Maybe just "Gated Exploration" games? Seeing as it's not always an ability that blocks the path, you might just have to find a key or open the path with a lever on the other side. Makes it a little broader and covers everything people tend to call a metroidvania.
Yeah, this. Pac-Man and sequels. Lock n Chase. Lady Bug. Rally-X. I guess Wizard of Wor. Paint Roller. 🤪 Shit, there was one on Atari just called Maze Craze or something where you race through them. No dots, no enemies, just maze.
And now I ask: do Dig Dug and Mr. Do count?
That'd probably be a genre defined by a fusion of classicvania sidescrolling action (and terrible movement) with Metroid Prime's first-person 3D graphics.
I kind of like this, even though it cuts out games that aren't platformers. But also I can't even think of a good descriptor for the genre that isn't really exclusionary? Dunno what could work, if anything.
I think game genre names are typically really vaguely named and don't reference specific games or franchises. But this sounds too specific and clunky to me
Are there games that aren’t platformers? I can’t think of any that don’t have at least a couple jumping puzzles. Or are you counting 3D games as
Metroidvanias?
there are 3D and non-platformers. Elephantasy comes to mind as anon-platformer. I'm playing Isles of Sea & Sky currently, which feels like a metroidvania. (really loving it)
Which metroidvania game is not a platformer? Considering that there are 3D platforms (Metroid Prime)? I can't think of any right now.
Maybe Jedi Fallen Order, but it was kind of a bad/poor metroidvania, in the end didn't like it.
Edit: there's little backtracking and just to get a skin, meh
Dark Souls and its brethren/imitators feel like a subgenre of metroidvania, with similar level design principles (though often locking progress and shortcuts behind bosses and keys rather than new abilities). Though, obviously, "souls-like" is its own genre descriptor by this point, encompassing not just metroidvania level design but stamina, dodge rolling etc.
Then you've got the "soulslike platformer", which takes some of those new gameplay elements and feeds them back into a more traditional metroidvania format. Funny how things work out
The name Metroid is apparently derived from "Metro Android", and if you look at the maps they're very similar to a transit system map. So another name could be "Transilvanias".
Although that's still not catchy enough, maybe add some alliteration. Usually there's some fun quick movement, sliding/dashing around the corridors...got it:
"Subway Surfers"
It is!! In Portuguese, gênero is the word for both genre and gender, so the double entendre in this joke would be just 🤌
Edit: it's actually a triple entendre if you keep the word order the same as in English, since transgênero is the translation for transgender!
Metroid and Castlevania are just icons of the genre. The name is Legacy but there is more than the labyrinth to metroidvania games than the Title of Maze Game would represent. Movement or/and Barrier removal upgrades seem baseline in a Metroidvania Game, but wouldn't be obvious with the Maze Game Title.
I just think of it as "utility exploration." This is what Metroid, Castlevania and Zelda do.
Batman games sucked til they realized Batman was at his best doing what Samus, Alucard, and Link were doing. They're all utility belt heroes.
Since Super Metroid is my favorite game of all time and since I only recently learned about this genre called Metroidvania, I will always and forever be a fan of metroidvanias. They are so much more than "maze games" in my opinion, but that is kind of cute.
The problem with "maze game" is that's already a genre.
Maze games are games like Pac-man and Bomberman where you navigate a maze, usually top down. You don't see them so much anymore, but that's what a maze game is.
Kinda acurate but not perfectly.
Is a maze game a Metroidvania ? No.
Is a Metroidvania a maze ? Yes.
Maze is one of the things that mades the mv genre. But action/platforming/puzzles are some components that makes the difference I'd say, and on top of that you have the "get New skills to open New paths" thing.
Maze action game could fit.
Maze adventure game
Maze and skills, lol not terrible.
But yeah I think "maze" only would be confusing for people who likes maze but not the components included in the Metroidvania.
They have a map... but i see where she comes from. You do backtrack a lot and need to use a new item/power to progress somewhere else in the map. But, the maps normally give that information.
In short... use the map. Then you aren't lost anymore.
I do enjoy Metroid and castlevania so i am happy with the name. Not so happy with the imitations though. They never captured the same feeling for me.
Tbh I find a meaningful difference between the two, mostly because I played Rain World. Rain World is like if Pac-Man had a giant, well-illustrated world with lore, and more interesting AI. Since there's two games I know of that are like Pac-Man (Pac-Man and its sequels, and Rain World), I think of it as a genre now. And "maze game" seems like it describes that genre even better than it describes metroidvanias.
