Super Metroid is a shining example on how to improve a game series.
The story in the game is very simple, picking off immediately after Metroid II: The Return of Samus. You are Samus Aran who recently gave away a metroid larvae, who regarded Samus as her mother, to scientists. However, Ridley and the Space Pirates come and destroy the place, all while stealing the precious Metroid larvae. Chasing him, you lose your powers and end up in the planet Zebes. From that point, you try to find the Metroid larvae, all while regaining your powers..
The first thing you may be noticing about Super Metroid is the stellar presentation and graphics shown at the beginning of the game, starting right off at the main menu. The whole game is presented in a lonely and isolated feel not many games could pull off and the planet of Zebes is absolutely stunning, with many varied areas that are just brilliantly beautiful. Nintendo managed to take the familiar looks of the NES classic and expand upon it even further, making it one of the best looking Super Nintendo games out there. The varied areas look very excellent, with places ranging from a stormy overworld, to a bright lava covered area, all the way to the base of the Space Pirates that stole your precious Metroid.
The sound in the game is very well done and compliments the game's dark and melancholy-infused tone. As you venture deeper into the systems of Zebes, the music follows along very well. Each track has a distinct tone, but don't tend to be overdone and the subtle hints of sound make the action and experience even more deep. The sounds n the games are very standard and nothing special. The gun sounds like a gun, the opening doors sound like opening doors, and Samus' screams of death sound like Samus' screams of death. Overall, the music in the game is very excellent and one of the highlights of the game, conveying appropriate feelings and emotions at the given times needed.
The controls in the game are fantastic, spot on, and feel perfect. Left and right are for moving, while up aims upward, and down makes you crouch and turn into a morph ball if pressed twice. The R button aims diagonally upward, while L aims diagonally downward. Y is used to shoot, while X is used to shoot your missiles. A is to jump, while B is to run. As you progress in the game, you find different types of missiles, which can be selected by pressing Select. I must say that the controls in this game are flawless and make the game flow perfectly, without causing any moments of frustration where you're fumbling with the controls.
The gameplay is fantastic and fast paced. When you start the game, you only have a small area that can be accessible, due to the lack of the appropriate weapons or suits that do not work in the appropriate conditions. However, as you go through more rooms and secret entrances, you manage to scavenge more items, which allows you to visit the previously locked areas and progresses you in the game. Throughout the game, you will be revisiting older rooms that present newer passages that were previously unavailable due to your inferior weapons.
The world in Super Metroid is huge, but Nintendo was gracious enough to give us a map and also a small tracking system that places a red dot on areas that may seem "suspicious". Another good thing is that when you are revisiting older areas, it doesn't feel tedious or repeating. The design of the stage changes with different enemy placements and secret entrances, which make the visit just as exciting as the last. Going through the planet is a long and fun journey, which is complimented by the excellent level design.
Aside from the exploration, you will be shooting a bunch of things, just like the previous Metroid titles. With the improved controls, the game just feels a lot more fluid and more fun. One other thing that is excellent about the shooting is the various enemies that are scattered throughout. Many of them have their strong and weak points and experimenting between them is a whole lot of fun. The many creatures are varied. There are the Space Pirates that shoot and swing at you furiously, small inhabitants that shoot needles out of their backs, and flying creatures that come out of pipes and launch themselves directly at you.
The upgrades in the game are great. You start off with a simple blaster, but as you progress deeper into the game, your blaster is upgraded into ways that allow you to shoot charged shots, varieties of missile, freeing bullets that freeze your enemies (which make them a platform, and even an upgrade that allows you to shoot three bullets at once. The morph ball also games into great use, with bombs that can open new paths and allow you to got throughout smaller areas inaccessible by a regular sized Samus.
The final thing worth mentioning are the boss battles, and boy are they amazing. They start off simple, with statues that come to life to kill you as you are grabbing that precious power-up. But after those, you move on to much larger foes, such as a giant spore that summons enemies at you, and Kraid, a monster so huge, that it takes two screens to make it to his head. Just think of it this way. The boss battles are amazing and some of the best available on the Super Nintendo.
The replayability of the game is rather big, due to the extremely fun nature of the game. The first run of the game is about 10 hours, but the times will greatly decrease as you get a clue of what you are doing. You can also get different endings based on the overall time it took you and the item finding. Just know that one playthrough will not do this amazing game justice.
Super Metroid is one of the greatest games of all time that needs to be played by every gamer, regardless of preference. It is just a game that every person can pick up and play, all while having a whole lot of fun. Metroid on the Nintendo Entertainment System is a great game, as was the sequel, and Nintendo made sure to improve the game every single way that can be imagined with amazing controls, brilliant level design, and top-notch gameplay. The only flaw that the game has is that it ends. That's how amazing it is.