Genre entry · Exploration & abilities

What is a metroidvania? One big map, many locked doors

You see a ledge too high to reach and a door you cannot open. Hours later, with a new ability, you come back and the map unfolds. That moment is the heart of the metroidvania.

Abstract chrome artwork for the Metroidvania genre

Metroidvania · definition

A metroidvania is an action-adventure game, usually viewed from the side, set in one large interconnected world where new abilities gradually unlock areas you could see but not reach before.

Hallmarks to look for

A single connected map rather than separate levels
Abilities (double jump, dash, wall climb) that act as keys
Backtracking to earlier areas with new powers
A detailed in-game map you consult constantly
Hidden rooms and optional upgrades for thorough explorers
Save points or benches that serve as checkpoints

Where the name comes from

“Metroidvania” is a portmanteau of two long-running series, Metroid and Castlevania. The template comes from games such as the original Metroid (1986) and especially Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (1997), which combined a large explorable castle with role-playing-style levelling. Koji Igarashi, credited with establishing many of the genre’s fundamentals through Symphony of the Night, has said he did not coin the term; its exact origin is unclear.

Independent games revived the genre strongly from the 2010s, with titles such as Ori and the Blind Forest (2015) and Hollow Knight (2017) widely cited as modern examples.

How ability-gated exploration works

In a metroidvania, the world is designed around what you cannot yet do. Early on, you will pass a high ledge, a pool of acid, a wall of breakable stone. The game quietly marks these places on your map. When you earn a new ability — a double jump, a dash through the air, the power to swim — those obstacles suddenly become doors.

This turns abilities into keys and the whole map into a lock. It also means progress is felt physically: an area that was once a dead end becomes a shortcut, and a long journey becomes a quick hop. Good metroidvanias are carefully planned so that each new power opens several paths at once.

Some games gate progress with knowledge rather than abilities. Players sometimes call these “metroidbrainias”: the door was always open, you just did not know how to use it.

Movement upgrades are the most common keys, but they are not the only ones. Some games use tools, such as a grappling hook or a bomb that breaks certain walls. Others use transformations, like turning into a small creature to fit through gaps. The best designs make each new ability useful in combat and exploration at the same time, so it never feels like a key and nothing more.

The map is your most important tool

Metroidvania maps are usually shown as a grid of rooms. Many games let you add markers, and some fill in rooms automatically while others require you to buy or find the map for each area. Learning to read the map — spotting unexplored edges, coloured doors or symbols — is a core skill.

If you get stuck, the most common cause is missing a route rather than lacking skill. Look for unexplored exits near where you got your most recent ability. Most metroidvanias are designed so that a new power has an obvious first use nearby.

Save rooms act as checkpoints. When you are defeated, you usually return to the last one, sometimes losing currency you were carrying until you recover it.

A useful habit is to place a marker whenever you pass something you cannot reach yet. When you gain a new ability, those markers become a ready-made list of places to check.

Backtracking without the boredom

Backtracking — returning to old areas — is central to the genre, and designers use several tricks to keep it pleasant:

Fast travel points that open as you explore.
New movement abilities that make old routes faster.
Shortcuts that loop back to save rooms.
Hidden upgrades that only become reachable later, rewarding a second look.

For completionists, finding every upgrade and filling in every room is a game in itself. Many metroidvanias show a percentage of the map or items collected, which is also why the genre is popular with speedrunners, who find routes the designers did not intend.

Metroidvania versus platformer versus soulslike

Metroidvanias overlap with several genres, which can make labels confusing:

A platformer is usually split into separate stages that you clear one after another. A metroidvania is one continuous world.
A soulslike focuses on deliberate, punishing combat and losing currency on death. Some metroidvanias borrow this combat; Hollow Knight and Blasphemous are often described this way.
A roguevania reshuffles the map every run, borrowing from the roguelite.

In practice, many games sit in more than one camp. What makes something a metroidvania is the connected map and the ability-gated exploration.

The genre has also influenced 3D games. Several 3D action-adventure games use the same structure of a connected world gated by abilities, even though they are not usually given the metroidvania label. If you enjoy the feeling of a world opening up, that structure is worth looking for whatever the camera angle.

Key metroidvania words and what they mean

A few terms come up constantly when people talk about metroidvanias:

Ability gating — blocking progress until you have a particular power, such as a double jump.
Sequence breaking — reaching an area earlier than intended, often using clever movement. Speedrunners love this.
Soft lock — getting stuck in a place you cannot leave without restarting; well-designed games avoid this.
Completion percentage — how much of the map or how many upgrades you have found.
Bench, save room or shrine — the genre’s typical names for checkpoints.

You will also hear players describe a game’s “flow” — how naturally the map guides you towards the next ability without telling you directly. Strong flow is one of the main things fans praise in the genre’s best-known games.

Choosing a first metroidvania for a younger player

Metroidvanias are mostly single-player and rarely include chat or random paid items, so the main questions are content and difficulty. The starter list here ranges from PEGI 7 (Hollow Knight, Ori, Animal Well) to PEGI 16 (Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown and Blasphemous, for stronger violence).

Difficulty matters as much as content. Hollow Knight has a PEGI 7 rating but is known for demanding boss fights, while Ori is gentler in combat but asks for precise jumping. If a younger player gets stuck, playing together and talking through the map is often more helpful than looking up a guide straight away.

Gentle places to start

Age ratings are the PEGI ratings listed for each game; always check the current listing on your platform before buying or downloading.

Game	PEGI	Platforms	Why start here
Hollow Knight	PEGI 7	PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One (Voidheart Edition)	A vast, hand-drawn underground kingdom with tough but fair combat; often named as a modern benchmark for the genre.
Ori and the Will of the Wisps	PEGI 7	PC, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch	Fluid movement and a strong emotional story; good for players who prefer platforming over hard combat.
Metroid Dread	PEGI 12	Nintendo Switch	A modern entry in one of the two series the genre is named after, with a clear map and tense chase sections.
Animal Well	PEGI 7	PC, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch	A puzzle-heavy metroidvania with almost no combat, built around secrets and unusual tools.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown	PEGI 16	PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X\|S, Nintendo Switch	A combat-focused metroidvania from a major publisher, with a large interconnected map and difficulty settings in its menus.
Blasphemous	PEGI 16	PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch	A dark, religious-themed metroidvania with soulslike combat; suited to older players.

Subgenres and offshoots

Classic side-scrolling metroidvaniaSoulslike metroidvania (“soulsvania”)Roguevania (with roguelite runs)Metroidbrainia (knowledge-gated)3D metroidvania

Questions

Why is it called a metroidvania?

The word combines Metroid and Castlevania, two game series whose explorable, ability-gated worlds set the template for the genre.

Is Hollow Knight a metroidvania?

Yes. It is one of the most frequently cited modern examples: a large connected world opened up by new movement abilities.

Do metroidvanias have levels?

Not in the usual sense. They are built as one connected map divided into areas, rather than a list of separate stages.

What should I do if I am stuck in a metroidvania?

Check the map for unexplored exits near where you found your latest ability. Being stuck usually means a missed route rather than a skill problem.

Sources we checked

Last checked: 2026-11-03