Castlevania Dungeon Forums
The Castlevania Dungeon Forums => General Castlevania Discussion => Topic started by: Belmont Stakes on December 05, 2015, 04:31:24 PM
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I am starting this topic though I probably have a more limited scope on these entries in the franchise. It's all in the name of opening up a dialogue, otherwise the corporation wins. With that said, is it fair to call these iterations Metroidvanias. What is Metroid to it's vania? Let's look at the former as the latter has it's own forum based after it. BTW Where is that confounded bitch? Metroid has platforming in it, treacherous platforming in it might I add. Metroid had lava pits you had to often traverse. In comparison to SOTN they were more challenging whether you fell into one whether crossing Norfair, Brinstar, Tourian etc or fighting Kraid, Ridley or Mother Brain. Also like the NES version Super Metroid has more consequence in the hits you take and the shots you miss when trying to hit the sweet spots on some of the bosses. The games engage you demand you be cagey, crafty and be figuratively on you toes even if you are laying down playing (you lazy so and sos.) You get to have weapon and health upgrades like in SOTN including spare/reserve energy tanks which are the equivalent of potions. But the game feels more like a Megaman game difficulty wise. There is just more challenge in the Metroid than in Metroidvania and with that I think the name of the genre is a misnomer and does a disservice to the franchise. If it is a Metroid esque game then make it should have the same type of reputation of being a daunting game. All the while the execs at Konami drink, fart, and shake their heads while dancing....very awfully might I add.
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The Metroidvania moniker comes strictly from the structure of these types of games, nothing else. 2D platformers with an interconnected gameworld, as opposed to linear level-by-level structure. At least that's my take on it.
Super Metroid and SotN are laid out in a very similar fashion, even if everything else (difficulty, art direction, gameplay, themes) are vastly different.
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I think you do not get why the genre is called "Metroidvania".
Important to add here is that "Metroid" is not a "Metroidvania". Metroid is Metroid. It doesn't have the "Castlevania" part of the equation to properly be called a "Metroidvania".
Post-SotN exploration Castlevanias, however, are Metroidvanias, due to having both Metroid formulas and Castlevania formulas.
Exploration Castlevanias didn't receive the genre name "Metroidvania" due to subjective "merits" such as being "as hard" or "as good" as Metroid. They received this name due to mechanics. Subjective merits have nothing to do with mechanics. Metroid being a "more challenging game" has nothing to do with SotN being called a Metroidvania.
There are plenty of bad Metroidvanias out there that don't cease to be Metroidvanias due to being bad video games.
Also, one more important detail is that it wasn't Konami that gave this name to the genre. It was the fans. Konami couldn't care less if we called them "Bollockvanias".
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Ok so I guess it's my topic name that is the misnomer here. Yes, I do know that the genre wasn't named by Konami but was co-opted by the gaming public. I do understand that when referring to Metroid in the namesake we are recognizing first and foremost the use of maps as well as typical upgrade similarities in both game types. Also the boss and save rooms were adopted for the SOTN clones. I am wondering how many games outside of these two franchises there are? Let alone that which titles difficulty wise fall towards Metroid or SOTN.
Just a side note the title of this topic was structured as a tribute to Mike Myers. Sorry if my topic was misleading that obviously was not the intent I just thought it was amusing.
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Metroidvania; A Castlevania game with a Metroid-like structural layout (map-wise). Sadly the term Metroidvania is starting to be used for other games that have nothing to do with Castlevania (or Metroid), and in my opinion should not be referred to as Metroidvanias.
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Games that can classify as "Metroidvania", before the term was coined:
NES
-The Goonies II
-Blaster Master
-Milon's Secret Castle
-Rygar
-Strider
-Battle of Olympus
-Faxanadu
-Zillion
SNES
-Ys III: Wanderers from Ys (also on NES, PC:Engine, and Genesis)
-Wonder Boy in Monster World (Master System SMS)
PC:
La-Mulana
Cave Story
Super-Modern games that qualify:
-Shantae (the entire series)
-Ys: The Oath in Felghana (remake of Ys III in 3D)
-Axiom Verge
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Metroidvania's refer to the use of a large interconnected, non-linear overworld in a Castlevania game.
Prior to SOTN, Castlevania did not operate typically in this fashion (CVII being the exception).
The terminology has little to nothing to do with difficulty of the game. Each Metroidvania's difficulty is different from that of the next, Cotm and HoD being two prime examples. Similarly with DoS and PoR (if the hardest difficulty is considered).
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Konami couldn't care less if we called them "Bollockvanias".
That could be the title for a sequel to Asslevania. :P
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That could be the title for a sequel to Asslevania. :P
Model the protagonist on the Hoff and have Hasselvania..
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Model the protagonist on the Hoff and have Hasselvania..
I'd play it.
... Does he get a talking car?
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I'd play it.
... Does he get a talking car?
Talking chariot of fire