Most people who play video games know of the portmanteau origins of ‘Metroidvania’: combining classic series Castlevania and Metroid, the term was coined to describe titles that feature non-linear exploration and gated progression. Plenty more are familiar with the status Metroidvanias now command – games like Hollow Knight and Animal Well capture hearts with each upgrade unearthed and door unlocked. Like its masterworks new and old, the genre’s story is sprawling, extending down surprising and rarely travelled routes.
The Communal History of Metroidvania Video Games retraces the genre’s steps back to the 1970s, from there uncovering fifty years of discoveries and dead-ends. Through incisive retrospectives and personal essays, twenty writers lend their unique expertise to this shared story, mapping both its critical path and far-off fringes. Together, they explore not just how Metroidvanias have changed over time, but how the genre has touched the lives of countless players around the world.
Celebrate titans of the genre while making space for offbeat icons. Journey back to the pre-Metroid era with essential historical curiosities like Below the Root and Xanadu. Imagine a different sort of Metroidvania with atypical adventures like La-Mulana and Tomba. Meet the overlooked greats of the Japanese indie scene, like Hack9 and Pharaoh Rebirth+. And, of course, chart the growth of the Metroid and Castlevania series from their foundational entries through to their modern classics.
Specifications
Illustrator: Jean deMers
Lead Author: Derrick Bitner
Illustrator: Luan Tie (Dirty Iron)
15+ contributors Softcover book
250+ pages
Featured Contributors
The Metroidvania story belongs to its players, and The Communal History of Metroidvania Video Games brings together twenty writers to affirm that fact. One feature recounts how Animal Well acted as a guiding star for two new parents reorienting their lives after the birth of their child. Another puts Castlevania in conversation with Caravaggio. And, at the centre of the book, lead author Derrick Bitner embarks on an odyssey of research and analysis, exploring how the Metroidvania genre ebbed and flowed over more than fifty years of imaginative, landmark games.
Introducing: The Communal History of Video Games
The Communal History of Video Games is a new series from Lost In Cult that celebrates the past, present, and future of beloved game genres. Each instalment in The Communal History of Video Games pairs research-driven retrospectives with personal essays to tell the story of a specific genre and the way it impacted players, across time and around the world.
Placing a dual emphasis on the classics and overlooked gems, experts and newcomers alike will discover new favourites while reading – endeared to them by incisive storytelling and sharp design principles. Evolving the vision of past Lost In Cult books like A Handheld History and The Console Chronicles, The Communal History of Video Games fills its pages with archival imagery and original illustrations, masterfully arranged to guide the reader through every chapter.
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Through extensive research, we at Lost In Cult create historical, critical, and educational resource books dedicated to Video games, Movies, and pop culture.
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