The term "Metroidvania" has become a fixed part of video game lexicon these days, thanks to an explosion in the number of titles that have adopted the signature format of huge, non-linear levels, RPG elements and gear-gated progress.
As the name suggests, Metroidvania titles are a fusion of concepts from Metroid (specifically Super Metroid) and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, which took the Super Metroid concept and evolved it considerably (however, to confuse matters further, the term has been retrospectively applied to games which predate both of these titles).
But who coined this term? For the longest time, many people assumed it was former 1UP.com and Retronauts host Jeremy Parish, as he was one of the most high-profile journalists to use the term. However, Parish himself has denied this, and a new video by gaming historian Critical Kate certainly seems to suggest that the term has existed longer than we perhaps realise.
During Kate's research, which has taken her all the way back to the misty backwaters of the early 2000s internet, she found a reference to Metroidvania as early as 2001 from an individual named Richard Hutnik, who was discussing the recently released Castlevania: Circle of the Moon on the GBA.
The term was used again a week later on Usenet, but then wouldn't resurface until 2003, when it was used on The Castlevania Dungeon following the announcement of Aria of Sorrow.
Kate reveals more links to the term throughout the decade, providing an excellent perspective on how it has slowly but surely infiltrated the collective consciousness of gamers worldwide – but as for definitive evidence on who created the term "Metroidvania"?
You'll have to watch the video to find the answer to that.