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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesA Metroidvania is an action-adventure game built around exploring a connected world, gaining abilities, and using them to reach places that were previously inaccessible. The label usually describes side-scrolling games, but its boundaries are flexible: the shared exploration-and-progression loop matters more than a strict checklist.
What is a Metroidvania?
The name combines Metroid and Castlevania. The familiar reference points are Nintendo’s Metroid (1986) and Konami’s Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (1997), though the design draws on a wider history than those two series alone. Bandai Namco’s 2025 genre explainer identifies those games as key inspirations; publisher Dark Horse Books describes an earlier history in The History of Metroidvania: Decade One—1980–1990.
In a typical game, you explore an interconnected map, find a new tool or ability, then use it to open routes or overcome obstacles that stopped you earlier. Secrets, action combat, backtracking, and environmental storytelling often accompany that loop, but no individual feature is mandatory in every game.
What makes a game a Metroidvania?
There is no universally accepted checklist. A practical way to judge a game is to ask whether exploring a connected world and gaining capabilities that change where you can go are central to its progression. If they are, “Metroidvania” or “Metroidvania-like” may fit, even if the game departs from familiar conventions.
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- Connected exploration: Areas link together as parts of a larger world, rather than appearing only as isolated, self-contained levels.
- Ability-based access: A movement skill, tool, or other capability lets you reach places you could not access before.
- Purposeful return trips: The game gives you reasons to revisit earlier areas after your options have changed.
- Exploration-led progression: Finding routes, upgrades, or secrets is a meaningful part of moving forward, not merely an optional detour.
Backtracking feels purposeful when remembering a blocked passage or recognizing a newly usable route helps you progress. It can feel frustrating when a game gives too little help with orientation or makes revisits cumbersome; that experience depends on the individual game’s map and travel tools.
Where did the name Metroidvania come from?
Although the label refers to two established series, its exact first use is not settled by the available accounts. In a 2025 PLAYISM roundtable, creator Koji Igarashi recalled first encountering the term during the 2015 Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night Kickstarter campaign. He said he initially avoided using it because he worried it might be another company’s trademark, using “IGAvania” instead. That recollection describes when Igarashi encountered the word, not proof of who coined it first.
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The label is not a requirement that developers use to describe their own games. Team Cherry’s William Pellen said the studio avoided marketing Hollow Knight as a Metroidvania, while co-director Ari Gibson described its aim as making an engaging adventure in a large world with much to discover. Their interview on Steam shows why a game can share the design family without being promoted under that name.
How the genre varies
Metroidvanias can share a recognizable exploration loop while differing in how strict their gates are, how often you revisit places, and what kind of progression they use. RPG statistics, inventories, shops, experience, and level-ups appear in some branches—particularly games influenced by Castlevania—but they are not universal requirements.
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| Design dimension | How games can differ | What to consider |
|---|---|---|
| World structure | Some games rely on firm ability gates; others allow more optional routes or flexible progression. Team Cherry said it reduced hard gates in Hollow Knight and made some power-ups optional. | Do you want a tightly directed sequence of unlocks, or more freedom to explore? |
| Navigation and backtracking | Games differ in how often they expect you to revisit areas and how much help they provide in finding your way. | Consider whether you enjoy remembering landmarks and searching a familiar map. |
| Progression | Progress can hinge mainly on movement abilities and tools, RPG systems such as statistics and levels, or a mix. | Think about whether you prefer new ways to move, character-building systems, or both. |
| Combat and challenge | Combat demands and difficulty vary; some games encourage repeated attempts at difficult encounters. | Look for a challenge level that suits you rather than assuming every game in the genre feels alike. |
| Presentation and atmosphere | Settings, visual styles, and methods of telling a story vary substantially. | Choose by tone and world as well as by map structure. |
These are comparison points, not an official rating system. For example, in the PLAYISM interview, Igarashi and fellow creator Shutaro Iida praised Ori and the Will of the Wisps for its presentation and challenge; that is their view, not a consensus that it is the right starting game for everyone.
Examples that show the range
Metroid and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night are central historical reference points. Other games discussed in connection with the genre include Hollow Knight, Cave Story, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Shadow Labyrinth, Bloodstained, and Axiom Verge. Their relevance is as examples of related design, not as an authoritative ranking or a claim that they all handle exploration in the same way.
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The category can also stretch beyond classic 2D side-scrollers. A Game Developer design text notes that some writers include structurally similar 3D games, such as Metroid Prime and Batman: Arkham Asylum, while others use a narrower definition centered on 2D platforming or particular series influences. If you are comparing games, it is more useful to check their actual map and progression than rely on the label alone.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Further reading on the genre’s history
For a historical account that looks beyond the two franchises in the name, Penguin Random House lists Jeremy Parish’s The History of Metroidvania: Decade One—1980–1990 as a Dark Horse Books title published March 3, 2026, at 232 pages, ISBN 9781506754543. It is an optional deeper read, not a prerequisite for understanding the genre.
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