Metroidvania

Metroidvania is a sub-genre of 2D platformer in which its games are characterized by major action-adventure gameplay elements, such as free-roaming exploration and backtracking (where some parts must be accessed with determined items or abilities gained through the advance of the game), real time combat and puzzles. The term metroidvania comes from the Metroid and Castlevania series, given as the most popular and major examples of the genre. Some of these games could feature RPG mechanics as well, such as character stats building by leveling up when defeating enemies or resolving puzzles.

Exploration is a key feature in metroidvanias, as in order to advance in the game players must explore the area they are limited to by gaining abilities or resolving puzzles to overcome obstacles and/or barriers, making it possible to access the next areas of the map. These aspects define a sort of linearity to the plot and story of the game, with each sequence triggering after a certain area is reached, but many games encourage backtracking and exploration in order to access possible hidden content such as items, collectibles, areas, etc. Generally, the continuous nature of the map is also a very relevant factor attributed to metroidvania games.