Super Metroid

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| label2 = DeveloperTemplate:Pluralize from text | data2 = Template:Unbulleted list

| label3 = PublisherTemplate:Pluralize from text | data3 = Nintendo

| label4 = DirectorTemplate:Pluralize from text | data4 = Yoshio Sakamoto

| label5 = ProducerTemplate:Pluralize from text | data5 = Makoto Kano

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| label7 = ProgrammerTemplate:Pluralize from text | data7 = Kenji Imai

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| label11 = Series | data11 = Metroid

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| label15 = GenreTemplate:Pluralize from text | data15 = Action-adventure

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Template:Nihongo footTemplate:Efn is a 1994 action-adventure game developed by Nintendo and Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). It is the third Metroid game, following the Game Boy game Metroid II: Return of Samus (1991). The player controls bounty hunter Samus Aran, who travels to planet Zebes to retrieve an infant Metroid creature stolen by the Space Pirate leader Ridley.

Following the established gameplay model of its predecessors, Super Metroid focuses on exploration, with the player searching for power-ups used to reach previously inaccessible areas. It introduced elements such as the inventory screen, an automap, and the ability to fire in 8 directions. The development staff from previous Metroid games—including Yoshio Sakamoto, Makoto Kano and Gunpei Yokoi—returned to develop Super Metroid over the course of two years. The developers wanted to make a true action game, and set the stage for Samus' reappearance.

Super Metroid received acclaim, with praise for its atmosphere, gameplay, music and graphics. It is often cited as one of the greatest video games of all time. The game sold well and shipped 1.42 million copies worldwide by late 2003. Alongside Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Super Metroid is credited for establishing the Metroidvania genre, inspiring numerous indie games and developers. Super Metroid was followed in 2002 by Metroid Fusion and Metroid Prime. It has been re-released on several Nintendo consoles and services.

Gameplay

A person in a powered exoskeleton uses a grappling beam to swing across.

Power-ups and abilities, such as the Grappling Beam, allow Samus to reach previously inaccessible areas. Her health, stock of weapons and a gridded mini-map are displayed on the top of the screen.

Super Metroid is a 2D side-scrolling action-adventure game,<ref name=np /><ref name="arstechnica-masterpiece">Template:Cite web</ref> which primarily takes place on the fictional planet Zebes from the original game—a large, open-ended world with areas connected by doors and elevators.<ref name="Super Metroid manual">Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Rp The player controls Samus Aran as she searches the planet for a Metroid that has been stolen by Ridley, the leader of the Space Pirates.<ref name="Super Metroid manual" />Template:Rp Samus can run, jump, crouch, and fire a weapon in eight directions; she can perform other actions, such as wall jumping—jumping from one wall to another in rapid succession to reach higher areas. The "Moon Walk" ability, named after the dance move of the same name, allows Samus to walk backwards while firing or charging her weapon.<ref name="Nintendo Player's Guide">Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Rp

Throughout the course of the game, the player can acquire power-ups that enhance Samus's armor and weaponry, as well as grant her special abilities, allowing them to gain access to areas that were previously inaccessible.<ref name="arstechnica-masterpiece" /> The Morph BallTemplate:Efn allows Samus to curl into a ball and roll into tight places; in this form, she can plant bombs once the Bomb power-up is acquired. The Spring Ball adds the ability to jump while in Morph Ball form.<ref name="Nintendo Player's Guide" />Template:Rp The Speed Booster can be used to run at high speeds and destroy barriers and enemies.<ref name="Gametrailers Retrospective Part 2">Template:Cite AV mediaTemplate:Cbignore</ref> The Hi-Jump Boots allow for a higher jump, and the Space Jump allows Samus to jump continuously in midair.<ref name="Super Metroid manual" />Template:Rp The Grapple Beam can be used to swing across open areas.<ref name="Gametrailers Retrospective Part 2" /> The X-ray Scope is used to see hidden items and passages.<ref name="Nintendo Player's Guide" />Template:Rp

The heads-up display shows Samus's health, the supply mode for Reserve Tanks, icons that represent weapons, and a map display showing her location and its surroundings.<ref name="Nintendo Player's Guide" />Template:Rp The inventory screen allows the player to enable and disable weapons and abilities. While the beam weapons can be combined, the Spazer and Plasma beams cannot be used simultaneously. At the game's end, Samus obtains the Hyper Beam, a powerful weapon generated by the energy given to her by the "super Metroid", the matured version of the larval creature that she seeks.<ref name="USGamer-7-Reasons">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="GI-Moments-HyperBeam">Template:Cite magazine</ref> The backup units called Reserve Tanks can be used automatically when Samus's health is depleted.<ref name="Super Metroid manual" />Template:Rp The automap helps the player navigate the different areas, and map computers in each area reveal unexplored areas.<ref name="Super Metroid manual" />Template:Rp To save their progress, the player must use save stations located around the planet.<ref name="Super Metroid manual" />Template:Rp Players can also save and recharge their health and ammunition at Samus's gunship.<ref name="Super Metroid manual" />Template:Rp

