March 19, 1994: the 16-bit console wars are still raging, the gaming public awaits with bated breath for the release of next-generation hardware, and in just six days a then little-known company will release the first entry in the Elder Scrolls Series. It was at this time that Nintendo would release one of the most celebrated, acclaimed, and influential games of all time. Super Metroid was a monumental triumph of interactive art, a game that achieved new heights in presentation, level design, and pacing, and despite a few flaws, manages to hold up astoundingly well to this day. Super Metroid’s impact and legacy can still be felt today with the game becoming the mother of an entire genre. For this game’s 30th anniversary, let’s take a look back at just what this game did so well and why it is rightfully remembered as a masterpiece that changed the face of the industry.
Presentation makes the experience
“The last Metroid is in captivity, the galaxy is at peace.” These are the words to one of the most iconic openings to ever appear in a video game. The combination of an eerie song and the sight of bodies littering the floor of Ceres station on the title screen creates an incredible first impression and sets the tone for the experience to follow. Super Metroid is a game that excels in its presentation, particularly in its use of atmosphere to immerse and ground the player in its world. Much of this is achieved by the game’s fantastic soundtrack, every musical track perfectly compliments the scene where it is used whether it is to highlight mystery, emphasize action, or create a sense of place. This is perfectly matched with excellent sprite work and backgrounds that bring each location to life. Each location looks and feels distinct and as part of a cohesive whole. It all combines into an overall aesthetic that creates the impression of delving ever deeper into an alien world filled with horrors and wonders alike.
Super Metroid also excels in its use of non-verbal storytelling. With the exception of a short recap at the beginning, there is not a single word of spoken dialog throughout the entire game. The narrative is conveyed entirely through the use of environmental storytelling, and a few scripted events which rarely if ever take away control from the player. Doing this allows the player to feel a greater connection to the narrative while not needing to bog the player down with long-winded exposition. While Super Metroid’s story is hardly a masterpiece, it still manages to be more emotionally resonant and memorable than that of most games released today.
The birth of a truly exciting genre
While earlier games had experimented with maze-like non-linear levels, Super Metroid refined this style to a degree that games today still struggle to match. It’s a masterpiece in level design that you rarely see in games. It starts off by easing players in with a series of fairly linear environment progression that slowly opens up over time. Points of no return in the early game ensure that the player doesn’t get overwhelmed with how much there is to explore while subtly and wordlessly teaching them how to interact with the world and make the most out of their abilities. Exploring every nook and cranny almost always leads to a reward. Every new ability and weapon found opens up new portions of the map for exploration, creating the feeling of the game’s world unfolding before the player’s eyes.
Eventually, the game takes the training wheels off and opens up much of the map, leading to the discovery that the map loops in on itself and that multiple passageways exist for each of the game’s major locations; encouraging players to revisit old areas with new power-ups. In spite of this freedom, the clever use of signposting means that players rarely get disoriented or truly lost. The game does all of this without the player being aware that they are being guided. Every room serves a purpose with nothing feeling like it is filler or that it should be cut.
All of this would be utterly meaningless without Super Metroid’s rock-solid core gameplay. Samus handles like a dream with each new power-up only adding to her mobility and the ways that she can dole out death. She feels like a walking Swiss army knife, ready and able to deal with any possible problem that she might encounter by the end of the game. Movement is smooth as butter and combat feels crunchy and impactful. One thing that raises Super Metroid’s skill ceiling is the addition of advanced moves. Some of these are required such as shine sparking and wall jumping, but others have to be discovered such as the crystal flash and moonwalking. Each of these abilities further expands Samus’ capabilities and the game encourages you to make creative use of them. While it is easy enough to get through the game only using Samus’ basic moves, a truly skilled player can use them to completely break the game and blast through lengthy and challenging sections as if they were nothing. Super Metroid manages to achieve the oft-aspired game design objective of “easy to learn but difficult to master.”
30 years later, we still feel Super Metroid’s presence
The influence that Super Metroid would have on the gaming industry would not be apparent until a number of years after its release. It, along with Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, would form the basis for the Metroidvania genre. Once a niche category of side-scrolling action-adventure, Metroidvanias would grow into one of the gaming industry’s preeminent genres. The indie scene in particular has held onto these games, but it managed to make a comeback in AAA circles as well. Since its release, dozens of games have taken influence from this landmark title, but few are able to match the excellence of this 30-year-old title. The game is frequently cited as one of the greatest games of all time, being featured on countless top games lists
Super Metroid is a truly timeless masterpiece. I played it for the first time on the Wii’s Virtual Console in 2007 and was utterly blown away. It quickly became one of my all-time favorite games, and despite having played through it well over a dozen times in the years since, I have never grown tired of it. I am not the only one who loves this game. After 30 years it is still widely lauded, and continues to influence games today, a testament to its enduring legacy.
