A lone space warrior infiltrates an alien base to defeat a powerful threat, discovering lost relics and deadly enemies along the way. A vampire hunter ascends a castle to face their ancestral foe, uncovering hidden powers they did not know they possessed. An undead knight or two descend through a decaying world to stop the cycle once and for all, dying countless times along the way.
Microvania is a game about these kinds of stories, where individuals or small groups explore a dangerous world that becomes a character of itself. In video games, these are called “Metroidvanias,” after the two most influential series in the genre. A common feature of those games is backtracking, with the world recontextualized after unlocking a new item or ability, or in some cases just learning something new about how the world works. Microvania seeks to create an experience like those games, by prioritizing the structure and flow of the world, while allowing players to fill in as many details as they like, and making backtracking central to the game’s mechanics.
Microvania is a hack of Microscope by Ben Robbins. You will be creating a map and telling a story as you play. You need index cards, something to write with, and two or more players. This is a standalone game. Owning or understanding the rules of Microscope is not require to play this game.
Created by Tyler Magruder
26 pages, 8.5" x 5.5" zine, full color throughout. PDF included.
