While the metroidvania genre has tried to evolve beyond its roots, the leap from 2D to 3D has always had its twists and turns. Typically, 3D metroidvania games explore one of two extremes. It ventures too far into action-adventure territory, or it loses the “tightness” of the progression loop that defines the genre in the first place. But that's what makes it Maseylia: Echoes of the PastIt immediately stands out as a 3D Metroidvania from Sol Brothers. Built around a fully interconnected world, ability-driven exploration, and movement-driven traversal, this project appears to be one of the few projects that seeks to actively translate the core identity of a metroidvania into a true 3D space, rather than simply borrowing its ideas.
Maseylia: Echoes of the Past It features atmospheric, open-ended exploration while using increasingly complex movement abilities such as phasing, dashing, and environmental manipulation to open new paths through the maze-like world. The result will be similar to this: metroid prime/hollow knight In a hybrid where exploration is driven by how the player moves through the world and where they move, each new ability changes both the map and the player's understanding over time. If that's not enough to whet the appetite of metroidvania fans yet, Maseylia: Echoes of the Past It's scheduled for release on Steam in Q2 2026, and a playable demo is already available.
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Maseylia: Echoes of Channel Past Metroid Prime and Hollow Knight
Maseylia: Echoes of the Past It places players in a mysterious techno-organic world where nature and machinery are fused into a vast maze, and the central goal is to explore, adapt, and ultimately escape. As players dive deeper into this interconnected world, they discover hidden paths, forgotten ruins, and hostile creatures, while unlocking abilities that open new paths and change how they navigate the world. Rather than following a set path, the game features open-ended discovery, encouraging players to carve their own path through the maze, collecting secrets and learning how to survive within it.
Maseylia: Reflecting the core features of the past
- open navigation – A non-linear world with multiple paths and secrets.
- Interconnected World Design – A vast maze connecting biomes and hidden passages.
- 3D metroidvania structure – Classic 2D progression applied to full 3D space.
- Progress according to ability – Unlock access to new areas and paths.
- Dynamic platform movement – 360-degree dash, phasing and traverse based abilities.
- environmental manipulation – Solve traversing puzzles by controlling elements such as water level.
- Fluid parkour-style gameplay – Movement mastery is key to progress.
- Sci-Fi Tech-Organic Setting – Blends nature and machines into surreal environments.
- Encounters and battles with creatures – Face tough enemies in various areas.
- secret-centered discovery – Hidden ruins, upgrades, and knowledge are scattered throughout.
Beneath it all, Maseylia: Echoes of the Past Selling itself relies heavily on presentation. Visually, it has a hand-drawn, slightly cartoonish approach that makes for easy comparison. hollow knightBut it pushes things in a more colorful direction. The palette is softer and pastel, giving the world a different tone than most Metroidvania games. It doesn't seem harsh or oppressive. Rather, it feels a bit strange and strange, but it fits the setting perfectly. This tone applies to the game's sci-fi design, where environments look like natural terrain and are fused with mechanical structures. There is a bit of lore to discover while exploring, but it's not overly explained. After all, the world does enough to establish what it is.
The same goes for the atmosphere of the game. MasseiriaThe soundtrack mainly consists of soft science fiction tones that give a feeling close to . metroid prime If nothing else, it's about not trying to create the same kind of tension. It feels calmer and more pleasant, but it also accentuates the sense of isolation. Even among creatures scattered around the world Masseiria Maintains the feeling that you are largely alone. This helps the game fits the Metroidvania genre like a glove. Expeditions in particular are meant to feel self-directed rather than guided.
Maseylia is a classic Metroidvania.
From a gameplay perspective, Masseiria It is closely related to the structure described previously. Progression is built around finding abilities and using them to access new parts of the map, which naturally leads to backtracking. This is the familiar gameplay loop of the metroidvania genre, and the game doesn't try to deviate from it one bit. Abilities are placed throughout the world in a way that rewards exploration, and once collected, opens up previously inaccessible paths. It's a simple approach, but it's effective because the world was designed to support it.
Traversal and combat are built to support the gameplay loop rather than disrupt it. Movement is satisfyingly smooth and consistent, making exploring the environment feel natural. Combat is present, but it doesn't dominate the experience. Enemies are placed throughout the world to create enough resistance rather than stopping progress entirely. This balance focuses on exploration and discovery while giving players something to keep them engaged.
MasseiriaThe soundtrack mainly consists of soft science fiction tones that give a feeling close to . metroid prime If nothing else, it's about not trying to create the same kind of tension.
The enemy design also reinforces the comparisons that appear early on. Many creatures have an insect-like appearance. hollow knight It has an effect, but in 3D space. It helps keep the game design consistent by fitting into the world without being too obtrusive.
Based on what we have shown so far, Maseylia: Echoes of the Past It aims to translate the Metroidvania formula directly into 3D. The structure of exploration revolving around unlocking abilities and backtracking is familiar, but the difference lies in how this applies to a fully 3D space. This is why most games in this genre fall flat. Maseylia: Echoes of the Past It looks really promising.
Maseylia: Echoes of the Past It will be released on Steam in Q2 2026. A playable demo is currently available for download.