Tag Archives: Metroid

Metroid (Nintendo Entertainment System)

Metroid

Developer(s) – Nintendo R&D1 & Intelligent Systems

Publisher(s) – Nintendo

Director(s) – Satoru Okada

Producer(s) – Gunpei Yokoi

PEGI – 7

Released at around the midpoint of the third generation on the NES to generally positive reviews, selling best in America, Metroid became a favorite among fans of the original NES, and of course, would go on to become one of Nintendo’s flagship franchises along with the likes of Super Mario, The Legend of Zelda and Donkey Kong. I was excited before first going into this one some years ago. Because it wasn’t a game I got to experience at the time of its release.

And I was very much looking forward to seeing the beginnings of this franchise after hearing what I had done through word of mouth. But although I do think it is one of the better games released on the NES. And I can understand why so many people regard it as a beloved classic, to me, the series did get better as it went on. Especially as this game suffered from a lot of limitations that the era of gaming in which it occupied presented. 

Graphics – 10/10

The best quality this game has, in my opinion, is the visuals. Set across an expansive alien world, it presented something extremely different from what Nintendo was putting out at the time. Which mostly involved worlds made up of anthropomorphic animals and contemporary fantasy settings. Although there were plenty of games with sci-fi elements on the NES. Such as Abadox, Contra, and Metal Gear, it was indeed interesting to see the makers of the console try their hand at it themselves. And the end result is one of the best-looking games on the system. The game’s soundtrack, composed by Hirokazu Tanaka, also complements the game’s atmosphere. In a way that also goes above and beyond that of which many other NES games attempted.

Gameplay – 6/10

Although the original Metroid is generally described as an action-adventure, ostensibly it’s a Metroidvania. Although that term at the time had yet to be coined, of course, until Super Metroid and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night were both released many years later. The player must navigate their way through an open world, and collect items, upgrades, and new abilities. And defeat bosses in order to unlock new areas, and ultimately face off against the end boss.

But as this particular genre of game was yet to be built on, it suffers from limitations such as there being no in-game map. Which in the Metroidvania genre, has become a staple element. Being a by-product of its time, players were reliant on either a strategy guide or even drawing up rough maps for themselves to make sure they don’t get lost or explore an area twice needlessly. It’s enjoyable to play with a strategy guide, but a nightmare without one. 

Controls – 7/10

Another area where problems exist is also the control scheme. As the game also has a lot of sequences whereby players must jump up vertically elongated areas, this presents issues because the game’s jump mechanics can feel quite inconsistent. Super Metroid had the same problem. As well as a few others, but not to the same extent as the original Metroid does. What’s also sorely lacking is the ability to shoot diagonally. Which again, would be something that would be greatly improved on with future Metroidvania titles.

Lifespan – 7/10

The game can be made to last around an hour and a half. In all fairness, whilst that seems like nothing compared to games today, was actually a fair bit of time longer than the average game in the late 80s. In this respect, the original Metroid was somewhat ahead of its time. Along with the original Legend of Zelda and Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. Again, it may be down to the limitation of what hardware was being used back then that the game couldn’t have been made to last longer than it does. But the lifespan did manage to break some new ground at least. 

Storyline – 7/10

The story of Metroid is that the Galactic Federation has sent a bounty named Samus Aran to the planet Zebes. Which is infested with mysterious hostile aliens known as Metroids, in order to take out Mother Brain. The biochemical life form controlling the Space Pirates, who were responsible for the Metroid outbreak. Not a lot of that is made clear throughout the game. In lieu of third-generation tradition, players had to read the manual in order to learn as much about the narrative as possible. But the reveal that Samus is in fact a woman is considered to be one of the most iconic moments in gaming history. As the concept of a female protagonist was pretty much unheard of in video games at the time. 

Originality – 8/10

It’s for that same reason, as well as its contemporary sci-fi setting, style of play, and accompanying soundtrack, that Metroid stands out as one of the most unique titles on the system. Although the series would go on to reach greater heights. And the character of Samus Aran would go on to become even more admired by gamers everywhere, this is where it all started. And for many gamers, this title broke a lot of new ground in ways that no one could have expected. Satoru Okada would go on to become one of Nintendo’s most iconic figures until his retirement in 2012. And it’s not hard to see why with the legacy he and the late great Gunpei Yokoi have left behind with the release of titles like this.

Happii

Overall, Metroid, whilst it indeed has too many flaws for me personally to be able to label it as such, is still considered by many to be a classic and an NES favorite. And for good reason. It was Metroidvania before the genre was even properly conceived. And no game had played anything like it at the time. 

