiness of some of the games in the video, but the world building in the mexiverse, the fantastic visuals... I think that counts for something
Humm, I don't reckon there would be much of a way to tell a story in a procedurally generated game, unless the developer deliberately choose bits and pieces to glue together when the world is generated (y'know, as they normally do), however with the twist that when a piece of the dungeon is generated next to another specific one, the game code would let these 2 bits act in such a way that it would make sense. Imagine if Hollow Knight was rogue-like. How would you tell that the Blue Lake was what was creating the rain in the City of Tears? Unless the two rooms were somewhat connected, and the code would tell that when that happens, the rain effect would trigger. But then again, the world wouldn't be that engaging or remarkable, even if that scene were to happen, since when you die, the world is basically gone too.
Never knew how much I'd love the genre. If it weren't for Hollow Knight getting rave review I never would have tried a single one. Now I have a new, long list of games to play!
LA-MULANA 2 exists. It is an excellent metroidvania with an emphasis on riddle-solving. In a few months it will be releasing on all current-generation consoles.
Good video, but I think you missed the point of rogue legacy. It’s more of a rogue like, so the procedural generated worlds can sometimes lack the storytelling quality that the handcrafted environs can have. It’s more about mechanical complexity over environment tgere
I don't know if that's true - The Binding of Isaac is probably the pinnacle of modern rogue-likes, and has an incredibly evocative world and environment that tells a story on its own. Yeah the mechanics in it are great but to say a rogue-like can't or doesn't focus on environmental storytelling I think is just a little short sighted
The Binding of Isaac and A Robot named Fight both do a decent job of environmental storytelling despite being rogue-like. It's one of the things I like about them.
It depends on how you define environmental storytelling. Obviously, Binding of Isaac has a great story and evokes a sense of dread and uniqueness through its art, music, and "environment." But its non-linearity does not allow a specific sense of progression where the acquirement of items allows you to venture into the next level.
Unlike Roguelikes(lites), where if you're strong enough you can breeze through pretty much all the maps, Metroidvanias have a more limited and slower sense of expansion; but finding other areas almost always require a unique set of tools and actions, and makes it feel more rewarding to progress onward.
Ok 3 things: 1) Dark Souls + Bloodborne are typically described closer to an action RPG, you're reaching by including those titles. 2) You failed to include Guacamelee 3) By your definition, Zelda could be a Metroidvania (exploring? Item gating? World? They all check out!)
I liked Hollow Knight so much, it's so funny and challenging, I like that type of games so much, it reminded me of Ori and the Blind Forest, one of the best games I've ever played, and it's getting a new a season 2! Can wait to play it 🔥
No mention of Guacamelee? I wouldn't expect you to mention 'em but I also love the (super budget) Super Panda Adventures and the (relatively new, but amazing) Super Daryl Deluxe.
Somehow Guacamelee always stays under the radar of these metroidvania vid's.... It's sad, because it's a great example on how to do metroidvania and give it your own twist
Good video. I like to recognize the Dark Souls as a variation within the metroidvanias. I have always felt that it was the natural evolution to 3D from the SOTN Castlevanias. My ideas of what a metroidvania should have: - Static map: it does not have to have procedural generation. The map can change, but by design desition, and not by the randomness of a computer. The MAP IS A PROTAGONIST in a metroidvania, and it is necessary that it be designed with the complexity that a person gives to a labyrinth and be part of the route of the game. Chasm and Sundered seem to me bad examples in this sense. - It is necessary that there are different skills (or keys) to access new areas. It is important to generate in the player the intrigue of a high platform that can not be accessed so that this intrigue is resolved in a separate time, when you get the ability to reach that place. - It is necessary that you can finish the game in several game sessions. That the player can leave the game aside, meditate on the route, and follow another day. If there is permanent death and the map is restarted, then the player is obliged to pass the game in a single session and that goes against the exploratory element, and contemplative. - It would be good if there are possibilities of different builds, although it is not necessary. If there are different characters instead, it also greatly enriches the experience (Valdis Story). - They may have bosses or not, but it is not necessary (Ori and the Blind Forest, is a good example). - It does not matter if you have side or overhead scroll. Zelda Link to the Past, could be considered a metroidvania, if certain elements were added. In any case it is not impossible to imagine a metroidvania visually similar to Zelda SNES. - It does not matter if it's 2D or 3D. Dark Souls and Bloodborne have a development of routes like those of a metroidvania and show that the maps can be opened according to the player's exploration. - There must be no permanent death. A metroidvania is first of all an exploration, a trip and if the player is not given the option to try paths without having to play everything in each movement. They are just some ideas. Good Video and like.
The world should not only feel alive (despite being dead) but also interconnect with itself making future trips easier to navigate through. They should also have open worlds which you can return back to is why DeadCells is not technically a Metroidvania even if it draws some inspiration from them.
It doesn't have to be complicated, these are sidescrolling action adventure games or platform adventures. Take Zelda 1, make it side view with more of a platform focus and there you go. Hollow Knight is more open than SM and SotN though, and some of its design I would consider more old school actually - the map system, precise platforming and the higher challenge for example. Rogue Legacy is a roguelike hybrid, so not really the same thing. DS and Bloodborne have less of a platforming focus and being in 3D changes exploration and puzzle design, so they're also different.
The Souls game took its inspiration from Zelda games. In souls game you can g9 almost from the get go so that alone disqualifies it from being a metroidvania
What are some of your favorite environments from Metroidvanias? Mine is the station in Metroid Fusion. I love how you can see the state of the station through subtle environmental clues like the backgrounds changing, split wires and destroyed doors, returning to rooms to find them totally destroyed, and slowly watching the station become more and more organic as it's assimilated by the X parasites. It's a wonderfully creepy, tense setting that does a great job at environmental storytelling!
Mary McGinnis - I absolutely loved discovering Ash Lake in my first playthrough of Dark Souls! It felt like this vast, ageless land at the bottom of the world. After brutally working my way through an already hidden area of the Great Hollow, the fact that Ash Lake was so sparse and quiet was so powerful!
