Super Metroid

Download Super Metroid and join Samus Aran on an epic adventure through the depths of Planet Zebes! Uncover hidden power-ups, battle deadly creatures, and unravel the secrets of the Metroid universe. Suit up and play now!
a game by Nintendo
Genres: Action, Adventure/RPG
Platform: SNESSNES
Editor Rating: 9.8/10, based on 12 reviews
User Rating: 8.7/10 - 23 votes
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See also: 2D Platformer Games, Side Scroller Games, Retro Games, Speedrun Games, Metroid Games

It took six years to happen, and you know what? The more things change, the more they stay the same. Super Metroid for the SNES is a massively enhanced, expanded, and souped-up remake/sequel to Nintendo's 1988 maze/side-shooting masterpiece that captivated audiences on all corners of the galaxy. If you remember what Zelda III was to Zelda I, then you know exactly what to expect from Super Metroid. And you get almost everything you expect, too.

Super Metroid is a superbly crafted multi-multi-multi-level (i.e., BIG) exploration game that has you running, jumping, rolling, springing, and scrolling your way through countless caverns, mines, lava flows, and generally perilous passageways in search of the guns, missiles, bombs, armor, and items that'll help you either negotiate the journey or blast every last alien life form in sight. The basic premise is search, destroy, find, use, and search again. And don't forget the brain cells -- you'll need 'em!

A Face Only a Mother Brain Could Love

Samus (unwillingly) acquired a pet Metroid at the end of Metroid II for the Game Boy, but back at the research station, the cute little fella goes berserk, sprouts wings, crashes the station, and heads straight for its homeworld, Planet Zebes. Samus arrives on the scene to discover that somehow, within the space of two minutes, the Metroid has repopulated the entire planet. Jeepers! The awesome lead-in story really sets the mood, but don't expect more cinema unless you pass the game.

Planet Zebes covers some familiar territory, but fortunately most of it's either all new or redesigned from previous versions. You traverse numerous worlds, each with varying presentations of different themes and motifs (such as rain or fire). Many levels look alike, but at least the background colors change. The all-new automapping feature is infinitely helpful and makes a potentially frustrating game accessible to a far wider audience.

ProTip: Once you have a new Item, backtrack to collect all the power-ups you couldn't reach eariier in the level.

Xcellent Arsenal

Super Metroid's huge array of gunnery doesn't disappoint. All the classic cannons, such as the Freeze Beam and the Rolling Bombs, are back, plus some all-new lasers, such as a rope-swing a la Castlevania IV. There are also new powers, including a deadly bulldozing dash attack a la Mega Man X. Many power-ups are lifted from other SNES games, but who cares? The only really cheesy element is that instead of all-new weapons for every situation, some weapons are just enhanced versions of familiar items that really don't add much to the game (like the Super Missiles and the Super Bombs).

  • You'll need the Varia suit to explore heat-screened areas.
  • Charging the Spazer works with both guns and bombs. Experiment with both for different results.
  • Bomb everywhere. Look for visual clues such as a crack in the ground, but even if you don't see a clue, try it anyway. Secret passages lead to much-needed energy tanks and missiles.
  • The classic Metroid recharge strategy still works: Sit by an enemy generator, keep blasting the buggers, and collect the power pills they leave behind.

The techniques and maneuverability of the Samus character are pretty much old hat, which means precise controls but a somewhat floaty, out-of-control feeling when you jump. That's okay, though, as all the controller buttons are used to move Samus and aim her weapons. Tighter maneuvers in the air, a less awkward way to aim diagonally, a way to use her regular gun and optional weapons simultaneously, and a less frustrating wall spring would have tightened up the action.

  • Freeze enemies and jump on them to scale your way to new areas or make otherwise impossible leaps.
  • To spring super-high, run for a long distance with the Dash Boots, tap Down, then tap Jump.
  • You need the Dash Boots to run under collapsing gates.

Eerie, Haunting, and Eight-Bit

Visually, SM sets a wonderfully appropriate and dark mood -- no pastel colors or painting plumbers here. However, the closer you look at the backgrounds, the more they look eight-bit rather than 16-bit. Not only that, the pix get reused mucho. That's okay, though; it's better to have the 24 megs invested in game play. The soundtrack is also fairly somber and subdued, yet really cool at the same time.

  • Fire missiles into the plant boss's heart when it opens its jaws. Shoot the little flies to recharge yourself.
  • Notice the time register next to your save file? It means something. The faster you beat the game, the better the ending you'll get

The music could have had more orchestral flair, but it doesn't grate at all and really complements the theme. The sounds are also great, and there's even some corny memory-wasting voice at the start of the game.

