so what else can we call metroidvanias

[Victor]

arpg = adventure + reflex-play game, imo

[anothergod]

I am a big fan of removing game names from genres. Adventure seems to imply the game is long, which is probably a good distinction. How long? Long enough to learn a thing or two — you know? The non-linearity of these games is pretty important. Real time action, too. I don’t care if it’s a platformer, but I guess some folks might.

Non-linear action adventure (platformer) seems a bit wordy, but that’s where I’m at. Synonyms for action and adventure aren’t much more exciting, concise, or accurate. Synonyms for non-linear (or rather, antonyms for linear) aren’t any of those three, either, but they are fun.

[AutomaticTiger]

Also many of these games are linear, just with different presentation than a series discrete levels.

The contiguous space element is what defines most of them, Metroid or Zelda, more than nonlinearty IMO.

[anothergod]

The more linear they are the less “in the spirit” they seem to be. Mildly related glasses-push-up point, the less apparently contiguous they are the more “in the spirit” they are.

Maybe it’s just me, but Zelda games are games for people who don’t want goals dictated to them rather they want to explore and formulate their own goals. The crucible is never important. It’s just… the exploration. I suspect this is why something like Demons’ Souls w/ its labrynths feels more like Zelda than, say, Mega Man X. At least, once you get away from the swords and shit.

[bib]

i like the idea of adventure only meaning that a game is pretty long

[daphaknee]

legend of zelda and metroid were both action adventure games, if i remember correctly like metroid said PART OF THE ADVENTURE SERIES

so its metrozeldoids

[a_new_duck]

Hmmmmm. Perhaps we should call them Postpitfall games.

EDIT: Started as a joke and I’m beginning to believe it. Metroid and Castlevania II pick up where Pitfall II left off, adding weapons/tools as the necessary tools for progression.

[a_new_duck]

Or if we think about Pitfall as the archetypal adventure game (as Nintendo clearly did), these may be Post-adventure games.

Video game taxonomy should take more cues from music genres.

[LWJoestar]

no thanks

[daphaknee]

adventurefalls

[meauxdal]

this thread has definitively proved to me that metroidvania is actually a good term and no replacement will ever supplant it

all is vanity, blah blah something something dead cops

edit: to clarify i mean i think the term is aesthetically ugly and misleading (presumably why this thread exists) but it’s also well-defined and well-understood

[wourme]

A few words that are kind of annoying but that will probably never be replaced:

• video game
• movie
• podcast

I’ve considered adopting “videogame” as one word, but I can never quite do it. I did recently start forcing myself to write coworker and multiplayer without hyphens, though.

[LWJoestar]

now how am I supposed to tell the difference between a co-worker and a cow-orker

[slime]

Galious Clones

[cylindrome]

hold up i think i’ve got a term that neatly encompasses symphony-style castlevania and souls, while excluding most zeldas, diablolikes, MMOs etc; maybe with zelda 2 and metroid hovering as edge cases

Arcade-RPG

[Chevluh]

To me an arcade RPG would evoke something more along the lines of Shadow over Mystara.

[RT-55J]

or Cadash

[Father.Torque]

Yeah I have no idea what definition or just connotative feeling of the word “arcade” would include SotN and Souls but exclude Diablo 2. Surely of those 3 games D2 is the most “arcadey”?

[Mikey]

If you ever pause the action to look through an inventory screen I think that automatically disqualifies the game from being Arcade

[Thenar]

Whenever I hear arcade I expect some sort of density that I’ve not seen in metroidvanias.