I'm only a quarter of the way through SNES Online's launch library, so if you're already sick of this blog series, I'm really sorry, but it won't be over anytime soon. In any case, today's entry revolves around one of my all-time favorite games ever. BACKGROUND:
Of all the games on SNES Online right now, this is one of the three games I've actually put some serious time into beforehand. Metroid is one of my favorite Nintendo franchises, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that I have played through Super Metroid extensively. The last I played this was around the time I bought it for Wii U Virtual Console, and that had to have been close to two years ago. When the SNES Online service was announced, I was quite excited to revisit this game. SUMMARY: Super Metroid is a sci-fi action platformer where you play as Samus Aran, a bounty hunter with a badass Power Suit. The story of this game is a direct follow-up to her adventures in the first two games: the original Metroid for the NES, and Metroid II: Return of Samus for the Game Boy. In the first game, Samus went to Planet Zebes in order to stop the Space Pirates from weaponizing the creatures known as Metroids. In Metroid II, Samus heads to SR388, the Metroid homeworld, and commits what is essentially alien genocide, exterminating all but one of the Metroids. She takes this Metroid to a bunch of scientists, and when those scientists are attacked by the Space Pirates from the first game, Super Metroid's story kicks off. The gameplay is simple on the surface: run, jump, shoot. Sounds easy, right? While there is certainly nothing complex about the basic player functions, the excitement comes from the massive (at the time) open world. It's not like Mario where you keep going right and you'll get to the end of the level; Super Metroid's world is an intricate network of passageways that are meant to be explored. Throughout your journey, you'll find some power-ups that will aid you on your quest. These range from weapon upgrades like missiles and modifiers to your regular shot, extra health tanks, and special items that help you progress. Majority of these items (including some of the weapons) fit into the last category, as a lot of areas are locked off until you acquire a specific item that allows you to proceed (e.g. you need missiles to open pink doors, Power Bombs to open orange ones, etc.). Given how large Planet Zebes is, navigating the world may seem daunting at first, but thankfully, you have a map at your disposal that'll keep track of where you've been. This is a remarkable improvement from the first two games, which were a pain in the ass to figure out unless you memorized the layouts or had a walkthrough handy. Playing this after going through the first two games felt like night and day, and instead of 100% completion feeling like complete suffering, trying to collect all the items felt doable, if not significantly easier. While you can beat the game just fine going through the critical path, exploration is rewarded handsomely, as you can often find extra upgrades that are usually worth your trouble. Item collection is tracked at the end of the game, so if you want that tasty 100%, you'll have to leave no stone unturned. The task sounds daunting considering the large map you have to comb through, but you can always save item collection for the end, when you have all the necessary items to make your quest faster and easier to accomplish. It's not just items strewn about the Zebesian landscape; you'll encounter an onslaught of alien baddies that are varying levels of difficult to kill (including a handful of challenging bosses), and hazards galore like lava and spikes. Combat and platforming will seem like an insurmountable task when you start, but as you collect more and more upgrades, you'll feel the difference, as terrain that was once treacherous becomes a breeze to traverse, and annoying enemies that do a lot of damage die in one hit. As terrifying as all that sounds, Zebes isn't completely hostile. You'll occasionally encounter a helpful location as you go along, such as save points, health refill stations, missile refill stations, and map data stations. Knowing where these are will help tip the scales back in your favor. And whenever you're in a tight spot, you can alway return to Samus's gunship for the complete package of ammo refill, health restoration, and saving. Don't be intimidated by all this information; the game does a good job of nudging you in the direction of important items, and with the map, you need not worry about getting lost. And given how much backtracking you'll have to do, forgetting where something is will become less and less of a problem the more you play. Speaking of the Zebesian landscape, it is as alien and eerie as an alien planet can get. The terrain looks absolutely bizarre, the biomes feel hostile, and combined with the wide variety of alien enemies that inhabit the place, you can't help but feel lost and alone in this terrifying place. Couple that with the atmospheric music and you have yourself an otherworldly experience that rivals even the most immersive of modern games. "Isolation" is a word that's thrown around a lot when discussing Metroid games, and this game is rather effective at making you feel that way. It would be a great disservice to this crown jewel if I didn't discuss the impact of this game. Though one can argue that games of this nature existed before, Super Metroid's focus on open worlds, exploration, and backtracking pioneered what is now known as the Metroidvania genre. Games like Hollow Knight, The Messenger, Axiom Verge, and many more probably wouldn't have existed if it weren't for Super Metroid laying the foundations. Another incredible legacy this game left behind is how it helped jumpstart the speedrunning community. When you beat Super Metroid, it tracks how long you've been playing, and depending on how fast you beat it, you get a different win screen. Along with this feature being tied to the then-bomshell reveal that Samus was a woman, the idea of beating the game as quickly as possible left an indelible mark on gaming history (and the community at large). I don't think events like Games Done Quick and entire speedrunning communities for thousands of games would have existed if Metroid didn't plant the seed first. VERDICT: Even after replaying this game for what might be the 500th time, Super Metroid is still an amazing experience. The presentation aged remarkably well, exploration is still satisfying, combat's still fun.... it just never gets old for me. Whether I try to go for the fastest time or do a 100% run (or both), there's surprisingly plenty of ways to play through this game that every run feels like a different experience. And even with this game being over 25 years old, I've still yet to learn and do everything I can in the game, thanks in no small part to all the incredible work speedrunners of the game have put in to establish new strategies and continuously optimize playthroughs. I would argue that this title is an "essential" video game, i.e. a game that should be played at least once. The legacy that this game left behind should be enough to merit giving this game a try, and the fact that it's still a fantastic experience over two decades on is a welcome bonus. Whether you're out to play every "important" video game. looking to get into the Metroid franchise, or want to become a speedrunner, Super Metroid is the place to start. There is a reason this game is revered, and you owe it to yourself to find out why firsthand. If you want to check out the first two Metroid games, I would still suggest you start with this one, as it's the quintessential 2D Metroid experience. Although those first two games set the stage for what Super Metroid became, they did not age as well as their descendant. I'd advise playing through the remakes instead (Metroid: Zero Mission on the GBA is Metroid 1's remake, Metroid: Samus Returns on the 3DS is Metroid II's remake), but if you really want to check out the originals, please spare yourself the frustration and pull up a walkthrough. Nobody will judge you. - end -
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