Definitely! I love finding areas in games like that, where, after getting through a really intense part, you can just kinda stop and take a breath and take in the atmosphere.
Ironically, I have trouble calling Metroid Fusion a Metroidvania. The way the A.I. leads you around by the nose is totally at odds with the free-form sense of exploration and discovery that I consider to be the core appeal of the genre. Metroid Fusion is more an action-platformer with a Metroid-themed story than a true Metroidvania. I felt much the same about Metroid Prime 2, for the same reason -- having some NPC be like "blah blah blah, now go here and do this thing" is precisely the thing I play Metroidvania games to get away from, so it was super disappointing to see it in the follow-up to the amazing original Metroid Prime. On the other hand, they were both fun games, if you take them for what they are. I enjoyed both of them once I stopped trying to hold them to the same standards for sense-of-discovery as the rest of the series.
There have been 3 games that I've played that rise high above any game I have ever played. The first one is Cave Story, the second is the Mother series (I'm counting the whole series as one thing. I never play them separately), and the third being the most recent, Hollow Knight. Never have I played games this enchanting, full of wonder and potential, beautiful music, appealing visuals, amazing story, splendid gameplay, and everything to make a game great. When I got Cave Story, that was the point my skill in platformers starting increasing rapidly. Especially after Beating Ballos. That was in 5th grade. I now have Regional records from NES Remix 3ds, and beat Cave Story on hard mode. My best feats to date. Earthbound was just lightning in a bottle. It gave me a better appreciation on life, and further tightened my grip on my childhood. Just like ponyboy from the outsiders, I'll stay gold. Hollow Knight is the best damn medroidvania I've ever seen and played. So much to do and find. There so much extra stuff that you can beat the game with only 8% completion. I spent hours straight playing this game. I absolutely love it's art style. It's both simplistic, yet detailed. In legend of Zelda games, you have to find heart pieces, yet finding them is way to time consuming. In Hollow Knight, you can go find grubs. They are easier to find, but still fairly difficult. Some are really hidden, and it's fixed with a map showing their locations if you beat a certain boss. I spent my time looking in every nook and cranny not so I can find things necessary, but because I wanted to explore. No other game ever gave me this wonder and curiosity. It's a whole world to explore. And you don't feel like missing out on anything. Once you get a new item, it just adds more things that you couldn't do. Not because you need it, but because it feels like a natural discovery that you are gifted with for exploring. And the lore, amazing. So many secrets to uncover, or ones left to theorize. Never stop being curious in this world, because that is what let's us move forward.
Metroidvanias are my favourite kind of games, and I wish to create one when i get out of college, so y'all can stay sharp and wait for the greatest metroidvania ever, made by me
There's arguments to be made on both sides. On the one hand, Cave Story doesn't rely as much on item gating to control player progression, and its story is, I'd say, more linear than some. On the other hand, it does a phenomenal job of telling the story of the world, not the character, by dropping you in with nothing and giving you the tools to comprehend the narrative of the world around you and your place in it, and it also rewards exploration and platforming challenges with permanent upgrades. (Platforming challenges in particular are by no means a necessity, but they are a common feature in Metroidvania titles, and they are faithfully adapted by Cave Story.) I'd also argue that Cave Story scores well on its mobility items making travel fun and allowing you to feel like a master of the world. In particular, the upgraded machine gun has to be a prime example of a mechanic that absolutely makes you feel like you're breaking the game. But at the same time, it's ingeniously balanced thanks to the clever use of Cave Story's weapons systems.
Cave Story is more of a Platformer than a Metroidvania. It reminds me more of Megaman than Metroid; the tools are never directly required to progress onto the next level, they only make you more speedy or powerful. Yes there are always secret areas that can only be reached by certain tools or movesets, but they are never required only meant to embellish your sense of treasure hunting.
What are you talking about? In order to beat Cave Story, you collect items all the time. You collect ingredients for bomb for robot, Sue's mother asks you to bring a sprinkler and rocket boots to build rocket, and in order to get true ending you first have to get booster 2.0 and before fighting Core jump down and take chains from chest, then have to items that are needed to keep Curly alive. Seriously, ever played Cave Story?
@@mateuszmich314 it's still not gear gating. The only one of those that could count as gear gating is the booster 2.0 because it's actually a gameplay enhancer in itself, that "happens" to open up the path to get the best ending. (although I don't really remember what the booster 2.0 was needed for, it's been a while since I last played through cave story).
I actually believe that the term "metroidvania" is everything you said (because it's the METROID part) plus the RPG elements (the VANIA part): lots of items to collect, levelling up, etc. The VANIA part is what missing on most of the games mentioned.
I just pirated Hollow Knight (Got it from a friend) and played it for a few hours. I absolutely LOVE it. And I've never played games like these before. I've mostly played 3D open world games like Far Cry 3 & 4 and Fallout 3 & 4, so this is a completely new genre for me. I was skeptical at first but Hollow Knight completely blew my mind. Needless to say, I've bought the game now. I'll gladly support good game developers who just want to make good games.
Priest-like locusts... Also, I didn’t think the Mantis Lords was a hard fight, I don’t think any of the bosses are terribly challenging as when I got there I was always prepared. The only bosses I think I really had trouble with were the False Knight (on my first save), Broken Vessel, and Nosk.
Good video, but I'm not quite sure I understand the difference between Metroidvania and "modern Metroidvania" (or even why they're called "Metroidvania" and not simply "Metroid-like" or whatever).
I'm sad you didn't mention Rabi Ribi. It's by far my favorite Metroidvania. I think it does a better job than any other of not only making you feel incredible once you have all the upgrades, but also letting a skilled player feel good even at 0% item collection if they choose to play that challenge.
Amirys to be fair the hive isn’t really a spoiler. It’s a secret, absolutely, but I wouldn’t really say it spoiled anything, atleast the way he said it.
