Elderandis a promising indie Metroidvania that wears itsCastlevaniainfluences on its sleeve while also looking to more contemporary titles for inspiration throughout its development. The game features manyclassic Metroidvania game mechanicsto make fans of the genre feel at home, and its RPG progression system gives the game an element of character customizability and growth that makes progress satisfying and meaningful. With an arsenal of upgradeable weapons and equipment at their disposal, players have lots of options when it comes toElderand’s many challenging enemies and bosses, and its surprisingly deep combat system is easy to learn and rewarding to master.
Game Rant recently spoke to Will Fernandes,Elderand’s creative director and game designer, about howCastlevania: Symphony of the Nightand challenging Soulslike games helped inspire the game’s direction. Although the game is a clear love letter toCastlevania, the indie’s various systems and itsLovecraftian settingmanage to take on a distinctive identity.
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ElderandIs A Love Letter to Castlevania
Although plenty of Metroidvania games today share DNA withCastlevania, the genre has exploded in the past few years with many games building off the ideas of their contemporaries.Elderand, on the other hand, traces its lineage directly back to the source, as Fernandes citesCastlevania: Symphony of the Nightas one of the game’s main influences. This shows in the game’s mechanics and visual themes, along with a progression system that more closely resemblesCastlevaniathan some of the morepopular recent Metroidvanias.
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is our bible. The controls, secrets, level design, memorable bosses, and enemies are all perfect. We also love the colorful gothic style, which we took inspiration from for Elderand.
Almost immediately, players can spot the visual similarity between the two titles, with vibrant pixel art depicting an otherwise dark and sinister environment filled with terrible creatures. In terms of gameplay,Elderandhas faithfully modeled itself after the mechanics that worked so well inSymphony of the Night. The usual Metroidvania elements are all present: hidden rooms with valuable loot, clever environmental puzzles, and traversal-based progression. Additionally,Elderandfeatures tons of weapons and equipment and an RPG leveling system, so players can upgrade their favorite loot, equip complementary gear, and focus on stats that enhance their preferred playstyle.
Elderand Isn’t A Soulslike, But The Genre Was An Inspiration
Fernandes is a big fan ofSoulslike games, and his passion for those games played a key role in the development ofElderand. AlthoughElderandisn’t itself a Soulslike game, the emphasis on player expression and careful, deliberate enemy encounters are still major reasons why Soulslike games are so satisfying to master. Fernandes notes that players shouldn’t go intoElderandexpecting a true marriage of Metroidvania and Soulslike game mechanics, however.
I really love soulslike games. In Elderand you need to be careful to approach some enemies. The combat looks simple, but it’s deeper than you think. There are many ways to play Elderand. The player can express themself through the combat.
Most importantly, Elderand is not a soulslike, so don’t expect bonfires that revive enemies or “souls” that you lose if you die. It’s not about dying. Not every enemy will be painful to beat. Some enemies exist just because it feels good to smash them and have some time relaxing.
AlthoughElderandfeatures plenty of tough enemies who will require patience and strategy to defeat, there are also plenty of weaker enemies that are simply fun to murder on the way to the real challenges. Plenty of difficult bosses are present throughout the game, but players won’t need to worry about retrieving any lost items or currency upon death. As Fernandes says,death isn’t a key component to the game like in many Soulslikes; it’s primarily the combat that looks to those games for inspiration.
Elderandreleases on February 16 for Nintendo Switch and PC.
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