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It was followed by Vampire Killer (1986, MSX) and Castlevania II: Simon's Quest (1987, NES) which experimented with non-linear adventure gameplay, before the series returned to the more linear style of the original Castlevania. The original Castlevania (1986, NES) featured discrete levels that the player completed in a sequential manner. Koji Igarashi is credited with establishing defining features of the Metroidvania genre.ĭuring this time, the gothic horror-themed platformer series Castlevania was gaining popularity. However, in retrospect, Super Metroid was still considered an example of a highly-polished non-linear platformer. Super Metroid refined several aspects from the previous Metroid games, including a diverse array of locations and adding many secrets for players to find these secrets also enabled players to find ways to break the expected sequence that the designers had envisioned players would approach the game, making it a popular title among speedrunners. The series was popular, and future titles refined the exploration approach while adding more story elements to the title such as with Super Metroid (1994, Super Nintendo Entertainment System). Nintendo's goal for the title was to create a non-linear adventure game to set it apart from other games at the time, requiring the player to retrace their steps while providing permanent power-ups in contrast to how other adventure games only offered power-ups with temporary effects. While not the first game of its kind (see, for example, Brain Breaker released in 1985), Metroid (1986, Nintendo Entertainment System) is generally considered the most influential game for the Metroidvania genre. In the 2010s, a resurgence in Metroidvanias came about due to several critically praised, independently developed games. Symphony of the Night 's assistant director, Koji Igarashi, is credited with establishing key principles of Metroidvanias through his work on other Castlevania games. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night in 1997 is considered the defining Metroidvania game, incorporating role-playing game elements from The Legend of Zelda series with non-linear traversal within the Castlevania series most subsequent Castlevania games followed its approach and refined the genre. The first Metroid game in 1986 established principles of the non-linear platformer that were refined through multiple iterations, with Super Metroid in 1994 considered to have polished the style of gameplay core to Metroidvanias. Through this, Metroidvania games include tighter integration of story and level design, careful design of levels and character controls to encourage exploration and experimentation, and a means for the player to become more invested in their player character through role-playing game elements.

Acquiring such improvements can also aid the player in defeating more difficult enemies and locating shortcuts and secret areas, and often includes retracing one's steps across the map.

Typically based on two-dimensional, sidescrolling platform gameplay, Metroidvania games feature a large interconnected world map the player can explore, although parts of the world will be inaccessible to the player until they acquire special items, tools, weapons, abilities, or knowledge within the game. The term is a portmanteau of the names of the video game series Metroid and Castlevania, with games in the genre borrowing from both series. Metroidvania is a genre of action-adventure video games focused on guided non-linearity and utility-gated exploration and progression.

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