“Any term that could replace the dreaded MetroidVania should focus primarily on this world structure rather than any underlying gameplay. And the simplest way I can think of to describe this structure is ‘Unlocking World’. This phrase can be substituted in anywhere we currently use the terms ‘linear’ or ‘open world’, and serves largely the same purpose - to inform the player what their experience with space will be in this game. The term also implies the existence of [conceptual but not necessarily literal] keys, and that the spaces unlocked are connected, or they wouldn’t constitute a ‘world’. Quite the opposite - an unlocking world, when the players job is done, typically becomes a fully-connected space where the player can freely navigate the entire map.”