Premium publisher Lost In Cult has announced a new tome dedicated to the history of Metroidvania games. The Communal History of [METROIDVANIA] Video Games, to give it its full title, is available to pre-order now directly from Lost In Cult and is the first in a new series of video game books in the Communal History range.

The book will consist of over 250 pages of analysis, commentary, and personal essays by experts in the genre. The lead author is Derrick Bitner, who is joined by over 15 writers and some top-shelf illustration courtesy of the incredible Luan Tie. Not only will the book cover all the usual suspects, such as Metroid and Castlevania, but it will take on lesser-known titles such as La-Mulana and Tomba. It will also cover pre-metorid titles and those from the Japanese indie scene.

In a press statement, Lost In Cult said. “A ‘Metroidvania’ describes games that feature non-linear exploration and gated progression, with new and old masterworks alike continuing to garner fans with every upgrade they unearth and door they unlock. Retracing the genre from the 1970’s, [METROIDVANIA] uncovers fifty years of discoveries and dead-ends with incisive retrospectives and personal essays to map its critical paths and far-off fringes.”