Metroid 3: Super Metroid on the SNES

[chronodev]

We've posted a review on Super Metroid for the SNES in our articles section.

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Intro

Samus Aran quickly went from quiet protagonist of unknown gender to one of the most recognized video game characters in an incredibly short period of time. Many people were thrown off by her being revealed to be a girl, but that was mostly surprise factor. After the NES, she appeared on the Gameboy then here on the SNES. Easily one of my favorite entries in the series, this game deserves mention.

Story

At the end of Metroid 2: The Return of Samus, after Samus killed defeated the Queen Metroid, she encountered an egg that quickly hatched into a Baby Metroid. The Metroid seemed to think Samus was its mother actually. Samus turns the Baby Metroid over to the Federation for study. No sooner does she leave the station does it get attacked. Space Pirates are the culprit, lead by Ridley, who confronts Samus and steals the Metroid hatchling. Giving chase Samus finds herself back on the "dead" world of Zebes. There she finds out Mother Brain has been revived and is behind the plot to replicate the Metroids.

Gameplay

This game offered a lot of things that none of the Metroid games could. It was the first to include multiple items chosen using Select The inclusion of these items made for better item hunting, making it easier to locate various items that could have been very hard to find otherwise. It also was the first game to feature the Speed Booster, giving Samus her now signature Spark-Shine (though it drained Energy to use it in this game alone). This ability allowed for some very tricky placement of items. It also added in the Super Missile and Power Bomb to the inventory as well as the Gravity Suit, X-ray Visor, Charge Beam and many other now staple features of the Metroid series.

Samus also picked up a few new tricks, such as the Wall-jump and the Power Bomb healing method. The Wall-jump is tricky to pull off, but an essential trick for many areas before acquiring the Space-Jump much later in the game. As you jump against a wall in a somersault jump, press away from the wall. Samus will briefly take a different pose, as those she were bracing against the wall. Hit the jump button in this small time frame to launch Samus off the wall, propelling her higher. The second trick is much harder to execute as there are a great number of requirements that need to be met to use at all. Still, if in a pinch for energy without the Sub-tanks (unique to this game alone), it’s wonderful to restore some health when far away from any recharge stations. It also introduced aiming at an angle, something the series sorely needed.

Read the full review here:
Metroid 3: Super Metroid on the SNES

[kangaroo]

Very good game