Funny that you see him as being nom-threatening. I recall being terrified of him as a kid. It’s just a massive barrage of projectiles. Like most NES bad guys, there wasn’t a clear rhyme or reason until you figured out the programming. It was just an onslaught.
@@JazGalaxy As someone who was 8 years old the first time I encountered him I fully agree. I still feel uneasy when entering Kraid's Lair, and always get a sense of dread approaching his room 32 years later.
I loved Milon's Secret Castle! Really wish that it got a proper sequel - it had a really cool vibe, and I think it could have been an excellent game if they just had the chance to iterate on it one more time.
I liked it too, but only after reading the instruction manual. I think if the title screen had some arcade attract mode like text to give a little hint on how the game wants to be played, it might not have seemed so impenetrable to me the first couple of times I played it. After I realized how the game worked, I did enjoy playing through it.
Yay, Jeremy made it to Metroid! Metroid blew my mind and captured my imagination as a kid. Was recently reminiscing about the 'finding items makes you stronger' innovations of Metroid, where the long, floaty jump at first makes you feel very vulnerable against hovering, diving enemies; and then you find the Screw Attack (one of the greatest power-ups in videogame history) your jump turns you into a spinning ball of electric death that mows through those old enemies with ease.
6:23 I once knew an old lady like that - she ran the village shop where I used to live. It was a bit of a faff when you just wanted a bag of crisps after school, but on the whole she was a nice lady.
Damn asked to late....but seriously. What she do if u asked how's the weather....it's hot. But not as hot as your ass gonna be when I'm done whipping it
@@NEStalgia1985 I'm British. In the UK crisps are the crispy slices of potato that come in a bag, and chips are the hot sticks of potato that come as a side-dish. I know it's different in America (chips and fries as opposed to crisps and chips respectively) - no idea about the rest of the English-speaking world.
Absolutely did not expect Milon’s Secret Castle to show up in this context(and now I need to refresh my memory on what that game’s sequel was like). Next episode is the start of what I’ve been looking forward to most. The slow stumble and feeling around towards the genre standards.
I love the unorthodox blending of genres in games. Like Guardian Legend, which is more like Guardian Legend of Zeldem-up; Tales of Phantasia, a Zeldatform-fighting game; Or Mario Golf, a MarPG-olf game.
What's funny is, I'd still say it's actually easier than NES Castlevania. I never beat Castlevania, but I DID beat Vampire Killer, and I beat it fair and square, losing only one life along the way. The reason? Because Vampire Killer really is about exploration, NOT action. Every boss can be killed easily if you have the right weapon and the right set of power-ups. Every platforming challenge can be rendered trivial through much the same. It's a game that rewards you for taking careful notes during each expedition. You'll get a LITTLE BIT FARTHER each time you play, until one day, you just up and beat the game with almost no effort. In that sense, I actually like it quite a bit better than Castlevania on NES -- it's a much more thoughtful game, with a focus on careful strategy over quick reflexes. ...Then again, Castlevania II is my favorite of the three games on NES, so clearly, my mind is hardwired for that sort of thing!
This time on Metroidvania Works: Thoughtful well-considered gameplay. Next time on Metroidvania Works: Just batting away pink slimes with a sword, only to be replaced with more pink slimes.
@@tylerd4884 Wing of Madoola - first time I've I've heard of it - it has the bones and aesthetics of something I'd like but would need a complete overhaul to take it from something presentable to the exploration heavy swords and sorcery Metroidvania on NES I was looking for. th-cam.com/video/dlAxanJFWSw/w-d-xo.html www.gamingalexandria.com/wp/2018/12/06/the-making-of-the-wing-of-madoola/ apparently the "RPG" inventory mechanics were tacked on.
Thanks for introducing me to Vampire Killer on the MSX. After hearing your discussion of the differences between it and Castlevania on the NES, I finally see that the direction Konami went with Castlevania II wasn't so arbitrary after all. It seems like a logical extension of the framework built on the MSX. If only you could make the Zelda I & II transition seem less bizarre.
