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TopicMy Metroidvania kick continues.
Seanchan
02/09/22 7:13:55 AM
#116:


They certainly both satisfy my desire for exploration and discovery. The 2 big differences I can see are:
  • Perspective - Metroidvania is classically a 2D sidescroller while Zelda is overhead (2D or 3D). But you've got outliers in the Prime games being 3D and Zelda 2 being a sidescroller.
  • Dungeons - Not really a classic Metroidvania thing. But didn't one/some of the later GBA Castlevanias go a little in this direction (thinking Portrait of Ruin)? I also remember Steamworld Dig 2 having dungeons of a sort.
I think they'd both fall under the larger umbrella of search/exploration action. Within that, you've got the "classic" definitions of Metroidvania and Zelda (or Zelda-like). There's certainly a lot of cross pollination of ideas though. I'd probably even put Souls-like as a sub-genre of search/exploration action as well.

Search/exploration action - Large open map. Minor upgrades/prizes to reward exploration and encourage backtracking. And then as sub-genres:
  • Metroidvania (Classic) - Upgrades to movement or accessibility to open new areas of the map. 2D sidescrolling perspective with platforming.
  • Zelda (Classic) - Dungeons culminating in boss battles. Greater emphasis on puzzles. Overhead or 3D perspective.
  • Souls (Classic) - Increased difficulty. Animation priority. Corpse run to retrieve resources lost upon death. Shortcuts unlocked on completion of map sections. 3D perspective.
So you've got your "classic" definitions of each genre (and I'm sure they could be fixed up or expanded upon). Then games that borrow elements from these are the "-likes" (Zelda-like, Souls-like, etc.).

Games like Hob, or Blasphemous, or Salt and Sanctuary are all search/exploration action. But Hob is a Zelda-like (but without the bosses so far). Blasphemous is a Metroidvania but with Souls-like elements (corpse run). Salt and Sanctuary is a Souls-like but from the more classic Metroidvania 2D perspective.

I feel like that kind of works, just as long as you're not an absolute fanatical stickler about the definitions. There's always a certain amount of fluidity in genre definitions, especially as classic examples of a genre start expanding by adding new elements in sequels. But I think the broad strokes here are pretty sound.

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