What Happened To Metroidvania?

I'm glad that Castlevania was able to evolve and continue to do well on consoles, the same way I'm glad Metroid Prime did as well as it did. Both of those games, although very different from their predecessors,  maintained a little of what made those past games amazing, while at the same time growing to appeal to new audiences. But where on Earth has metroidvania gone? 

Dave Cox, Lords of Shadow series producer had this to say, "We needed to make a change and so we did. The Castlevania series wasn't going anywhere, sales were dwindling and it was appealing to only a very small hardcore base of fans. That's how franchises die."

Cox went even further, comparing the state of the franchise before Lords of Shadow was released to that of Capcom's Mega Man. In Mega Man's defense, the state of that series can be blamed on mismanagement by Capcom, not on the series getting stale, but lets get back on track.

Alucard about to kick ass...

...Gabriel about to kick ass..

I can understand adapting with the times, but it almost feels as though developers sometimes turn their backs on the things that made their games so memorable in the first place. The last time there was a 'traditional' Catslevania game released was back in 2008, with Order of Ecclasia. You have to go even further back to find a Metroid game not named Prime or Other M, and that was 2004's Metroid Zero( a remake of the NES original). I'm all for developers trying to preserve franchises, but when it comes at the expense of the FANS, then it becomes a problem. 

Yes, you've broadened the audience for your game, but you've also alienated a portion of your actual fan base. Fans that buy your games solely on its name. And as for your new" FANS" you've acquired, they'll drop interest in your game as soon as something new or similar comes out. What I'd like to see is a medium, where both can live and be profitable. Take Mario for instance. No matter if Mario is racing, using a water gun, or running around in a cat suit, there will always be traditional Mario games for those that want them. It doesn't have to be one or the other. 

Classic platforming at its best.

The Wave Beam.

Looks familiar.

The Nintendo 3ds offers a way to do this, by using the handheld for the more traditional 2d styled games like Metroid or Castlevania, and the relying on the console for the more action oriented 3d releases. Konami was doing this until a few years back, but Nintendo has completely forgotten classic Metroid. I applaud what they tried to do with Other M, attempting to blend 2d and 3d action, but it still isnt the same. To be honest, they actually did a pretty good job gameplay-wise, the only problem with the game being the story and character portrayal. There isn't a reason for the long drought of these types of games. Metroid Fusion is regarded by many as one of the best games in the series, and that was a released on gameboy advance.

My only wish is that the developers realize and understand that there is still a market for these types of games before it is too late. It took Square Enix three sub par Final Fantasy games and the release of the well received Bravely Default, to see that people still wanted traditional rpgs.  That isn't to say the Lords of Shadow series is sub par, but that there is room at the table for both, and that one doesn't need to be sacrificed for the other to succeed. Who knows, maybe this E3 well see teaser trailers for a sequel to Dawn of Sorrow or Metroid Fusion. A guy can dream, right?