Jeremy Parish , after watching some game play videos, here's what I see. Tell me if you agree. 1985: Dragon Buster hits arcades. It looks like a prototype of The Adventure of Link. 1986: The Legend of Zelda is released on Famicom. It plays nothing like Dragon Buster, except for the brief and uncommon side scrolling parts of Dungeons. 1987: The Adventure of Link is released on Famicom. It seems very inspired by Dragon Buster, especially the wonky over world map. 1989: Dragon Buster 2 is released on Famicom. It looks like someone tried to make Zelda 1.5. So, the creative inspiration between these franchises appears to be bidirectional and the "missing link" came only after Zelda II was born, like a video game analog of the "Piltdown Man."
7:20 For some reason I found it really impressive that the font in the logo for Milon's Secret Castle is the same on the box as it is on the title screen. Consistent design work, on my NES?
Metroid was like nothing else back in the day. It was a mystery wrapped in an enigma. I remember just being amazed at the scale of it. Now it seems small and basic, but back then it was expansive and mysterious. I think it and Metal Gear were such huge games for the time. Simon's Quest gets an "Honorable Mention"
When I finally played Mylon a few years ago I realized that in order to enjoy it I had to approach it as a Metroid game, then it made sense to shoot every tile looking for hidden items
Feels a little self-evident that the differences between the two Castlevanias was informed by differences in hardware, primarily in that the MSX couldn't handle the scrolling, and had to settle for 30fps on top of that. If anything, rendering a compromise that was still a nicely playable game in its own right is a solid example of how on top of their game Konami was back then.
One thing that I think that always should be mentioned is that Metroid is about how tools changes your perception of space, while SOTN takes more from Zelda 2 and early Castlevanias titles where abilities are tools or keys, and doesn't really alter your perception. For a good example on how this works, certainly the most "true" Metroid-like title recently would be Axiom Verge, (where exploration perception becomes clearer as abilities are uncovered) and a more Castlevania-like title would be Guacamelee (Where it's more obvious what is locked out from first glance). So Metroid certainly stands out even more than Vampie Killer and Milo and the time, because it implemented the idea that the perception of gameplay space could be enhanced together with the character potential.
Milon's Secret Castle was one of those games I would rent over and over as a kid. Pretty difficult, but is enjoyable. Kind of like Legacy of the Wizard, another game that will likely be on the Metroidvania Works playlist soon.
So many metroid memories...I honestly don't even remember how I found out about the Justin Bailey code. I do remember the rumor/playground talk it supposedly meant Just In Bailey, an illusion to being naked in australian or something. I think that code was the only way I found out Samus was a girl as a kid, since I never beat Metroid at that age.
Many people don’t remember this, but the instruction manual for the original Metroid blatantly claims that CMS is a man. Specifically, a cyborg man who is partly made of machine. This isn’t just a weird Americanization. The original Japanese manual also says the same thing. So many of us were extremely surprised that was revealed to be a woman. Mostly confused. There is a retrospective fallacy That boys were upset to learn that they had been playing as a woman, but this was untrue. There were many games that featured female protagonist. I believe most gamers were simply confused because same as was explicitly stated to be a man, it was depicted as a man in our accessory Metroid materials such as her appearance in the Nintendo cartoons.
@@JazGalaxy yeah, that's why I was surprised about the code and finding out he was a she. If I never would have used the code, I probably wouldn't have found out Samus is a woman until Super Metroid (or friends at school, whichever would come first).
Of course with all that said, outside of the playground talk/general gaming culture impact it had, the Justin Bailey code is in fact almost completely insignificant and meaningless. It wasn't even deliberately programmed into the game, other random passwords will let you play as suitless Samus too, this one just so happened to match someone's name and put them right towards the end of the game. The NARPAS SWORD debug code was the only deliberate password coded into the game when it made the transition from FDS to NES. As for where the sprite for "Justin Bailey" Samus comes from...If you beat Metroid fast enough, yes Samus takes off her helmet/suit at the end before the credits roll which everyone already knows, but then after the credits roll you start the game over as suitless Samus, with all of your main upgrades intact aside from missiles and energy tanks so you can just keep doing victory laps over and over again for as long as you want. Basically Metroid has it's own New Game+ mode that no one ever talks about, probably because they're too intrigued by the secrets of the password system to learn the game itself (don't necessarily mean you but a lot of retro gaming channels on YT in general). Metroid can be an obtuse and intimidating game for a lot of players but it's really fun and addicting once you get the hang of it.