Super Metroid has three endings based on the time taken to complete it, which determine whether Samus poses with or without her suit. The best ending is achieved when the game is completed under three hours.<ref name="Nintendo Player's Guide" />Template:Rp If the player rescues the Dachora and the Etecoons, friendly creatures encountered by Samus, they are shown leaving the planet in the distance.<ref name="Nintendo Player's Guide" />Template:Rp

Plot

Template:Metroid chronology Samus Aran brings the last Metroid to the Ceres space colony for scientific study. Investigation of the specimen, a larva, reveals that its energy-producing abilities could be harnessed for the good of civilization. Shortly after leaving, Samus receives a distress call alerting her to return to the colony immediately. She finds the scientists dead, and the Metroid larva stolen by Ridley, leader of the Space Pirates. Samus escapes during a self-destruct sequence and follows Ridley to the planet Zebes.<ref name="SuperMetroidOpening">Template:Cite web</ref> She searches the planet for the Metroid and finds that the Pirates have rebuilt their base there.<ref name="Super Metroid manual" />Template:Rp

After defeating four bosses including Ridley in various regions of Zebes, Samus enters Tourian,<ref name="Nintendo Player's Guide" />Template:Rp the heart of the Pirates' base, and fights several Metroids that have reproduced. A Metroid that has grown to enormous size attacks and nearly destroys Samus, but relents at the last moment. It is the larva that was stolen from Ceres; because Samus was present at its hatching on SR388, the Metroid has imprinted on Samus, recognizing her as its "mother".<ref name="Nintendo Player's Guide" />Template:Rp<ref name="USGamer-7-Reasons" /><ref name="gamasutra">Template:Cite web</ref>

Samus fights Mother Brain, a biomechanical creature that controls the Zebes systems. Mother Brain overpowers Samus, but the Metroid intervenes, crippling Mother Brain and healing Samus. Mother Brain rises again and kills the Metroid, but upon death, the Metroid gives Samus the Hyper Beam, a powerful weapon strong enough to kill Mother Brain. Samus escapes Zebes as it self-destructs.<ref name="Nintendo Player's Guide" />Template:Rp

Development

Yoshio Sakamoto, the director and writer of Super Metroid, at the 2010 Game Developers Conference

Super Metroid was developed by Nintendo R&D1<ref name="gs-essentials">Template:Cite web</ref> with a staff of 15 managed by Gunpei Yokoi. It was written and directed by Yoshio Sakamoto, and produced by Makoto Kano.<ref name="jpint">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="gp-samus">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name=gr-history>Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Rp Intelligent Systems, who co-developed the original Metroid with R&D1, handled the programming.<ref name="Elegance">Template:Cite web</ref> The opening was narrated by Dan Owsen, a Nintendo of America employee.<ref name="jpint" /><ref name="MDb-Owsen">Template:Cite interview</ref>

Super Metroid was released almost a decade after the original Metroid. Sakamoto said: "We wanted to wait until a true action game was needed. [...] And also to set the stage for the reappearance of Samus Aran".<ref name="gp-samus" /> It took half a year for Nintendo to approve the project, and two further years to develop.<ref name="gp-samus" />

The developers' primary goal was to make a "good action game". It is the first Metroid game to let Samus fire in all directions while moving.<ref name="gp-samus" /> It is among the first open world games with a map feature, which shows the outlines of rooms and indicates important locations and items.<ref name="gs-essentials" /> The team wanted to create a large map, but found it difficult to organize the amount of graphic data involved, and so broke it into smaller parts. Areas from previous Metroid games were included to create a sense of familiarity.<ref name="gp-samus" />

Shortly before the game's release, the North American Entertainment Software Rating Board, a self-regulating organization, was formed in response to the increasing violence in games such as Mortal Kombat (1992).<ref name="gspot-controversy">Template:Cite web</ref> Asked whether he thought the controversy would cause a backlash for Super Metroid, Sakamoto explained that Samus's purpose is to maintain peace in the galaxy, saying: "It's not violence for the sake of violence".<ref name="gp-samus" /> The game was demonstrated at the Winter 1994 Consumer Electronics Show, and was named the best Super NES game at the show by GamePro.<ref name="GPro57">Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Audio