Suck This One Dry!

Super Metroid really delivers what Nintendo has always promised -- deep, involving game play that'll occupy you for dozens of hours. There's certainly more Metroid territory to be explored, like controller-motion techniques or a wider variety of graphics, but heck, Nintendo isn't working on Project Reality for nothing. You better grab this one before a Metroid latches onto you!

Download Super Metroid

SNES

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP
  • Pentium II (or equivalent) 266MHz (500MHz recommended), RAM: 64MB (128MB recommended), DirectX v8.0a or later must be installed

Game Reviews

Super Metroid is a 2D side-scrolling action-adventure game and is the 3rd game in the Metroid video game series. If you’ve ever played Cave Story or any games from the Castlevania series, you'll absolutely love the gameplay and style of Super Metroid, so be sure to check it out.

The story of Samus Aran

Samus, an intergalactic bounty hunter, is the protagonist and playable character in Super Metroid. At the start of the game, space pirates kidnap a Metroid baby that is the last of its species, and Samus’ job is to get it back safely. The story follows her attempt to save the baby from the hands of evil space pirates on planet Zebes and destroy them once and for all. Whether she is successful or not is up to you as you take control of her and fight enemies using powerful weapons and abilities.

We won't spoil the story for you but just know that it's tense, exciting, and full of surprises. There's plenty of action waiting for you around every corner.

What to expect from the gameplay

The game follows a non-linear format where the map is open-ended but certain areas won’t be accessible until you unlock particular abilities. These abilities take the form of both power-ups and suit upgrades, including some of the following: Speed Booster, Grappling Beam, and Power Bombs. Even though the 2D world environment is big, you won’t need to worry about getting lost as the game gives you access to a map to help you keep track of things.

The bosses of Super Metroid

As you progress through the game and unlock new abilities and map areas, you'll come across both major and minor bosses before encountering a powerful final boss at the end of the game. All the bosses are unique and will require you to use different abilities to take them down, so be prepared for a challenge.

Ridley is one of the most recognizable bosses in Super Metroid, leading the space pirates as one of the main antagonists that you’ll come across in the game. Both Samus and the space dragon Ridley appear as playable characters in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, which just goes to show how popular the Metroid franchise really is.

10

Super Metroid is widely regarded as one of the best 2D action-adventure games around, and for good reason. The controls are super easy to get the hang of and the gameplay is incredibly fun, providing plenty of satisfying and memorable moments. Also, the map is enormous, and there's so much to explore and discover without it being overwhelmingly complex. Overall, Super Metroid gives players an incredible experience and is a classic that everyone should try out at some point in their lives.

Pros:

  • Fluid movement mechanics and gameplay
  • New abilities and gadgets are introduced at a good pace to not overwhelm players
  • Fantastic art style and soundtrack

Cons:

  • It can be confusing at times knowing where to go next in the game
  • Complex movements required for some boss battles may be difficult for some players to get the hang of
  • Machine: SNES
  • Manufacturer: Nintendo of America.

Easily one of the best action-adventures ever. Really! Six massive zones and tons of hidden extras combine with smooth game play and state-of-the-art graphics.

Question: I need your help. My friend says that you can rescue your friends, the three little hopper guys and the Dachola bird, after beating the Mother Brain and escaping. I can't figure out how. Can you help?

Answer: Yup. Shore can. If you're very quick and you have time, make a quick detour as you work your way back to the surface of Zebes and return to the room where you found the Bomb. The Dachola and the three Etecoons are there, trapped by a wall on the far right side of the room. Blast the wall, then high-tail it out of there yourself. It affects the ending, but just barely - if you look very closely at the right side of the screen while your ship races away and Zebes explodes, you should see another ship leaving as well, very tiny in the distance.

Steps: 1. After beating the Mother Brain, just before you make it to the surface of Zebes, take the low road to the room where you found the Bomb. 2. You find the Dachola and three Etecoons there, trapped behind a wall. Destroy the wall, then get the heck out of there! 3. You see a very slightly Migrant ending, with the Dachola's ship speeding away in the distance as you flee the planet.

  • Machine: SNES
  • Range: action/adventure
  • Levels: six massive zones
  • Difficulty: medium

Now this is more like it! Super Metroid has Nintendo doing what it does best - mixing smooth, complex game play with state-of-the art graphics and sound. But with Nintendo, game play always comes first, no matter how pretty the pictures look. Instead of settling for standard side-scrolling action carts, it creates new worlds to discover. That theme is clearly illustrated in each of the company's top lines of games: Mario, Zelda, and, of course, Metroid.