IMO modern metroidvanias need to start focusing more on platforming, since it's one of the genre's defining characteristics, being 2D platformer mazes that open through new skills, but combat is being more and more emphasized while everything else is de-emphasized, specially platforming.
I'm not done with Hollow Knight, been playing it lately, I've enjoyed it so far, but at the same time, I don't really fell compelled to keep playing, or I'm not excited to get back to playing it? It's kinda bugging me that I don't know why.
Hollow knight and Dead Cells happen to be the most recent games I've purchased. I think both are amazing, but man, Dead Cells just has so much pick-up-and-play value. Maybe it's the Rogue-like aspect.
I don't understand why Rogue Legacy and Dead Cells are here. They're both Rogue-lites, with some very loose Metroidvania elements(which is to say, they're side scrollers that ask you to explore, and RL has candles you can break)
Axiom Verge got me sucked into this genre of games. Such a well crafted game. It convinced me to go back and play Super Metroid on my SNES classic and damn, one of my all-time favorite games. Just mad that I waited so long to get into this genre. What should I play next? I'm thinking Dead Cells or Hollow Knight
Play them both if you can; Dead Cells for the quick paced action and arcade style gameplay and Hollow Knight for the beautiful environments and amazing story. Another great one is Enter the Gungeon, which is a bullet hell roguelike with hilarious commitment to its theme and a bunch of fun weapons and bosses.
Shadow Complex was an amazing game! I'm going to pick up Hollow Knight this week. Not to mention Deaths Gambit releases I think tomorrow.... too many good games.
thank you, i'm currently thinking about becoming a game designer and, after playing my first time trough super metroid, it clicked, *this* is what i want to do. But i want to do it my own way. think about the following sentence: *skill-based metroidvania*. items don't limit your progression, skill does, items only make it easier, make you stronger and are used as a way to reward you. But, if you're skilled enough, you can beat the game with only the equipment you start with, this adds replayablity and changes the format of the genre itself. just tell me if you think it is a good idea. altough, up until i put it to use someone is going to do it beforehand, sadly. I still got 6 years to even finish school and think about this, i just need to know: *is it a good idea?*
Metroidvanias are great and this video mentioned all of the non-Metroid and Castlevania Metroidvanias that I can think of other than Strider (2014) and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Radical Rescue (GB).
I like the voice and the effort that clearly went into this but I have a problem with this video. I watched the video two times now but I kinda lose attention mid-way. :/ It's just not tiled into different points/pieces you're talking about, it's rather just one big text for me. I would like to have it a structure like "here are 5 main points which make those games good". I didn't quite notice when you got to a new topic. P.S. I really like the beehive part and the comparison between Chasm and Hollow Knight. ^^
I love Metroidvania, Symphony of the Night and Hollow Knight are some of my fav games of all time, but I had tried and tried and could not get into any Metroid games , I want to like it or at least finish one but would never get that into it. I love always prefer sword over guns.
I want to know all the games in this video. lol. I love "metroidvania's". Also, Who remember's Rygar and Wizards & Warriors for NES? Those were pretty metroidvania-ish too.
*Two other great examples of Hollow Knight's environmental storytelling via the world* : Finding the Blue Lake atop the City of Tears and realizing that it is the reason for the constant rain dripping from the ceiling in the city.
Even more importantly and much stronger: The part of the Soul Sanctum after defeating the Soul Master. I won't spoil what you see and realize, but without a single spoken word, you understand this place. Everything works together. The visuals, the music, and even the type of enemy you'll encounter tell you more about this place than any cutscene ever could. It feels deep, personal, and bears emotional weight.
Another great one is the dead bodies that fall from the sky in Kingdom's Edge, hinting at the existence of the Colosseum of Fools above.
I also think that one area where Hollow Knight excels compared to other Metroidvanias I've played is the sound design-beyond just the music, most enemies and NPCs have distinct audio cues and in the dark and mazelike passageways of the game you'll often hear them before you see them.
The best example of it [SPOILER] is when the Hollow Knight starts stabbing himself and the music turns even darker and more depressing, revealing that he's being controlled by the radiance and is straggling to fight it.
Another one [spoilers again] is the collector being all black and having the same body structure as the guards at the white palace, hinting at the fact that the collector is another creation of the king made of void
Imo the best part of Lore is the Void.
The Void is full of masks destroyed,those are all the Knights that the Pale King sent to stop the Radiance and they failed,until Hollow Knight,then they sealed the Void entrance .
The Abyss was sobering. The Birthplace hidden area (and semi-cutscene) gave me CHILLS.
Did you just call the Mantis Lords... locusts?
GameSoda64 maybe he dont want to spoiling.
He also said that they’re one of the hardest bosses
Weird
Kek
@@Ismael-kc3ry fun, not hard
I think he forgot to mention the importance of fun boss battles. They force you to use the skills you find and master other gameplay elements
mmm... Ori and the blind Forest, it's is a good game representative of the genre and yet has no battles against bosses. That's an interesting element (and I personally like it), but it's not necessary to make a good metroidvania.
Eh. Not really.. I mean they do assist in the fun element I guess but not a strict requirement for the genre
Not a strict requrement? You can’t have a Metroidvania without big boss battles.
@@teamonepiecemugenos2818 I would say that it had more boss levels I guess for lack of a better word? Like when you had to beat the water rushing to the top of the tree with the newly acquired slingshot esque skill. Its not a "boss" in the traditional sense, but it does force you to use the skills that are available.
Well hollow Knight has an incredible amount of bosses, and many of them qualify to be at the top of my list, and HK IS better than Ori
In the not-so-distant past, I'd scour google for indie Metroidvania titles just to get a monthly fix; now, there's a goddamn feast. I love it.
Also, identifying Dark Souls as a Metroidvania just made something click in my brain... I might finally play those. Thanks!
I played so many okay to mediocre indie games and handheld games in the aughts looking to get my Metroidvania fix after playing all Metroids and Vanias. Then Shadow Complex came out and the dam broke and suddenly there were awesome Metroidvanias everywhere.
