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TopicBoard 8 #sports Discord Ranks Their Top 100 Video Games Finale: THE TOP 10
Bartzyx
03/03/21 9:20:54 PM
#41:


#9 Super Metroid (SNES, 1994)

I am very surprised that I am the first one to rank this one. Either this really isn't the Metroid crowd, or everyone else who is ranking it is also saving it for the top. The latter would make sense, as it is a top game.



Super Metroid is the inspiration for an entire genre and then some, and yet, is still somehow better than pretty much all the games it inspired. I don't know how Nintendo got it so right on the first go (yes I know it's not the first Metroid game but it's the first "Metroidvania"). The length is perfect. It will take hours and hours the first time, and yet can be beaten in around an hour with some practice. Even subsequent casual playthroughs will still only clock in at a few hours if you just play straight through. The game lets you explore the world, but subtly guides you on where to go next. The design leaves you always with a new area to go back to and explore once you run into a dead end, and the first time through it all feels very organic.

The atmosphere is another stand-out part of Super Metroid. Planet Zebes is dark and mysterious, and the music reflects that mysterious and wondrous feeling of exploration perfectly. Each area of the world feels unlike the others, and finding the secrets within each area and filling out the map/inventory is a lot of fun.

Of course, it's also a great game mechanically. Samus has a lot of options for how to dispatch enemies and traverse the environment, and like the map, her abilities are all surfaced very naturally. Just through using her items you get a feel for their potential and how you can use them to your advantage. It was very empowering and made me feel like a genius.

Super Metroid is also one of the most classic speedrunning experiences, and maybe the definitive one. The Super Metroid race is I think still the headlining event at GDQ gatherings. It's probably my favorite to watch of the most-run games.

Writing this is making me want to play it againIt's actually been over a decade since I last did it. I should find some totally legal way to play it and see how well I do after all this time.

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