Have you ever considered looking at the Dizzy games, possibly even Switchblade in future Metroidvania works videos? Quite frustrating that British and European video games get overlooked in 95% of video game retrospective videos on TH-cam.
The Dizzy games I've played haven't really had the action-RPG/exploration to fit in. European platforms in my experience tend to be sort of rambling, free-scrolling affairs but stop shy of going all-in on the open world and backtracking I want to focus on here.
I always forget that the first Vampire Killer already had exploration. And I really wish Metroid had gotten a sequel on the NES with a powerful mapper chip.
Just a comment about your different series: you keep triggering nostalgic memories of lazily watching cartoons on a Sunday afternoon with the music you use for the "next time on" portions of your videos. It almost puts me into a half sleep just from hearing it.
I was just reading through The Untold History of Japanese Game Developers 3 when I came upon an interesting bit of information in one of those interviews. Apparently the exploratory platform adventure game Aztec for the Apple II from 1982 was known in Japan as well and it seems to have some similarities to Metroid. It also seems to have been ported to Japanese home computers in 84 and 85, so before Metroid. Maybe that game could have been an interesting footnote in metroidvania works or in relation to Metroid?
It may seem like a small thing, but the lack of good audiovisual feedback on your attacks really hurts Vampire Killer more than anything else for me. The meaty sound effects and the way baddies are stunned for a brief instant on contact make the whip so satisfying to use to use on NES. It's more like a wet noodle in the MSX game.
Nah, the worst thing about your attacks in Vampire Killer is definitely the miserly hit box. You don't really appreciate how generous Castlevania's combat mechanics really were until you try to hit a medusa head with that stingy little whip.
@@JeremyParish Ah, yes. Those remarkably evasive stationary candles. And jumping when you're tying to get on a staircase...So there's maybe a few things.
I played a shit-ton of NES growing up. Metroid was one of the few notable games I didn't play, until the age of 20. When I did, it felt horrifically dated and had what I perceived as many frustrating aspects. I'm sure there are many people out there who still hold this title as their single favorite game ever, and to them I say, I wish I was there with you lol. I will say it still has the charming NES graphics, great box art, and fantastic music.
If you want to experience the original Metroid on NES but modernized, try the Metroid Mother hack. If you want to experience it in remake format, give Zero Mission a try if you haven't already. It's widely considered to be the definitive Metroid 1 experience right now.
@@FloatingSunfish Oh, I'm aware, and have dabbled with both of them. The problem is that I'm generally a purist, and try to experience them as originally incarnated. For instance, I loved Super Mario All Stars, but if you give me an option, I'll take the NES SMB 1-3 over their technologically superior SNES counterparts every time. But every time I try to go through Metroid, I get annoyed and quit lol. Comparatively speaking, I do have a nostalgia for the NES Legend of Zelda, which is incredibly flawed at this point, but if they did a full remake of it, while I'd certainly buy it on the spot and play it, I'll likely always prefer the original, because nostalgia is a powerful drug lol
It helps if you're one of those weird people like me who actually love getting lost and confused and making their own maps in old adventure games and RPGs. I really treasure that sort of gaming experience.
I'm kind of curious to your opinions of "Super Metroid being the first true Metroidvania" as you said something to the effect of in the video. Personally, I've always considered Super Metroid to be... Well Metroid. Many of the games that get coined with the term today are really more Metroid-Likes than Metroidvanias in my eyes. I don't think I've played one other than a Bloodstained that captures the feel of what I consider essential to be a Metroidvania for obvious reasons (Iga). It just seems that since we didn't really see the term pop up until the GBA Castlevania games continued the trend set by SotN (which I think you pointed out in the first video in this series), a Metroid+Vania should have most of the elements SotN added to the game style (the RPG elements like stats, items, leveling, etc). The analogy I've been using on Reddit... Metroid is a sugar cookie. Castlevania brought chocolate chips and we got Metroidvania... But Metroid by itself is still a sugar cookie. Not all cookies are chocolate chip cookies, and chocolate chips by themselves aren't chocolate chip cookies either. From a historical perspective, I see the connections and the build up (and appreciate the content around it), but I don't know if I'd say Super Metroid is the first true example of the game. Would love to hear your thoughts, given how analyitical you are.
