![]() ![]() Super Metroid's enjoyed over 13 years of replayability now because you can challenge yourself to try to complete the game without collecting all of the optional upgrades, or to complete the game as quickly as possible, or both at the same time. There are six different regions of Zebes to discover, most of them requiring you to collect some new beam or method of mobility to access – but many of Samus' power-ups are optional. That you get to slowly build up Aran's abilities over time, here, makes you feel much more engaged. ![]() At the time of Super Metroid's release, the majority of video games still offered heroes whose powers were set in Stage 1 and didn't change all the way through the ending credits. You'll further collect Super-powered missiles and megaton-exploding Power Bombs, the velocity-fueling Speed Booster, the Mega Man-esque Charge Beam and more – by the end of the adventure, Samus' Power Suit will be overflowing with upgrades and new armaments, and that's a great boost to the satisfaction factor of the Metroid experience. What sets Super apart is that, after introducing all the established staples, it just keeps going. but the first Metroid did all that before. Then getting the Ice Beam lets you freeze foes and use them as platforms. Then getting the Missiles allows you to open red doors. Getting the Morph Ball lets you fit Samus through tight spaces in the form of a rolled-up ball. It's the design formula that Super Metroid perfected, and so many other games have since copied – giving you a fully interconnected, explorable world to experience, but letting you only access it a bit at a time. And it's there again – the first power-up in a chain of collectibles you'll acquire, each of which opens more and more area to explore, and each of which gives Samus some new ability. Samus' exploration begins with revisiting abandoned areas at first familiar from the original NES adventure, like the site of her final battle with Mother Brain and the corridor where she first claimed the Morph Ball. You're isolated in this world, with no outside assistance, and no help but what you find hidden in the halls. Soon enough, of course, Zebes comes to life with alien foes, traps and interactive environments – but the scene has been set. It's just you, your ship, and a vacant set of rooms and shafts. After playing through the game's prologue battle and flight from a self-destructing space station, you'll find yourself landing in the rain on the surface of Zebes. But it was this game, Super Metroid, that pulled together all of the series' previously established elements, embellished them, and polished the experience of exploration, retraversal and power-up acquisition into a true masterpiece of game design. Metroid II, from the Game Boy, elaborated on the story. The original Metroid established the setting and feel. ![]() Super Metroid is the third installment of the Metroid series, a legendary SNES action/adventure title that puts players once again into the role of bounty hunter Samus Aran, and once again into the mazelike corridors of Planet Zebes – but it feels like it's for the first time. A distress call, an exploration of an abandoned research facility and an encounter with an old and unexpected enemy draw her back into the saga of the Metroids, and back to the site of her first ever encounter with them. Samus Aran, having successfully completed her latest mission, sets off to find a new bounty to hunt – but she doesn't get far. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |