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I just finished a replay of Super Metroid and I'm trying to decide what to tackle next from that era. I have a real urge for another deep, atmospheric action-adventure game with that same feeling of isolation and exploration, but I'm worried nothing will really measure up. I was thinking about trying the original Castlevania: Symphony of the Night for the first time, since I know it helped define the whole "Metroidvania" genre, but I'm not sure if the shift to a gothic fantasy setting and RPG elements will scratch that same specific itch.

SotN is a cornerstone of metroidvania, and it scratches the itch in a different way. The sense of exploration is huge, the castle is a mood, and the music sells the isolation in a Gothic way. But the RPG stat grind and backtracking pacing shift the vibe away from Super Metroid's stark, silent island vibe. If you're chasing the same solitude, it might not hit exactly, though it's unquestionably atmospheric.

I tried SotN after finishing Super Metroid and got stuck on the first few rooms of the castle; the map is sprawling but a little murky, and I kept losing track of where to go next. Still, the art direction and lighting sold me on the mood more than any other game from that era.

If you want something from that era that leans toward atmosphere and exploration but maybe without the RPG grind, maybe Alundra on PS1 could scratch a similar mood, with dense dungeons and a moody world, even if it's not a perfect match.

I actually started SotN, got distracted by a boss, and walked away. The castle kept drawing me back, but I never felt like I fully owned a route, more like I wandered.

Could the real thing you want be a sense of scale and emptiness?

Maybe you could lean into a more compact, mood-first experience from the same era, like Super Castlevania IV, which keeps the atmosphere but with tighter controls, or Zelda A Link to the Past for a cleaner sense of exploration, though it's not the same pace.

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