The music was composed by Kenji Yamamoto and Minako Hamano,<ref name="jpint" /><ref name=gr-history />Template:Rp<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and uses 16-bit versions of music from previous games.<ref name=gp-samus /> The Super NES's sound hardware allowed the playback of samples simultaneously on eight channels, as opposed to three PSG channels and one noise channel of the NES. Yamamoto decided that rich and expressive sounds, such as a female chorus, would be required to portray the setting realistically.<ref name="snesclassicmini_interview">Template:Cite interview</ref> He composed the main theme by humming while riding his motorcycle from work.<ref name="snesclassicmini_interview" /><ref name="M4G-MP3">Template:Cite web</ref>

Yamamoto also served as a sound programmer,<ref name="M4G-MP3" /> and wrote a program that sends sound data to the audio chip.<ref name="snesclassicmini_interview" /> He also created sound effects,<ref name="M4G-MP3" /> including those created for an infant Metroid to convey different emotions.<ref name="snesclassicmini_interview" /> The simultaneous roles as a composer, a sound programmer and a sound effect creator gave Yamamoto ideas to produce a distinct Metroid soundtrack "with a sound programmer's ear, with a sound effect creator's ear, and with the approach methodology and theory of a composer". The arrangements and remixes of the game's themes were used in Metroid Prime and its sequels, because Yamamoto wanted to satisfy old Metroid fans, describing it as a "present" for them.<ref name="M4G-MP3" />

A soundtrack album, Super Metroid: Sound in Action, was published by Sony Records on June 22, 1994. It contains 38 tracks and has a running time of 58:49. It includes the original Metroid soundtrack by Hirokazu Tanaka, and additional tracks arranged by Yoshiyuki Ito and Masumi Ito.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Release

The game was released by Nintendo in Japan on March 19, 1994,<ref name="Famitsu-SM">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name=release>Template:Cite web</ref> in North America on April 18,<ref name=release /> and in Europe on July 28.<ref name=release /> It was distributed on a 24-megabit cartridge.<ref name="SeattleTimes">Template:Cite web</ref> It was re-released through the Nintendo Power service in Japan on September 30, 1997.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Super Metroid became available as a Wii Virtual Console game in North America on August 20, 2007,<ref name="NWR-VC-recommendations">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> in Japan on September 20,<ref name="Famitsu-SM" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and in Europe on October 12.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, it is one of the trial games available in the "Masterpieces" section, which uses Virtual Console technology to emulate older hardware and have time constraints.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The game was released on the Wii U Virtual Console in May 2013, initially available during the trial campaign for a cheaper price before reverting to its regular price the next month.<ref name="NinLifeWiiU">Template:Cite web</ref> The New Nintendo 3DS-specific Virtual Console also received the release in April 2016.<ref name="Polygon N3DS VC">Template:Cite news</ref> In September 2017, Nintendo released the Super NES Classic Edition, which included Super Metroid among its games.<ref name="usgamer_snesmini">Template:Cite web</ref> Super Metroid and other Super NES games were added to the Nintendo Classics service in September 2019.<ref name="snes-switch">Template:Cite web</ref>

Reception

Template:Video game reviews Super Metroid received highly positive reviews,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> being one of the highest rated games on review aggregator website GameRankings.<ref name=gamerankings /> Famitsu reviewers complimented the game comparing it to the Legend of Zelda series for its quality in exploration and that the difficulty was just right.<ref name="famitsu-rev-1994" /> Chris Slate of the Game Players video game magazine thoroughly enjoyed Super Metroid, claiming that it "easily lives up to everyone's high expectations". He was satisfied with how Nintendo mixed "smooth", "complex" gameplay, with "state-of-the-art" graphics and sound. Slate found the newly added auto-mapping feature something that the player really needed, saying that it was the only feature in Super Metroid that the original Metroid should have had. Slate said that action fans will not miss Super Metroid, but also remarked that due to the large space available to explore and numerous secrets, the player will have to play through several times even after they have beaten it.<ref name=gp-review>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Nintendo Power mentioned that the game "may well be the best action adventure game ever", calling it the "wave of the future", and they praised the game's graphics, sound, and controls.<ref name=np>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Electronic Gaming Monthly gave Super Metroid their "Game of the Month" award, comparing it favorably to the original Metroid and applauding the graphics, the many weapons and items available, and the music. Each of the four reviewers gave it scores of nine out of ten.<ref name="EGM60"/> GamePro criticized the controls as often awkward or difficult and said that many of the power-ups are either lifted from other Super NES games or simple upgrades of other power-ups in the game, but praised the game's massive size along with the auto-mapping feature.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Andy Robinson of GamesRadar was pleased with the game's "phenomenal" soundtrack, complimenting it as "one of the best videogame scores of all time".<ref name="Robinson-2007">Template:Cite web</ref>