Action fens can't afford to miss Super Metroid. Even if you blow your lid and get frustrated with a boss or something, you still won't be able to put down this cart for more than a few minutes. Fans of the NES and Game Boy Metroid carts know what I mean - every time you find a hidden item or a new room, you can't stop playing until you've found just one more thing! Then another, then another, and soon you forget about food and sleep and work and school.... Lives have probably been ruined, but, hey, those are the breaks. The auto-mapping feature which charts your progress through the game is a new addition and you really need it.

Super Metroid is a sign that Nintendo is finally staking a claim on its share of the 16-bit market Loyal SNES fans have had to wait too long for a game of this caliber: If Sega can pump out four or five Sonic titles in a year, why does it take Nintendo so long to get its top stuff out? Let's hope Super Metroid is just the start of a bunch of hot new SNES games.

  • Machine: Super Nintendo

If you're a true Nintendo fan - someone who's been with the company since the beginning - then you know the music. You know the helmet. You know, as Jeff Lundrigan says, those child-bearing hips. Metroid was one of the first NES games, but fans have had to wait years for additional installments. Super Metroid proves the wait was worth it. Still, why'd it take so long? To find out, Game Players went straight to the top, to Yoshio Sakamoto, the director of the project.

"We wanted to wait until a true action game was needed", Sakamoto says. "And also to set the stage for the reappearance of Samus Aran. From the initial idea to final approval took approximately half a year. Then the programming of the game itself took two years to complete. The main staff consisted of 15 people".

One of the surprising things about Super Metroid is how closely the game follows those that have come before. The music is a great 16-bit version of the old tunes, and you even visit some areas you've traveled through before. This is great for fans that get an almost seamless transition from the previous games, and it proved beneficial to the design team as well.

"The same sections were redone", Sakamoto says, "to correct parts we were unhappy about in the original game. We felt it would add a sense of familiarity to the game that would please former players, and the new sections also give a much greater sense of drama to the game. Super Metroid isn't a harder game, but it's a deeper, more involved game with a more dramatic overtone".

"The goal was to create a good action game. One of the major considerations was the large map and how to organize the amount of graphic data involved. One of the new ideas was to put in many mini-adventures.

Thus, the major goal was how to create an effective mix of all the separate elements. We believe that we have almost completely succeeded in our objective".

Players are sure to agree. We're not gushing when we say how really great this game is.

Nintendo's obviously betting hard on it as well. The initial reaction when the game went on sale in Japan was extremely positive, and expectations here are just as high. The fact that Nintendo players have been waiting close to forever for a new Zelda or Mario game isn't going to hurt sales, either, although Sakamoto points out that the lack of new games in those series had nothing to do with the timing of Super Metroid. He's also not concerned that the controversy over game violence will cause any negative backlash on the game - it's Nintendo, after all.

"We don't think there's too much violence in the game", he says. "Take, for example, Samus Aran. Her purpose is to maintain peace and to get the Metroid back where it belongs. It's not violence for the sake of violence".

And, finally, the question every developer is getting asked: Will there be a Metroid for Project Reality?

"We're not at liberty to respond to that question at this point in time", Sakamoto says with the typical reticence Nintendo has toward its new system. "However, as long as Samus Aran exists as a character, there's the possibility of a sequel. But for now, Super Metroid isn't just another action game, but the action game players have been waiting for".

  • Manufacturer: Nintendo
  • Machine: Super NES
  • Theme: Action

People say:

9

I was a big time addict to the original, and this game brought back so many good memories for me. The graphics are cool and the plotting is very dramatic. The control is crisp and clear, and the multitude of weapons is a great addition. My only complaint is, for some reason, this game seems a bit smaller. Maybe it's because of the map ... Anyway if you own a Super NES, this is definitely a must-have. It's great!

9

Nintendo pulls out all the stops with quite possibly the greatest action/adventure game ever created! I have never played a more addicting sci-fi game. This is as close to perfection as any game can get. Graphics: impressive! Music and sound: ultra-cool! Game play: awesome! The combinations of weapons and items Samus can use give the game variety. The multiple endings are also cool! This game is awesome!

