LogFAQs > #967494745

The wrecked ship is kinda neat cause you can infer there was some sort of failed alien research and/or cultivation attempt, and the ship regaining power after you kill the boss is a neat detail too.
The Maridia areas come off as really creepy in general to me
Lower Norfair has all the Chozo Statues and stuff which really makes it feel like you're in some culturally significant ruin of some sort. The music helps here too.
The ending is obvious.

Brinstar is the only zone I don't really care for. The only interesting part of that zone is the animals that streamers like to kill or save.

I dunno I like the world it sets up quite a bit. Beyond the ending the "emotional response" I get is mostly being creeped out at times but that's okay. Curiosity and actually wanting to think about the background areas at some level (without the game forcing me to) is a plus. As far as games with basically no text beyond the intro go it's hard to imagine anything doing much better for me at least.