I was going through Hollow Knight: Silksong at my usual pace when one too many deaths got to me. This had less to do with the game’s design and more with me rushing through a new area, which promptly got me killed by one of the game’s weaker enemies. While the save bench was close enough to where my body was, I decided to take a break and play something less difficult, an open-world game.
For fun, I decided to open up Batman: Arkham City again. It’s still a blast all these years later, thanks to the excellent combat and fun traversal options. But while I was enjoying myself, parts of the open world were starting to annoy me; those Riddler trophies locked behind gliding challenges, rushing to phone booths to fulfill the Zsasz side quest, armed prisoners shooting at me while exploring, these were all grinding my gears.
So, I decided to play Batman: Arkham Asylum instead, and it hit the spot for odd reasons. The levels being more tightly designed made them more tolerable and fun to explore. Riddler Trophies are a breeze to get because you just need certain gadgets to progress. While I miss the grapple boosts and long gliding, combat challenges were a nice way to release some tension.
Then it hit me: Arkham Asylum is a 3D Metroidvania…why don’t we have more of those?
Searching for Action in 3D
When thinking about Metroidvania games, fans will probably think of, well, Castlevania and Metroid. Hollow Knight: Silksong is obviously part of that conversation as well, since it’s clearly inspired by both games (Castlevania’s aesthetic, Metroid’s shoot everything to progress style). Obviously, these are very good things to have in a 2D game, but they’re just as fun in 3D.
I already mentioned Batman: Arkham Asylum, which has to go down in history as one of the best 3D search-and-action games ever made. Each gadget unlock feels like a key to progress through this spooky asylum, and makes for some very satisfying gameplay. Blowing up walls, finding holes to crawl through, and grappling up newer areas are still fun to this day. The fact that a lot of the gadgets are kept in New Game Plus also makes finding everything a bit more manageable.
Believe it or not, Arkham Asylum isn’t the only 3D Metroidvania around. EA’s Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order definitely fills that void, since it has plenty of open, interconnected levels with a ton of progression blocked until certain power-ups are unlocked. The dying and getting your body back mechanics are Soulslike-inspired, but the open levels and progression needing new skills like the double jump and other force abilities clearly make it a Metroidvania.
So why aren’t there more of these? Silksong, Arkham Asylum, and Jedi: Fallen Order prove that this gameplay loop works very well in 3D. If anything, it’s a bit better in 3D, because this space allows for more dynamic level design and better traversal options. The only other 3D Metroidvania we can think of is Nintendo’s Metroid Prime series, and that’s cheating! They are literally Metroid games.
Open World Runs the World
Now I’m not going to act like open-world games are the scum of our gaming industry or anything like that. I play Marvel’s Spider-Man repeatedly because it’s a fun game in this genre, with really good combat and web-swinging. Honestly, though, if it didn’t have good combat or web-swinging, this would be a typical open-world game, as it’s filled with bases to take over, side missions, and a ton of optional challenges.
But could you imagine how fun a Spider-Man game would be if it were designed like a Metroidvania? Sure, the web-swinging would be minimized, but progressing through locked areas with new web skills or gadgets could work with Marvel’s most iconic superhero.
To be honest, this formula could work with a lot of characters, because 3D gives them more space for more intriguing Metroidvania design. While 2D Metroidvania games are more straightforward with their approach, making certain areas easier to find or memorize, the 3D space could allow for more unique traversal or ability mechanics. Look how much Arkham Asylum opens up with the explosive Batgirl or how much more fun Jedi: Survivor is with the double jump.
I’ll admit that this could be recency bias because Silksong just came out, and it’s really good so far. At the time of writing, I’ve just unlocked Hornet’s floating upgrade, which lets her glide through areas and allows for more exploration through air geysers that bring the character to new upward locations. But some of that gliding reminded me of Batman, which is probably why I sought Arkham City, then Arkham Asylum, to begin with.
Honestly, these 3D Metroidvania games are great, even if they won’t stop me from playing open-world titles. Marvel’s Spider-Man and Arkham City just have top-tier traversal options, what can I say? But open-world games have been the norm for a while now, while 3D Metroidvanias are still pretty rare. Why can’t we have more of them? Lord knows we need something else to keep single-player 3D gaming more interesting.
Seriously, if it’s not an open-world game, it’s a linear cinematic game, an RPG, or a Soulslike. More 3D Metroidvanias would add some much-needed variety to the current state of offline gaming.
Arkham City and Arkham Knight might be “better games” thanks to their open-world, but Arkham Asylum still feels the most tightly-made entry in the series, due to it being a Metroidvania. The entire Asylum just has more personality, with its sick levels and haunting Tim Burton-esque atmosphere. Designing the gameplay around these levels was the right move, and I can’t help but want more games like this.
While the new LEGO Batman is a nice return to the open-world Arkham gameplay, I can’t help but yearn for another 3D Metroidvania that’s designed so expertly with fun combat like Arkham Asylum.
Oh well, back to Silksong…
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