Super Play critic Zy Nicholson said that Super Metroid is "more of an experience than a game", likening it to watching a late-night movie due to the cinematic structure and atmospheric graphics and sounds. He found the game so compulsive that he was tempted to play "without eating or sleeping". Super Play critic Tony Mott cited the atmosphere as its best aspect, and described it as a mixture of Aliens, Turrican, Exile, and Nodes of Yesod. Mott applauded the refined controls, and called Super Metroid "undoubtedly the best game I've played this year so far" and "a game destined for classic status". James Leach agreed with Nicholson and Mott that Super Metroid was what Mega Man X should have been, containing "everything I look for: playability, hidden tricks, powerful weapons and steamingly evil baddies". All three reviewers in their verdict called Super Metroid one of the best games for SNES platform.<ref name=sp>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Edge criticized the graphics and short length, but praised Super Metroid as "intensely playable" and "full of memorable moments".<ref name=EdgeRev>Template:Cite magazine</ref> IGN called Super MetroidTemplate:'s Virtual Console version a "must-own", commenting that although the game was released nine months after the Wii launched, they felt that it was worth the wait. For the player who had never played Super Metroid, IGN claims that they owe themselves as gamers to "finally find out about what you've been missing all these years".<ref name=ign>Template:Cite web</ref> In his review for GameSpot, Frank Provo found it "absolutely astonishing that Nintendo let 13 years go by before making Super Metroid readily available again", but considered the most important thing was that the player "can now play this masterpiece without having to track down the original Super Nintendo Entertainment System cartridge or fumble with legally questionable emulators". Despite admitting that the Virtual Console version was essentially "nothing more than a no-frills, emulated version of a 13-year-old SNES game" that was no longer cutting-edge, he was still pleased with it and reiterated his belief that Super Metroid is "one of the best 2D action adventure games ever produced".<ref name=gamespot>Template:Cite web</ref>

Sales

In Japan, Super Metroid was the ninth-best-selling video game of 1994, with 531,000 copies sold that year.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In North America, despite receiving critical acclaim, Rus McLaughlin of IGN said that Super Metroid arrived at a time when the lifecycle of SNES platform was coming to an end.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Robinson similarly noted that, in a series tradition, the game was released at wrong place and time.<ref name="Robinson-2007" /> With the help of strong marketing from Nintendo, Super Metroid sold well in North America,<ref name=gr-history /> topping the Super NES sales chart in May 1994.<ref name="EGMJul1994">Template:Cite magazine</ref> A year after its release, Nintendo placed it on their Player's Choice marketing label.<ref name="NWR-VC-recommendations" /> By late 2003, the game had shipped 1.42 million copies worldwide.<ref name="whitepaper">Template:Cite report</ref>

Accolades

Super Metroid received several awards and honors. Electronic Gaming Monthly named Super Metroid a Game of the Month for May 1994, gave it an Editors' Choice award,<ref name="EGM60"/> awarded it as the Best Action Game of 1994,<ref name="egmbuyersguide1995">Template:Cite magazine</ref> and named it the best game of all time in 2003.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>Template:Efn IGN ranked Super Metroid 3rd (2003), 10th (2005) and 7th (2007) in its top 100 games of all time lists.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Likewise, IGN readers ranked the game 11th in its top 99 games of all-time list in 2005,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and 4th in its top 100 games in 2006.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Richard George of IGN also ranked Super Metroid 3rd in its top 100 SNES games, crediting its "flawless action, impeccable level design, out-of-this-world atmosphere, a totally badass heroine and an enormous overworld to explore".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> GamesRadar named Super Metroid the best SNES game of all time,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> while Nintendo Power named it the best game in the Metroid series, beating out Metroid Prime and Metroid: Zero Mission.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> GamePro listed Super Metroid as one of the fifteen must-play retro games on the Wii.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Game Informer placed the game 29th on their top 100 games of all time in 2001.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In 2018, Complex listed the game 3rd on their "The Best Super Nintendo Games of All Time". They opined that Super Metroid is "tour de force from Nintendo" and described the gameplay as perfect.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1995, Total! rated the game 17th on its "Top 100 SNES Games" list.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> In 1995, Flux listed Super Metroid 62nd in their "Top 100 Video Games" list. They praised the game for its challenging gameplay and haunting atmosphere, although they felt that it is too similar to its predecessor.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Legacy

