Reviews from

in the past


Of the big 3 Nintendo IPs, along with Zelda and Mario, I've always found Metroid the least interesting. The games aren't bad, I just think they're less strong comparably when it comes to platforming and combat. This observation isn't addressed here in the third game in the series.

It might seem strange to make that claim when you see the scenario variety, but the complexity of the platforming peaks early on when you don't have any upgrades. The later scenarios, like running through a room with a speed booster or using the grappling hook, are just employments of an upgrade. Nothing mechanically interesting is happening. Same with weapons, you just get stronger pew-pews.

What the game actually does well is its map, and, in this way, it's probably the strongest game in the entire series. The genre this game falls in is described pretty firmly as being about constant backtracking to put new upgrades to use. I'd argue Super Metroid is a linear game cleverly disguised as one with exploration. The path forward doesn't stop. The end of each area dumps at the start of the next. It's an ingenious map, and you can rest assured that even if you don't know exactly where to go at the end of an area you are still in the starting point of the next one. Exploration tends to be short detours for a small optional upgrade instead of a means to progression.

It's not the best jump-and-shoot game, but it is a great one. 4/5

I can't believe they made Hollow Knight in 1996.

El mejor metroid jamás creado, con una atmosfera fantástica que te trasmite cierta tensión cuando lo juegas de primeras. Un juego que da igual cuantas veces te lo pases, siempre acabas descubriendo algo nuevo y más si te gusta hacer speedruns.

One of the best games ever made, for reasons that everyone has already said, and yet I will repeat anyway.

This game's design just holds up so well. The way it rewards exploration is timeless, and makes the game downright cathartic to revisit. The game somehow manages to give you no guidance while simultaneously avoiding being outright cryptic (with some exceptions which I'll get to) and letting the player figure out solutions for themselves. That is a groundbreaking achievement in exploration-based game design and it's no wonder that this game essentially spawned a genre. Environmental clues and experimenting with your abilities are the keys to finding your way through (and if not, just use the X-Ray visor), and it is just as satisfying a gameplay loop today as I'm sure it was in 1994. The game is not very lengthy, but it's just long enough that I feel the game gets the most out of its gameplay structure and locations, without going on for so long that it starts getting monotonous. I feel I must stress this game's lack of monotony; each of the locations are very distinct from both a visual standpoint and design standpoint. They're all just the right size, with no repeated rooms, and some notable landmarks to help you remember the layout, which is a huge improvement from the first two Metroid games. I also appreciate how the game starts small before opening up. The compact beginning area where you get the morph ball and missiles is a great way to ease new players into the structure of Metroid games before letting them out in the deep end. And of course, this game wouldn't be nearly as fun to play if it didn't have that map.

That's not even mentioning the game's incredible presentation. The visuals are fantastic, with great attention to detail and subtle but impactful visual effects bringing the world of Zebes to life. And of course, the atmosphere is unparalleled. Between the creepy and the serene, every tone is executed perfectly in Zebes' compelling mixture of sci-fi and nature. Gorgeous environments matched with an ambient yet melodic soundtrack really does go far. I love Crateria, the moody rain and damp grassy caves is such an appealing aesthetic to me and it would be recaptured with Prime's equally breathtaking Tallon Overworld. That moment when you go down the elevator and the energetic upper Brinstar theme gradually fades in is just... wow. It's the perfect demonstration of how this game excels in atmosphere and tying its audiovisual design with its world design. It's an all-time great moment for me, and this is a game filled with all-time great moments. The opening in the space station is an immediate hook, the previously mentioned beginning area serving as a recreation of certain Metroid 1 rooms is a great bit of continuity (something games of the era almost never had), Ridley's Lair isn't very long but the music and visuals make it feel like the epic last stand that it is, and the story comes full circle with an absolutely legendary final boss and ending that still ranks among the most memorable in any video game. It's mindboggling how cinematic this game feels considering the time it came out, and it does so without speaking a single word outside of the opening!

I don't think this game is a 10/10 though. It just has too many flaws that hold it back. My first issue is the occasional lack of clarity. While the vast majority of this game can be solved with good intuition, there are a few moments in the game that outright require a guide, which is a huge no-no for a game like this. Some stupid moments that come to mind are: that bridge in Brinstar that requires you to run across, breaking the glass tube with a super bomb to enter Maridia, being able to go through lava with the Gravity Suit, and exiting Ridley's lair through a completely normal looking wall which the X-Ray visor doesn't work on for some godforsaken reason. None of these are ever told or indicated to the player. Putting you in a situation where you have absolutely zero way to know what to do without a guide is Zelda's job, not Metroid's! It would also be nice if doors were indicated on the map; I think that's the main quality of life feature this game is missing. Side note, but I also found the Maridia area generally frustrating and unfun to traverse, but it's immediately followed up by Ridley's Lair and that is peak Metroid so I'll forgive it.

