Boss Keys: Metroidvania
posted August 2, 2018 #
Despite my concerns over living in the past, I've been sucked into yet another channel dealing with video game design dissection and historical reflections. The new season of Boss Keys breaks down the world design of the Metroid franchise and how the open world design was revolutionary and impressively influential, even now.
To be clear, this is not just a walk down memory lane looking at all the characters and history of the game. There's very little mention of anything regarding "the plot" of the Metroid series. This is a high level look at how the game is designed to let the player roam while gently nudging them towards certain goals. It's also the first look at how the NES version of the game was a bit too open and could result in much frustration.
So, yea, a little walk down memory lane but mostly not. Get into it.
To be clear, this is not just a walk down memory lane looking at all the characters and history of the game. There's very little mention of anything regarding "the plot" of the Metroid series. This is a high level look at how the game is designed to let the player roam while gently nudging them towards certain goals. It's also the first look at how the NES version of the game was a bit too open and could result in much frustration.
So, yea, a little walk down memory lane but mostly not. Get into it.