What is the difference between Metroidvania and open world? Isn’t the first one basically a 2d open world game?

Question

If I would have to guess, Metroidvanias must be explored first and usually you have to get to know the map as it is not revealed to you at first. There could possibly be more platforming/ jumping around in Metroidvanias vs open world which could be just a flat terrain. Which ones have loading times and which don’t? I haven’t played too many Metroidvanias but I played for example Darksiders and that COULD qualify as a 3d Metroidvania, but also as open world, I don’t know. Can anyone who played a lot of these explain?

In: Other

Answer 1

Metroidvanias are *usually* defined in terms of mechanical progression: while the player must explore the world at their own pace and can head off more or less whichever direction they want the later areas of the game tend to be inaccessible from the start by mechanical means: the player can’t access them without first unlocking some power, movement options, or skills that enable them to reach the new areas. An example would be a ledge that is too high for the player to reach until they have found double-jump somewhere in the world that allows them to reach the high ledge and move to the area behind it. However double jumping will be a permanent part of the player’s moveset and will allow them more mobility. Thus the world and how you traverse it constantly changes as you get more and more moves and skills that change how your character can move.

Open worlds tend to be, well, open. You can get more or less everywhere if you want, and if sections of the world are locked they are locked behind story progression, not mechanical progression. The player generally won’t discover mechanics that enable them to more easily access new areas, but instead will complete quests or missions that open the new areas up. An example would be a city that the player isn’t allowed in to until they have earned the guard’s trust by killing ten orcs in the mountain or whatever. Once you’ve done that you can just go in to the city whenever, and the guard or his orcs don’t really factor more in to how you explore.