Nichtcrawler-X posted...
The question is whether Metroidvania is just the Metroid-style progression, or also has to have other elements SotN introduced to distinguish it from Super Metroid.
It's mostly the progression style: Non-linear exploration, with unlocks that open up new areas and let you find new stuff by backtracking. Any other elements don't stop something from being a metroidvania, but they aren't necessary.
Saying that, though, genre labels are often a bit of a crapshoot. You're better off looking at actual gameplay videos and other information about how the game plays than just trusting that you'll like a game because it's a metroidvania.