LogFAQs > #914325144

Okay, so I played Super Metroid as a kid growing up. I loved the game as a kid, it was just such a unique, fun, expansive game, I've never seen or played anything like it before.

I played through it again about a year ago with the wife watching me. The nostalgia was strong with me but my wife had no prior thoughts or bias towards it. We both came to the same conclusion regardless. That conclusion is this.

Super Metroid is a pinnacle of gaming. Not at all because of the glitches/skips/whatever hardcore gamer stuff is going on in that game because I don't know about that and I didn't do any of that.

What really captivated us was two things
1) The atmosphere
It's well known this game borrows heavily off of Alien, and honestly it really shows, while also making itself unique to it. All the different environments, they all feel so unique, and so different, but also believably all part of the same planet. They all invoke a sense of "where the FUCK am I now?", a little light on tension, but heavy on the excitement to explore and see more. The planet is quaint and beautiful, as well as scary and dangerous at the same time. Games rarely illicit emotion out of me more than "this is fun" but this game captivated us in a way that few can, I felt like I was there, with Samus... no, I felt like I WAS Samus, alone and lost, but pressing forward to save the galaxy, because what else can you really do? The music adds so much to these environments, as do the creatures of the planet... just everything about the visual and audible presentation is top notch, and the game is a classic just for this aspect alone. No other metroid has come close to offering a map nearly as interesting as Super Metroid.

2) I don't even remember my second point anymore, I can't stop thinking about all the locales I got to visit. I really enjoy speed running games and being super action super fast run guy through most games, but Super Metroid I was happy to soak in the atmosphere and take my time to fully enjoy this game.

Really, I love the controls, the map is beautifully designed, the gameplay is excellent. It's at least a 9/10 in every category you could make up. But the atmosphere and presentation of Zebes is just completely mindblowing even 20+ years later.