Super Metroid

"They sure don't make 'em like this anymore..."

In all fairness, Super Metroid is nothing more than a glorified remake of the original Metroid title for the NES. The general plot is the same, with you seeking the destruction of Ridley, Kraid, Mother Brain, and the cloned Metroids, and even the world shares many simmilarities, with Brinstar, Norfair, and Tourian making their returns in glorified 16-bit.

But, where the Game Boy Advance title Zero Mission, released in 2004, featured the core NES areas with upgraded graphics and a few minor changes, Super Metroid, debuting in 1994, not only updated the original, but completely rewrote it.

As with any good sequel, the core gameplay did not change; you still control your character (Space Hunter Samus Aran) through a labarynth of tunnels, mazes, caverns, and lava pits to collect items that will allow you to further your quest to find the five subordinates of Mother Brain and the Space Pirates before dueling it out in a climatic battle against the mutated grey matter. Along the way, series staples like Missiles, Bombs, Ice and Wave beams, High Jump, and the Varia return. Carried over from Metroid II are the Space Jump, Plasma and Spazar beams, as well as the Spring Ball, along with many other upgrades between the two. New items are found as well, including the Grappling Beam, the X-Ray Scope, Super Missiles, Power Bombs, and the Gravity Suit. Other hidden treasures are waiting to be found as well, though to find all the items takes skill and patience. Should you play the cart after playing the GBA titles, you will notice drastic differences:

For one, the music is dreadfully moody and emotional; many classic themes from the first two games return in new forms, along with remixed versions and all-new themes. At no time does the music ever seem to be out of place, with each theme fitting the enviornment. Norfair has a rockey feel, while the lower depths of the same area have a tune that conveys the feel of the long journey, building up energy to the showdown with Ridley, the final guardian before reentering Tourian. When you first return to Zebes, the music is mysterious, and mostly sports sound effects like lightning and the skittering of vermin. Once you pick up the Maru Mari (Morph Ball), the familiar "item" music plays, and you feel at home.

Yes, the music is stellar. In fact, many, MANY of the tunes from this game, while remixes and upgrades from the first two games, would return in many of the later releases, such as the lower Norfair theme being remixed for the Magmoor theme of Metroid Prime, or the "escape" music being remade for both Metroid Primes, and the two GBA titles as well. Anyone playing this game is bound to recognize a tune or two, as they are timeless and fitting.

Graphically, the game is amazing. The SNES is rarely matched when it comes to graphics, thriving in a time when details and emotions were the centerpiece of graphics, not how many polys and colors could be slapped on the screen. Like most adventure-type games of the era, Super Metroid's graphics are rediculously detailed and complex, with almost every sprite having at LEAST six animations, never mind just how great the game looks. True, the occasional glitch pops up from time to time, but these quirks are hardly noticable when you look at the sheer beauty. Backgrounds are detailed and even animated; simple spikes appear to waver back and forth in lava-heated rooms; fireballs visably waver when flying through the air; power-ups glow.

With all the effort put into graphics and music, one might compare this game to newer titles and wonder what was sacrified to make the graphics and sounds so good. Suprisingly, the controls do not suffer at all, though the dash button might prove annoying to gamers reared on the GBA titles, which would rework its usage. Firing and item select had not changed from the first two games, though diagonal aiming was possible thanks to the L and R buttons. Of course, if you so desired, you are allowed to rework the control setup to your tastes, making the controls universal in appeal.

And then there is the gameplay itself. True, you are seeking items to help you along, and you do a lot of backtracking your first time out. But the overal excellence of the graphics, controls, and music, coupled with the annoying doors and items that you know you cannot reach yet know hold what you seek, just make the game all the more enjoyable. In fact, the first boss fight is an amusing trip in and of itself; you blast through the missile door guarding the bombs, enter and claim your prize, but you cannot get out; the door is locked. As you try to blast the door open for what good it would do, the music changes, and the Chozo statue begins to crumble. Torizo has awakened.

Unlike the later Metroid titles, Super Metroid's plot only appears in the manuel and at the start of the game. While this may seem a tad shallow to games today, it lets the gamer get the general premise and a reason to jump in and explore the world.

When you finish the game, be sure to take the time and explore the Reset Glitch. While most glitches are unintentional and not really useful enough to be considered worth mentioning in a review, Super Metroid sports an unusual glitch that will, literally, reset all items, bosses, and rooms in the game WITHOUT CORRUPTING YOUR GAME. Want to see how Kraid holds up to some Super Missiles? Want to take your maxed out blaster to Torizo? Have at it. The only notable quirk with the glitch is that saving, turning off the game, and restarting after triggering the glitch will seemingly start a brand new game, but during the intro, when Samus jumps back onto the platform to fight Mother Brain, the Space Jump triggers, and you see a colorized Samus fighting in a grey-scale memory.

This glitch easily makes the game worth its weight, and it is already paying for itself several times over.

There are a few minor issues, such as the dash buttons and people raised on the GBA Metroid games's system of holding R to fire missiles might find the controls awkward, but without a doubt, this game is the best in the series, even better than the astronomical hit Metroid Prime.

I am hesitant to give any game a score of ten, but Super Metroid does everything RIGHT, without any problems. It is really a shame that later 2D releases do not share the high quality. Then again, with the DS being touted as the "ultimate 2D system," maybe we have not seen the last of Super Metroid...

Final Word: Get this game, even if you are not a fan. The high quality of this game is worth hunting it down for.

Score: 10 of 10.
*Best Feature: It FEELS like Metroid.
*Wosrt Feature: The fact that the GBA Metroid games can't hold a candle to this game.
*If You Liked: Metroid Prime (GC), Metroid II (GB), Metroid (NES), Metroid Fusion, Zero Mission (GBA), The Legend of Zelda - Link's Awakening (SNES/GBA)
*Guilty Pleasure: Taking over 100 Super Missiles with the Reset Glitch and blowing everything to kindgom come.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 05/16/05