Some name trivia for fun: Samus Aran's name in Japanese is spelled サムス・アラン ("ahr-an" not "air-in"). "Akumajou" (悪魔城) means roughly "devil castle" or "evil fiend castle". The English term for Metroidvania in Japanese is the same (メトロイドヴァニア), because the term appears to have been coined in English.
Really curious about the development history of Vampire Killer. One can only assume it and Castlevania (Famicom) were developed in parallel, but I wonder what made the games diverge so significantly in terms of game design. Were they intended to be identical ports but as development continued they both spun off into their own paths, or was it an idea of markets, Castlevania fits more into the mold of other Famicom titles while Vampire Killer is more like other exploratory PC titles?
msx doesn't handle screen scrolling well, so it was never gonna work making the same game. i imagine it was a decision early on based on system limitations
you talk about jet set willy twice in a row in the same series and yet you didn't do a video on that game's influence. would be interesting to see it reviewed from an Ammerican perspective (the flick screen format was non existent in the US up until soulstis on the nes, yeah, that's a NES works episode waiting to happen_)
For everything it did right and established, the original Metroid for the NES sadly didn't age well. Thankfully, hacks such as Metroid Mother and the even better remake Zero Mission should make experiencing the original Metroid a bit more enjoyable for modern audiences.
For me, the biggest problems are that Samus can’t crouch or shoot down, so small enemies are practically invulnerable until you get the bombs; and that when you die you restart with just 30 HP regardless of how many energy tanks you have, meaning you have to grind to get your health back up to full. Really if they fixed those issues the game would be much more enjoyable. Well, OK, maybe a map would be nice as well.
I strongly disagree. Yes the original Metroid can be a tough, intimidating, obtuse game (and the 30 health thing is total BS, I'll agree with that), but once you spend enough time getting over that hump and really learn how the game works and how to play within its limitations, it becomes a very fun and addicting game. Yeah it would be nice if you could crouch or shoot down like in later Metroid games, but not having that ability in the original means you have to deal with enemies in different ways early on and the bombs serve more of a purpose in regular combat than in later games. And learning how to navigate without a map is a satisfying challenge in its own way, again intimidating at first but very possible to figure out if you challenge yourself. I love Zero Mission, it was my very first Metroid game and it's still a great entry point into the series that holds up very well today and it has some really tricky shinespark puzzles if you want 100%, but coming back to it after learning the NES version I realize how much more restrictive it is compared to the original game, in terms of progression. MZM is more like a guided tour of Zebes, while NES Metroid is wide open and lets the player make a lot more of their own choices about how to tackle the game. So as fun and worthwhile a game MZM is I feel like it actually fails to capture some of that spirit from the original. There was a Boss Keys episode that illustrated this pretty well, even though they weren't super keen on the original game's design either.
"Vampire killer is pretty obtuse at times. For example, there's an old lady who will sell you stuff....but only if you whip her" Yes? And this is unusual how? I have to say though, i'm not American and so maybe in your culture this is not how you initiate trading.
Such a bland overview of Milon's Secret Castle, I was happy to see it as part of the lineup, but disappointed in how quick it gets passed over. I also have to raise an eyebrow at the _later_ bosses being marked as tough. With all the upgrades it always felt to me like the first boss was the toughest and then, assuming you're collecting everything, the rest of the bosses settle in to a pretty standard difficulty. And that's even assuming you're not walking into them with the bee shield each time. The backtracking in the game which also was pretty glossed over I think is more important to first playthroughs of the game. Where you're not collecting everything in a stage every time or discovering every hidden item and instead going back and forth trying to discover what solution you're missing in 3 or so stages at a time. If anything, I was expecting at least some chatter on how obtuse some of the secrets can be. Having to hit invisible spots or walk over them or just in general how obtuse the level design could be to a modern gamer's eye.
Fear not, tiny friend. This is a video series about tracing design concepts, and Milon barely even fits within those parameters. A full retrospective is due up in the next season of NES Works.
@@JeremyParish when `next episode` appears, what song is that? Because it is the same as the one in evangelion. See this teaser th-cam.com/video/-xezMJ2s50E/w-d-xo.html&feature=emb_logo
Feel like Metroidvania's should just be called Metroidlikes or something. Metroid did it first, and Castlevania wasn't really a "Metroidvania" until yearrrrs later with Symphony of the Night. It's all Metroid's doing!
