Super Metroid Review

This review originally appeared in E9, June 1994.

The original Metroid on the NES was a E platform shoot 'em up which is nowadays regarded as something of a classic. This SNES sequel may well acquire a similar reputation in years to come, but describing it as a platform shoot 'em up doesn't do it justice; ‘futuristic-side-on-scrolling adventure with Zeldaesque overtones’ is a more accurate description. The storyline continues from where the NES game left off. Although the evil mother brain's plan to wipe out the planet Zebes was foiled at the end of the original title, a single larva apparently managed to survive the final onslaught. Captured by the heroine, Samus, the larva was taken to the planet Ceres for the purposes of scientific research. Satisfied that the threat of global destruction had been averted, Samus then set off in search of a new mission. But the larva soon started emulating the wicked ways of its antecedents, and before Samus could say, be back in a millennium,' Ceres' inhabitants had sent out a distress signal which cou|dn't be ignored. And so, once again, battle was joined against the forces of darkness.

The plot is predictably ludicrous, but more worrying is the fact that Super Metroid's gameplay at lirst seems very pedestrian. lt's essentially the same as that of the NES game: all you have to do is explore the usual platformesque maze, kill a few aliens and collect weapons and power-ups. Your objective, of course, is to find the killer larva and destroy it. But although Super Metroid looks derivative to the disinterested observer, when you take hold of the control pad yourself and spend some time with the game you begin to realise how intensely playable it actually is.

In true Nintendo tradition, Super Metroid starts very slowly. At first, your character only has a basic weapon and you haven't got a clue what you should be doing or what route you should be taking. But the game is structured so that initially you can only follow certain paths, and these paths channel you towards weapons and other helpful items which then allow you access to other parts of the game. In no time at all you realise you've got a sprawling game on your hands, with a huge play area to explore. Thankfully you're given a computerised navigation device that shows your current position on the planet, as well as the locations you've already visited and the areas still to be explored. And by plugging yourself into an information post you can access even more details about your surroundings: where useful items are hidden the position of lifts, and even the position of the larva itself.

Like many classic games before it Super Metroid is full of memorable moments. For example the first time you pelt across the screen wearing your super-boots, your speeding sprite produced a smear effect across the screen. There's also a section where the door to the next stage lies beyond a deep lagoon; the only way across to the other side is to swing, Spider-Man-style, across the water using your electric rope. It's inventive touches like these that much of today's software lacks.

The trick in Super Metroid is to keep going. There comes a point where it seems that you've done everything and seen everything and there's apparently no way to complete the game. This is when less determined players tend to give up, with the result that they never get to appreciate the game's depth. But more dogged explorers know that there's something they've missed, and they go back and try again.... and again... and again... eventually, persistence pays off.

In fact persistence pays off rather too well, because despite the game's size a moderately resolute player will be able to finish Super Metroid in around 12 hours game time. And the three 'save game' settings thoughtfully provided by Nintendo certainly don't help in this respect. At 24 Mbits, the cartridge may be one of the biggest ever on the SNES, but your premature arrival at the game’s conclusion makes you wonder where all those megabits went to.

It's obvious that precious few of them were wasted on graphics, because Super Metroid is a long way from being one of the most aesthetically pleasing games ever to appear on the SNES. But although the visuals couldn't be described as mindblowing - in fact, some of the levels look downright dreary - they do their job. The sound is a little more stimulating, with some superb orchestrated tunes, but they do have a tendency to drone after a while.

Apart from Goeman 2, there has been very little in the way of quality software for Nintendo's 16bit machine lately. The days when you would plug in a SNES cartridge and be astonished by what you saw are obviously gone for ever, but there's still room for challenging, action packed titles with an engrossing environment in which the player can lose himself. And Super Metroid is just such a game.

Super Metroid will take your emotions on a rollercoaster ride of joy and pain: one moment you'll be throwing your head back in sheer ecstasy after defeating a boss in a battle of heroic proportions; the next minute you'll yourself furiously stabbing the reset button in complete frustration. Those who enjoyed the game will therefore have no complaints about the action, but many people will the SNES title's distinct lack of longevity a bit of a let­-down. [8]

Read our Time Extend of Super Metroid >