Super Metroid is often regarded as one of the greatest video games of all time.<ref name="Gametrailers Retrospective Part 2" /><ref name=gr-history /><ref name="ign-history">Template:Cite web</ref> Jeremy Parish of USgamer wrote that Super Metroid is a "game you can return to time and again and always come away with some fresh insight or observation".<ref name="USGamer-7-Reasons" /> Chris Hoffman of Nintendo Power wrote that Super Metroid is "truly one of the best", noting that the game "set a new standard for side-scrolling adventure games."<ref name="NintendoPower2007">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Andrew Webster of Ars Technica found the game's atmosphere impressive, and noted that the developers had perfected the aspect on solitude, a concept introduced in the first Metroid game.<ref name="arstechnica-masterpiece" /> Game Informer writer Joe Juba cited the game's ending as "one of the most memorable and empowering moments in gaming history".<ref name="GI-Moments-HyperBeam" /> In 2009, Official Nintendo Magazine called the game "challenging, deep and undeniably epic", placing it 24th on a list of the greatest Nintendo games.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

As Super Metroid gives the player awards based on how long it took them to complete the game, and because its open-ended structure lends well to sequence breaking, it has become a popular choice for speedrunning, a style of play in which the player intends to complete the game as quickly as possible.<ref name=gr-history /><ref name="ign-history"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Super Metroid, alongside Konami's 1997 game Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, is also credited for establishing the "Metroidvania" genre.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> It was cited as an influence on other Metroidvania games, including Shadow Complex<ref>Template:Cite interview</ref> and Axiom Verge.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Several ROM hacks were released by fans, which add new features.<ref name="Gamasutra SM ROM Hacking page 4">Template:Cite web</ref> Super Metroid: Redesign, created by "drewseph" in 2006, features new items, expanded areas and modified physics.<ref name="Gamasutra SM ROM Hacking page 4" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2011, a Japanese hacker named "SB" released, Metroid: Super Zero Mission, which intends to combine elements from Super Metroid and Metroid: Zero Mission.<ref name="Gamasutra SM ROM Hacking page 4" /> Later hacks, such as Hyper Metroid by "RealRed" and Super Junkoid by "P. Yoshi", add altered game mechanics, graphics and new stories.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Sequels

Nintendo did not release another Metroid game for eight years, as the series had not matched the success of the Mario and Legend of Zelda franchises.<ref name=gr-history /> Yokoi left Nintendo in August 1996, amid the failure of the Virtual Boy, and died in a car accident in October 1997.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Fans eagerly awaited a Metroid game for the Nintendo 64 (N64).<ref name="ign-history"/> According to Nintendo producer Shigeru Miyamoto, Nintendo did not develop a Metroid game for the N64 as they "couldn't come out with any concrete ideas".<ref name="roundtable">Template:Cite web</ref> Sakamoto said he could not imagine how the N64 controller could be used to control Samus. Nintendo approached another company to make an N64 Metroid, but the offer was declined because the developers thought they could not make a game to equal Super Metroid.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In late 2002, Nintendo released Metroid Fusion, a 2D sequel developed for the Game Boy Advance by Nintendo R&D1,<ref name="ign-history" /><ref name="ign-handson">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="NWR-MF-Hands-on">Template:Cite web</ref> and Metroid Prime, a first-person game developed for the GameCube by American developer Retro Studios, and the first Metroid game to use 3D graphics.<ref name="ign-history" /><ref name=road>Template:Cite web</ref> Both Fusion and Prime garnered acclaim,<ref name=gr-history /> with Prime winning several Game of the Year awards.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Metroid Prime received three spin-offs, 2009 compilation Metroid Prime: Trilogy, containing Prime, its 2004 sequel Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, and 2007 Wii sequel Metroid Prime 3: Corruption,<ref name=gr-history /><ref name="ign-history" /> and an upcoming fourth sequel.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2010, Metroid: Other M was released, taking place between Super Metroid and Fusion.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

After a long development period, a fifth 2D game and sequel to Fusion, Metroid Dread, was released in 2021 for the Nintendo Switch to critical acclaim and developed by Metroid: Samus Returns developer MercurySteam.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

External links

• Official Nintendo Japan Super Metroid website Template:In lang
• Template:MobyGames