My other main criticism is the controls and movement, which I find downright unenjoyable. The jump has too much vertical momentum and not enough horizontal momentum. Pressing L to aim diagonally downwards and R to aim diagonally upwards is archaic. Why is there even a run button? And wall jumps are the biggest offender. You all know what I mean. Screw that one pit. What I'm saying is, if you got MercurySteam to remake this game in Dread's engine, add a few QoL features, and make a few small alterations to the world design, you'd probably have the perfect game. Some food for thought.

Basically, Super Metroid is a masterpiece, a must-play for literally everyone, the single best action game on the SNES, yadda yadda yadda. You get the idea. PLAY IT.

And yes, I saved the animals.

Uno de los padres del genero metroidvania y de los mejores del genero por lo bien hecho que esta en todos sus aspectos.


Sure, there are aspects of Zero Mission I'd take ever so slightly over their Super counterparts, namely slight tweaks to the control scheme's shortcuts and some basic quality-of-life updates to the map system... but man, even if I've called Zero Mission my favorite Metroid for a long time there really is just no topping Super on most other levels this series operates on.

The soundtrack is one of the most impressive aspects of this game - it may not be the first game to do ambient and almost new age-ish music the way it does, but Super Metroid has such a distinct sound within the Super Nintendo's library that it's beyond impressive. Tracks like "Upper Brinstar", "Maridia - Swamp Caverns". and "Tourian" are pretty singular within the realm of 16-bit music, and you'd need to look to something like EarthBound to find sounds operating on the same level of experimentation within the console's library.

These sounds compliment a well-established atmosphere that's been discussed to death elsewhere, but for good reason. Super Metroid often toes the line from adventure game into action-thriller, and even horror thanks to its mood, colors, sprite artwork, and direction. One of the best things Super Metroid does with its color language is break its own rules, and early on: where much of the game paints Planet Zebes in naturalistic greens, browns, reds and greys, some of the areas depicted that the player should recognize on cue from the original Metroid title retain their spacey blues and blacks. Mother Brain's lair is kept more or less intact from its 8-bit depiction. Indeed, this leans into the minimal but effective story too - you really don't get the full weight of Super Metroid and all the impressions it sets to leave without the full trilogy under your belt.

Samus' arsenal is at some of its most balanced and effective here. The endgame combo of upgrades feels really fun to use, also I do feel the Screw Attack saw better and less finnicky days down the line on the Game Boy Advance. I'm actually a big fan of the X-ray Scope, except for the few times it doesn't work consistently - a few fake walls in Tourian spring to mind.

Still, for a trailblazer like Super Metroid, it would be excusable should time have worn down its gold sheen into ragged glory, but this isn't the case. I'm not the first nor the hundredth to tell you this, but this game remains one of the all-time greats. The small nitpicks I have here would be more or less cleaned up by the time Fusion and Zero Mission come around, and it should speak to how minimal these complaints are that even after having just replayed the game with my best friend, I'm already getting the itch to land down on Planet Zebes again.

It's a good game.

This game alongside Symphony of the night invented the metroidvania genre and I understand why; massive world, unlockable upgrades for progression, boss fights, and so many secrets. For the most part however I was annoyed with the controls and handling.

Clunky ahh game. The controls at time were so annoying to fight (especially in parts of Maridia), where I would just give up and come back to the game later.

Considering Hollow Knight is one of my favorite games ever I'm glad I played this, but man is this dated.

The atmosphere in this game is really good, but I had no idea what I was doing and the controls were kinda bad

perfect video game. i've missed so many of my son's baseball games because i was busy playing it

A very inspired video game with a haunting, but beautiful, atmosphere and incredible level design. The game always has full confidence in the player's ability to overcome its challenges.

If I did not have such high respect for it, I would give it a 1/5 for the platforming segments; they are miserable.

It's genius. I'd need to write an article rather than a blurb to fellatiate this piece of art

I have to be honest and say that I'm a bit underwhelmed overall. Sure, the game is almost 30 years old now, but some of the design flaws sucked even back then :D

Well, I definitely liked the atmosphere, the great background music, the sound design in general and the graphics - I've rarely seen anything so beautiful on the SNES. Unfortunately, I found the controls so clunky and imprecise that I was quite frustrated by the end of the game. It often requires you to make precise jumps, which were an absolute pain with these controls. It took me longer than I would like to admit to figure out how to do these god damn wall jumps. And even after I got the hang of it, I couldn't pull it of consistently. I don't seem to be the only one struggling with this. I see people on Twitch and YouTube all the time, failing to perform theses jumps :D

The level design itself was good, but unfortunately I felt like I had to traverse every level 5000 times because the game forced me to do a lot of backtracking in order to find as many items and upgrades as possible. That's part of a Metroidvania, but at least the option of teleportation would have been nice. I really couldn't stand to see the same level sections over and over again towards the end.