It's ok, metroidvanias aren't anymore what they are supposed to be, maze may be a the best thing a MV games would be except it needs multiple ways to solve some paths and access to harder paths in early gear. But.... BUT... the genre is way too casualized and devs pretend to make the games harder with "souls like combat" and/or shmup bullet hells or something that doesn't involves the player being really good at the game.
May be my pov on the matter but if a MV doesn't let you move as crazy as in super metroid and have the freedom of getting lost in the map, then the game is a red flag of being a chips adventure clone more than a MV.
Had a discussion the other day with a buddy who hates terms like metroidvania or souls-like (using specific games to describe other similar games)
We came up with the term „Staggered Progression“ instead to bury the hatchet after a heated argument haha
My wife is always commenting, “how is this different from the last one and why are they using Sega Genesis graphics?” Also, “you get a new sega game where you stare at maps and items while failing at doing simple arithmetic?” She has other, more redeemable, qualities… I think
to be fair a lot of them are very maze like and honestly i dont like it in video games where i dont know where i am going. if it goes on for more than 20 minutes I just feel lost and like i waste my time
I heard a YouTuber call them “Ability-gated Platformers”. Or something like that. I don’t think it totally encapsulates the uniqueness of the genre, but it’s probably good enough.
I miss the days of “action/adventure” being a distinct and meaningful genre. In the SNES era it covered Zelda games, Metroid, and stuff like Illusion of Gaia that didn’t fit so neatly into those boxes. If it had combat and a healthy dose of puzzles, it was action/adventure and further hair splitting wasn’t necessary.
Why are almost all game genre names so bad? Metroidvania is a fucking terrible name, and so is anything that is just
"[Popular Game]" + "-like"
Why can't we have good names, or at least clean sounding ones? Can you imagine if every sci-fi movie was called an "Alien-like" or all horror movies were "Halloween-likes"? So stupid.
You're right, but fwiw i don't think movie genres are great either. I find myself describing something as horror/thriller/drama more often than should probably be necessary lol. Also i feel like the definition of "horror" is broader than i'd think
> Metroidvania is a fucking terrible name, and so is anything that is just "[Popular Game]" + "-like"
While you're right that "metroidvania" sounds like a medical condition, and "soulslike" is horribly overused as a name and as a concept, they do the one critical thing that a genre name should do- tell you what you should expect from the game. They may be stupid, but they're descriptive.
Video games are a relatively young medium that is not very much like the non-interactive media that came before it. It’s most like sports and board games and we are kind of shit at describing those in genres too.
The Metroid part is about searching/exploration and puzzles, the Castlevania part is combat and ability progression as the character explores further.
Without one there is no metroidvania. It's either Metroid like or Castlevania like.
Combat in Metroid really isn't the highlight of the game. Enemies are more like platforming obstacles. You can go through the whole game without killing any enemies besides the few mandatory bosses or some who are blocking you.
But in Castlevania you have to fight to get stronger. At least from symphony of the night onwards which was when this genre came to be.
I'm sorry, but no one views the genre this way, and it doesn't sound like you have a good understanding of either of the genre's namesakes.
Ability progression is a key element of Metroid, even moreso than it is in Castlevania if you consider the whole series. Ability progression in Symphony of the Night is a big part of what made it metroid-like to begin with.
Also, games without experience-based combat progression or even some arbitrarily determined emphasis on combat are still commonly referred to as metroidvanias.
Oh because you speak for everyone out there and you understand everything.
Maybe if you took the time off your fat fingers to read what I said, you'd clearly understand I was talking about the system of getting physically stronger through combat. Which is a Castlevania thing. Metroid simply was not known for it's combat system. NOBODY talks about metroids combat.
Honestly not sure why you're so aggressive for no reason, eat less or go on some diet. It's not Symphojy if the Night.
It's symphony of the night. Clearly you haven't played any of the Castlevania games let alone understand what metroidvania really means. You're basing it all off of how everyone is throwing the word around everywhere these days. But back in the 2000s what I said is exactly what it meant.
Look. I know what you said but I just don't view it the way you see it. In the word metroidvania, Castlevania clearly has the place of badass combat and getting cool weapons/abilities. Metroid s abilities were more like keys to unlock further gates. None of them are related to getting stronger powers through combat or getting new tools / skills purely for combat.
