Metroid: its lineage, descendants, and standing in Japan
01What this origin is
Metroid is an action-adventure game developed by Nintendo R&D1 with Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo, first released for the Family Computer Disk System in Japan in 1986. Casting the player as the bounty hunter Samus Aran exploring the sprawling, interconnected subterranean world of the planet Zebes, it is built on non-linear exploration gated by ability: you find power-ups and equipment that open paths once out of reach, doubling back through a single connected map as your growing kit unlocks it. By fusing open exploration with ability-gated progression, it is the founding origin of the genre later named Metroidvania, the lineage of games where a single interconnected world opens up as your abilities grow.
02Sources
03Buried gems that carry this root
ROLLING STAR Buried gem
A Japanese 2D side-scrolling Metroidvania set on a vast space colony overrun by aliens. You play as Rory, a reclusive, mech-arm-loving girl who sets out to retake the colony, exploring its sprawling, interconnected map and using skills and equipment to open gates that were once out of reach. Material dropped by defeated enemies feeds crafting, giant bosses block the way, and a vehicle lets you fight in zero gravity and out in open space, inside and outside the colony alike. It is a story-driven game heavy on conversation and comedy events, built on the bounty-hunter-style exploration of a lonely, mech-equipped heroine reclaiming a station from aliens. Made by NUL2 STUDIO, the Japanese solo developer Shiruko, whose earlier indie work TOMOMI shipped in 2022, and released March 2025. Very Positive at 205 reviews and 98 percent. It already supports Japanese, English, Korean, and Simplified and Traditional Chinese, yet with only about 30 English reviews (14.6 percent) the wider West has barely found it; the rest are mostly Japanese. At 1,400 yen it is a paid, fully released game, not free and not in Early Access.