This video is probably the kindest anyone has been to Milon's Secret Castle.
flyingerasehead MSC is a game on the NES.
I played it a lot as a kid. It's not bad, just incredibly obtuse in what it wants you to do. And not in a fun way.
I remember as a kid watching my mom beat MSC. No guide or hints, just dogged determination and a lot of time.
@@ExtendedJet8 You had a "mom" who defeated an NES adventure game. That alone makes you a boss.
Oh man, I forgot how adorable and non-threatening Kraid was in the original. 😅
Why'd they have to make him so much bigger?
The Smash Project to show off the power of Super Nintendo!! And to do the cool fake out.
Funny that you see him as being nom-threatening. I recall being terrified of him as a kid. It’s just a massive barrage of projectiles. Like most NES bad guys, there wasn’t a clear rhyme or reason until you figured out the programming. It was just an onslaught.
Samus just reaches out and pets the guy and the fight ends.
@@JazGalaxy As someone who was 8 years old the first time I encountered him I fully agree. I still feel uneasy when entering Kraid's Lair, and always get a sense of dread approaching his room 32 years later.
I loved Milon's Secret Castle! Really wish that it got a proper sequel - it had a really cool vibe, and I think it could have been an excellent game if they just had the chance to iterate on it one more time.
I liked it too, but only after reading the instruction manual. I think if the title screen had some arcade attract mode like text to give a little hint on how the game wants to be played, it might not have seemed so impenetrable to me the first couple of times I played it. After I realized how the game worked, I did enjoy playing through it.
It kinda got a sequel, but it was an ordinary platformer
@coolmanstink a good ordinary platformer at that
Yay, Jeremy made it to Metroid! Metroid blew my mind and captured my imagination as a kid. Was recently reminiscing about the 'finding items makes you stronger' innovations of Metroid, where the long, floaty jump at first makes you feel very vulnerable against hovering, diving enemies; and then you find the Screw Attack (one of the greatest power-ups in videogame history) your jump turns you into a spinning ball of electric death that mows through those old enemies with ease.
6:23 I once knew an old lady like that - she ran the village shop where I used to live. It was a bit of a faff when you just wanted a bag of crisps after school, but on the whole she was a nice lady.
Did you have to whip her before she sold you stuff too?
Damn asked to late....but seriously. What she do if u asked how's the weather....it's hot. But not as hot as your ass gonna be when I'm done whipping it
I also got to ask....where you from¿ I've heard soda called pop, but never chips called crisps
@@NEStalgia1985 I'm British. In the UK crisps are the crispy slices of potato that come in a bag, and chips are the hot sticks of potato that come as a side-dish. I know it's different in America (chips and fries as opposed to crisps and chips respectively) - no idea about the rest of the English-speaking world.
Absolutely did not expect Milon’s Secret Castle to show up in this context(and now I need to refresh my memory on what that game’s sequel was like).
Next episode is the start of what I’ve been looking forward to most. The slow stumble and feeling around towards the genre standards.
I love the unorthodox blending of genres in games.
Like Guardian Legend, which is more like Guardian Legend of Zeldem-up;
Tales of Phantasia, a Zeldatform-fighting game;
Or Mario Golf, a MarPG-olf game.
3 lives for vampire killer? That’s insane!!!
What's funny is, I'd still say it's actually easier than NES Castlevania. I never beat Castlevania, but I DID beat Vampire Killer, and I beat it fair and square, losing only one life along the way. The reason? Because Vampire Killer really is about exploration, NOT action. Every boss can be killed easily if you have the right weapon and the right set of power-ups. Every platforming challenge can be rendered trivial through much the same.
It's a game that rewards you for taking careful notes during each expedition. You'll get a LITTLE BIT FARTHER each time you play, until one day, you just up and beat the game with almost no effort.
In that sense, I actually like it quite a bit better than Castlevania on NES -- it's a much more thoughtful game, with a focus on careful strategy over quick reflexes.
...Then again, Castlevania II is my favorite of the three games on NES, so clearly, my mind is hardwired for that sort of thing!
This time on Metroidvania Works: Thoughtful well-considered gameplay.
Next time on Metroidvania Works: Just batting away pink slimes with a sword, only to be replaced with more pink slimes.
what even is that game?