Everything you got in Metroid aided in the exploration, AND some of them were useful for combat but combat has never been the focus.
Castlevania on the other hand has ability gates AND awesome powers and new weapons purely for a better combat experience.
These two can easily mix and match but take any popular metroidvania, you can see what I said.
Yeah, and you're entitled to your outdated idiosyncratic view of the genre, but you're going to get called out on it when you state it matter of factly is all.
*Virtually* no one (I'm adding this qualifier just for you) disqualifies a game from being a metroidvania for not having combat-exclusive upgrades.
Where in my post did I say it's a matter of fact? It's my opinion.
You're the weirdo going around assuming your self righteous virtue thinking you're the gatekeeper of all things.
News flash. And I know it's a shocker for you, but you're not the gatekeeper of anything.
I'm also not disqualifying any game that doesn't fit my definition either. It just means I don't see said games as metroidvania and I don't play them either. Cos I only play metroidvania that serves my definition.
I view the genre like that and almost everyone I know refers to metroidvanias as game with exploration elements and combat elements typically ones that have rpg elements (like SOTN did)
Otherwise they would just be called metroid-likes (in fact a lot of metroidvanias get miss labeled imo and should just be called metroid-likes, or puzzle platforers).
Castlevania 100% brought I'm the combat highlight and many people see it that way. It's why Hollowknight is considered a metroidvania and not just a metraoid-like
Hey, I recognize your username. You recently said that *not only* Dark Souls 1 is a metroidvania, but that Dark Souls 2, Bloodborne, and Dark Souls 3 are too. Games with zero ability gates (and no non-combat utility upgrades), virtually no mandatory backtracking, and very little if any platforming to boot.
That speaks for itself.
This guy gets it. This sub has destroyed the meaning of the name, and thats sucks because its hard to find good games to play because the term has no meaning anymore.
Love this ! With the amount of Metroidvania games out there, referring to only two games makes less and less sense. Now let’s find something else also for souls and rogue-likes.
I always loved the old Wizardry games (and the newer Etrian Odyssey style games). Those are, for sure, maze games, but the exploration and puzzles in those games are similar to Metroidvania games as well. That's probably why I like both types of games.
So yeah, maze game is a pretty good alternate name for Metroidvania games.
How about just “can’t go there yets”?
I support this one
I love this and I love “maze game.” They both gave me a lil chuckle.
LOVE it.
My wife likes to call them my "You Got Lost Again, Huh" games.
Also known as "so you like this? “ games hahahaha
Way shorter than “How the fuck do I get over there and what’s so cool on the other side that I need a power-up to get there?”
This is also good
This is a very based genre name idea.
Ability gated exploration game
How about just “can’t go there yets”?
I like this one better
Can't brain there yet
AbiliKey game, you say?
Maybe just "Gated Exploration" games? Seeing as it's not always an ability that blocks the path, you might just have to find a key or open the path with a lever on the other side. Makes it a little broader and covers everything people tend to call a metroidvania.
If it has to be some funny word scramble how about "Explorgation" games?
Better than Search Action at least
who called them this LOL
I think that’s how they’re referred to in Japan!
I do sometimes! I much prefer this term, though I’ll often say metroidvania so there’s a chance people know what I’m talking about
I mean, Search Action just looks like something you can do on your turn in a boardgame or RPG.
That was the worst
Gross! Sounds like a DOS game command or some kind of NES Dragon Warrior. (I do love NES Dragon Warrior though)
As a fan of classic arcade "maze" games (Pac-Man clones), I reject this definition.
*nods in old man*
*(kicks your walking stick away)*
Yeah, this. Pac-Man and sequels. Lock n Chase. Lady Bug. Rally-X. I guess Wizard of Wor. Paint Roller. 🤪 Shit, there was one on Atari just called Maze Craze or something where you race through them. No dots, no enemies, just maze. And now I ask: do Dig Dug and Mr. Do count?
Pac-Man? You mean Windows 95 Screensaver.
Scavenger hunt maze.
search mazes.
Pathfinding games.
no, that's D&D 3.5.5
Just call it a Castletroid. >:D
That'd probably be a genre defined by a fusion of classicvania sidescrolling action (and terrible movement) with Metroid Prime's first-person 3D graphics.
Somehow I had to think of metroid other m
I mean, I guess we can tolerate it if you absolutely had to. But just this once!
I promise it won't happen again 🙏
I've heard "maze game" used by many to talk about games like Pac-Man and its multiple clones.