Kevin Stevens
haha same
If u like metroidvania games u will love dark souls and bloodborne(GOAT) having similar characteristics. Also you get alot more gameplay out of them, having 500+hrs in all 5 games.
Do you have a PS4? Even if you try Dark Souls and decide it's not for you, I'd strongly recommend Bloodborne, which is unfortunately a PS4 exclusive. I love all of the games in the Soulsborne series, but Bloodborne is HANDS DOWN the best title in the series, no contest.
CedricBale no, it's not
The best of these constantly offer up new and interesting environments that make you rEALLY FEEL LIKE BATMAN
I don't think Dark Souls would count. It has Metroidvania world design, but no item gates whatsoever. I guess that doesn't sound like much, but when those are basically the only two aspects of the genre then it means it's missing about 50% of what makes the genre what it is.
don't forget platforming. I think it FEELS like a metroidvania, but by definition isnt one
Dogman_35 Need lordvessel to access Nito, dukes archives, lost izalith and 4 kings. Need a ring to jump into abyss. Need ring to walk on lava. Then there's the optional areas/bosses that usually require items
g l Metroidvanias use upgrades as keys instead of actual keys. None of the things listed further your abilities, they're all literally keys that give you access to new areas. I suppose you could make an argument for the Abyss Ring, but it's literally used for that one thing so it doesn't really progress your character at all.
Myerscodex Agreed. But OP said there aren't any item gates whatsoever and I'm just correcting him. Though I do believe dark Souls is a good example of a 3d metroidvania
g l It's close, but like OP said it's an integral part to the genre. It's worder poorly but I think he probably means *powerup* gates, which the DS games don't have. The Metroid Prime series is the only true 3D Metroidvania I can think of, but from the sounds of it, Sekiro might feature new abilities that grant you access to different parts of the world.
4:30 "Locusts," they're Mantises Russ. They're listed in the bestiary as the Mantis Lords. They're in the Mantis Village. Good video otherwise.
lol i too wondered what?! But it's an honest mistake.
I don't hold it against him. Locust Priests would be cool. Just seems strange no one picked up on it before publishing.
“One of the hardest bosses in the game” lmao no
Snazz, not the hardest in the game, but definitely hard for the point in the game you get to them.
Cheezy Animations I beat them on my second try when I first found them, watcher knights are much harder for when you access them
Never heard Bloodborne and Dark Souls described as metroidvania but good video. This is one of my all time fave genres
me either, and i am now 100% on board
Dark Souls 1 is the greatest Metroidvania of all time, IMO. I don't think it's the best Souls game, but it is the best Metroidvania. No other game world has come close to Dark Souls. I mean, yeah, it goes beyond just Metroidvanias; I think Dark Souls has the greatest video game world ever created, from a level design perspective. In this way, every Souls game since DS1 has been a let down. I think Bloodborne(which is my favorite of all Souls games) came closest, but was still a notch or two below what was done in DS1 in regards to the level design.
If you haven't played it, do it! And whatever you do, DO NOT look up guides, otherwise you will not experience the true genius of the level design. Be open to making your own mistakes, it's a big part of the fun, and also the prime reason that it's my favorite video game world ever, at least from a design perspective because hey, contextually and from the point of view of the atmosphere and story, I prefer Bloodborne, because I enjoy the Victorian setting more than the Medieval one of Dark Souls by default. Bloodborne aligns exactly with my taste and the Victorian setting is something I've always enjoyed in all forms of media, whereas I never liked the Medieval settings. It was in fact Dark Souls that made me like that setting. But even then, Dark Souls is the only Medieval Fantasy that I enjoy, hhaa.
Ive played all the Dark Souls as well as Bloodborne. I just never thought of it as a Metroidvania.. I guess because "Soulsborne" just sorta became just that, soulsborne!! haha Like it's own style and genre within a genre! Bloodborne is one of my fave games this gen. I also love the setting like you
Dark Souls is Metroidvania in the sense that it has a big interconnected map with gating. The difference between Dark Souls and most other Metroidvania titles is that the gates are tied to player skill and character level rather than specific abilities or items. For example: you can go to the Catacombs as soon as you land in Lordran, IF you can deal with it. You can go straight to Blight Town, too. And The Valley of Drakes, or Darkroot, or the Undead Burg.
On your first playthrough, the only thing stopping you from going to all of these places is the fact that you're not very good at the game yet, whereas in other games with similar level design, you're usually blocked because you haven't got the ability to Double Jump yet and the place you're trying to get to requires the Double Jump. Or maybe you need a bomb to blow your way through a wall, or maybe you need a weapon that freezes enemies so that you can use them as a platform to jump off of etc.. There are differences, but the approach to level design is the same, it's how you traverse it, and how it is gated, that's the difference.
yea it has aspects of metroidvanias but one of the core components of any metroidvania is platforming.... I feel like calling it a platformer is loose at best...
I don't disagree with you that the Souls series share a lot in common with metroidvanias in terms of exploration, but the lack of gear making new areas accessible kind of fails that for me. I've always felt that Dark Souls and Bloodborne, and to a degree Dark Souls III felt more like Zelda, again sans gear upgrades allowing for more world progression.
Interestingly, Castlevania SoTN was actually inspired by Legend of Zelda.
Yeah, I think Zelda is more Metroidvania than DS ever was. It has both gear gates and platforming. But it doesn't have backtracking or a seamlessly connected dungeon. I mean when was the last time you went back into a cleared dungeon again, except to find completely optional trinkets?
Again, Megaman Legends was the closest thing to a 3D Metroidvania. There is only one dungeon in the entire game that spans the size of the entire overworld requiring various items and move sets to traverse. That was really something. But even then the dungeon clearing was never strictly required to beat the game. People could literally skip the best part of the game to beat it.
I'm waiting for a true 3D Metroidvania. One that understands what it really takes to be a Metroidvania (gear gate, platforming, seamless dungeon) and translates that into 3D environment flawlessly.