Then there are the boss battles, which mostly just require you to spend resources to defeat them - if you have enough Super Rockets you win, otherwise you're out of luck. It rarely had anything to do with tactics and felt more like a war of attrition.

I really liked the ending and the overall presentation, I also thought what they were trying to do with the story was cool. I did have a lot of fun with the game in general - the UI/UX design is really good, which wasn't that common back then. Shooting is fun and I love how you gradually improve via upgrades, which feels really great. All in all, a positive experience, but after hearing what a masterpiece this game was time and time again, I had hoped for a bit more. Maybe that's an unfair expectation to have.

SAMUS!!!! i love her. what a strong, kickass woman.

i loved exploring in this game so much. there were so many little nooks and crannies to discover. the sound design is superb. i had a hard time picking up the movement, but once i got used to it, it felt responsive, and the combat was really fun. the boss fights are difficult but not too much. very memorable first playthrough. can't wait to play again with all the knowledge i gained! 74% completion so there's lots more to discover!!

p.s. some very important lil critters in this game ✨

Replaying this game once again after 3 years since my first time and it is still as good as I remember.

Save the animals screwattackgaming stuttering Craig (really good game, I liked it a lot)

A masterpiece in every facet: platforming, how the visuals and sound combine to create the alien planet of Zebes's dingy atmosphere, map design, and the high skill ceiling created by exploits both intentional and non-intentional. There's always a new sequence break or trick to learn every replay. And it's lovely to love a game that can be beaten in an afternoon when I need a fix.

The platforming takes getting used to at first, but once you do you won't miss a jump. Personally, Super Metroid's floatier controls immerse me more in the alien planet of Zebes, compared to Zero Mission's tighter platforming and maps.

I just wish the map had marked doors.

What an absolute ripper - basically almost perfect in my estimation. The Metroidvania subgenre reached its self-actualization point here and gaming history has never been the same since. I only wish I could play this with fresh eyes and relish the magic of a watershed gaming experience all over again.

Somehow, having two good bosses makes this the Metroid game I’ve played with the best bosses.

La madre de los metroidvania.

La ambientación del juego es brutal, con un tono oscuro y misterioso que te da la sensación de que realmente Samus está metida de lleno en un planeta en el que no la quieren.

Los jefes son retadores, poniendo a prueba tus reflejos y cantidad de misiles y vida que hayas ido recogiendo por el mapa.

Hablando del mapa, te da tanta libertad que podría considerarse también uno de los padres de los mundos abiertos, hay veces que te dan tantas posibilidades, aunque algunas estén "capadas" pues necesitas una habilidad que aún no tienes, que no sabes por qué camino ir, por suerte el backtracking es un sello de este juego, así que tendrás que investigar cada recoveco del mapa si quieres lograr encontrar a la cría metroide.

También si tienes habilidad suficiente puedes ir a zonas a las que no deberías de ir en un momento concreto, pues te hace falta una habilidad, pero que puedes acceder haciendo otro movimiento distinto, como impulsarte con bombas o hacer un salto muy preciso en una pared.
Seguramente escucharás que los controles son malos, que Samus parece que está andando en la luna y no se qué más, pero si está hecho de esa manera y puedes hacer todo lo que he dicho antes, no creo que esté tan mal.


No sé cuántas veces lo habré rejugado pero siempre que lo hago parece que lo estoy jugando por primera vez, es algo que me pasa con casi todos los Metroid.

Played on my Super NES Classic Edition for a little while, didn't make it far. I may restart this game using SNES9x should Metroid Dread leave a strong enough impression, but for now, I have no intention of returning to this game. Not because it was bad or anything, I just haven't been hooked quite yet.

Every Metroidvania styled game... Scratch that. Every game should study this game, and use it to inspire their own work.

Super Metroid was always gonna have big shoes to fill after the non-stop praise I've heard for it over the years, and boy did it succeed and then some. I was worried about getting lost but much to my surprise, the map flows together pretty well, and very rarely did I ever feel like I didn't know where to go next. The physics feel weighty and once you get used to it (and also change your buttons because my god the default is not good for modern controllers), it feels super smooth to play. The real fun is learning the tech like bomb jumping to really make the most out of the exploration. In terms of atmosphere and music, it's pretty unrivaled in how on edge it can make you feel, outside of Fusion's Horror-esque vibes. I think my only complaint really is Maridia as an area is a total chore to navigate through, especially the sandy patches, but it's the only blight on a damn near perfect package. Onwards to Metroid Dread

