10 More Shameless Video Game Rip-Offs (That Were Actually Great)

Metroidvania is a sub-genre of platforming games, that centre around non-linear exploration in an interconnected world. Although certain sections are initially inaccessible, they can be unlocked when key items are obtained.

The term "Metroidvania" is an obvious portmanteau of Metroid and Castlevania, despite the fact the two franchises started off drastically different. Save for Castlevania II, the vampire-hunting saga was a pretty formulaic platformer for the first decade.

For Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Konami decided to focus more on exploration, inspiring them to utilise the same non-linear structure Metroid was renowned for.

However, the developers went above and beyond to insure this PS1 title didn't come across as a mere imitation. Symphony implemented role-playing elements, including experience points, upgradable weapons, and stat boosting. It also put a huge emphasis on elaborate secrets, with the second-half of the game sealed away, unless players figured out how to find it.

Although Symphony was well-received, nobody could grasp how significant this genre-shift would be. Not only did future Castlevania instalments continue with this new style, it unintentionally popularised the Metroidvania genre.

With the benefit of hindsight, Symphony has been lavished with further praise, since it indirectly led to the creation of many great Metroidvanias, including Ori, Bloodstained, Dead Cells, and Hollow Knight.

Even though rip-offs are considered lazy, it's apparent Symphony of the Night did something right, since it fittingly spawned its own legion of rip-offs.