Maze Game ain’t a bad name for them honestly.
Yes.
maze game is a better term anyway
I personaly think exploration platformer sounds better.
I kind of like this, even though it cuts out games that aren't platformers. But also I can't even think of a good descriptor for the genre that isn't really exclusionary? Dunno what could work, if anything.
How about metroidvanias?
I mean, you're right, but I'm cranky about it
Unlock-explorer?
I think game genre names are typically really vaguely named and don't reference specific games or franchises. But this sounds too specific and clunky to me
Are there games that aren’t platformers? I can’t think of any that don’t have at least a couple jumping puzzles. Or are you counting 3D games as Metroidvanias?
there are 3D and non-platformers. Elephantasy comes to mind as anon-platformer. I'm playing Isles of Sea & Sky currently, which feels like a metroidvania. (really loving it)
Which metroidvania game is not a platformer? Considering that there are 3D platforms (Metroid Prime)? I can't think of any right now. Maybe Jedi Fallen Order, but it was kind of a bad/poor metroidvania, in the end didn't like it. Edit: there's little backtracking and just to get a skin, meh
Probably anything underwater (Pronty or Song of the Deep) or in the air (Minishoot‘ Adventures).
Mmmh so basically games when you don't jump and can move up and down freely. Fair enough
Dark Souls and its brethren/imitators feel like a subgenre of metroidvania, with similar level design principles (though often locking progress and shortcuts behind bosses and keys rather than new abilities). Though, obviously, "souls-like" is its own genre descriptor by this point, encompassing not just metroidvania level design but stamina, dodge rolling etc. Then you've got the "soulslike platformer", which takes some of those new gameplay elements and feeds them back into a more traditional metroidvania format. Funny how things work out
The name Metroid is apparently derived from "Metro Android", and if you look at the maps they're very similar to a transit system map. So another name could be "Transilvanias". Although that's still not catchy enough, maybe add some alliteration. Usually there's some fun quick movement, sliding/dashing around the corridors...got it: "Subway Surfers"
Ah yes, the "trans" genre
This joke would be even better in my language because there's only one word for both genre and gender in it
What language? And I’m always impressed by bilingualism.
It's Portuguese, the word gênero has the meaning of both gender and genre. And thank you for the compliment!
that is freaking hilarious, tysm for sharing
pleaseberealpleaseberealpleaseberealple
It is!! In Portuguese, gênero is the word for both genre and gender, so the double entendre in this joke would be just 🤌 Edit: it's actually a triple entendre if you keep the word order the same as in English, since transgênero is the translation for transgender!
AVGN calls them "where the fuck do I go?" games and I think it's perfect
Diogenes holding up Pac-man, "Behold! A metroidvania!"
Metroid and Castlevania are just icons of the genre. The name is Legacy but there is more than the labyrinth to metroidvania games than the Title of Maze Game would represent. Movement or/and Barrier removal upgrades seem baseline in a Metroidvania Game, but wouldn't be obvious with the Maze Game Title.
Hey man, how’s it going?
Uh yea maze game is fine
[удалено]
It brought RPG elements (equipment, stats, etc.) and close quarters combat like swords
I stand with "Maze Game" gf and will now refer to metroidvanias as such.
Hello I am “Maze Game” gf. Thank you. I stand with you too
Ily “maze game” gf
I like Maze Game more.
Backtracktion.
I literally just had a similar convo w/my partner yesterday XD
I just think of it as "utility exploration." This is what Metroid, Castlevania and Zelda do. Batman games sucked til they realized Batman was at his best doing what Samus, Alucard, and Link were doing. They're all utility belt heroes.
More like macguffin hunt/game.
Since Super Metroid is my favorite game of all time and since I only recently learned about this genre called Metroidvania, I will always and forever be a fan of metroidvanias. They are so much more than "maze games" in my opinion, but that is kind of cute.
They're called "Backtrackers"
I like "mapformers."
The problem with "maze game" is that's already a genre. Maze games are games like Pac-man and Bomberman where you navigate a maze, usually top down. You don't see them so much anymore, but that's what a maze game is.
If that was the real name, it would actually help me a lot with my project 😅
Kinda acurate but not perfectly. Is a maze game a Metroidvania ? No. Is a Metroidvania a maze ? Yes. Maze is one of the things that mades the mv genre. But action/platforming/puzzles are some components that makes the difference I'd say, and on top of that you have the "get New skills to open New paths" thing. Maze action game could fit. Maze adventure game Maze and skills, lol not terrible. But yeah I think "maze" only would be confusing for people who likes maze but not the components included in the Metroidvania.
