Super Metroid

⭐ 7.5/10

(Originally written by Joseph)

Because I am a video game connoisseur, I decided to break out this game that is as old as I am. Naturally this review has a lot of factors going into the score because if this game came out today and I played it as it was, it would totally suck. But alas I played it on Switch Online with unlimited save states, and referred to a walkthrough for nearly the whole thing, so it was actually quite enjoyable!

As an early 90s game, I can totally see why this became the game to literally invent a new genre. There is so much to love here. It's about a *woman* space bounty hunter who is like, tasked with going to a planet and saving the world or something. The music is terrific and really nails the sci-fi aesthetic. The fighting and platforming are pretty solid once you've figured it out. Like so many games try to emulate today, the story is subtle and atmospheric, getting more from your surroundings than dialogue or writing, having thus lonely, foreboding experience. And then the map is just a work of genius, intersecting and planned out so every time you come back it feels totally different. Hollow Knight has become one of my favorite games, and you can see so clearly that it borrows nearly everything from this game.

HOWEVER, there is still a ton of old game stuff that is not fun at all. The way forward is sometimes SO obtuse that my brain would have exploded if I didn't have the walkthrough. The rules seem inconsistent, or at least the big "discoveries" are never really hinted at in a clear enough way. You can run around trying every way forward, backtracking through the map 3 times before realizing you just have to shoot a block that looks exactly like every other block. That would be fine for unnecessary secrets, but often the way forward feels like something that's one in a million to discover.

So this game was not perfect, but again playing it this way was a ton of fun. It really made me miss Hollow Knight, and more made me look forward to the new Metroid game coming out in a week. I'm glad I played this because if nothing else, it gives you a cool history lesson in gaming. Shout out YouTuber Mysticinvasion for a very enjoyable walkthrough. In the words of Don Miller, sometimes you need to see someone else love something before you can love it yourself.