ABSTRACT
Metroidvania as a term became popular following the release of Symphony of the Night in 1997. Assistant director Koji Igarashi drew inspiration from The Legend of Zelda when his team were redesigning the series for the Playstation. The design of Super Metroid was one of many popular games that moved the action genre away from just a corridor-style, linear-level design. From bombs to missiles to the recognizable screw attack, of spinning through the air into enemies, they were all used to get through the various sections of the game. The majority of the upgrades that could be found were those that increased the player's weapon supply and health. Watching speed-runners go through Super Metroid, there are categories designed around specifically avoiding the standard path of play or not getting standard upgrades. Metroidvania design has become a very popular genre among indie developers and has inspired way too many games to list here.
