Interesting that in the title, stated in absolute terms in the text, and from the designers they interviewed, they cite getting lost as crucial for the genre. Personally, I disagree. Getting lost has tended to be why I didn't care for certain games in this genre, like Axiom Verge, and it soured my otherwise higher opinion of games like Hollow Knight and Symphony of the Night. Still, I think this is a good exploration of the genre and what makes it tick.

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[–] Gradually_Adjusting@lemmy.world 15 points 3 days ago (10 children)

I've seen video essays about metroidvanias that talk about "getting lost". The real point is to follow clues, feel immersed in a world, learn to find your way, and make interesting decisions.

In Hollow Knight, it's no problem to use the compass if you find that aspect too burdensome. I really enjoyed my time with Axiom Verge, and I seem to recall it came with a compass as standard? Perhaps that's wrong, it's been a few years since I picked that one up.

More to the point, which metroidvanias did you like and what did they do differently?

[–] InternetCitizen2@lemmy.world 3 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Hollow Knight is pure art!

[–] Gradually_Adjusting@lemmy.world 2 points 3 days ago

It's one of my top five all timers, and my kid's. Raising em right. I was just trying to figure out where this other fella was coming from.

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