@@tylerd4884 Wing of Madoola - first time I've I've heard of it - it has the bones and aesthetics of something I'd like but would need a complete overhaul to take it from something presentable to the exploration heavy swords and sorcery Metroidvania on NES I was looking for.
th-cam.com/video/dlAxanJFWSw/w-d-xo.html
www.gamingalexandria.com/wp/2018/12/06/the-making-of-the-wing-of-madoola/ apparently the "RPG" inventory mechanics were tacked on.
Thanks for introducing me to Vampire Killer on the MSX. After hearing your discussion of the differences between it and Castlevania on the NES, I finally see that the direction Konami went with Castlevania II wasn't so arbitrary after all. It seems like a logical extension of the framework built on the MSX. If only you could make the Zelda I & II transition seem less bizarre.
I'm pretty sure the missing li-err, missing PIECE there is Namco's Dragon Buster.
Jeremy Parish , after watching some game play videos, here's what I see. Tell me if you agree.
1985: Dragon Buster hits arcades. It looks like a prototype of The Adventure of Link.
1986: The Legend of Zelda is released on Famicom. It plays nothing like Dragon Buster, except for the brief and uncommon side scrolling parts of Dungeons.
1987: The Adventure of Link is released on Famicom. It seems very inspired by Dragon Buster, especially the wonky over world map.
1989: Dragon Buster 2 is released on Famicom. It looks like someone tried to make Zelda 1.5.
So, the creative inspiration between these franchises appears to be bidirectional and the "missing link" came only after Zelda II was born, like a video game analog of the "Piltdown Man."
7:20 For some reason I found it really impressive that the font in the logo for Milon's Secret Castle is the same on the box as it is on the title screen. Consistent design work, on my NES?
Had no idea vampire killer was so different from the version we got!
Love me some Milonvania.
Metroid was like nothing else back in the day. It was a mystery wrapped in an enigma. I remember just being amazed at the scale of it. Now it seems small and basic, but back then it was expansive and mysterious. I think it and Metal Gear were such huge games for the time. Simon's Quest gets an "Honorable Mention"
My favorite of your series. Thanks for your work on the Metroidvanias. Keep it up!
When I finally played Mylon a few years ago I realized that in order to enjoy it I had to approach it as a Metroid game, then it made sense to shoot every tile looking for hidden items
I didn't know this was a "works" series. thanks for these
Everything became “works” a couple years ago to unify his branding. I prefer the former creative titles, but oh well.
Your channel is fantastic, keep up the great work
Ah the Maru Mari. I always forget that was the Morph Ball in the original manual.
Feels a little self-evident that the differences between the two Castlevanias was informed by differences in hardware, primarily in that the MSX couldn't handle the scrolling, and had to settle for 30fps on top of that. If anything, rendering a compromise that was still a nicely playable game in its own right is a solid example of how on top of their game Konami was back then.
I understand Milons much better than I used to, but it still has that 80s Japanese adventure game obtuseness.
I never managed to finish Milon's Secret Castle, it was so frustrating since I didn't know where to go or what to do in a certain point in the game.
One thing that I think that always should be mentioned is that Metroid is about how tools changes your perception of space, while SOTN takes more from Zelda 2 and early Castlevanias titles where abilities are tools or keys, and doesn't really alter your perception.
For a good example on how this works, certainly the most "true" Metroid-like title recently would be Axiom Verge, (where exploration perception becomes clearer as abilities are uncovered) and a more Castlevania-like title would be Guacamelee (Where it's more obvious what is locked out from first glance).
So Metroid certainly stands out even more than Vampie Killer and Milo and the time, because it implemented the idea that the perception of gameplay space could be enhanced together with the character potential.
0:44 - I object, good sir. You gave the NES version the attention it deserved.
I've been watching these videos all week and had no idea it was Jeremy Parish.
Milon's Secret Castle was one of those games I would rent over and over as a kid. Pretty difficult, but is enjoyable. Kind of like Legacy of the Wizard, another game that will likely be on the Metroidvania Works playlist soon.
i only wish the rest of the dragon slayer games were more like 4 (legacy of the wizard)
So many metroid memories...I honestly don't even remember how I found out about the Justin Bailey code. I do remember the rumor/playground talk it supposedly meant Just In Bailey, an illusion to being naked in australian or something. I think that code was the only way I found out Samus was a girl as a kid, since I never beat Metroid at that age.
