The last Metroid is in pieces...
One of the defining highlights of the Metroidvania genre is undoubtedly this great masterpiece for the SNES. This is my first title within the series, and even viewing it from outside of the historical impact it has this is still a great game on its own. While not the first Metroid, this is the one I have always heard people talk about the most, and has been a huge staple for rom hacks and randomizers for a good while now; I'm glad to see all the hype for it is absolutely deserved.
Super Metroid does a great deal right when it comes to this genre, there are multiple paths you can go, lots of hidden items that are undoubtedly beneficial against the bosses (though I never got much use out of the super bombs), and a key focus on exploration that's defined by the abilities you have gathered. There is no fast travel from what I found, but the map is small enough to not warrant one as well as the connections of area support quickly reaching other places. The abilities are especially nice since they all grant more traversal methods that are either necessary for some parts or help out earlier segments to make them faster, and there's also quite a few of them to get as well.
The whole alien planet theme of Super Metroid is especially nice, it's truly like invading a foreign land where everything is stacked against you. There are plenty of interesting enemy sprites, especially for the great monsters that you face in boss battles. One of my favorite sprites in the game is the statue that gates the final area due to how neat it looks, and it also serves a functional purpose of providing a goal without needing to actually say it. The music goes well along with everything else, and decorations such as statues adds that final touch that brings it all together.
I will throw out a slight complaint that the bosses do feel a bit off in this and mainly result in your health feeling more like a timer for fights. Ripley was especially annoying, and the gimmick of the final boss I can see being upsetting as well if you don't have enough HP for it.
Overall, I would absolutely recommend this to people who love Metroidvanias, because this is certainly worth playing in 2024 and will continue to be so in the future.
One of the defining highlights of the Metroidvania genre is undoubtedly this great masterpiece for the SNES. This is my first title within the series, and even viewing it from outside of the historical impact it has this is still a great game on its own. While not the first Metroid, this is the one I have always heard people talk about the most, and has been a huge staple for rom hacks and randomizers for a good while now; I'm glad to see all the hype for it is absolutely deserved.
Super Metroid does a great deal right when it comes to this genre, there are multiple paths you can go, lots of hidden items that are undoubtedly beneficial against the bosses (though I never got much use out of the super bombs), and a key focus on exploration that's defined by the abilities you have gathered. There is no fast travel from what I found, but the map is small enough to not warrant one as well as the connections of area support quickly reaching other places. The abilities are especially nice since they all grant more traversal methods that are either necessary for some parts or help out earlier segments to make them faster, and there's also quite a few of them to get as well.
The whole alien planet theme of Super Metroid is especially nice, it's truly like invading a foreign land where everything is stacked against you. There are plenty of interesting enemy sprites, especially for the great monsters that you face in boss battles. One of my favorite sprites in the game is the statue that gates the final area due to how neat it looks, and it also serves a functional purpose of providing a goal without needing to actually say it. The music goes well along with everything else, and decorations such as statues adds that final touch that brings it all together.
I will throw out a slight complaint that the bosses do feel a bit off in this and mainly result in your health feeling more like a timer for fights. Ripley was especially annoying, and the gimmick of the final boss I can see being upsetting as well if you don't have enough HP for it.
Overall, I would absolutely recommend this to people who love Metroidvanias, because this is certainly worth playing in 2024 and will continue to be so in the future.