Super Metroid

I was almost afraid to start playing Super Metroid. Having truly started my Metroid journey with two more modern remakes of the previous games, I didn't want another A Link to the Past situation on my hands. So many people hold this game in such high regard, but would archaic design tropes or cryptic objectives push me away from the same conclusion? Unfortunately, the answer to that was ultimately yes. My first attempt at Super Metroid was almost entirely walkthrough free, and I made it about halfway through before I just couldn't figure anything out anymore. I took a break for a few months, then came back to a fresh playthrough with a walkthrough this time. While that really detracted from the search action that defines games like this, I'm glad that I got the chance to play all of Super Metroid without losing my mind, or spending hours trying to figure out what to do next, and I generally had a good time doing it.

Despite it technically being the oldest game in the series that I have played thus far, it was abundantly clear to me how much Super Metroid improved on the games that preceded it. It shares the search action premise of the first two games, requiring thorough exploration and backtracking to find upgrades that allow you to explore deeper, but Super Metroid goes beyond with a pretty fundamental improvement. New weapons like the grapple beam and abilities like the speed booster are a given, but the new map system truly makes exploration better.

Now players can see where they've been, where save points, refill caches, and hidden items are, and where they have yet to explore. The latter requires you to find a map station in the respective subarea, and certain hidden locations still won't be displayed, but it generally does a good job of filling in the blanks. Unfortunately, I still had issues knowing where to go, since many rooms require you to destroy unmarked blocks with specific weapons, but rarely hint at that fact. That's ultimately what led me to use a walkthrough in the first place, which, while it does make progress feel far less rewarding, I recommend. One thing the walkthrough didn't detract from though is Super Metroid's excellent environmental storytelling.

From the very start, Super Metroid builds its narrative through music, set pieces, and enemy placement. Aside from the introduction, conclusion, and specific boss fights, there are no cutscenes or moments of exposition to carry the story forward, yet I still found it clear and impactful. In fact, the near-exclusive use of environmental storytelling made it feel like I was learning with Samus, which made the whole experience more immersive and engaging. Every new clue I discovered throughout the game felt special since I was the one finding them. The story was also incredibly rewarding after having played through the two preceding chapters of Samus's journey, as it references the events of the previous games while carrying them forward to a powerful conclusion.

While there were enough confusing and cryptic elements to give me a frustrating first impression, Super Metroid did enough with the storytelling to get me to come back and try again, and I'm so glad I did. While I wish I didn't need a walkthrough, I'm not ashamed to have used one, and I recommend that any player intimidated by games they want to play consider that a viable option. Walkthroughs aside though, Super Metroid is amazing, and it deserves its legendary status. The gameplay is exciting (when not obtuse), the story is engaging (more so if you are familiar with the events of the first two games), and frankly, it looks gorgeous. It may be far from my favorite Metroid experience, but I definitely still enjoyed it, and I'm more than ready to see what Fusion has in store for me next!

The game is available for Switch here (as of 5/16/23): https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/super-nintendo-entertainment-system-nintendo-switch-online-switch/