I was 13 years old when Super Metroid was released in the US. I had been saving my allowance for months so that I could buy it as soon as it hit the stores. The reviews and screenshots in Nintendo Power magazine were phenomenal, I just had to have it. It was an hour walk each way to the game store, but the way back seemed quicker because I was reading the game manual as I walked. When I finally got home and popped the cartridge into my Super Nintendo, I knew immediately that it was all worth it.
Fast forward 24 years and here I am again, firing up the Super Nintendo (emulator this time) to relive some of my fondest memories in video gaming. I hardly ever get a chance to game anymore, too busy working, studying and raising my kids. Yesterday I got the opportunity to sneak off into my office for some “me” time. I sat unsure in front of my laptop for a moment thinking about what to play, when out of nowhere memories of Super Metroid began filling my head. I don’t have a console anymore, didn’t even have an emulator yet, but within five minutes I was once again staring at the Super Metroid title screen.
The graphics and sound are just as I remember, excellent for its time. The background music is erie and futuristic, befitting the alien sci-fi setting. The textures are dark and muted, as a whole the game carries a tense foreboding, like that feeling you get when watching the movie Aliens. What makes this game stand out in my mind is the quality of gameplay. Every segment of landscape is perfectly crafted; the degree of control over your character, Samus, is extraordinary.
As a kid I remember playing this game from beginning to end in three hours, with an 82% completion rate, that is I found 82% of all the obtainable items throughout the game, without googling anything or watching youtube or whatever. I developed the muscle memory and timing to have absolute control of Samus’ movements, I memorized the attack patterns of every boss, I was badass.
Well, that was a long time ago, today I managed to get to the first real mini-boss fight before my young son found me. “Why do you keep dyeing all the time daddy?” he asked repeatedly. I tried to explain to him that daddy’s game is much harder than the little games he plays, and that in my game you can actually lose, I am not sure if he understood. I managed to beat that boss but had to stop playing, at this point my son was literally climbing on me, pointing at the screen.
I am now, once again, hooked on Super Metroid, I set my alarm for 5 AM tomorrow, that should give me a good two hours before anyone else wakes up. Wish me luck, if successful I may have a part 2 to this article, so stay tuned.
