Why this game considered as metroidvania if it's linear?

[wyte boi]

I'm currently maybe on 30-40 percent of playthrough so it should be already evident. It's more like adventure game

[lieutenantkirtar]

It is a misclassifications. There is a point in the game where you can return to most previous areas but there are very few things that you can't collect your first time through and those things generally require story actions not weapon/movement upgrades.

[Quote]

Yeah, it's no Metroidvania. Progression is mostly linear, and you don't collect a variety of special items or abilities throughout the game that enable you to reach areas you couldn't reach before. I guess people gave it the Metroidvania tag because of the somewhat interconnected world, the requirement to revisit areas, and maybe even the setting and graphics.

Be sure to report the Metroidvania tag on the game's store page!

[Roler42]

They call it metroidvania because there are certain things you can in fact achieve if you return to old areas with late-game power ups and weapons

[createen]

Messaggio originale di Roler42:

They call it metroidvania because there are certain things you can in fact achieve if you return to old areas with late-game power ups and weapons

this. some areas you can get new stuff if you revisit them later with optional upgrades. its pretty easy to miss a lot of stuff, so the backtracking and looking around is similar to metroidvania.

[ಠ_ಠ]

Considering that some of the Castlevania games are ENTIRELY linear, I don't think that MOSTLY linear gameplay keeps this game from being a metroidvania style game. Cave Story may not be the most free example, but it's not entirely linear.

For an example of a linear platformer / adventure game by Pixel, look at Kero Blaster. Very different style of gameplay, and definitely not a metroidvania.

[lieutenantkirtar]

The linear Castlevania games are not Metroidvanias. The name came from Metroid (Duh) and Symphony of the Night.

If it was just any game that is similar to any Castlevania then Kero Blaster would fall into it as its level setup is similar to the very first Castlevania game.

[ಠ_ಠ]

Messaggio originale di lieutenantkirtar:

The linear Castlevania games are not Metroidvanias. The name came from Metroid (Duh) and Symphony of the Night.

If it was just any game that is similar to any Castlevania then Kero Blaster would fall into it as its level setup is similar to the very first Castlevania game.

I didn't say they were. My point was to say that a metroidvania style game can still take influence from the more linear games as well.

Not precisely. I would say that most metroidvanias don't have much in common with Symphony of the Night, which has an RPG like progression system. Most games labeled as metroidvanias are more akin to Metroid, in that they are non-linear, and have an upgrade system comprised solely of pickups. A good example of a metroidvania that is closer to Symphony of the Night would be a game like Chasm.

Point is, the "genre" of metroidvania is very open, and flexible. It's a game with progression (most often via pickups), with areas that can be revisited (and usually with new options available when revisited). Progression can be ENTIRELY LINEAR and still be well within the bounds of what most people consider metroidvanias. Cave Story's progression is linear, but you still have to figure out where to go, what to do, and areas can be revisited (even if you don't gain anything from it).

And Kero Blaster plays nothing like the original Castlevania. Its only similarity is in that it is a side scrolling platformer.