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[Tye The Czar]

Youtuber Digibro argues about how the label of Metroidvania is an overgeneralization of two games and their spiritual successors.

First Video
Follow-up Video

I'd say he makes a great argument that, since Super Metroid and Castlevania SotN have very different design goals, they shouldn't be lumped together. The former's more focused on platforming while SotN and "Igavanias" are designed more as side-scrolling Action-RPGs.

 

[ubiblu]

It's a term of reference most gamers are familiar with. Not everything in the world is cause for insightful, deep academic debate. Fuck.

 

[Spainkiller]

It's a term of reference most gamers are familiar with. Not everything in the world is cause for insightful, deep academic debate. Fuck.

End of thread.

 

[Peltz]

It's a term of reference most gamers are familiar with. Not everything in the world is cause for insightful, deep academic debate. Fuck.

ubiblu: Deep Academic Debate Needs to Die.

 

[DECK'ARD]

Well both franchises are dead.

 

[brandonh83]

It's a term of reference most gamers are familiar with. Not everything in the world is cause for insightful, deep academic debate. Fuck.

On the money.

I have a hard time believing anyone could actually give a shit.

 

[PiFace]

Every once in a while someone stands on a soapbox saying what needs to be or not be. And usually they are wrong.

 

[RPGam3r]

It's a term of reference most gamers are familiar with. Not everything in the world is cause for insightful, deep academic debate. Fuck.

This isn't how I would have put it, but it sums up my feeling to an extent.

 

[Joyful]

damn digibro is maximum weeb

 

[Neptonic]

Digibro needs to stick to making bad anime videos

 

[Pudge]

Why is Joaquin Phoenix from I'm Still Here vlogging about video games in his anime basement?

 

[ZarKryn7]

It's a term of reference most gamers are familiar with. Not everything in the world is cause for insightful, deep academic debate. Fuck.

Well.. I mean we're talking about Digibro here.

 

[Finale Fireworker]

It's a term of reference most gamers are familiar with. Not everything in the world is cause for insightful, deep academic debate. Fuck.

Yes. Now please, let me return to Overwatch, my favorite Doom Clone™.

 

[brandonh83]

Every once in a while someone stands on a soapbox saying what needs to be or not be. And usually they are wrong.

One time someone tried to tell me that games were better off without stories.

It was worth a brief chuckle.

 

[ubiblu]

ubiblu: Deep Academic Debate Needs to Die.

Reasonability has to come into it at some point.

I mean, why do they call it Mario Kart, and not Mario and Friends Kart? Is Nintendo trying to systemically destroy modern notions of companionship, or is this just a subtle commentary about how white males are seen as the leaders of their respective fields.

 

[Occam]

It's a term of reference most gamers are familiar with. Not everything in the world is cause for insightful, deep academic debate. Fuck.

And we are done here.

 

[Erheller]

It's a term of reference most gamers are familiar with. Not everything in the world is cause for insightful, deep academic debate. Fuck.

I agree with your sentiment, but calling this an "insightful, deep academic debate" is an offense to actual intellectual thought.

This is just an anime youtuber making a big deal over arbitrary labels that people use.

 

[Syril]

It's a term of reference most gamers are familiar with. Not everything in the world is cause for insightful, deep academic debate. Fuck.

But how can we enjoy RPGs without establishing immutable rules for whether we put a W or a J in front of it?

 

[Death Penalty]

It's a term of reference most gamers are familiar with. Not everything in the world is cause for insightful, deep academic debate. Fuck.

Damn near perfect first post.

I'm really tired of nitpicky quibbling cast in an intellectual light.

 

[brandonh83]

I agree with your sentiment, but calling this an "insightful, deep academic debate" is an offense to actual intellectual debate.

I don't think he was actually calling it that

 

[Gai Murakumo]

There is really nothing wrong with the term and is just used as a general point of reference to describe a game to people. It does not negate or simplify the original games where the term comes from.

 

[Leafhopper]

He doesn't know what he is talking about with anime let alone video games.

 

[MacGurcules]

At this point the word "roguelike" has been ground into a fine paste, but you don't see me complaining about it.

 

[ForkNetwork]

It's a term of reference most gamers are familiar with. Not everything in the world is cause for insightful, deep academic debate. Fuck.

+100 amazing first post

 

[DeadPhoenix]

I... I never even thought of metriod as a metriodvaina game. I assume that pretty much just applied to the castlevinia games with rpg mechanics+metriod style exploration and games the specifically tried to copy that.