Hey... that's actually a good idea...
You and I will be first in line when someone makes that happen.
No mention of Axiom Verge? It's maybe a little less modern than you're describing, but still a great game. Backtracking can get tedious in that one, but it does some cool things with movement and exploration.
Yeah, I think that Frushtick really likes Axiom. But there are so many examples, it became tricky to choose the perfect ones for a short video.
Understandable! Great video. Probably should have led with the fact that I liked it.
Axiom Verge had a lot of potential: cool powerups and qute balanced a structure etc. It just didn’t feel very interesting to explore in after a while perhaps caused by backtracking, obscure plot, uninteresting combat… I don’t know, the world felt very alien and cool in a way but it didn’t always feel like it opened up or that I made progress when I found new areas.
Maybe my minor dissapointment was only caused by the hype.
Loved Axiom Verge because it was more of a "Controidvania" with it's emphasis on weapons and combat.
Gorgeous Gorillawitz More like a Metroid clone. People jeep forgetting the key to a metroidvania is personal growth. You have to get more powerful through fighting. Only Chasm had that aspect from those listed.
I recently played Steamworld Dig 2 on 3ds and it hit every one of these points super hard for me. Power gaining and traversal improvements made me feel excellent. The game starts you out with simple running and wall jumping mechanics, and while they have their natural limits, they didn't feel restrictive. The progression of the game makes you faster, stronger and more versatile, so by the end you don't feel like the limiters have been taken off, you just feel powerful.
Just bought that one! Excited to start it
The first one is just as good if not better.
This was a nice video to watch, thank you for making it.
What I’m missing here is not just “gear gating”, but the way you replay areas when you have new skills, and especially how you have to remember what areas were once locked or otherwise inaccessible to you as a player. Getting a new skill not only means “ooh i can do new stuff now”, but through level design it becomes “ohh i think i know where i can apply this new stuff now”
My first Metroidvania game was, ironically, the fairly nontraditional Kirby and the Amazing Mirror (which traded the linear levels and worlds of most of the rest of the series for a vast interconnected one with plenty of treasures and secret paths waiting to be discovered). The first game that helped me to recognize the genre as a discrete one that I really loved was Metroid: Zero Mission (which remade the original Metroid but with graphics and mechanics more inspired by the more technically impressive Super Metroid). Since then, I've enjoyed a fair number of games in that genre, including Hollow Knight. This video does a great job of articulating what makes this genre appealing and what separates a merely passable Metroidvania from one that excels.
One thing I really liked about Metroid Prime was how the story was pretty much optional. Instead of forced cutscenes they let you piece together the story on your own with the scans and I felt that was a really cool way to talk about the lore of the world
Correction at 4:32. Those characters in Hollow Knight are the Mantis Lords, not "priest-like locusts."
Danny Sullivan I dunno how anyone could mess that up, the journal says they’re the Mantis Lords.
Their boss title says Mantis Lords.
They’re in the MANTIS VILLAGE.
"One of the hardest fights in the game"
X to doubt
1:15 "i wasnt supposed to BEE"
im not sorry
I love how a game (metroid ) created a whole genre but it is also sad that it almost like it doesn't exists anymore
I'd forgotten about Shadow Complex. Such a great game.
I think we've learned that a good Metroidvania can't have procedural generation.
That's my biggest takeaway.
@Guillermo Stancanelli
Deadcells is a rougelike Metriodvania.
Then there will be someone who didn't learn that and will be successful.
Guillermo Stancanelli I agree, I love dead cells, but if i were forced into having it be a metroidvania in my mind I could not recommend it. What it provides is too different than what i look for in a metroidvania. But as I said I do love dead cells.
The new term is "Rougevania" now it seems.
1:10 "when I first found this beehive for example I felt like I'd entered uncharted territory, like I was somewhere I wasn't supposed to *BEE* "
Super Metroid really makes you FEEL like Metroid.
russ saying "don't @ me" made me laugh and i don't know why
BSL the narrator kinda sounds like Danny Avidan from game grumps XD
I'd guess that the laughter was probably a delayed response to him calling Dark Souls a Metroidvania
I loved multi-dashing and finding all the secrets in Hyper Light Drifter
Dead Cells' hybrid style honestly solved something that I'd always found anti-fun about Metroidvanias. One of the core loops of those games is finding places where you cannot progress without the some traversal ability, then coming back to explore that. While that's usually fine for larger critical-path type things, trying to keep track of every little loot room I meant to go back to when I got the double jump or whatever honestly kind of kills the fun for me, especially when nine times out of ten the reward isn't near worth the trouble of remembering where it was and going back to find it (and the tenth it's something super important you'd kick yourself for missing). I know this is super YMMV, and this is where the fun is in this kind of game, but I've never enjoyed it much even when done very well. By prodedurally generating the individual maps and forcing you to run through them each playthrough, Dead Cells removes the pressure of remembering where that each tiny gear gate was, which makes the game a lot more fun for me...
Good job, Rus! Hollow Knight and Dead Cells are the first two games I picked up for my switch, loving both so far.
Guacamelee (1 and 2) is a cool modern metroidvania beat-em-up and I think it deserves a shout out, it might not have the dark, broodiness of some of the games in the video, but the world building in the mexiverse, the fantastic visuals... I think that counts for something
-"Priests like locusts proven to be one of the hardest fights in a game"
If you stop playing right after beating them, then yes.
excellent video, more of this please.
Humm, I don't reckon there would be much of a way to tell a story in a procedurally generated game, unless the developer deliberately choose bits and pieces to glue together when the world is generated (y'know, as they normally do), however with the twist that when a piece of the dungeon is generated next to another specific one, the game code would let these 2 bits act in such a way that it would make sense. Imagine if Hollow Knight was rogue-like. How would you tell that the Blue Lake was what was creating the rain in the City of Tears? Unless the two rooms were somewhat connected, and the code would tell that when that happens, the rain effect would trigger. But then again, the world wouldn't be that engaging or remarkable, even if that scene were to happen, since when you die, the world is basically gone too.
