I don't think I agree with that Kenri. To use one of the games I mentioned as being inspired by HK, the only thing PoP Lost Crown shares with Dark Souls is you can take a sippy in combat, but HK does that too for example, and PoPLC resembles HK more on this point in that the real way you keep yourself alive in a fight is by applying relentless offensive pressure to fuel a power that gives you a chance to recover from damage or iframe through it (much like HK focus). Moreover, the combat is super kinetic and focused on dodging and using combat abilities to phase through attacks and 'retain your turn', whereas the iconic Dark Souls build either facetanked with Poise or blocked with a shield and then countered. There's influence there, but idk how direct it is.
Wanglicious posted...
Metroid Prime's influence is honestly on games that branched from the genre and became their own, like Souls games. there really isn't much else like it, instead they opt for either more combat, more exploration, or more difficulty (technically this can be either one but becomes its own subgenre at a certain point).
a lot of Souls clones miss the mark because they don't understand what came before it and that i think is where MP shines. it broke down how you can do 3D action adventure exploration in a perfect blend.
so technically its influence on the genre isn't there because it was the launching point for new ones.
This makes a lot of sense to me. Dark Souls 1 certainly has a load of metroid prime DNA. This means MP indirectly inspired one of the most important modern subgenres, which is totally Rushmore worthy!
HaRRicH posted...
This isn't a perfect answer to your larger point about industry influence, but I'll note Metroid Prime did get a well-received trilogy and remaster while hopes are high for a fourth game. Coincidentally, all of my nominations have sequels or other games in their own series to pursue similar gameplay of some sort which helps establish their place in the genre.
(Hollow Knight to its credit will one day too, and I look forward to Silksong despite my issues with the original)
I don't know the 3D-Metroidvania genre well enough to speak to other games similar to MP, but it has firmly landed its own place in gaming in the meanwhile and its appeal is not so different from 2D-Metroidvanias for me to think it should go into a different genre. Maybe FPS? But then that gets into questions like is Portal an FPS and is Braid a platformer. MP uses FPS mechanics to explore gameplay that appeals to Metroidvania fans much like Portal and Braid use FPS/platformer mechanics to explore gameplay that appeals to puzzle fans.
EDIT: shit, just noticed you said not including sequels. My bad on those parts.
I think this hits on a key point of what MP's true influence is actually. 'Using (other genre) mechanics for exploration gameplay'. Dark Souls does this with ARPG gameplay. Arkham Asylum does this with open world gameplay. It kinda makes me realize why I couldn't just name games that were 'Metroid Prime' clones. Its legacy isn't a direct playstyle, it's a design style with multi-genre appeal! Hell, aren't collectable readables/datalogs pretty much an MP invention for example?