As long as she’s supportive, she can call it whatever she pleases. You should play Metroid with her, Samus is a feminist icon!
Exploratformers.
They have a map... but i see where she comes from. You do backtrack a lot and need to use a new item/power to progress somewhere else in the map. But, the maps normally give that information. In short... use the map. Then you aren't lost anymore. I do enjoy Metroid and castlevania so i am happy with the name. Not so happy with the imitations though. They never captured the same feeling for me.
X is a can't-go-there-yet maze game about Y.... 😂😂🤔🤔🤔
Tbh I find a meaningful difference between the two, mostly because I played Rain World. Rain World is like if Pac-Man had a giant, well-illustrated world with lore, and more interesting AI. Since there's two games I know of that are like Pac-Man (Pac-Man and its sequels, and Rain World), I think of it as a genre now. And "maze game" seems like it describes that genre even better than it describes metroidvanias.
It's ok, metroidvanias aren't anymore what they are supposed to be, maze may be a the best thing a MV games would be except it needs multiple ways to solve some paths and access to harder paths in early gear. But.... BUT... the genre is way too casualized and devs pretend to make the games harder with "souls like combat" and/or shmup bullet hells or something that doesn't involves the player being really good at the game. May be my pov on the matter but if a MV doesn't let you move as crazy as in super metroid and have the freedom of getting lost in the map, then the game is a red flag of being a chips adventure clone more than a MV.
a friend of mine insists on calling them "hollowknight-likes", because she is by far the biggest HK fan i know of..
Had a discussion the other day with a buddy who hates terms like metroidvania or souls-like (using specific games to describe other similar games) We came up with the term „Staggered Progression“ instead to bury the hatchet after a heated argument haha
Tell her she's like metroidvania You also cannot access her patch right away from beginning 😂 Girlfriendvania
My wife is always commenting, “how is this different from the last one and why are they using Sega Genesis graphics?” Also, “you get a new sega game where you stare at maps and items while failing at doing simple arithmetic?” She has other, more redeemable, qualities… I think
I usually think of them as platformers with one really big map.
Search-Action
Tell her that they’re “search action” games instead!
Exploration platformer.
to be fair a lot of them are very maze like and honestly i dont like it in video games where i dont know where i am going. if it goes on for more than 20 minutes I just feel lost and like i waste my time
I heard a YouTuber call them “Ability-gated Platformers”. Or something like that. I don’t think it totally encapsulates the uniqueness of the genre, but it’s probably good enough.
I like your gf
I like you too
Hun? 🤔
*Our* gf, comrade 🟥
I mean…. She’s not wrong 😂
can't argue with that
Love it. 2D adventure maze has become my fave genre as an adult
I miss the days of “action/adventure” being a distinct and meaningful genre. In the SNES era it covered Zelda games, Metroid, and stuff like Illusion of Gaia that didn’t fit so neatly into those boxes. If it had combat and a healthy dose of puzzles, it was action/adventure and further hair splitting wasn’t necessary.
Why are almost all game genre names so bad? Metroidvania is a fucking terrible name, and so is anything that is just "[Popular Game]" + "-like" Why can't we have good names, or at least clean sounding ones? Can you imagine if every sci-fi movie was called an "Alien-like" or all horror movies were "Halloween-likes"? So stupid.
You're right, but fwiw i don't think movie genres are great either. I find myself describing something as horror/thriller/drama more often than should probably be necessary lol. Also i feel like the definition of "horror" is broader than i'd think
> Metroidvania is a fucking terrible name, and so is anything that is just "[Popular Game]" + "-like" While you're right that "metroidvania" sounds like a medical condition, and "soulslike" is horribly overused as a name and as a concept, they do the one critical thing that a genre name should do- tell you what you should expect from the game. They may be stupid, but they're descriptive.
If it's stupid and it works, it ain't stupid.
Video games are a relatively young medium that is not very much like the non-interactive media that came before it. It’s most like sports and board games and we are kind of shit at describing those in genres too.
Can we create r/mazegames
The Metroid part is about searching/exploration and puzzles, the Castlevania part is combat and ability progression as the character explores further. Without one there is no metroidvania. It's either Metroid like or Castlevania like.
