MILWAUKIE, Ore., (October 9, 2025)—Dark Horse Books introduces the world to Jeremy Parish's in-depth exploration of the metroidvania genre in The History of Metroidvania: Decade One—1980-1990. Parish (NES Works, Virtual Boy Works), the current Media Curator at Limited Run Games and video game historian, pens this exhaustively researched book about the gaming trends of the early 1980s and how those beginnings shaped the initial expressions of the metroidvania concept.
About The History of Metroidvania: Decade One—1980-1990:
Where did these games with heavy role-playing influences come from in the first place? Although the genre's name might appear to hold the answer—a combination of Nintendo's sci-fi adventure Metroid and Konami's monster-movie action series Castlevania—the metroidvania draws from a far wider range of influences.
In this comprehensive account, you'll see how gaming trends of the early 1980s came together to give us initial expressions of the metroidvania concept, and how the design language of the genre evolved over the course of the 8-bit hardware era. From text-based adventures to coin-op tests of pure dexterity, the metroidvania took its cues from early computer hits and best-selling console masterpieces, evolving alongside the medium itself.
“Metroidvania: The First Decade is the culmination of a project I began more than 20 years ago, back when this style of game had largely vanished and the general public had more or less forgotten about them,” said Parrish. “As a game reviewer, I eagerly signed up for the handful of metroidvania games that came down the pipeline (which, fittingly, were mostly just handheld Metroid and Castlevania sequels and remakes). Once I'd consumed those releases, I began looking back into the past to trace the origins of those games and how exploratory platform action games had evolved over time.
“This book goes beyond simply recounting games created in the style of Metroid and Castlevania to uncover their roots. Breaking down the themes and objectives of the metroidvania format means delving into more primal genres: role-playing games, adventure games, and pure platform action games. The metroidvania genre has become more popular than ever in recent years, and I hope that this book provides a better understanding of what makes it so interesting.”
The History of Metroidvania: Decade One—1980-1990 (hardcover, 232 pages, 9”x12”) will be available in bookstores on March 3, 2026 and in comic shops on March 4, 2026. It is now available for pre-order from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or your local bookstore or comic shop for $54.99.