Many people don’t remember this, but the instruction manual for the original Metroid blatantly claims that CMS is a man. Specifically, a cyborg man who is partly made of machine. This isn’t just a weird Americanization. The original Japanese manual also says the same thing.
So many of us were extremely surprised that was revealed to be a woman. Mostly confused. There is a retrospective fallacy That boys were upset to learn that they had been playing as a woman, but this was untrue. There were many games that featured female protagonist. I believe most gamers were simply confused because same as was explicitly stated to be a man, it was depicted as a man in our accessory Metroid materials such as her appearance in the Nintendo cartoons.
@@JazGalaxy yeah, that's why I was surprised about the code and finding out he was a she. If I never would have used the code, I probably wouldn't have found out Samus is a woman until Super Metroid (or friends at school, whichever would come first).
Of course with all that said, outside of the playground talk/general gaming culture impact it had, the Justin Bailey code is in fact almost completely insignificant and meaningless. It wasn't even deliberately programmed into the game, other random passwords will let you play as suitless Samus too, this one just so happened to match someone's name and put them right towards the end of the game. The NARPAS SWORD debug code was the only deliberate password coded into the game when it made the transition from FDS to NES. As for where the sprite for "Justin Bailey" Samus comes from...If you beat Metroid fast enough, yes Samus takes off her helmet/suit at the end before the credits roll which everyone already knows, but then after the credits roll you start the game over as suitless Samus, with all of your main upgrades intact aside from missiles and energy tanks so you can just keep doing victory laps over and over again for as long as you want. Basically Metroid has it's own New Game+ mode that no one ever talks about, probably because they're too intrigued by the secrets of the password system to learn the game itself (don't necessarily mean you but a lot of retro gaming channels on YT in general). Metroid can be an obtuse and intimidating game for a lot of players but it's really fun and addicting once you get the hang of it.
Have you ever considered looking at the Dizzy games, possibly even Switchblade in future Metroidvania works videos? Quite frustrating that British and European video games get overlooked in 95% of video game retrospective videos on TH-cam.
Ufouria!
The Dizzy games I've played haven't really had the action-RPG/exploration to fit in. European platforms in my experience tend to be sort of rambling, free-scrolling affairs but stop shy of going all-in on the open world and backtracking I want to focus on here.
As always, quality content I enjoyed.
"I spent a little too much time talking about Metroid" - Hush your mouth, sir! Spending too much time talking about Metroid is what I'm here for!
Another awesome video!
I always forget that the first Vampire Killer already had exploration.
And I really wish Metroid had gotten a sequel on the NES with a powerful mapper chip.
Just a comment about your different series: you keep triggering nostalgic memories of lazily watching cartoons on a Sunday afternoon with the music you use for the "next time on" portions of your videos. It almost puts me into a half sleep just from hearing it.
I was just reading through The Untold History of Japanese Game Developers 3 when I came upon an interesting bit of information in one of those interviews. Apparently the exploratory platform adventure game Aztec for the Apple II from 1982 was known in Japan as well and it seems to have some similarities to Metroid. It also seems to have been ported to Japanese home computers in 84 and 85, so before Metroid. Maybe that game could have been an interesting footnote in metroidvania works or in relation to Metroid?
I'm very surprised to hear a North American mention 'Jet Set Willy'. Great overview by the way!
It may seem like a small thing, but the lack of good audiovisual feedback on your attacks really hurts Vampire Killer more than anything else for me. The meaty sound effects and the way baddies are stunned for a brief instant on contact make the whip so satisfying to use to use on NES. It's more like a wet noodle in the MSX game.
Nah, the worst thing about your attacks in Vampire Killer is definitely the miserly hit box. You don't really appreciate how generous Castlevania's combat mechanics really were until you try to hit a medusa head with that stingy little whip.
@@JeremyParish Ah, yes. Those remarkably evasive stationary candles. And jumping when you're tying to get on a staircase...So there's maybe a few things.
They tried, at least.
