Super Metroid Retrospective and Metroidvania games

[CAPCOM]

So I have been getting into Metroidvania games lately during the pandemic era.

One of the classics from the 16-bit SNES era along with Chrono Trigger that I never got around to playing or purchasing was Super Metroid. Maybe the giant box scared me off. It seems almost criminal as it was so highly rated and still recall the 92% it received in Super Play way back in 1994.

Having now just completed it via emulation it was a rather nice experience, what I am wondering however is what it was actually like 25 years ago for those of you who experienced it on its release?

I also went through Zero Missions and am now nearly through Fusion from the GBA these were also enjoyable.

Having done some research as well there was a Castlevania Android-only game released in Canada over the last twelve months called Castlevania Grimoire of Souls that appears to be getting shut down in September that looked interesting but I struggled to bypass the region locks on the play store via Android emulation.

Plus I see Symphony is available for less than the cost of a milkshake these days, another game I need to get around to complete for the first time. Plus moving onto the full catalog of GBAvania games after that in sequence.

It is actually quite nice to have missed some of the big games of the past as these are like sunken treasures waiting to be discovered.

So let's talk Super Metroid and Metroidvania games of the past.

[hudson]

Super Metroid is one of my most favourite games. Top 5 easy. I too didn't fancy it when seeing it on the shelf back then, but then I played it at a friends house. When I understood what was going on in terms of the back tracking, I started itching to leave my friends to get my own. Bosses being two screens tall. Mystery caverns of past unknowns. The atmosphere is just brilliant. Right from the eerie title screen where people lie dead on the ground and its almost Aliens-esque music that accompanies. The sense of panic that the music can throw at you too. Then the sense of safety when you hit a secret room with a new item. This is a classic. I'm going to play it again on my Switch.

EDIT: I'm not sure I agree with the guy (is it you?) in the video about the game being a 'meh' game experience, but a great speed run game. I like to chill and play it. Couldn't think of nothing worse than trying to beat it fast Although, I understand that it is probably a part of the game as it gives you your completion time at the end.

[CAPCOM]

I'm not sure I agree with the guy (is it you?) in the video about the game being a 'meh' game experience, but a great speed run game.

God no it is not me!

Having just completed it this week, I really enjoyed it as it was my first true big-screen Metroidvania having only played Symphony of the Night on the PSP Collection previously briefly, getting stuck early then never returning. I see a trend developing with these games and myself. Now with video walkthroughs, it is a little easier to navigate pinch points and bottlenecks if having issues.

I know there has been a bit of a renaissance in the genre this last dating that goes back to Shadow Complex and then a lot of independent flavored games and then the recent Bloodstained and the NES homage Curse of the moon plus its recent sequel.

Another game that feels Metroidesque is Ecco the Dolphin. I was doing some research on its Mega CD version and the sequel and I see a kickstarter failed in 2013 to reboot it as the Big Blue. Then there was a legal wrangle surrounding the rights and SEGA that Ed Annunziata won plus now there is talk of a Nintendo Switch reimagining.

What was surprising to me was it was a Hungarian studio that produced the original Ecco way back in the 1990s that moved to the States. So that must be one of the first Eastern European Development Studios I can think of timing it right around the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Here is a Top 14 list many of which I had never heard of.

https://www.ign.com/articles/2018/11/24/14-best-modern-metroidvania-games

Plus many of these I was actually aware of, I still need to play that new version of Strider.

https://www.funstockretro.co.uk/news/the-top-10-metroidvania-games/

Axiom verge looks pretty fun too you may as well just replace the sprite with Ridley.

[Leon Retro]

I remember when Super Metroid arrived in import shops and people were saying it's a must-have game that everyone needs to play. I don't think it was a very hyped game leading up to its release, so it surprised a lot of people with how great it is. When I got my hands on a copy, it blew me away with its crisp graphics and eerie atmosphere. The whole design of the game oozed quality. It stands the test of time perfectly, so is easily one of the top tier 16-bit games that has a lot to offer.

