Metroidvania is a subgenre of video games that features a combination of mechanics first found in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and Metroid. This now beloved subgenre had its humble beginnings in the 80s as then unrecognized Japanese developers toiled over the creation of complex levels and truly challenging difficulty. What were initially just elements of a series became systems in a subgenre, disseminating across the ever-expanding world of video game development.
When Nintendo created Metroid in 1986, it employed non-linear level design in tandem with backtracking and permanent power-ups as well as temporary boons to make the player capable of braving the more difficult enemies toward the end of the game. This continued with Konami's Castlevania, which was linear initially but branched out into non-linearity with 1987’s NES title, Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest. These two games were seen as growing in parallel to one another, causing many gamers at the time to fall in love with both series and view them as quintessential action-adventure experiences. Freedom is at the heart of a Metroidvania, thus non-linearity became a popular staple of both these franchises.
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