Analyzing the Challenge of Navigation through the Metroid Series

Abstract

We discuss how navigation works in video games with a focus on how it provides challenge for players. Informed by work on how humans navigate real world space we propose a framework to guide the analysis and design of games. The framework considers three steps in the process of navigation: Destination (determining where the player needs to go), Routing (determining how to get there), and Execution (traveling along the route). We further articulate our framework by showing some of the ways that difficulty in navigating game spaces is managed. Our analysis was conducted on games in the Metroid series; a hallmark of the Metroidvania genre. Metroidvania games emphasize exploration, navigation, and non-linearity in terms of how the gameworld is traversed. Although we limit our analysis to 2D games, the framework is extensible to other kinds of spaces.