Metroid (1986) on NES—the cartridge in all its gray-plastic glory.
a year ago by Chris Trottier to c/videogames
Metroid (1986) on NES—the cartridge in all its gray-plastic glory.
This is my favorite Nintendo franchise, the very reason “Metroidvania” is even a word. Not a Miyamoto joint but a Yokoi production, and you can feel it—tougher, sharper, with real bite. Few games of that era had this much atmosphere, this much mystery, or were simply this fun.
Honestly, it’s probably the biggest reason I still keep an NES hooked up.
Castlevania 2: Simon’s Quest follows the formula. Unlike the first game, Simon’s Quest is an open world game with lots of backtracking. It has experience points, shops to buy things, and puzzles to solve by using key items in the right locations.
The game also features upgradable whips, secondary weapons to find, and even a day/night cycle.
Metroid didn’t pioneer the progressive tool-based unlocking system anyway though. The Legend of Zelda was built on that concept and released before Metroid (in Japan; in the US Metroid was released a week before LoZ, but both were a year after the Japanese releases).
I immediately questioned myself about Simon's Quest but couldn't remember if it had tool based progression or just your standard kind of RPG backtracking. I didn't play it nearly as much as any others (excluding ghe 64 one which is best forgotten).
But very true about Zelda. Maybe they should be called Metzeldvanias? 🤔
SQ has a bunch of tool stuff going on. The crystals which unlock certain areas (functioning as keys), the relics of Dracula which let you see things you couldn’t otherwise or break certain blocks, the holy water which can be used as both a weapon and as a tool for detecting false floors, and oak stakes which you need to pierce the protective spells around Dracula’s relics.
@Kolanaki @chonglibloodsport I think the main difference, as far as genre definition, is that Zelda games rarely have you return to the previous dungeons to progress with a more recent dungeon's items.
Overworld, sure, but dungeons themselves are way more sectioned off than the Metroidvanias I'm familiar with.
@atomicpoet @videogames And we can't forget that it tricked boys into playing as a woman.
Image description: Mickey Mouse from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse facing the viewer. Overlaid text says: "It's a suprise tool that will help us later!"
I’ve just recently watched every alien movie
Me too, coincidentally. I watched them all before I found out Alien: Earth was coming, so not in connection with that.
Alien: Earth is blowing my absolute mind, by the way. So good.
The first game I ever finished. Wow, was I surprised. And I loved it at the same time. I encouraged my friends to also finish the game. It was hell keeping the secret. Of course, this also means I'm old now.
@atomicpoet Gran juego 👍🏼 @videogames
Seeing this just made my hands ache
@atomicpoet @videogames this was the first video game I bought with my own money, I think for my birthday
Five dollars off? What a sale!
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@piefed.social
A general gaming community for Piefed.
More games, less memes, no outrage culture.
Stay civil.
Debate ideas, not people. No personal attacks, no flame wars. More info here.
This is not a gamer identity space.
We don’t self-identify as “gamers.” Games are art, not a lifestyle brand. If your whole identity is about consumption, you’ll probably feel out of place here.
Talk about games as art.
Discussion should focus on design, ideas, and creative choices. What does this game say? What are the consequences of its mechanics? What does its aesthetic communicate?
No discrimination.
Prejudice, bigotry, or harassment of any kind will get you removed.
No spam.
Keep discussion meaningful. Don’t flood with promos or off-topic noise.
Stay on topic.
This space is for discussion of games as creative works, not for tech support, low-effort memes, or console wars.
Evolving rules.
These rules may change as the community grows and we refine what works.
go to feed...
It's quite literally only half of the reason. Castlevania is the other half. :P
I actually dont even know why the "vania" is part of it. Castlevania didnt have the same kind of tool-based progressive gameplay until Symphony of the Night, whereas Metroid was like that from the start.
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