Super Metroid

Super Metroid

Game Boy Advance - USA - 1st edition.

Developer Nintendo Publisher Nintendo Published 1994-03-19 Platforms SNES Genres Action-adventure, Exploration, Metroidvania, Platformer, Platform shooter, Shooter Themes Adventure, Science fiction Series Metroid Distribution Commercial

Super Metroid is a Metroidvania developed and published by Nintendo for the SNES on 1994-03-19. It is the third game in the Metroid series

The game takes place immediately after the events of Metroid II: Return of Samus. Samus has captured the last surviving metroid and brought it to a research facility where scientists can study it for the benefit of humankind. However, just as Samus is leaving, the facility issues a distress call saying it's under attack by space pirates. They successfully steal the metroid and bring it to the planet Zebes with plans to clone it and create an unstoppable army. You must defeat them before they can carry out their plans.

Personal

Own?	Yes. US cartridge, manual SNS-RI-USA-1, and poster.
Won?	Yes. Multiple times, but I never recorded my times or completion percentages.
Finished	Early 2000s.

The first time I saw Super Metroid was in the mid-1990s. I watched my brother and his friend (whom he was borrowing it from) playing an early stage of the game. I was very much impressed by it at the time. Several years later in the early 2000s I bought the game and ended up playing it through and beating it myself. I've never gotten good enough at it to see the best ending.

Review

9	8	10	8	8

Best Version: SNES

— This section contains spoilers! —

Good

• The graphics and animation are all wonderfully designed. Very high quality pixel art.
• The ambiance of Kenji Yamamoto and Minako Hamano's soundtrack really adds to the feel of the game.
• The game engine is very solid and most of the player control is top-notch.
• The world has become much more realistic than the previous games. Norfair feels hot, the Brinstar feels alive, Maridia feels clammy, the Wrecked Ship feels desolate.
• The game offers a good challenge, with some areas becoming very difficult, but it never seems unfair.
• The little native lifeforms you meet that teach you the extra abilities of your suit are really cute. I also like that you can save them later in the game.

Bad

• Player control with the wall jump, shinespark, and grapling hook could have been cleaned up quite a bit.
• Draygon is an annoying boss. He grabs you and then you sit there helpless as your energy is drained, and he's very difficult to avoid. I get that there is a puzzle element to beating him, but without ever having puzzle elements to bosses before in the series, it is unlikely to be considered.
• This game doesn't do anything special with the Samus's suit. The original Metroid allows for a suitless run, and Metroid II: Return of Samus changes Samus's sprite graphics when you get the Varia. Super Metroid merely changes the sprite's palette.
• Again, the game rewards the player by having Samus take off more clothes the better she does, but this time there is only one suitless ending, which makes it less like an adult stripping game than the original.
• Samus has unfortunately been retconned to be blonde.

Ugly

• Nothing.

Media

Box Art

• 

  The original Japanese box art. Once again, Nintendo continues an unusual tradition of making the Japanese Metroid box art more adult than the USA. Samus appears to be running for her life away from the game's bosses. I prefer this art.

• 

  The North American box art keeps the running Samus, but Ridley looks more like a comic book character than a sinister villain, and Kraid is barely noticeable. This art was used in European regions as well.

Documentation

• 

  Manual - Japan.

• 

  Manual - Japan - Digital.

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  Operation Card - Japan.

• 

  Manual - USA.

• 

  Nintendo Player's Guide - USA.

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  Nintendo Player's Guide - Germany.

• 

  Nintendo Power comic.

• 

  Advertisement - USA.

Maps

• 

  Simple spoiler map.

• 

  Ceres Research Station.

• 

  Crateria

• 

  Brinstar

• 

  Norfair.

• 

  Wrecked Ship.

• 

  Maridia.

• 

  Tourian.

• 

  Nintendo's map during development.

Graphics

• 

  Sprite sheet of Samus.

Screenshots

• 

  Meeting the final boss.

Fan Art

• 

  Fan art by Aaron Jasinski, "Echo of Samus."

• 

  Fan art by Marinko Milosevski.

• 

  Fan art by Moonshen.

• 

  Noob problems.

Videos

NESComplex - Review.

Review - What's So Great About Gaming?

How Super Metroid gets it right.

The world design of Super Metroid.

How Super Metroid creates dread.

Review - Greatest moment.

Dorkly - Samus is a woman?

Speedrun progression.

Longplay - 100%, best ending.

Play Online

SNES (Europe), SNES (USA)

Representation

Strong female character?	Pass	Samus becomes more powerful throughout the game.
Bechdel test?	Fail	No women talk to each other.
Strong person of color character?	Fail	There are no persons of color.
Queer character?	Fail	There are no queer characters.

Titles

Language	Native	Transliteration	Translation
English	Super Metroid
Japanese	スーパーメトロイド	Supa Metoroido	Super Metroid

Links