Forum Overview :: Gamerasutra :: Metroidvania is one of those words that gets thrown around proportionately to

[quote name="how much fun it is to say."]A Metroid-like is a game taking place in a single contiguous environment, where progress is gated by the need for special abilities (which also have regular gameplay applications, ie a double jump). A Metroidvania at least partially decouples character progression from game progression through the addition of "RPG" elements, such as experience points or random loot. A Metroidvania is simply a Metroid-like that allows grinding. Mega Man games may not count as Metroid-likes since they take place in discrete, linear stages, where progress is gated by player skill rather than character abilities. Bionic Commando is a little bit closer, since some levels require equipment collected in other levels, but they're still ultimately discrete, linear stages. However, if Bionic Commando WERE a Metroid-like, farming power-ups from respawning enemies to permanently increase your hit points is the sort of mechanic that would push it towards Metroidvania. There's definitely less to be gained from getting precious about genre than there is from finding parallels between seemingly unrelated types of games. I didn't understand the interactive found-footage horror movie Outlast until I heard someone compare it to Stuntman.[/quote]