For as long as the Metroidvania genre has tried to evolve beyond its roots, the jump from 2D to 3D has always had its ups and downs. Generally, 3D Metroidvania games explore one of two extremes: either they venture too far into action-adventure territory or they lose the “tightness” of the progression loops that define the genre in the first place. But that’s what makes Maseylia: Echoes of the Past, a 3D Metroidvania by Sol Brothers, immediately stand out. Built around a fully interconnected world, ability-driven exploration, and movement-focused traversal, it looks like one of the few projects actively trying to translate the core identity of a Metroidvania into a true 3D space rather than just borrowing its ideas.
Maseylia: Echoes of the Past features atmospheric, open-ended exploration while tossing in increasingly complex movement abilities like phasing, dashing, and environmental manipulation to open new paths through its labyrinthine world. The result is something akin to a Metroid Prime/Hollow Knight hybrid, where exploration is driven as much by how players move through the world as where they go, with each new ability changing both the map and the player’s understanding of it over time. If that’s not already enough to whet the appetite of Metroidvania fans, Maseylia: Echoes of the Past is slated for a Q2 2026 launch on Steam and already has a playable demo available.
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Maseylia: Echoes of the Past Channels Metroid Prime and Hollow Knight
Maseylia: Echoes of the Past places players in a mysterious techno-organic world where nature and machinery have fused into a sprawling labyrinth, with the central goal being to explore, adapt, and ultimately escape. As players push deeper into this interconnected world, they uncover hidden pathways, forgotten ruins, and hostile creatures while unlocking abilities that open new routes and change how the world can be navigated. Rather than following a set path, the game features open-ended discovery, encouraging players to carve their own way through the labyrinth while piecing together its secrets and learning how to survive within it.
Maseylia: Echoes of the Past’s Core Features
- OPEN-ENDED EXPLORATION – Nonlinear world with multiple routes and secrets.
- INTERCONNECTED WORLD DESIGN – Vast labyrinth linking biomes and hidden pathways.
- 3D METROIDVANIA STRUCTURE – Classic 2D progression adapted into full 3D space.
- ABILITY-GATED PROGRESSION – Unlock powers to access new areas and paths.
- DYNAMIC PLATFORMING MOVEMENT – 360-degree dash, phasing, and traversal-based abilities.
- ENVIRONMENTAL MANIPULATION – Control elements like water levels to solve traversal puzzles.
- FLUID PARKOUR-STYLE GAMEPLAY – Movement mastery is central to progression.
- SCI-FI TECHNO-ORGANIC SETTING – Blends nature and machinery into surreal environments.
- CREATURE ENCOUNTERS AND COMBAT – Face wild enemies across diverse regions.
- SECRET-DRIVEN DISCOVERY – Hidden ruins, upgrades, and lore scattered throughout.
Underneath all of that, Maseylia: Echoes of the Past heavily relies on presentation to sell itself. Visually, it takes a hand-drawn, slightly cartoonish approach that draws easy comparisons to Hollow Knight, but it pushes things in a more colorful direction. The palette is softer and more pastel-heavy, which gives the world a different tone than most Metroidvania games. It doesn’t look harsh or oppressive either. Instead, it feels a bit strange and unfamiliar, which fits the setting anyway. That tone feeds into the game’s sci-fi design, where environments look like natural terrain and mechanical structures have been fused together. It’s not overly explained, although there are bits of lore to be found while exploring. More than anything, the world does enough to establish what it is.
The same applies to the game’s atmosphere. Maseylia‘s soundtrack is largely composed of ambient, sci-fi tones that feel closer to Metroid Prime than anything else, but without trying to create the same kind of tension. It’s more subdued, almost pleasant, but that somehow makes the sense of isolation stand out even more. Even with creatures scattered throughout the world, Maseylia maintains that feeling that you’re largely on your own. That helps the game fit the Metroidvania genre like a glove, especially as exploration is meant to feel self-directed rather than guided.
Maseylia Is a Classic Metroidvania Through and Through
From a gameplay standpoint, Maseylia sticks closely to the structure outlined earlier. Progression is built around finding abilities and using them to access new parts of the map, which naturally leads to backtracking. That’s a familiar gameplay loop for the Metroidvania genre, and the game doesn’t try to move away from it in the slightest. Abilities are placed throughout the world in a way that rewards exploration, and once they’re collected, they open up paths that were previously out of reach. It’s a straightforward approach, but it works because the world is designed to support it.
Traversal and combat are built to support that gameplay loop without getting in the way of it as well. Movement is satisfying, smooth, and consistent, which makes exploring the environment feel natural. Combat is present, but it doesn’t dominate the experience. Enemies are placed throughout the world to create just enough resistance rather than stopping progression entirely. That balance keeps the focus where it arguably needs to be, on exploration and discovery, while still giving players something to engage with along the way.
Maseylia‘s soundtrack is largely composed of ambient, sci-fi tones that feel closer to Metroid Prime than anything else, but without trying to create the same kind of tension.
Enemy design also reinforces the comparisons that come up early on. Many of the creatures have an insect-like appearance, which lines up with the Hollow Knight influence, but adapted to a 3D space. They fit the world without standing out too much, which helps maintain consistency in the game’s design.
Based on what’s been shown so far, Maseylia: Echoes of the Past is aiming for a straightforward translation of the Metroidvania formula into 3D. The structure is familiar, with exploration revolving around ability unlocks and backtracking, but the difference comes from how that’s applied to a fully 3D space. That’s where most games in this genre fall apart, which is why Maseylia: Echoes of the Past looks so promising.
Maseylia: Echoes of the Past launches on Steam in Q2 2026. A playable demo is currently available for download.
