Summary
By day, Robin Eyre works at Iron Gate Studio as a self-described “generalist artist,” preparing assets forValheim’s Ashlands biome. But like many talented developers, Eyre burns the midnight oil by pursuing passion project in the form of a Metroidvania game.Van-14borrows from the classicSuper Metroidformula—right down to a power-armored heroine facing seemingly insurmountable odds with universal stakes—and also takes some cues from Team Cherry’s modern masterpiece,Hollow Knight. Eyre’sindietitle promises hardcore challenge, an immersive world to explore, and lots of bosses.
Game Rant recently caught up with Eyre to hear about the development ofVan-14, what it borrows from its famous spiritual-predecessors, and what elements are required to make a memorable Metroidvania. Even thoughVan-14doesn’t have a release date yet, fans of classical, 2Dexploration titleswill want to keep an eye on thisValheimveteran’s rapidly evolving work.
A Guiding Star
OnVan-14’s dev blog, Eyre acknowledges that his passion project is entering a competitive genre, filled with “poor toamazing Metroidvanias.” When it comes to stand-out titles though, Eyre has eyes for only one influence:
“In recent years,Hollow Knightis a masterpiece. That’s the only one that I look to as a guiding star.”
While there are dozens of excellent modern Metroidvanias available, includingEnder LiliesandBloodstained: Ritual of the Night,it makes sense that Eyre would single outHollow Knightas an exceptional example to follow. The game has pixel-perfect controls, a haunting original world filled with mystery, humor, sorrow, and hope, andsome of the most challenging 2D boss fightsin all of video games. It’s difficult to single out the qualities that setHollow Knightapart from its peers because the game is so cohesive it feels utterly seamless.
Eyre also mentioned that he is eagerly anticipating Team Cherry’s long-awaited follow-up toHollow Knight, Silksong,and added thatCrowsworn—another title clearly influenced byHollow Knight—also looks promising. However,Van-14seems to owe a greater creative debt to the Super Nintendo classic,Super Metroid, bringing the much-riffed upon genre full circle.
Metroidvania Must-Haves
Super MetroidandHollow Knighthave distinguished themselves as two of themost influential platformersof all time, and even though each game has a very distinct and pronounced identity, they have some elements in common that match Eyre’s top three criteria for great Metroidvanias:
“You need gameplay first. Always gameplay first. How does it feel to traverse the platforms? You need lovely art that you can be invested in looking at for several hours. But you also need a mystery. The mystery, for me, is probably the biggest reason to continue playing.”
BothHollow KnightandSuper Metroidfeel great to play, thanks to a beautiful harmony between the player character’s evolving abilities, and the ingeniously laid-out levels that are chock-a-block with secrets. And while both games have very distinct art styles, they represent master classes of their respective aesthetic styles.Hollow Knight’s fluid, painterly style is perfect for it’s haunting insectoid world, whileSuper Metroid’s meticulouspixel artstill holds up to this day, despite three decades of innovations since its release.
Ultimately, each game’s mystery is what sets them apart from the rest of their pack.Hollow Knight’s taleof an infected, fallen kingdom always presents players with more questions than answers in the grand tradition of the soulslike’s genres environmental storytelling.Super Metroid’s story is more straightforward and minimalistic, but the game’s haunting environment of planet Zebes is so arresting and ever-changing that the relatively simple premise—track down the last Metroid—is sufficient context and motivation for exploration.
Keeping Things Lonely
Another distinct quality that bothSuper MetroidandHollow Knighthave in common is isolation. There are almost no characters aside from enemies inSuper Metroid, and whileHollow Knighthas a charming and intriguing supporting cast, the characters are so spread out over the game’s expansive world that players will never completely escape the desolate tone of the title.Van-14’s story is very much in flux, but Eyre has stated that maintaining a sense of isolated exploration is very important to him with this project.
Van-14is currently in development. A release window has yet to be announced.