[hudson]

Oh my, I've just discovered the the world of Metroid hacks!

I will look through this site for the best ones.
MetroidConstruction

[dataDave]

I completely skipped by it when I was a kid. I'm surprised I did because at the time it would have been right up my boulevard. Thinking back I don't remember it getting much coverage in the magazines at the time.

I never even bothered with a rental.

I didn't really get absorbed by Metroid until Prime on the GameCube, followed by Fusion on the GBA. I've since played through Super twice however I just can't bring myself to love it as much as some. To directly compare I only played SotN for the first time just before Christmas 2009 and that went straight into my top 20 list of all-time favourite games.

Maybe I can try a different approach and attempt some speed-running.

[CAPCOM]

Sounds like a similar experience to my own Dave. Prime on the Cube was my first Mertroid game, and was easily the best title on the system overall, especially for atmosphere and world-building, probably since Ocarina of Time.

Just what have Retro been up to these last years...

Super Metroid did slip under the radar, I just think because of the NES's low success rate in the UK Metroid was held in such high regard in the UK as say Super Mario, or Zelda that came to move beyond defining the brand. It was also more adult-orientated to a degree based on Geiger and Aliens as influence plus being slightly more difficult to get into.

I would rate it as a great game I just do not have the same connection with as other titles like Mario World, Link to the Past, UN Squadron, or Secret of Mana that I played during the console's initial release.

A real Super Metroid sequel in scope and length in glorious HD would be a treat for many I am sure though...

Some of the artwork produced for this series is mind-blowingly good however, especially the official concept sketches for Prime and Fusion.

[Golgo]

I also came to Super Metroid late (via Wii VC and Zero Mission on GBA) and found it overall just too easy a game to enjoy (the bosses especially). The environments also felt very samey to me. Metroid Fusion is my fave Metroid as it's varied in terms of environment/enemies and proper challenging, although it is too linear to be called a proper Metroidvania. Personally, though, I think some of the latterday derivatives of the 'Metroidvania' formula are better than Super Metroid ever was. Axiom Verge and Cave Story are superb and quite miraculous for one-man jobs, and so is Guacamelee.

[hudson]

True and yeah maybe a bit of rose tinties. Axiom Verge really does feel like a great homage to Super Metroid. The music, weapons etc. Like you say a done by a single guy. Just unbelievable.

I missed out on the original Metroid, so Super was my first real insight to the formula. I think this is probably where the formula was perfected though.

If I had one complaint or quality of life change, it would be for the item dot on the map to either change or disappear once you have collected the item. I mean it's a teeny issue, mind.

Symphony of the Night is also in my top five. They aren't the hardest games apart from the odd boss fight, but I really think the game is about exploration and behaving like some kind crazy detailed games tester trying to bomb every nook and cranny. Excellent world design.

[dataDave]

This 'Hardtype' SotN mod gets a lot of praise. It rebalances a lot of the 'broken' and overpowered aspects of the game.

http://ngplus.net/InsaneDifficultyArchive/www.insanedifficulty.com/board/indexeefe.html?/files/file/80-castlevania-symphony-of-the-night-hardtype/

I'm about to burn it to CD-R and give it a whirl.

[phillv85]

I’ve never played Super Metroid, but there’s a Super Famicom cart somewhere at sea now that will be in my possession in another month or so. I’m looking forward to finally giving it a try.

[Mayhem]

I played the original NES Metroid and didn't particularly like it, for reasons looking back I accept how my game tastes were but also some of the stuff that would still infuriate gamers today. As a result despite the excellent reviews I passed on Super Metroid. Until.. right before Metroid Prime was going to launch on the Cube. So I grabbed a cheap complete copy of Super Metroid, played it... and absolutely loved it. Night and day between that and the NES original. Then I completely sunk my life into Metroid Prime to complete it, despite the sodding Omega Pirate.

So I would probably rate Super Metroid as one of my top five SNES titles.