Indie studios Mantra and Sinergia Games are gearing up to release their upcoming Metroidvania game Elderand, which is shaping up to be a solid contender within the popular genre. Featuring many of the classic gameplay elements that Metroidvania fans love about the genre, Elderand also brings a variety of weapons, equipment, and RPG systems that introduce a welcome layer of depth. The game is inspired by genre pioneers like Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, and this is very apparent through its art design and game mechanics.
Decades have passed since games like Castlevania and Metroid inspired a generation of action exploration games, and in that time, developers have been able to truly hone in on what makes the Metroidvania genre so enticing for players. Game ZXC spoke with Elderand's creative director Will Fernandes about what's most important when trying to create a fun and memorable Metroidvania title.
Elderand's Developer Believes Exploration, Controls, and Progression Are Key For Metroidvanias
The defining characteristic of Metroidvania games is their emphasis on exploration and how it's tied to progression. While many games feature exploration, Metroidvania exploration and progression are intrinsically linked through unlockable abilities that open up previously unreachable areas, which makes it incredibly satisfying when finally maneuvering into an area that has been just out of reach.
Exploration for sure. The world needs to be careful orchestrated to deliver the best experience possible to the player. The second one are the controls. The controls for the players need to feel great. The combat has to be engaging, funny, and juicy. After all, you’re going to spend a lot of time with interacting with the controls during play. The last one is the progression. I love when Metroidvanias give you the opportunity to get so strong that you can become a god at game’s end. But there needs to be steady progression so that the difficult doesn’t rise too quickly or that your journey is a cakewalk.
Naturally, combat and controls are incredibly important in a Metroidvania game. Encounters need to be engaging and should provide opportunities for players to take advantage of their unlocked abilities, while responsive controls are needed for the precise movements that these games tend to require during platforming segments. A strong sense of progression both in terms of raw power and in the variety of skills available is important for gauging progress and setting goals to strive for throughout the game.
Metroidvanias Like Elderand Need Careful Balancing So That They Aren't Too Frustrating
Although Metroidvanias typically tend to be difficult games, it's important for the difficulty level to be reasonable. Players should feel like each death was preventable, and the consequences for failure shouldn't be overly punishing.
The game needs to be fair. The player needs to understand why he died and how he died. Also, I think that it’s important to avoid unnecessary repetition, like you die on the boss, but the save is so far that you must walk the entire way again to fight the boss. Just make the way shorter. The difficulty of the game depends on how powerful the player can be. If you give tools to the player that makes them very strong, then the enemies and everything else needs to be challenging to engage the player. It’s a difficult thing to do well.
Fernandes also recognizes the tediousness involved in the dreaded "corpse run," the long trek back to where the player was before they met their demise. Having to redo a particularly annoying portion of the game just to retry a particularly hard boss can be extremely frustrating, and Elderand addresses this by making sure there are plenty of well-placed save points near the most challenging encounters. Elderand strives to present players with a worthy challenge, while also respecting their time and effort by making the process as painless as possible.
Elderand releases on February 16 for Nintendo Switch and PC.
