Explore The Origins Of Metroidvania In This New Retro Gaming Book

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Metroidvania games are still very popular in 2025, and a new book will delve into the history of how this style of game developed over the years.

As a long-time fan, I was really excited to hear about ‘Metroidvania: The First Decade’! The creator, Parrish, explained it’s the result of over 20 years of work. He started this project when these kinds of games were pretty rare and most people had forgotten about them – it’s awesome to see this passion project come to life!

As a game reviewer, I was really excited to play the new metroidvania games being released – most of them were sequels or remakes of classic handheld Metroid and Castlevania titles. After playing through those, I became interested in the history of the genre and how these exploration-focused platformers had developed over the years.

Parrish explained that the book goes beyond simply listing games similar to Metroid and Castlevania. He analyzed the core elements and goals of the ‘metroidvania’ style to really define what makes these games unique.

Fans can also look forward to an official look back at the Metroid Prime series. Published by Piggyback Books and currently priced at $46.49 (originally $50), this book details the development of the highly influential Metroid Prime trilogy – which will soon have a fourth installment.

This beautifully made, 212-page hardcover book features quality paper and includes a foreword by Kensuke Tanabe, the producer of the Metroid Prime series. Each of the book’s four sections also has an introduction written by developers from Retro Studios.

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2025-10-09 19:39