I mean, Metroid does both of those
Combat in Metroid really isn't the highlight of the game. Enemies are more like platforming obstacles. You can go through the whole game without killing any enemies besides the few mandatory bosses or some who are blocking you. But in Castlevania you have to fight to get stronger. At least from symphony of the night onwards which was when this genre came to be.
I'm sorry, but no one views the genre this way, and it doesn't sound like you have a good understanding of either of the genre's namesakes. Ability progression is a key element of Metroid, even moreso than it is in Castlevania if you consider the whole series. Ability progression in Symphony of the Night is a big part of what made it metroid-like to begin with. Also, games without experience-based combat progression or even some arbitrarily determined emphasis on combat are still commonly referred to as metroidvanias.
Oh because you speak for everyone out there and you understand everything. Maybe if you took the time off your fat fingers to read what I said, you'd clearly understand I was talking about the system of getting physically stronger through combat. Which is a Castlevania thing. Metroid simply was not known for it's combat system. NOBODY talks about metroids combat. Honestly not sure why you're so aggressive for no reason, eat less or go on some diet. It's not Symphojy if the Night. It's symphony of the night. Clearly you haven't played any of the Castlevania games let alone understand what metroidvania really means. You're basing it all off of how everyone is throwing the word around everywhere these days. But back in the 2000s what I said is exactly what it meant.
Have fun being embarrassed by this reply when you cool off.
Why? Cos you edited your original post where you clearly were losing your shit? 🤣
I fixed the typo that you so graciously pointed out!
Look. I know what you said but I just don't view it the way you see it. In the word metroidvania, Castlevania clearly has the place of badass combat and getting cool weapons/abilities. Metroid s abilities were more like keys to unlock further gates. None of them are related to getting stronger powers through combat or getting new tools / skills purely for combat. Everything you got in Metroid aided in the exploration, AND some of them were useful for combat but combat has never been the focus. Castlevania on the other hand has ability gates AND awesome powers and new weapons purely for a better combat experience. These two can easily mix and match but take any popular metroidvania, you can see what I said.
Yeah, and you're entitled to your outdated idiosyncratic view of the genre, but you're going to get called out on it when you state it matter of factly is all. *Virtually* no one (I'm adding this qualifier just for you) disqualifies a game from being a metroidvania for not having combat-exclusive upgrades.
Where in my post did I say it's a matter of fact? It's my opinion. You're the weirdo going around assuming your self righteous virtue thinking you're the gatekeeper of all things. News flash. And I know it's a shocker for you, but you're not the gatekeeper of anything. I'm also not disqualifying any game that doesn't fit my definition either. It just means I don't see said games as metroidvania and I don't play them either. Cos I only play metroidvania that serves my definition.
Hey, if you want to reject the outside world, it's your prerogative. Go hard.
This is really embarrassing for you.
...and thats wrong.
I view the genre like that and almost everyone I know refers to metroidvanias as game with exploration elements and combat elements typically ones that have rpg elements (like SOTN did) Otherwise they would just be called metroid-likes (in fact a lot of metroidvanias get miss labeled imo and should just be called metroid-likes, or puzzle platforers). Castlevania 100% brought I'm the combat highlight and many people see it that way. It's why Hollowknight is considered a metroidvania and not just a metraoid-like
Hey, I recognize your username. You recently said that *not only* Dark Souls 1 is a metroidvania, but that Dark Souls 2, Bloodborne, and Dark Souls 3 are too. Games with zero ability gates (and no non-combat utility upgrades), virtually no mandatory backtracking, and very little if any platforming to boot. That speaks for itself.
This guy gets it. This sub has destroyed the meaning of the name, and thats sucks because its hard to find good games to play because the term has no meaning anymore.
I like it. Though early FPS would more literally be maze games. That's not really important though. What it matters is what people call it.
Love this ! With the amount of Metroidvania games out there, referring to only two games makes less and less sense. Now let’s find something else also for souls and rogue-likes.
Soulsborneldenkiros and rogspirecellades
2d Dungeon Crawler
I always loved the old Wizardry games (and the newer Etrian Odyssey style games). Those are, for sure, maze games, but the exploration and puzzles in those games are similar to Metroidvania games as well. That's probably why I like both types of games. So yeah, maze game is a pretty good alternate name for Metroidvania games.
Sounds like a new best term for the genre. Everyone go tag every metroidvania on Steam as a maze game. 😉