Metroidvanias. What was once a relatively niche genre has slowly become one of the most prolific across the industry. Through a combination of indie developers paying homage to their favorite classics and major publishers injecting search-action DNA into their top franchises, the genre centered around discovery and exploration has never been more thriving.

The original Metroid was released in Japan on August 6, 1984.

The original Castlevania was released in Japan on September 26, 1984.

Metroid created the genre. Castlevania adopted and revitalized it with Symphony of the Night. Both give the genre its namesake. So this week, at the midpoint between these momentous anniversaries, seemed like a great time to mark the occasion with a closer look at the metroidvania genre. All week we’ll be putting up fresh perspectives at all aspects of metroidvanias, so stick around for 100% completion.

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