Super Metroid stands the test of time as one of the greatest 2D side-scrollers ever made.
You're tossed into the game without any real understanding of the controls outside of the manual, but thankfully, Super Metroid is very easy to learn. After the lab incident, you sent to an alien planet to recover the metroid and destroy the space pirates once again. Much of the game revolves around exploring and occasionally destroying enemies that come at you. Samus starts with not much other than her suit and blaster, but you'll quickly pick up power-ups that allow her to do many different abilities that will help with defeating enemies and accessing formerly unaccessible areas.
The large array of abilities combined with the huge open world can be a bit intimidating, but the game is forgiving in that not every ability must be obtained in order to beat the game. Much of the exploration does require at times some very tricky maneuvers so the gameplay takes a slight hit in my eyes, particularly a part where you must bounce off the walls which can be frustrating. The graphics are quite beautiful and the environments really stand out as each specific area has its own unique look. There are some cheesy palette swaps for some enemies, but much of the enemies are different from each other. The real draw, however, is the larger than life bosses. Usually in each area as the game is divided into several areas like Brinstar, a heavily urban jungle appearance, or Norfair, which is like the inside of a volcano. These areas contain a large mid-boss and a screen filling end boss. Some of the bosses such as Kraid cover half of the screen and are so tall that Samus must climb in order to attack it. The bosses really push the 2D limits of the Super Nintendo.
The signature sound of Metroid really came out of the tracks that are in Super Metroid. The game can change from a soft, mellow track to a hammering, tense beat during boss fights. There are many familiar sound effects for anyone that's ever played a Metroid game, but even those that haven't will most likely find the sound in the game to be pleasing for Super Nintendo standards.
Much of the value in the game is the non-linear approach to it. There are methods that players can take to skip several bosses and head directly to the end boss OR you can choose to find all of the power-ups and beat every boss. The freedom to choose different ways to approach the game really gives it value, but first time players can expect to spend around 20 hours the first play through. There's the trademark speed runs of Metroid and you can get a slightly altered ending by beating the game faster.
Super Metroid is one of the greatest Super Nintendo games made and it really shows. It's a hard to duplicate non-linear experience and stands the test of time. I've always enjoyed this game and I think that anyone wanting to experience Metroid in 2D should give this game a play through.
The Good: Amazing non-linear play, for the time graphics were excellent, great soundtrack, fun multiple endings, lots of things to see and do.
The Bad: Might be a bit rough on newer players, some minor frustrating parts.