Super Metroid
Super Nintendo
Nostalgia Factor:
I have only played through Super Metroid once in my life, and that was back in 2013, a few years before I started this blog. I was a Sega Genesis kid, so I never had the chance to play this for the Super Nintendo growing up. I know how well-revered the game is, so I've always wanted to like it as an adult. My 2013 playthrough of the game left me relatively unimpressed, however. It was a good game, but it didn't blow me away like I thought it was going to.
Ten years have passed, and I am ready to revisit this game one more time. Would I change my mind on the game, or would I find it to still be underwhelming? Let's find out!
Story:
This is technically Metroid 3, even though many people consider it the second game in the series. It takes place after the original NES Metroid and Metroid II for the Game Boy. At the end of Metroid II, Samus rescued a baby Metroid from annihilation. The Metroid has now been taken by the Space Pirates down to Zebes, the location of the first Metroid game. Samus is sent to the planet to defeat the pirates and retrieve the stolen Metroid.
At the end of the game, Samus fights Mother Brain, the leader of the Space Pirates. After an intense battle, Mother Brain overpowers Samus and is about to defeat her, when the baby Metroid (all grown up now) swoops in and sacrifices itself in order to defeat Mother Brain and save Samus from certain death. Samus is infused by the power of this young Metroid, and uses her newly found hyper-beam powers to escape the planet before it explodes.
The end.
Gameplay:
This is now the fourth Metroid game I have reviewed. I've reviewed: the NES original, Metroid: Zero Mission, and Metroid Fusion. I've had a pretty good time with all these games, in particular Fusion, which I gave an A+.
I'll probably take a lot of heat for this opinion, but I prefer both Fusion and Zero Mission to this game. I found myself getting lost quite often as I played this. No idea where to go next, no idea which locations on the map were accessible, and no idea which areas were for advancing the story and which ones simply took me to power ups. I felt as if the game lacked focus at times. You almost needed a guide handy in order to advance. Fusion and Zero Mission both mark on the map where you need to go in order to advance the story. Everything else on the map was optional, leading to items or power ups. But you always had a general idea of where to go next. That's not the case here. Super Metroid is just like: here ya go! Figure this out yourself.
I made the argument in my previous reviews that those other games were a little bit too hand-holdy. This game is not hand-holdy enough. I feel as if there is a perfect balance somewhere in the middle that Metroid hasn't quite hit on yet. I know that things were different back in the 90s. If I had a SNES and I received Super Metroid as a gift, I would have played the ever loving crap out of this game. I'd have dedicated weeks, months even to this game. I'd have gotten lost or stuck along the way, sure, but through trial and error I would have figured it out eventually. Unfortunately, I just don't have that kind of time to dedicate to one single game anymore. Whenever I'd get stuck, I'd turn to the Internet to tell me where to go next. As a result, I beat this game in about five hours or so.
The gameplay itself is great. Samus is easy to control. The controls are intuitive and get the job done, although I did wish there was better way to cycle through your weapons. Some enemies can only be damaged by certain weapons, and it was always a pain in the butt having to cycle through so many different weapon types in the heat of battle. That's about my only complaint with the gameplay, though. Well, that and the fact that I got lost so often.
If you've played the other Metroid games, you should be familiar with how this works. You start out with minimal powers and abilities. You explore the big world you've landed in, grabbing power ups, special abilities, new weapons, and new suits. There is a heavy amount of backtracking and exploring involved. Using your newfound powers and abilities, you return to old areas you've already explored, accessing new locations and bosses using your new powers. For example, there might be an area early in the game you can't access because you don't have the ability to swing from the ceiling yet. You have to mentally remember that area and then come back later once you get your grapple beam.
The goal of the game is to explore this giant map and defeat the game's four major bosses. Doing so will unlock a secret passage underneath a room that has statues of these four bosses (similar to the original Metroid game). This new area is the final area of the game, where you battle Metroids, square off against Mother Brain, and witness the game's ending.
The fun of Metroid for a lot of people is the exploration. Gaining new powers and abilities and discovering everything hidden there is in this world. I understand why this game is so popular. Like I said, if I had played this back in the 90s, I'd be one of those people screaming "A++++" to the rafters. But playing it in present times, and in my present circumstances (working a full time job in addition to raising a three year old), I just didn't have time to focus on all that extra stuff. It's like, just point me where I need to go so I can finish this game.
So my opinion here is a little skewed. I liked the game, absolutely. But am I ready to instantly label it an all-time classic and slap an A+ on it? Not quite.
Graphics:
This has to be one of the best looking 16-bit games I have played. The graphics are so colorful and vibrant. The sprite detail with the characters and the backgrounds are fantastic. Each area of the game has its own distinct feel and personality. The special effects are cool, too, such as the the lava, the water, the blue-Samus effect when you use the hyper-dash. The hyper gun is visually pretty awesome too, with its rainbow colored effects.
Despite being so colorful and vibrant, the game also manages to set a dark and mysterious atmospheric tone. You really feel like you are exploring this hostile alien world, and uncovering its deep mysteries. The music plays a big part in that too. We'll be getting to that next.
Sound:
This game has always been critically acclaimed for its sound, and I wholeheartedly agree with that acclaim. The music is fantastic. Can be moody and atmospheric at times, while upbeat and adventurous at other times. It always seems to fit what is happening on screen and in the environment. Lots of catchy tunes to be found here, whether or upbeat or more low-key. I'll definitely be adding some of this game's music to my gaming music playlist.
I'm so glad I like this game's music. I remember playing Super Castlevania IV back in 2021, and I thought its music would be great because of all the hype I'd read about it. Instead I just kind of ended up laughing and saying to myself: what the hell is this? Luckily the music of Super Metroid actually lives up to the hype.
Overall:
I was starting to feel like a hater. As an adult, I've come back to play all the classic SNES games I missed out on as a kid, and most of them I haven't liked - or only mildly liked. Final Fantasy VI, Chrono Trigger, A Link to the Past, Super Castlevania IV, etc. I haven't exactly been gaga for any of those games. But Super Metroid? Now this game I can get behind.
I know I'll probably take heat because I like Zero Mission and Fusion better. I like the more direct approach as to where you are supposed to go next, as opposed to just figuring everything out on your own. That's just a personal preference. A "me" thing, if you will. I still think this is a very good game.
I can easily see myself coming back to Super Metroid in a couple of years, armed with the knowledge of the game that I possess today, and finding that I actually like how the game makes you struggle a bit with what you are supposed to do next. Even though I may have enjoyed those other games more than this one, I am wondering if this one will hold up better long term. I can't wait for that day to come when I play this again.
Is Super Metroid as good as the hype? Almost. I think if I had grown up with this game, like I said before, this would be an easy A+ for me. Instead it'll have to get a B+. Still a very good game, but not something I would put among my top favorites.
THE GRADE:
B+
For a complete index of all my past posts and game reviews, click
>HERE<
No comments:
Post a Comment