Thanks to the popularity and success of the Metroid and Castlevania series, gamers coined the term “Metroidvania” to describe a 2D platformer that emphasizes exploration and adventure.
Koji Igarashi, who recently announced his departure from Konami where he worked as the long-standing producer for Castlevania, spoke at the Game Developers Conference. During a panel entitled “There and Back Again: Koji Igarashi’s Metroidvania Tale,” the question came up about his thoughts on the word “Metroidvania,” having made his career from its namesake. He revealed that when working on Symphony of the Night, his goal was to create a game that involved more exploration and offered plenty of playtime. However, Metroid had little to do with the game’s development.
“I really wanted to create a Legend of Zelda style game.”
“I was actually surprised by the name. In my heart, I really wanted to create a Legend of Zelda style game. But I suppose that when you turn Zelda into a 2D platformer, yes, it resembles Metroid.”
Perhaps a new genre name is in order. How does “Zelvania” sound?
