Super Metroid
(Screenshot Maps at bottom of page)

I find it difficult to remember how I felt when I first got this game 9 years ago. There are many parts that stick out in my mind. When playing through Super Metroid again I remember how the graphics were the first thing to catch my attention. Samus is much larger than her NES incarnation, backgrounds move slower than foregrounds show depth, and the falling rain when you first land on Crateria added to the overall environment. A big addition in SM is the map-screen, which highlights where you have been. Map rooms are located throughout the game where you download the basic map for each section of the game. These maps only show the places you need to see to complete the game; you'll need to find all the secret areas on your own. Thankfully the addition of the X-ray scope item allows you to see through walls replacing the "place a bomb everywhere" method of looking for things in the original Metroid.

The play control was another thing that really stood out in my mind even at the beginning. The upgrade from the 4-button NES controller to the 8-button SNES controller gave so many more options than shoot and jump; the ability to point your gun at an angle, the dash button, and later in the game the many other abilities that you learn simply accentuate the gameplay.

The beginning of Super Metroid was the coolest moment for me. Specifically after going through a particular door I was confronted with a familiar area that you should remember if you played through the first Metroid. I remember thinking it how neat it was that the creators worked some of the old Metroid into the new game. New items around every corner added to the excitement. Getting the Speed Booster for the first time, the Gravity Suit was cool, the Space Jump, Grappling Beam, Power Bombs, when you see the Metroid…I could go on and on.

Throughout Super Metroid you are constantly finding new items that allow you to continue on to previously inaccessible areas. The amount of time and energy spent on the level design of SM is astounding. You are not meant to progress through certain areas unless you have certain items. The creators did a great job of keeping you in one area until you have accomplished a certain task or obtained a particular item that makes new areas "magically" available.

Super Metroid presents the player with a vastly superior game to the original and challenges the gamer to explore every nook and cranny in an attempt to find 100% of all the items. This is the type of game that can be played over and over again without getting old. There always seem to be new challenges and elusive items to find. Even when you finally get 100% of all the items you'll want to play it again.

Super Metroid Screenshot Maps

I have moved the maps to a new location
Click here to go to screenshotmaps.com