Just found "Epoch of Aegis" looks like another good addition to the list.
Never knew how much I'd love the genre. If it weren't for Hollow Knight getting rave review I never would have tried a single one. Now I have a new, long list of games to play!
LA-MULANA 2 exists. It is an excellent metroidvania with an emphasis on riddle-solving. In a few months it will be releasing on all current-generation consoles.
Good video, but I think you missed the point of rogue legacy. It’s more of a rogue like, so the procedural generated worlds can sometimes lack the storytelling quality that the handcrafted environs can have. It’s more about mechanical complexity over environment tgere
I don't know if that's true - The Binding of Isaac is probably the pinnacle of modern rogue-likes, and has an incredibly evocative world and environment that tells a story on its own. Yeah the mechanics in it are great but to say a rogue-like can't or doesn't focus on environmental storytelling I think is just a little short sighted
The Binding of Isaac and A Robot named Fight both do a decent job of environmental storytelling despite being rogue-like. It's one of the things I like about them.
It depends on how you define environmental storytelling. Obviously, Binding of Isaac has a great story and evokes a sense of dread and uniqueness through its art, music, and "environment." But its non-linearity does not allow a specific sense of progression where the acquirement of items allows you to venture into the next level.
Unlike Roguelikes(lites), where if you're strong enough you can breeze through pretty much all the maps, Metroidvanias have a more limited and slower sense of expansion; but finding other areas almost always require a unique set of tools and actions, and makes it feel more rewarding to progress onward.
Ok 3 things: 1) Dark Souls + Bloodborne are typically described closer to an action RPG, you're reaching by including those titles. 2) You failed to include Guacamelee 3) By your definition, Zelda could be a Metroidvania (exploring? Item gating? World? They all check out!)
Yo dude thanks you're really helping me with my upcoming game I want to make
I liked Hollow Knight so much, it's so funny and challenging, I like that type of games so much, it reminded me of Ori and the Blind Forest, one of the best games I've ever played, and it's getting a new a season 2! Can wait to play it 🔥
This is the definition of the wait for silksong
@@butterstik the day silksong releases, the world will probably end, that'll be our luck.
Priest like locust…is he talking about that mantises? Yep, He’s talking about mantis village
Wow watching this video just reminded me of how much I love video games. Pretty easy to feel overly cynical about the game industry these days.
Can someone tell me the name of the game at 0:17
No mention of Guacamelee? I wouldn't expect you to mention 'em but I also love the (super budget) Super Panda Adventures and the (relatively new, but amazing) Super Daryl Deluxe.
Somehow Guacamelee always stays under the radar of these metroidvania vid's....
It's sad, because it's a great example on how to do metroidvania and give it your own twist
I didn't really know there was a name for this kind of game, but they're exactly the kind of game I love!
I think it’s safe to say you haven’t played hollow knight you called the mantis lords Priest like locust
I really like this and would love to see more genre breakdowns like these 👍
Good video. I like to recognize the Dark Souls as a variation within the metroidvanias. I have always felt that it was the natural evolution to 3D from the SOTN Castlevanias.
My ideas of what a metroidvania should have:
- Static map: it does not have to have procedural generation. The map can change, but by design desition, and not by the randomness of a computer. The MAP IS A PROTAGONIST in a metroidvania, and it is necessary that it be designed with the complexity that a person gives to a labyrinth and be part of the route of the game.
Chasm and Sundered seem to me bad examples in this sense.
- It is necessary that there are different skills (or keys) to access new areas. It is important to generate in the player the intrigue of a high platform that can not be accessed so that this intrigue is resolved in a separate time, when you get the ability to reach that place.
- It is necessary that you can finish the game in several game sessions. That the player can leave the game aside, meditate on the route, and follow another day. If there is permanent death and the map is restarted, then the player is obliged to pass the game in a single session and that goes against the exploratory element, and contemplative.
- It would be good if there are possibilities of different builds, although it is not necessary. If there are different characters instead, it also greatly enriches the experience (Valdis Story).
- They may have bosses or not, but it is not necessary (Ori and the Blind Forest, is a good example).
- It does not matter if you have side or overhead scroll. Zelda Link to the Past, could be considered a metroidvania, if certain elements were added. In any case it is not impossible to imagine a metroidvania visually similar to Zelda SNES.
- It does not matter if it's 2D or 3D. Dark Souls and Bloodborne have a development of routes like those of a metroidvania and show that the maps can be opened according to the player's exploration.
- There must be no permanent death. A metroidvania is first of all an exploration, a trip and if the player is not given the option to try paths without having to play everything in each movement.
They are just some ideas. Good Video and like.
Great video! This helped me accept that I just don't like these kinds of games, and that's ok.
a polygon video that's actually good.
What a surprise.
Why is it normally a trash channel? I'm not surprised
I wish ttrpgs were like this still. Remember when d&d was actually about dungeon exploration?
The world should not only feel alive (despite being dead) but also interconnect with itself making future trips easier to navigate through. They should also have open worlds which you can return back to is why DeadCells is not technically a Metroidvania even if it draws some inspiration from them.
It doesn't have to be complicated, these are sidescrolling action adventure games or platform adventures. Take Zelda 1, make it side view with more of a platform focus and there you go. Hollow Knight is more open than SM and SotN though, and some of its design I would consider more old school actually - the map system, precise platforming and the higher challenge for example.
Rogue Legacy is a roguelike hybrid, so not really the same thing. DS and Bloodborne have less of a platforming focus and being in 3D changes exploration and puzzle design, so they're also different.
Metroid is my favorite game series.
Everyone should play Iconoclasts, it's an amazing metroidvania with a great storyline
The Souls game took its inspiration from Zelda games. In souls game you can g9 almost from the get go so that alone disqualifies it from being a metroidvania
what?
What are some of your favorite environments from Metroidvanias?
