Metroidvania
In short A metroidvania is a game set in one interconnected world that opens up as you gain abilities that reach new areas.
Definition
A metroidvania is a game set in one large, interconnected world that the player opens up gradually, as new abilities make previously unreachable places reachable. A high ledge, a locked door or a narrow gap is a promise rather than a wall: the player notes it, moves on, and returns once they can jump higher, break the barrier or fit through. Exploration and backtracking are the core of the play, usually seen side-on, with a map that fills in as you go. The word joins Metroid and Castlevania, the two series most associated with the form, and is a fan coinage rather than a term either series' makers chose.
Not to be confused with
- Roguelite
A roguelite rebuilds its world each run and keeps only some progress, while a metroidvania's world is fixed and the abilities you gain open it for good.
- Soulslike
Many soulslikes share the metroidvania's looping world, but a soulslike is defined by its combat and death penalty, not by ability-gated exploration.
- Sandbox
A sandbox lets the player set their own purpose in an open space, while a metroidvania's world is carefully gated and every ability is placed to lead somewhere.
Where the game lives
- rules: used
- goals: used
- feedback: used
- uncertainty: used
- choice: used
- play: dropped
The uncertainty here is about an unknown map rather than chance, since the world is fixed and authored. Choice lies in where to go next, and each new ability is feedback that redraws the map.
used dropped · What the six structures are
Examples
Super MetroidNintendo R&D1 and Intelligent Systems, 1994
The template for a single world gated by abilities, with a map that rewards remembering what you could not yet reach.
Castlevania: Symphony of the NightKonami, 1997
Brought the same structure to Castlevania, adding character levels and equipment and giving the label its second half.
Hollow KnightTeam Cherry, 2017
A large hand-drawn kingdom in which the map itself must be bought and filled in, a modern reference point for the form.
Where the field disagrees
No one agrees on who coined “metroidvania.” The critic Jeremy Parish helped popularize it but has said he learned it from others, and earlier fan uses have been found. The name also bothers people for crediting two series when many games shaped the form; alternatives include “Igavania,” after Castlevania producer Koji Igarashi, and the more neutral “search action.” Second Playthrough uses “metroidvania” because it is the term readers will recognize, and applies it to the structure (a fixed world opened by new abilities) whether or not a game looks anything like either namesake.
In the essays
No essay takes this term on directly yet. Its neighbors in the guide are linked above; the newsletter announces new essays.
Sources
- BookThe History of Metroidvania: Decade One, 1980-1990. Dark Horse Books, 2026. A history of the form's first decade by the critic most associated with popularizing the term. Reading list
- ArticleWho Created The Term "Metroidvania"? Gaming Historian Critical Kate Tries To Find Out. Time Extension, 2025. Reports on research into the earliest uses of the word, which remain unsettled.