So in anticipation of Metroid Dread coming out, I replayed through one of my favorite games in the series, and boy howdy is it a good one! I love the ways in which it incentives sequence breaks and creative solutions for problems it gives you the answers to eventually.
Movement feels so good, and interestingly skill based. In general I find that older Nintendo games have a creative relationship with unlimited vertical movement, generally requiring skill with executing on some kind of rhythm. Whether it be the diving and soaring of the cape in Super Mario World or the song-like beat of bomb jumping in Super Metroid or even the awful Wing Cap in Mario 64, Nintendo was never quite satisfied with the concept of letting the player totally off the leash when it came to ascending beyond basic jumps.
I also adore the aesthetics and music of Super Metroid. The gentle way that Samus' armor breathes, the pulsing backgrounds of Norfair or the not-quite stagnant underground water of Maridia, I love the way this game looks. The music is also an amazing example of gentle but unsettling ambience, punctuated by amazing boss and panic tunes. Any more grandiose and the music would have taken away from the feeling of being alone on a hostile alien planet. Instead it merely creeps in the background, like some kind of silent killer.
Story wise there isn't a whole lot but I do love the plot of the baby Metroid forgetting Samus only to save her in the final moments, in what is probably my favorite SNES cutscene. The relationship between Samus and her little baby Metroid is so endearing even when told without words or really much actual bespoke animation. It's a shame they never made a game that fleshed that out!! Oh well!!!!
In conclusion I really like Super Metroid and had a good time playing it in the leadup to Dread! I actually finished it the night before the game came out, and am currently well on my way through my journey into Dread.
Thanks for reading!
Movement feels so good, and interestingly skill based. In general I find that older Nintendo games have a creative relationship with unlimited vertical movement, generally requiring skill with executing on some kind of rhythm. Whether it be the diving and soaring of the cape in Super Mario World or the song-like beat of bomb jumping in Super Metroid or even the awful Wing Cap in Mario 64, Nintendo was never quite satisfied with the concept of letting the player totally off the leash when it came to ascending beyond basic jumps.
I also adore the aesthetics and music of Super Metroid. The gentle way that Samus' armor breathes, the pulsing backgrounds of Norfair or the not-quite stagnant underground water of Maridia, I love the way this game looks. The music is also an amazing example of gentle but unsettling ambience, punctuated by amazing boss and panic tunes. Any more grandiose and the music would have taken away from the feeling of being alone on a hostile alien planet. Instead it merely creeps in the background, like some kind of silent killer.
Story wise there isn't a whole lot but I do love the plot of the baby Metroid forgetting Samus only to save her in the final moments, in what is probably my favorite SNES cutscene. The relationship between Samus and her little baby Metroid is so endearing even when told without words or really much actual bespoke animation. It's a shame they never made a game that fleshed that out!! Oh well!!!!
In conclusion I really like Super Metroid and had a good time playing it in the leadup to Dread! I actually finished it the night before the game came out, and am currently well on my way through my journey into Dread.
Thanks for reading!