Mine is the station in Metroid Fusion. I love how you can see the state of the station through subtle environmental clues like the backgrounds changing, split wires and destroyed doors, returning to rooms to find them totally destroyed, and slowly watching the station become more and more organic as it's assimilated by the X parasites. It's a wonderfully creepy, tense setting that does a great job at environmental storytelling!
Mary McGinnis - I absolutely loved discovering Ash Lake in my first playthrough of Dark Souls! It felt like this vast, ageless land at the bottom of the world. After brutally working my way through an already hidden area of the Great Hollow, the fact that Ash Lake was so sparse and quiet was so powerful!
Definitely! I love finding areas in games like that, where, after getting through a really intense part, you can just kinda stop and take a breath and take in the atmosphere.
City of Tears in Hollow Night. The atmosphere was soooo strong amd beautiful
Oh, that's a great one!! The art and use of color in Hollow Knight is seriously breathtaking at times like that.
Ironically, I have trouble calling Metroid Fusion a Metroidvania.
The way the A.I. leads you around by the nose is totally at odds with the free-form sense of exploration and discovery that I consider to be the core appeal of the genre. Metroid Fusion is more an action-platformer with a Metroid-themed story than a true Metroidvania. I felt much the same about Metroid Prime 2, for the same reason -- having some NPC be like "blah blah blah, now go here and do this thing" is precisely the thing I play Metroidvania games to get away from, so it was super disappointing to see it in the follow-up to the amazing original Metroid Prime.
On the other hand, they were both fun games, if you take them for what they are. I enjoyed both of them once I stopped trying to hold them to the same standards for sense-of-discovery as the rest of the series.
You should consider having a text over lay pop up saying what game is playing on the screen. A handful of those games look awesome!
I like the pun at 1:14
There have been 3 games that I've played that rise high above any game I have ever played. The first one is Cave Story, the second is the Mother series (I'm counting the whole series as one thing. I never play them separately), and the third being the most recent, Hollow Knight. Never have I played games this enchanting, full of wonder and potential, beautiful music, appealing visuals, amazing story, splendid gameplay, and everything to make a game great. When I got Cave Story, that was the point my skill in platformers starting increasing rapidly. Especially after Beating Ballos. That was in 5th grade. I now have Regional records from NES Remix 3ds, and beat Cave Story on hard mode. My best feats to date. Earthbound was just lightning in a bottle. It gave me a better appreciation on life, and further tightened my grip on my childhood. Just like ponyboy from the outsiders, I'll stay gold. Hollow Knight is the best damn medroidvania I've ever seen and played. So much to do and find. There so much extra stuff that you can beat the game with only 8% completion. I spent hours straight playing this game. I absolutely love it's art style. It's both simplistic, yet detailed. In legend of Zelda games, you have to find heart pieces, yet finding them is way to time consuming. In Hollow Knight, you can go find grubs. They are easier to find, but still fairly difficult. Some are really hidden, and it's fixed with a map showing their locations if you beat a certain boss. I spent my time looking in every nook and cranny not so I can find things necessary, but because I wanted to explore. No other game ever gave me this wonder and curiosity. It's a whole world to explore. And you don't feel like missing out on anything. Once you get a new item, it just adds more things that you couldn't do. Not because you need it, but because it feels like a natural discovery that you are gifted with for exploring. And the lore, amazing. So many secrets to uncover, or ones left to theorize. Never stop being curious in this world, because that is what let's us move forward.
Knightmare II “The maze of Galious” on MSX is the best metroidvania and the one that started it all.
Metroidvanias are my favourite kind of games, and I wish to create one when i get out of college, so y'all can stay sharp and wait for the greatest metroidvania ever, made by me
1:15
"I just felt like i wasn't where.i was supossed to bee"
Get it?
I'm surprised you didn't mention Cave Story. That game was made by a single person and is considered one of the best Metroidvanias there is.
Cave Story Aint A Metroidvania
There's arguments to be made on both sides. On the one hand, Cave Story doesn't rely as much on item gating to control player progression, and its story is, I'd say, more linear than some. On the other hand, it does a phenomenal job of telling the story of the world, not the character, by dropping you in with nothing and giving you the tools to comprehend the narrative of the world around you and your place in it, and it also rewards exploration and platforming challenges with permanent upgrades. (Platforming challenges in particular are by no means a necessity, but they are a common feature in Metroidvania titles, and they are faithfully adapted by Cave Story.)
I'd also argue that Cave Story scores well on its mobility items making travel fun and allowing you to feel like a master of the world. In particular, the upgraded machine gun has to be a prime example of a mechanic that absolutely makes you feel like you're breaking the game. But at the same time, it's ingeniously balanced thanks to the clever use of Cave Story's weapons systems.
Cave Story is more of a Platformer than a Metroidvania. It reminds me more of Megaman than Metroid; the tools are never directly required to progress onto the next level, they only make you more speedy or powerful. Yes there are always secret areas that can only be reached by certain tools or movesets, but they are never required only meant to embellish your sense of treasure hunting.
What are you talking about? In order to beat Cave Story, you collect items all the time. You collect ingredients for bomb for robot, Sue's mother asks you to bring a sprinkler and rocket boots to build rocket, and in order to get true ending you first have to get booster 2.0 and before fighting Core jump down and take chains from chest, then have to items that are needed to keep Curly alive. Seriously, ever played Cave Story?
@@mateuszmich314 it's still not gear gating. The only one of those that could count as gear gating is the booster 2.0 because it's actually a gameplay enhancer in itself, that "happens" to open up the path to get the best ending. (although I don't really remember what the booster 2.0 was needed for, it's been a while since I last played through cave story).
Valdis Story is also an awesome metroidvania, focusing on combat, its one of my favorites..
videogamedunkey: This is what I call a Metroid moment!
I actually believe that the term "metroidvania" is everything you said (because it's the METROID part) plus the RPG elements (the VANIA part): lots of items to collect, levelling up, etc.
The VANIA part is what missing on most of the games mentioned.
