Episode 111 resumes our exploratory journey into the metroidvania realm
Chris and Benj backtrack to a topic from a few months ago in search of fresh wisdom.
If you recall our metroidvania-focused episode from a couple of months back, you'll remember that the Retronauts East crew sat down to explore the full span of the exploratory action-RPG platformer genre and... barely made any progress at all. We ended up working our way through the first third of the notes I prepared, roughly speaking. And that's OK, because much as metroidvania games themselves are designed to be played across multiple sessions with your progress saved in between, so too does this topic lend itself to persistence and repetition.
Last time we delved into the roots of metroidvania; this time, we move along to the genre's expansion and maturation on the Nintendo Entertainment System. We had intended to go beyond NES, but — surprise! — that didn't happen. And that's fine. We mention Metroid II for Game Boy at the start of the show but never get around to discussing it, and that's the podcast equivalent of spotting a treasure chest on a high, inaccessible ledge at the beginning of the game. Eventually, you know you're gonna circle back to get it, once you gain the necessary skills or equipment. And we'll do likewise in the form of a future episode. See? It's metaphorical.
MP3, 54.4 MB | 1:53:15
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Episode description: Following up on the first Metroidvania episode from a few months back, we collect the jump boots and circle back around to take a look at the next stage of the genre's evolution: The NES era.
This episode's music comes from the games discussed here: The Goonies II, Faxanadu, The Battle of Olympus, Metroid II, and — naturally — Heiankyo Alien. Yeah, that's right.
