Topic: "Metroidmania....."

[Belmont legacy]

I am honestly probably the only person that feels this way but I really miss the classic Castlevania style we had back in the day. Now, I'm not trying to start trouble or anything of the sort but rather seeking honest opinion and advice honestly on these newer (and confusing) Castlevania games. When I was a kid, I was raised on the usual linear games. Not just Castlevania 4 and one but the usual. Mario, and donkey kong and such. It wasn't until I got older did I discover Zelda and ever since then it has remained my favorite game series. Now getting to my point. Eventually I stumbled on the original Metroid and to be completely honest...was not very impressed nor entertained. I found it very frustrating getting lost with no map or anything of the sort. So when I heard that newer Castlevania games were following the same trend of gameplay, I was shocked and even saddened. Well, a few years back I picked up Harmony of dissonance and aria of sorrow. I must say they are both GREAT games. Graphics are awesome, the music good and I love the level up system they even put in. It was so cool until I got lost. ALL. THE. TIME. Even with the map I was running in circles always ending up back in the same place. When I consulted the map, I was greeted with boxes and lines. Now, I get that the gba can only do so much graphics wise but....damn. So my question is, how do you guys thoroughly enjoy these games? How do you remember where to back track to when receiving a specific item or transporting to a different world? Can someone please help? 

[CID]

It's all habit and experience bro. You develop a feeling for that style of game and often had an idea or hunch as to where to go. Typically a new ability acquisition is what progresses the game to new territory. Revisit that which you previously had not been able to get through before. Also, some are just more spatially oriented than others.

[Belmont legacy]

That's my problem though. I go to some door that's been inaccessible before and it's still inaccessible or theres some ability I don't have yet. I just like i'm COMPLETLEY stuck.

[Nagumo]

When you look at the map, and you don't see a white border in a specific room (left, right, up, or down), it means there is a part of that room you haven't explored yet, and you have to head in the direction where the white border is missing. Usually this helps to acces completely new parts of the castle. This way you can also tell where most likely there is something blocking your path, and for which you need a special item or ability, though it's also possible you might have just missed an exit or something. By means of elimination you can progress further and further.     

[Flame]

I like metroidvanias and Classicvanias alike, but after so many metroidvanias, I'm ready for some more traditonally linear CV games. Something like The Adventure Rebirth I suppose.

[Shiroi Koumori]

Nagumo's technique is what I am using.
Plus I have a notebook on the side where I write stuff in like those doors in DoS where I need an exact amount of money to enter. And I don't mind back tracking.

But as you get more and more used to metroidvanias, it is easier to move around the castle and use the map as a handy guide for shortcuts and other stuff.

[son_the_vampire]

i can feel your pain Dark Yoshi. I enjoy classicvanias more but metriodvania just gives it more of the "guy heads into castle alone" feel. Take LoI for instance, aside from the numerous hallways you have to find your way around. The entire time you make your trek, there are monsters and items to collect, making said hero "Leon" swing his whip even harder. That whole exploration element keeps you interested and you really do a lot better by having a course of action. The white borders in rooms idea is brilliant and in games like CotM it really helps to find your way. Long story short, if you want to build familiarity with map use, look at it in every room you enter... It seems a lot of "important" rooms are usually a smaller square compared to the mass amount of rectangles in my experience. NEVER GIVE UP!

[Lelygax]

To me its super easy, you only need to practice until your mind understands how the map works. Thats what I did in my first time playing SOTN.

[PFG9000]

I actually prefer the feeling of being lost in this vast castle, just like in Metroid I prefer the feeling of being buried under miles of rock without knowing the way out.  But I always know that if I explore enough, I'm going to figure it out eventually.  Also, I think it makes the world more believable.  Why can't Mario turn around and go back to the last stage he was in?  It's right there behind him, but the screen won't scroll back.  When the entire game is one big level, it makes it seem a little more realistic to me, even though I'm using magical abilities to fight imaginary monsters and all that.

When you play through a Metroidvania and you come to an area you can't reach, just make a mental note of it and go find some other area you haven't thoroughly explored yet.  You should have already made mental notes of those areas you passed without having fully explored.  And if mental notes don't work for you, write 'em down.

[X]

I'm kinda like you DarkYoshiMonster as I too have poor dungeon sense; The ability to navagate a dungeon without rilying on a map. But those are with games such as the original 'Phantasy Star' and 'Dungeon Master'. Those games don't have a map screen so I get turned around very easily. But playing through a Metroid game or a Metroidvania for that matter, is actually a lot easier for me. I still check the map every now and then but for the most part I don't need it. If you play thr Metroid or a Metroidvania long enough your mind will start to construct a memory-based map in your head. But like you and Flame, I too want to see a Classic Castlevania make a comeback.

[shelverton.]

I've never heard of this problem before. To me, the maps are pretty much crystal clear and I've only ever been lost in Harmony of Dissonance, but even that lasted for only a shot while... Now, give me something like God of War or Halo and I'll be Game Over in literally minutes. I guess it all boils down to what kind of gamer you are? Btw, I love both Metroidvanias and classicvanias. I grew up on the classic Castlevanias so my love for the exploration in these games came much later.

[Neobelmont]

You are not the only one that misses the classic formula. Yet I feel that the "majority" of people still want nothing more that MV's. Aside from here it's nothing more than what I hear so it makes me wonder if the original formula is even relevant anymore. That difficulty and well thought out platforming. Is it even needed?

[Lelygax]

We need pits of death or more spikes, then maybe MV and platforming can coexist more naturally.

[Gaawa-chan]

Imo, they could easily solve this by giving players the ability to mark the maps with color-coded markers in every game that would remind you about a thing that is in a given place.  LoI and CoD did that; I can't recall if others did but it was really nice to have in those two games.

[Lelygax]

You can do that in OoE too.