I just pirated Hollow Knight (Got it from a friend) and played it for a few hours. I absolutely LOVE it. And I've never played games like these before. I've mostly played 3D open world games like Far Cry 3 & 4 and Fallout 3 & 4, so this is a completely new genre for me. I was skeptical at first but Hollow Knight completely blew my mind. Needless to say, I've bought the game now. I'll gladly support good game developers who just want to make good games.
Priest-like locusts...
Also, I didn’t think the Mantis Lords was a hard fight, I don’t think any of the bosses are terribly challenging as when I got there I was always prepared. The only bosses I think I really had trouble with were the False Knight (on my first save), Broken Vessel, and Nosk.
Good video, but I'm not quite sure I understand the difference between Metroidvania and "modern Metroidvania" (or even why they're called "Metroidvania" and not simply "Metroid-like" or whatever).
I'm sad you didn't mention Rabi Ribi. It's by far my favorite Metroidvania. I think it does a better job than any other of not only making you feel incredible once you have all the upgrades, but also letting a skilled player feel good even at 0% item collection if they choose to play that challenge.
Very good video, thanks 👍🏻
Great video!
This video is good! Now my game sure will be better!
Good video but I really wish you wouldn't have spoiled late game stuff in Hollow Knight or at least warned about it first
That's all pretty early in the game.
Tyler Travis the hive isnt
Amirys Ahh, you're totally right!
Amirys to be fair the hive isn’t really a spoiler.
It’s a secret, absolutely, but I wouldn’t really say it spoiled anything, atleast the way he said it.
im so unsure if i should make a metroidvania im worried the genre is being overabused but yet im super unsure
Dont worry, as long as you like making it and at least one person likes it, youll be fine.
IMO modern metroidvanias need to start focusing more on platforming, since it's one of the genre's defining characteristics, being 2D platformer mazes that open through new skills, but combat is being more and more emphasized while everything else is de-emphasized, specially platforming.
Paulo Junior Hollow Knight actually has quite a lot of platforming challenges for the genre if that's what you're into
I'm not done with Hollow Knight, been playing it lately, I've enjoyed it so far, but at the same time, I don't really fell compelled to keep playing, or I'm not excited to get back to playing it? It's kinda bugging me that I don't know why.
Hollow knight and Dead Cells happen to be the most recent games I've purchased. I think both are amazing, but man, Dead Cells just has so much pick-up-and-play value. Maybe it's the Rogue-like aspect.
What are the games being played at 0:15 and 5:10? They look really cool!
Salt and Sanctuary. Basically 2D Dark Souls.
Alex awesome, thanks!!
Not a single second of Shantae? Are you kidding me?
Metroidvanias are 2D platformers by definition.
What genre is Metroid Prime then?
Strider 2014! An underrated Metroidvania with an emphasis on speed and fluidity of movement. It's more "Vania" than "Metroid". It's StriderVania!
Shoutout to LA-MULANA 2!
People say metroidvania isn't a genre, but a subgenre of performers. But Arkham Asylum and Blubborn say otherwise
I don't understand why Rogue Legacy and Dead Cells are here. They're both Rogue-lites, with some very loose Metroidvania elements(which is to say, they're side scrollers that ask you to explore, and RL has candles you can break)
Axiom Verge got me sucked into this genre of games. Such a well crafted game. It convinced me to go back and play Super Metroid on my SNES classic and damn, one of my all-time favorite games. Just mad that I waited so long to get into this genre. What should I play next? I'm thinking Dead Cells or Hollow Knight
Play them both if you can; Dead Cells for the quick paced action and arcade style gameplay and Hollow Knight for the beautiful environments and amazing story. Another great one is Enter the Gungeon, which is a bullet hell roguelike with hilarious commitment to its theme and a bunch of fun weapons and bosses.
Shadow Complex was an amazing game! I'm going to pick up Hollow Knight this week. Not to mention Deaths Gambit releases I think tomorrow.... too many good games.
Does that make Souls-like a subgenre of Metroidvania: a genre of being named after its defining games?
like somewhere i wasn’t sposto “bee”
What is the game at 5:09?
thank you, i'm currently thinking about becoming a game designer and, after playing my first time trough super metroid, it clicked, *this* is what i want to do.
But i want to do it my own way.
think about the following sentence: *skill-based metroidvania*.
items don't limit your progression, skill does, items only make it easier, make you stronger and are used as a way to reward you. But, if you're skilled enough, you can beat the game with only the equipment you start with, this adds replayablity and changes the format of the genre itself.
just tell me if you think it is a good idea.
altough, up until i put it to use someone is going to do it beforehand, sadly. I still got 6 years to even finish school and think about this, i just need to know:
*is it a good idea?*
Great video, have a sub
Metroidvanias are great and this video mentioned all of the non-Metroid and Castlevania Metroidvanias that I can think of other than Strider (2014) and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Radical Rescue (GB).
I like the voice and the effort that clearly went into this but I have a problem with this video.
I watched the video two times now but I kinda lose attention mid-way. :/
It's just not tiled into different points/pieces you're talking about, it's rather just one big text for me. I would like to have it a structure like "here are 5 main points which make those games good". I didn't quite notice when you got to a new topic.
P.S. I really like the beehive part and the comparison between Chasm and Hollow Knight. ^^
Can there be a top-down 2d metroidvania game?
My fav metroidvanias are Spider-man web of shadows and shattered dimensions on ds
We all know the best metroidvania
FiVe NiGhTs At FoRtCrAfTs
I love Metroidvania, Symphony of the Night and Hollow Knight are some of my fav games of all time,
but I had tried and tried and could not get into any Metroid games , I want to like it or at least finish one but would never get that into it.
I love always prefer sword over guns.
1:15 somewhere I wasn't supposed to bee
What are the other games shown here in the video?
Someone get From Soft the Metroid Prime license 🔥
I want to know all the games in this video. lol. I love "metroidvania's". Also, Who remember's Rygar and Wizards & Warriors for NES? Those were pretty metroidvania-ish too.