One of the Most Innovating Video Games of All Time
The game also featured mulitple endings, depending on how many hours it took for you to play through it. The best ending is still considered one of the best and most shocking endings in gaming history. Metroid can be run through on the first time in roughly a few hours. During this time, you will start out with very few weapons at your disposal. Samus will be weak and enemies will be hard to defeat, but after some exploration you will find Metroid staple items such as the Maru Mari, Energy Packs, and Missiles. Planet Zebes consists of about 5 sections total, with 3 bosses in all to defeat. The difficulty isn't high, but if you do die, you will have to start from the last elevator you were close to. Unfortunately, you will re-start with very low energy. You will have to shoot enemies over and over, until you restock your health back. This is a typical characteristic in games from this era, which may frustrate the younger generation of gamers.
Nintendo's classic marks the first appearance of Samus Aran. A female bounty hunter hired by the Galactic Federation to stop the work of Space Pirates and Mother Brain. Like most NES games, there wasn't much dialogue or plot. Instead, gamers could research the plot in the opening pages of the instruction booklet. Having a female for the main lead was a bold move, in a time where females in videogames were typically princesses who need to be saved. Despite all these breakthroughs, the game today is widely regarded as poor, due to it's lack of in-game map and graphics. Also, the SNES classic Super Metroid set the pedestal not only for Metroid games to be compared to, but any 2D action game for years to come. If your under the age of 20 and grew up with a SNES or N64, you may be a bit more interested in trying Super Metroid out first. As for series completist, this game is a must play, as you will see where so many elements of the series found their roots.
The graphics are 22 years old, and are very plain by today's standards. However, I believe when you mix the look of the game with the eery music, you come out with a very atmospheric game. Even games today with amazing graphics, developers cannot produce the atmosphere this game has. The other main criticism is the lack of in-game map. Metroid does make you feel like a rat in a maze, and it's very difficult to backtrack, especially playing in the days where there was no online FAQ or map to look up. Part of the reason for the lack of map, is that Mother Brain (the intelligence behind the Space Pirates), is secluded in the depths of Planet Zebes. The planet is a natural maze-like fortress, which adds to the difficulty of finding Mother Brain. Perhaps the game designers left the map out intentionally, or maybe they just didn't have the technology. I for one don't mind the lack of map, but some may.
Be sure to have a pad of paper and a pencil nearby to draw your map, if you want a truly old school experience. Your gonna need that pencil to write down passwords as well. The Japanese Famicom Disk System version contained not only superior sound, but also 3 save slots. However, the game sold poorly in Japan, so Nintendo of America did not want to invest in a battery for each copy, thus upping cartridge production costs. Instead, they used a password system. The password system may sound like a pain, but there are many fun and unique passwords to experiment with. This includes the "JUSTIN BAILEY" code, which is possibly the most famous password in gaming history.
The original Metroid is the subject of harsh reviews in today's gaming world, and rarely does it receive the praise it deserves. Over look the small design problems of the 1980's, and refrain from comparing it to Super Metroid, and you will have hours of fun gameplay.