Metroidvanias are a powerhouse in the indie space. These games are often designed by small, dedicated teams, withsome of the best in the genrebeing made by only a handful of people (looking at you,Hollow Knight).
With therecent successofPrince of Persia: The Lost Crown, taking a beloved IP and returning it to its 2D roots, AAA Devs should consider this their gilded invitation to delve into the Metroidvania design space more aggressively.
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Metroid-Mania
As video games have evolved, leaping from the 2D to 3D space, the 2D space has largely been abandoned by major studios in favor of the more complicated and dynamic 3D space. Sure, we’ll still get the occasional excellent big-budgeted 2D platformer likeSuper Mario Bros. Wonder, but even that space is generallydominated by the indies.
In the same way that we’re starting to see AAA developers play around with roguelikes, I hope that Metroidvanias could be next up to get that bigger-budget treatment.
I’m usually drawn to the AAA space for sprawling open-world adventures or deeply narrative-focused stories, but Metroidvanias—at least from the outside—seemmore approachable for a small developer team, not requiring 100+ developers dedicated to character models or weapon animations. With a decreased emphasis on making the most beautiful game of all time, Metroidvanias afford indie teams a lot of creative space, allowing for the creation of a more focused experience. Because of these limitations, we also see some incredible innovations coming out of smaller teams, like the absolute pitch-perfect platforming inCelesteor the over-the-top wrestling moves inGuacamelee.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown emphatically shows that this design space has plenty of room for bigger developers too (Ubisoft Montpellier in this case, who could be called the indie-adjacent branch of Ubisoft, having made games likeValiant HeartsandRayman Legends).
In the same way that we’re starting to see AAA developers play around with the indie-driven roguelike—like withReturnal,God of War Ragnarok’s Valhalla DLC, Prey’s Mooncrash DLC, andThe Last of Us Part 2’s No Return mode—The Lost Crown gives me hope that Metroidvanias could be next up to get that bigger-budgeted treatment. These experiences would need to be built from the ground up, of course, rather than a fun additional mode added on after the fact.
The Next Big Thing?
There comes a worry that with a major influx of AAA developers, these games could become a bit stale, as AAA development can often be considered fairly risk-averse, skipping out on potentially incredible additions for more time-tested mechanics/methods, which would miss out on those ‘big swings’ we often see in the indie design space. But, when the games are handled with care, like Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, these games have the opportunity to sing, delivering a premium experience that can be enjoyed alongside the more experimental indies.
As long as these developers are passionate and excited about crafting a premium Metroidvania experience, rather than being dictated by their publisher, then there’s a great chance we could see this genre explode into the mainstream like never before.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
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