Super Metroid is one of the most immersive and atmospheric games ever created

User Rating: 9.4 | Super Metroid SNES
Super Metroid was the third game in Nintendo's popular Metroid series, and it's arguably the best. The game once again put you in control of the fearless bounty hunter Samus Aran. The story takes place just after Metroid 2. Samus has exterminated the dangerous metroid race, save one hatchling that believes Samus to be its mother. The bounty hunter gives this metroid to a medical research facility, where it is studied. Not too long after Samus departs the space station, a powerful Space Pirate named Ridley attacks the base, takes the last metroid and returns to the space pirate home world called Zebes. It's up to Samus to find the last metroid, and once again, defeat the space pirates. That’s basically the whole story of the game as there is no dialogue after the first 5 minutes, however the game doesn’t suffer for this, as story is not the focus of Super Metroid.

The game will have you explore the vast underground lair of Zebes, with no indication of where you are meant to go next. It's up to you to figure out how you must progress through the alien world. You'll find power-ups as you go, and these are vital to progressing through the game. This helps keep the game fresh and interesting, and the variety of power-ups is fantastic. The power-ups range from new suits to new beam expansions and missile upgrades. There is even an item which allows you to run so fast, you can smash through walls. Each new ability you acquire is like a key. Without a certain power-up, there will be areas you will be unable to reach. These power-ups open the way to new areas to explore, which has become a huge staple of the metroid series since. These power-ups do more than enable you to reach new areas; they help with combat as well. The controls in Super Metroid are all very solid, and it's a lot of fun to play. The 2D side-scrolling gameplay still holds up very well today, and can still be enjoyed by anyone. Combat is never exceedingly difficult, but you might find you'll die every now and again, which isn't a huge setback, provided that you found a save point close to where you died. The boss fights in this game are truly memorable, and provide a rewarding challenge. A favorite of mine is the gargantuan beast called Kraid, who is literally two-stories high.

Throughout the game, you'll find small upgrades that expand your missile ammo, or give you larger amounts of health. These items are not necessary for the game's completion, but those who want to get everything they can from the game can increase the playtime by many hours trying to find all these upgrades, which is no easy task. The game will also appeal to speed-runners, as the time taken to complete the game is recorded, and displayed at the end. These two things give Super Metroid fantastic replay value.

The main difficulty in Super Metroid lies with the exploration. It may put off some people who will often find themselves clueless as how to proceed, yet others will delight in the freedom to find out where to go all by themselves. Zebes is a treat to explore, and there is a surprising amount of variety in the different areas of the game. You’ll find yourself traversing through fiery caverns, underwater labyrinths and even through the ruins of a spaceship. As rewarding as this experience is, casual gamers may be put off by the focus on exploration, and get stuck too frequently for their liking. It may have improved the game to have a hint system in place, to assist those who have no idea where to go next. Where Super Metroid really excels, is the atmospheric feel it gives you. You are completely alone, and the only company you'll have, will try to kill you. The vast world all looks very ominous, and it has a fantastic soundtrack to perfect the tense mood. I have very happy memories of playing Super Metroid at night, with the curtains drawn, being completely immersed in its world. Super Metroid has given me some the most memorable experiences I’ve ever had playing games and few games have given me the same feel since.

It was greatly to this game’s advantage that the graphics were so impressive for its time. This may be hard to see now, but when Super Metroid was first released, it was one of the most gorgeous games I had ever played, which made it all the more believable.

Super Metroid is one of the most immersive and atmospheric games ever created. It's a challenge, but not one without rewards and the classic side-scrolling gameplay works very nicely. In my opinion, Super Metroid is one of the greatest games ever created, and any gamer who gets the chance to play it should do so.