 

[Finale Fireworker]

At this point the word "roguelike" has been ground into a fine paste, but you don't see me complaining about it.

We actually call them roguevanias now.

 

[Spukc]

If you have the balls to compare your game with metroidvania games

I am talking about the
1 snes
5 gba
1 ps / sega
1 homebrew



You better impress me because everything after that has been shit

 

[nkarafo]

Lets see if i can take this person's (that i never heard of) opinions about videogames seriously...

*looks at the posters in the room*

...oh, nvm.

 

[BLUElightCory]

It's a term of reference most gamers are familiar with. Not everything in the world is cause for insightful, deep academic debate. Fuck.

Seriously, thank you.

 

[Vulcano's assistant]

It's like the term "sword and sandal". Nobody goes to a Moses film looking for swords and sandals specifically to then complain if they were not there. It is just a more fun way to say "ancient history setting", accuracy is not the point, but that it brings a concept to mind that everyone can picture.

 

[Vanadium]

Yeah good games. Boo bad games.

 

[Seven Force]

It's a term of reference most gamers are familiar with. Not everything in the world is cause for insightful, deep academic debate. Fuck.

I couldn't figure out how to vocalize this without sounding dismissive of the topic at hand, but yeah, my thoughts exactly.

 

[Hello? This is Hailun!]

Agree but only because there are no more Metroid or Castlevania games for people to know the reference.

 

[WarRock]

"Like Souls" has to die first.

 

[Phawx]

I'm going to say metroidvania even more now.

 

[MacGurcules]

We actually call them roguevanias now.

Can we at least settle on metroguevania?

 

[M0nochromatic]

I sort of agree that our inherent need to categorize things with short portmanteaus is somewhat restrictive, but we have no better way. It's too well known and ingrained in gaming culture at this point for it be uprooted.

 

[Weltall Zero]

We actually call them roguevanias now.

Metroguedoomvanialike.

Spoiler

Clones.

 

[nynt9]

It's almost like by lumping two different games together one creates an umbrella for both in general, as usually people who like one like the other to some extent as well, and since these games are a particular niche it's convenient to have a shorthand to refer to them all.

 

[Worthintendo]

I for one will not let Scott Sharkey's greatest contribution to the video gamer lexicon die, Metroidvania for life.

 

[Regginator]

You mean Metroid-like, right? I mean, seriously, aside from shallow level ups, what did Castlevania introduce to the genre? It's like 90% Metroid and maybe 10% Castlevania.

 

[SolVanderlyn]

I always found it odd how a genre became defined by the games that pioneered it. It's not "Exploration Based" or anything defined by what it is, just where it came from. It's pretty unique in that way.

 

[-Mutsukki-]

I kinda agree, it's not a term that means something honestly and starts by making weird comparisons to whatever is labeled as such. Imagine if platformers would still be called "Mario-styled" or something to this day. People would be rightfully pissed.

"Like Souls" has to die first.

For real. This is the same case basically, watch "Soulslike" becoming more and more of a genre definer. But for some reason people are upset with only this one.

 

[Wensih]

Metroguedoomvanialike.

Spoiler

Clones.

It's the Dark Souls of Metroguedoomvanialike.

 

[Finale Fireworker]

Can we at least settle on metroguevania?

Metroguedoomvanialike.

Spoiler

Clones.

Both are extremely correct but also extremely wrong. I explain the nuances of these terms in my 750 page audiobook. You'll find all this and more on my Patreon.

 

[MacGurcules]

I sort of agree that our inherent need to categorize things with short portmanteaus is somewhat restrictive, but we have no better way. It's too well known and ingrained in gaming culture at this point for it be uprooted.

It's really not. We called any first person game where you shoot stuff a "Doom-clone" for years before "first-person shooter" caught on. These kinds of games maybe aren't as easily contained in a simple descriptor, but I wouldn't be surprised if we eventually landed on "progression platformer" or something.

 

[Weltall Zero]

You mean Metroid-like, right? I mean, seriously, aside from shallow level ups, what did Castlevania introduce to the genre? It's like 90% Metroid and maybe 10% Castlevania.

Weapons? Spells? Item drops? Consumables? Shops? I mean, the entire point of contention is that they're too different.

 

[Akainu]

They already are.

 

[MrDoctor]

"Like Souls" has to die first.

that's the real /thread right there

 

[Weltall Zero]

It's the Dark Souls of Metroguedoomvanialike.

OK, you win.
Actually, remove the Doom part and that's like a mashup of my favorite genres. Wouldn't mind giving such a game a go.