It's phenomenal to say the least. I love the world, the tight controls, and the show don't tell story. I can't wait to replay it again

its got very awkward controls, really wonky combat and a couple of enemies that are really really annoying, but like also. its super metroid. everyone knows what makes this game so good. its got incredibly fun upgrades and a very well realised lived in world with its expansive brilliantly designed map, but what i feel defines this game today is a collection of incredibly memorable victorious gameplay moments, how creative you can get with samus's moveset and its absolutely amazing atmosphere that permeates every step of your journey through zebes. apart from the already mentioned flaws and a slightly dissappointing finale, its very well deserving of its status as one of the greats i think


I still had the Classic consoles hooked up, and I've still got the Metroidvania itch deep in my soul (and I think I always will X3). It's been a looooong time since I've played Super Metroid, so I thought I'd give it a replay. Considering how long its been, Super Metroid is a game kinda amazingly ahead of its time in a lot of respects, and still holds up as one of the all-time greats of the genre (although Zero Mission is still my favorite Metroid game). I seem to recall my last attempt through this game having a similar completion percentage (74% this time), but a longer playtime (5 hours, 19 minutes). Either way, I really enjoyed my time with it ^w^

Y'all don't need me to tell you that Super Metroid is great. Y'all know it controls really well, has great graphics, atmospheric music, the works. It's an exemplary 16-bit game and one of the best games on the SNES, easily. So instead of going on about that, I'll talk more specifically about what surprised me about what the game has (or doesn't) under the hood for a game in 1994.

What first surprised me big time is something unprecedented for even modern Nintendo games: Rebindable buttons! You can rebind ANY of the face buttons (other than movement) from the title screen when you pick your save file. Something right off the bat that let me enjoy the game WAY more than I otherwise would've because I didn't need to relearn a control scheme all of a sudden. The other really cool bit is a language selection! I can't think of many other SNES games have have an option for English or Japanese text right from the get-go! Beyond that, lots of the design aspects of the game, whether on purpose or not (it feels purposeful), the levels of fuckery they allow you to commit in this game because of how certain powers work, especially the wall jump and the bomb jump, that allow you to sequence break like HECK almost immediately XD. I made some bad choices and managed to have to fight (and win against! ^w^) Kraid without the Spazer or the Hi-Jump powerups. Lucky for me this was the playthrough I FINALLY sussed out exactly how the wall jump works XD

However, parts of the game definitely do make it show its age in ways I didn't remember. Having an auto-completing map in 1994 is freaking awesome and helps the game IMMENSELY, Buttttt going back to play it in 2019, it's really apparent that the map showing entrances to rooms, and not just their location in relation to one another, would've really helped exploration. This adds to the larger problem of the signposting in the game being kinda bad. You can't make marks on your map, objective markers are absolutely not a thing, and you can't see the map of any area but the one you're in. Even though I've beaten the game before, and I was playing it all in one session, I still managed to get lost and forget where I was supposed to go to progress the main game (I found a lot of neat stuff exploring, but beyond that I also did a lot of ultimately pointless wandering hunting for the gravity suit XP).

There are also some mechanical aspects to the game that feel a little unnecessary or not as fleshed out as they needed to be. The grapple hook is a neat stop-gap in platforming aids between the hi-jump and the gravity jump, but it always felt awkward to use and not very fun for me. Power bombs are a neat idea for screen clearing, but most of the nastier enemies you'd want a screen-clear for are so mobile (or otherwise immune to the power bomb) that it feels like something only put in to gate progress arbitrarily. It's hard to hold much of what the game doesn't get 100% perfect against it, considering that it's still an incredible accomplishment for 1994 (and the Casltevania games honestly wouldn't get this good until at least Aria of Sorrow), but it's stuff I couldn't help but notice in 2019 and felt are at least worth mentioning here.

Verdict: Highly Recommended. Like I said before, we all know the game is great. This was a neat jaunt for me back to one of the first games I picked up on the Wii Virtual Console. It still holds up really well and has some really incredible accessibility features for a console game in 1994. Modern Nintendo could lean a thing or two about rebindable buttons from R&D1 back in 1994, I can tell ya that much for free XD

Super Metroid is one of the finest games I've played. It's aesthetically perfect and the gameplay holds up unbelievably well for its time. There are some really frustrating sections but controlling Samus is so satisfying that the tedium barely matters. It's really easy to get lost exploring Zebes and I feel like that's just the best way to experience this game (I'll admit I was looking at a map forever). Godlike soundtrack, amazing level design, badass female protagonist, swagged out bosses, a captivating story with zero dialogue...how else can I sell this?

If I was born a little bit earlier I think me and my dad would've been up late unraveling this gorgeous masterpiece.

used a few save states. (90%complete)

only metroid game ive actively finished but it was really interesting to see how this influenced all metroidvanias to come