Let’s Stop Saying “Metroidvania”

The original Metroid and Castlevania both turn 40 years old this fall. As the two series most responsible for creating the “metroidvania,” we’re taking this occasion to take a comprehensive view of the popular genre. This is Metroidvania Week. When we talk about something, we should talk about it in ways people can understand. You have to be deep in the "gamer" weeds to have any idea what "Metroidvania" means, though. You have to be familiar with not one but two different decades-old game series, and not just familiar with their names or generally aware of their existence, but knowledgeable about how they're designed and how they're actually played. And if you're that well-versed in Metroid and Castlevania, you know enough to know that neither truly invented this type of action game. And you know that the Castlevania games, the first of which didn't have any of the distinctive traits that define the genre that bears their name, didn't even popularize it, as Metroid did. (Yes, Vampire Killer and Simon's Quest both had Metroid-y elements, but the former wasn't open-ended enough and the latter was too open-ended and obtuse; it wasn't until Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, over a d…