Score

45/60

7/10 (Good)

Super Metroid (Super NES)

Developer(s) – Nintendo R&D1 & Intelligent Systems

Publisher(s) – Nintendo

Director(s) – Yoshio Sakamoto

Producer(s) – Makoto Kano

PEGI – 7

Released in 1994 coming up to the twilight years of the Super NES, and finding critical acclaim worldwide and commercial acclaim mainly in North America, Super Metroid is considered to be one of the most influential games of all time. Along with Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, it helped to pioneer the so-called Metroidvania genre of games. The 2D side-scrolling open-world experience focused on combat, epic story, and exploration. I decided that as I’ve now reviewed a great number of games in the genre, I’d examine the game where the groundwork was laid. And find out whether or not the experience still holds up to this day, and for me, it did not disappoint. 

Graphics – 10/10

One of the standout features of the game is undoubtedly its beautifully crafter 16-BIT visuals with the game taking place across a number of locations that have since become iconic and synonymous with the Super NES era. Including Brinstar, Norfair, and Maridia. This game’s visuals have gone on to inspire a number of retroactive indie titles over the last decade such as Blasphemous and Axiom Verge, and not just Metroidvania titles. For the time, these graphics were revolutionary. And the accompanying soundtrack, composed by Kenji Yamamoto and Minako Hamano, perfectly compliments the wonderfully horrific atmosphere this game perpetuates throughout, which in and of itself, was very much out of character for a Nintendo game at the time, as most Super NES titles, for the most part, focused on happy-sounding music and brightly colored environments.

Gameplay – 8/10

Super Metroid followed the basic model of the original Metroid but with drastic improvements. Players could now combine different types of weapons to create more powerful ones. And the boss fights littered throughout are far better. There’s even more cause for exploration than in the original game or Metroid 2: Return of Samus. And it also comes with the synonymous Metroidvania map system. Something which was sorely lacking from the previous two games. And something that every other Metroidvania title would adopt in increasingly innovative forms from then on. Few side scrollers at the time encouraged exploration to the extent that this game did. And it was a welcome breath of fresh air for those who got the chance to play it back in the day. 

Controls – 8/10

The game’s control scheme, however, isn’t perfect. Whilst most Super NES games used the Y and B buttons for attack for primary movement and combat controls, this game uses the X and A buttons for that purpose. And among Super NES fans, this will have caused some confusion for players back when it was released. And can still potentially cause confusion for modern-day players looking to play it for the first time. As indeed I found, since I wasn’t introduced to this game back when it was released. Kind of like Metroid Prime, it can take a bit of time for players to get used to initially. What the developers did add in terms of controls, however, was the facility to shoot diagonally. Which again, was sorely lacking from the original games, and furthermore included in the re-release of the first. Metroid: Zero Mission for the Game Boy Advance.

Lifespan – 7/10

A thorough playthrough of the game can take an average of around 4 hours. Which is about an exceptionally long amount of time for a game to have lasted back in the days of the Super NES. Although the game can be completed within half an hour (indeed, as this title has become particularly popular among speedrunners), it’s not a game that’s designed to be rushed through. And whilst it may sound like a paltry amount of time for a game to last compared to what gamers are used to these days, it was relatively unheard of at the time. And most fans of the game have ended up playing it multiple times throughout the years anyway. 

Storyline – 7/10

Taking place in the latter stages of the Metroid timeline, the alien lifeform (the Metroid) that bounty hunter Samus Aran had recovered from planet SR388 at the end of Metroid 2: Return of Samus had been delivered to a research facility by her for further study. But shortly thereafter, the space station is attacked by the leader of the Space Pirates, Ridley. Who then captures the Metroid specimen. And takes it to the nearby planet Zebes, and Samus is in pursuit of him.

The game is also a lot more cinematic than games of the previous generation. The game’s opening cutscene, in particular, has become an iconic moment in Super NES history. It’s also among one of the earliest examples of how gameplay sequences can be used to build up tension within the confines of the story. As there are sequences whereby Samus must escape from certain places within a designated time limit before it explodes. 

Originality – 10/10

There is no understating how unique and influential this game was back in the day. Any game from which an entire genre is created stands out as being among the most influential of all time. Doom gave birth to the first-person shooting genre, Rogue paved the way for the Roguelike genre. And Super Metroid was the primary pioneer of the Metroidvania genre. Even Castlevania: Symphony of the Night adopted several gameplay elements that this game had first. 

Happii

In summation, as well as being one of the most influential video games of all time, Super Metroid also stands out as one of the best titles on the Super NES. And is an experience that still holds up and one that I would highly recommend. Regardless of the issues, I may have had with the controls, the immersive gameplay, wonderfully rendered graphics, and engrossing story more than make up for it. 

Score

50/60

8/10 (Very Good)