My Gamer Perspective on Super Metroid
Speed running Super Metroid and earning the best ending is super fun.
"Game over, man, game over!" - Private Hudson, Aliens
I'm an old school gamer who grew up on the Sega and Nintendo classics of the '80s and '90s, but one critically acclaimed video game I never got around to playing until recently was Super Metroid. I've since played and completed it multiple times, and what follows is my honest opinion of the game. As I didn't grow up with Super Metroid, there are no rose-coloured glasses here. I'll start with some basic info for any non-gamers out there.
Super Metroid was originally released for the Super NES in 1994 and is lauded as one of the greatest video games of all time. It's a science fiction action-adventure title that follows the exploits of intergalactic bounty hunter, Samus Aran, as she scours a hostile alien landscape to rescue her pet jellyfish from the clutches of a pterodactyl pirate and his crustacean crew.
The game is set entirely within one large, interconnected labyrinthian planet divided into various regions. Samus must explore a subterranean jungle, volcanic cavern, abandoned haunted spaceship, murky lake, and high-tech laboratory in search of hidden upgrades for her space suit and arsenal. These upgrades allow Samus to curl into a ball and roll through holes, run faster, jump higher, withstand extreme heat, move freely underwater, freeze enemies, blast open locked doors, swing across chasms like Tarzan, and "fly" with the graceful finesse of a yo-yo.
These helpful upgrades allow Samus to backtrack to previously inaccessible areas and progress forward into new regions of the planet. If you enjoy this style of exploratory game, other classic examples include the original Metroid, Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, Legacy of the Wizard, The Goonies II, The Battle of Olympus, Zillion, Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap, and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.
Super Metroid opens with a brief soliloquy by Samus, recapping the events of the previous Metroid games, and setting up the current one. This was a cool idea, as it caught anybody up to speed who hadn't played the first two entries. This is also the only cutscene in the entire game. There's a brief ending with no dialogue. Super Metroid is mostly a visual experience, like the silent films of the 1920s. Whether this is a pro or con depends on your feelings towards video game cutscenes.
Bosses are comprised of the top pirate brass. These include a dinosaur who shoots projectiles from his belly button, the ghost of a fire dancing squid, an electrophobic shrimp, the pterodactyl pirate captain, and a pickled brain in a jar. Enemies include crustacean pirates, flying armadillos, thorn-shooting plants, annoying insects, sentient lava geysers, vengeful snails, fiery seahorses, ethereal ghosts, handsy antlions, parasitic jellyfish, sarlacc pits, Gigeresque alien heads, Great Gazoo lookalikes, and other extraterrestrial threats.
As a fan of the Alien series, I appreciated the influence these movies had on the look and feel of Super Metroid. I enjoyed exploring the eerie, interconnected environments and uncovering all its clever secrets. I thought it was awesome that the protagonist was a badass woman. Despite these positive traits, there were also elements I found more frustrating than fun.
The similar dark environments caused me to lose my way and go around in circles. Samus' floaty, Luigi-style jumps made landing on platforms difficult and resulted in her falling into spikes, acid, or the bellies of monsters. There are moments when Samus must wall jump, Tarzan swing, or yo-yo her way out of danger, such as escaping from deep pits, rivers of quicksand, or rising lava tides. Unfortunately, the controls are wonky and difficult to pull off. There's also a point of no return near the end of the game that permanently prevents you from backtracking for any missed upgrades. Lastly, there's no reward for 100% completion.
While my initial playthrough was a bit rough, there was a certain je ne sais quoi about Super Metroid that kept drawing me back in. Over time and repeated playthroughs, I gradually became better at the game, completing it faster each time, and enjoying it more in the process. Then, just the other day, after memorizing the lay of the land along with key upgrade locations, I finally completed the game in under three hours, achieving the best ending.
In my opinion, speed running the game for the best ending is the most enjoyable way to play Super Metroid. As there's no reward for 100% completion, collecting everything is both tedious and pointless. Instead, the real fun lies with charting the quickest route through the game with the least amount of backtracking, collecting only the upgrades you want or feel you may need.
While I still find the floaty jumps and wonky controls frustrating, I simply bypass these issues by using the rewind feature and save states. I don't consider this "cheating", as I feel these mechanics are broken. Anything that allows a gamer to fully enjoy a game is A-OK in my book.
In closing, what I find super cool about Super Metroid is how the player can customise the game's difficulty based on how many health and ammo upgrades they choose to collect. I consider this ingenious game design. I've since completed two additional sub three-hour playthroughs and had a blast each time. See you next mission. Until then, love, peace, and chicken grease.