Essentially, the game plays like a Mario game, except instead of a level select map screen, you're guided through new pathways to the next area. It has no required exploration and every single relevant power up is on a plainly telegraphed level path. It can be played in a manner similar to other action platformers. I'd like to bring up Guacamelee as a case example for another game that is also very linear in structure. So the question then becomes 'How Non-linear does the game have to be to be a Metroidvania?' I'm sure if I played through the game again I could take notes and come up with other examples but my point is that Cave Story does have some measurable quantity of non-linearity. For the secret ending there are at least two branching paths that can be taken, and once you reach the Bunny creature's slave plantation you are required to go to multiple areas to solve puzzles and eventually build the platform you need to get to the final area. The game is too linear-This is one of my own personal main reasons as well, but I'd like to point out that while Cave Story is inarguably more linear than Super Metroid, it's not literally and completely linear. So here are some counter arguments to the points made about it NOT being a Metroidvania:ġ. However just for fun I'd like to try and defend Cave Story's case, and maybe the people who believe it belongs in the genre can come in and expound their point of view if they agree with anything I'm about to write. I can try and express reasons why I feel that way, but ultimately I cannot account for all the things that other people have felt or thought about the MV genre. I believe that this is almost entirely an intuitive feeling - it does not 'feel' like a Metroidvania to me as a whole.

I'd like to preface this by saying that I personally do not think Cave Story is a Metroidvania. Videos Images Articles Kickstarters Discussions Sales Dev Postsĭesktop/mobile headers/icon made by u/aam2rfĪlright I'll go ahead and throw a hat into the ring. Political discussions are highly unwelcome. (Links to Kickstarters or discounted games on Steam/GOG are okay). This includes trying to sell, showing intentions to sell, or asking for commercial links. Any form of commercial activity is strictly prohibited. We also encourage a general frequency of no more than one post per week.

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Self promotion is permitted, but be reasonable.Posts should be related to either the parent franchises, other Metroidvania games, or tangentially related games or topics. Submissions must be Metroidvania-related.Image posts and twitter posts temporarily disabled Top 10 Starter Metroidvanias - Check these out if you're new to the genre! The term, popularized by video game critic Jeremy Parish, is a portmanteau of Metroid and Castlevania. Metroidvania is a subgenre of video games focused on guided non-linearity and utility-gated exploration.

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