LogFAQs > #979522161

UF8 posted...

but it's because of that that the term has awkwardly landed into a very specific meaning for a very specific game with the design philosophy one associates with the phrase, because the term itself isn't meant to actually represent that design, as it's not meant to to be anything close to a genre to begin with. it's just a cute terminology for describing clones of a small handful of games, that's the reality. if it was just that design it'd probably say zelda, or heck, even something like zork, on there

to go a little further with this since i ran out of time to edit it in at the time and i wasn't really satisfied with how i phrased this really. i feel like the true meaning of metroidvania specifically is a game that applies a nonlinear adventure game structure to an action-adventure platformer/sidescroller, with elements such as ability-based sequencing and a very strong emphasis on exploration (almost always with a minimap you fill in as you go (bonus points if it's grid-based and split into a bunch of rooms since that's just the standard)). again that's why it can't actually include things of other genres, since the very definition of it is the application of one genre in a different genre

and yeah that's why aquaria and hollow knight are fine with fitting into it