9

The game the world has been waiting for has finally arrived. The original 8-Bit Metroid was fantastic and this one certainly does it justice. The lengthy quest and sheer number of hidden items, and the great background tunes add up to one wild adventure. The auto map is a cool feature, but can make the game quite easy, unlike the 8-Bit Metroid. Overall, no one should be disappointed with this incredible game.

9

Yes, it's finally here! As a faithful player of the NES version, I have to admit, this sequel blows it away. It comes back with more power-ups and weapons that will I surely be helpful against the creatures and huge Bosses that lurk within. As for the mazes, you will eventually get lost if you don't keep track of where you're going. Awesome background music and I riveting sound effects. Graphics are too cool to miss!

  • Manufacturer: Nintendo
  • # of players: 1
  • Difficulty: Moderate
  • Number of Levels: 6
  • Theme: Action/Adventure

Camus has finally made it to the 16-Bit realm! This title takes place right after the first two games (as documented in the intro), where a baby Metroid has followed Samus back home, and it was then tested for human use. Suddenly, the base was attacked, and the baby was stolen. So now Samus must return to the planet Zebes (which even continues the destroyed remains of the mother brain room) to stop whatever sinister plan the aliens have for the infant energy sucker. The entire planet is huge, containing several pathways and hidden rooms that link up with other levels from time to time. All of the original weapons are here plus a whole new roster! Definitely an incredible hit!

  • # of players: 1
  • Difficulty: Moderate
  • Available: April 1994
  • No. of Levels: 6
  • Theme: Adventure

Samus is back in Action with the new long-awaited sequel to the original smash hit Metroid. Most of the original theme and game play will be kept intact in this 24-Meg cart, along with some new features that are sure to blow away all the hardcore metroid fanatics everywhere. One of the major new features is the ability to save your game using a battery backup. When you check out the size and complexity of the levels, the battery backup will be a well utilized feature. There are six huge areas to explore, with all the familiar power-up weapons from the first Metroid. If you're a fan of the games that require a lot more thinking than just walking around and blasting enemies, then Super Metroid is definitely the challenge you've been looking for.

The long awaited sequel to the blockbuster Nintendo Entertainment System cartridge is here, but this time, on the GameBoy screen. All new enemies and obstacles await!

Super Metroid is a video game known as Metroid 3, designed by Nintendo Research & Development 1 and published by Nintendo for its Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) video console. The game was published in Japan in March 1994 and in the United States in April 1994. The version for Europe was launched in July 1994. The third game of the Metroid series was released for the Wii Virtual Console in 2007.

The story takes place after the events of Metroid II and begins with Samus Aran, who describes how a Metroid larva hatched from an egg and imprinted upon her, believing she is its mother. She brought the larva to Ceres Space Colony, but it was stolen after she left the center. The game starts when she follows Ridley, the leader of the Space Pirates, to its planet, in order to find the larva.

On her way she has to fight with four of the Space Pirate bosses. After she encounters the bosses, she finds the larva, which is now grown huge. She has to encounter the Metroid larva as well. When almost getting killed by the larva, the Metroid realizes who she is and stops fighting. After recharging her energy, Samus encounters Mother Brain, the creature that controls the base’s system.

After nearly killing Samus, Mother Brain is attacked by the Metroid larva and continues to fight until Samus destroys Mother Brain with a powerful weapon she created. Right afterwards the planet self-destructs after Samus narrowly escapes from it.

The game is an action platform game which takes place on a strange fictional planet called Zebes. The planet is actually an open ended world with areas connected by elevators and doors. The only controllable character is Samus Aran, who is searching for the Super Metroid stolen by Ridley. During the action she picks up power-ups to enhance her armor and weapons.

The game introduces new concepts on the market. Samus can disable and enable weapons in the inventory screen, concept which was later present in lots of games and can walk backwards while firing her weapon. She can also save the game at any point in time by going to the save points scattered around the planet.

10

The game was very popular back when released, though the plot does not sound very exciting for many. It scored a 96% from GameRankings, making it the website’s 9th highest rated game ever. The game was not a hit in Japan as well, maybe because it was released at a bad time, when Donkey Kong Country for PlayStation and Sega Saturn was on top. Still, the game sold millions of copies all over the world and was both a commercial and a market huge hit.

Super Metroid is a two dimensional platform video game with action and adventure elements an adventure video game developed by Nintendo R&D1 and Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System video game console.

On the planet Zebes, Space Pirates and their leader, the Mother Brain, are about to be caught out by the only hero that can stop them, Samus Aran.

Snapshots and Media

SNES/Super Nintendo/Super Famicom Screenshots