I played a shit-ton of NES growing up. Metroid was one of the few notable games I didn't play, until the age of 20. When I did, it felt horrifically dated and had what I perceived as many frustrating aspects. I'm sure there are many people out there who still hold this title as their single favorite game ever, and to them I say, I wish I was there with you lol. I will say it still has the charming NES graphics, great box art, and fantastic music.
If you want to experience the original Metroid on NES but modernized, try the Metroid Mother hack.
If you want to experience it in remake format, give Zero Mission a try if you haven't already.
It's widely considered to be the definitive Metroid 1 experience right now.
@@FloatingSunfish Oh, I'm aware, and have dabbled with both of them. The problem is that I'm generally a purist, and try to experience them as originally incarnated. For instance, I loved Super Mario All Stars, but if you give me an option, I'll take the NES SMB 1-3 over their technologically superior SNES counterparts every time. But every time I try to go through Metroid, I get annoyed and quit lol. Comparatively speaking, I do have a nostalgia for the NES Legend of Zelda, which is incredibly flawed at this point, but if they did a full remake of it, while I'd certainly buy it on the spot and play it, I'll likely always prefer the original, because nostalgia is a powerful drug lol
It helps if you're one of those weird people like me who actually love getting lost and confused and making their own maps in old adventure games and RPGs. I really treasure that sort of gaming experience.
I'm kind of curious to your opinions of "Super Metroid being the first true Metroidvania" as you said something to the effect of in the video.
Personally, I've always considered Super Metroid to be... Well Metroid. Many of the games that get coined with the term today are really more Metroid-Likes than Metroidvanias in my eyes. I don't think I've played one other than a Bloodstained that captures the feel of what I consider essential to be a Metroidvania for obvious reasons (Iga).
It just seems that since we didn't really see the term pop up until the GBA Castlevania games continued the trend set by SotN (which I think you pointed out in the first video in this series), a Metroid+Vania should have most of the elements SotN added to the game style (the RPG elements like stats, items, leveling, etc).
The analogy I've been using on Reddit... Metroid is a sugar cookie. Castlevania brought chocolate chips and we got Metroidvania... But Metroid by itself is still a sugar cookie. Not all cookies are chocolate chip cookies, and chocolate chips by themselves aren't chocolate chip cookies either.
From a historical perspective, I see the connections and the build up (and appreciate the content around it), but I don't know if I'd say Super Metroid is the first true example of the game.
Would love to hear your thoughts, given how analyitical you are.
Asking for spoilers? Tsk. You'll just have to wait.
Haha. Fair enough then.
Thank you for all the great content.
What happened to Kid Icarus anyway? I just realized it wasn't covered despite the series moving past it chronologically.
What's the game at the end of the vid? I know it'll be on the next episode but it intrigued me and maybe I will get it to play b4 it comes out...
The Wing of Madoola
@@JeremyParish Well I did a little research and I ebay'd it bc I think I'll like. $6 for the game & $15 to ship. Ouch lol
Some name trivia for fun: Samus Aran's name in Japanese is spelled サムス・アラン ("ahr-an" not "air-in"). "Akumajou" (悪魔城) means roughly "devil castle" or "evil fiend castle". The English term for Metroidvania in Japanese is the same (メトロイドヴァニア), because the term appears to have been coined in English.
Really curious about the development history of Vampire Killer. One can only assume it and Castlevania (Famicom) were developed in parallel, but I wonder what made the games diverge so significantly in terms of game design. Were they intended to be identical ports but as development continued they both spun off into their own paths, or was it an idea of markets, Castlevania fits more into the mold of other Famicom titles while Vampire Killer is more like other exploratory PC titles?
msx doesn't handle screen scrolling well, so it was never gonna work making the same game. i imagine it was a decision early on based on system limitations
you talk about jet set willy twice in a row in the same series and yet you didn't do a video on that game's influence. would be interesting to see it reviewed from an Ammerican perspective (the flick screen format was non existent in the US up until soulstis on the nes, yeah, that's a NES works episode waiting to happen_)
Jet Set Willy was covered in a previous episode.
For everything it did right and established, the original Metroid for the NES sadly didn't age well.
Thankfully, hacks such as Metroid Mother and the even better remake Zero Mission should make experiencing the original Metroid a bit more enjoyable for modern audiences.
Yes to all of this! ZM is one of my favorites. Matroid Mother, I'll have to check that out
For me, the biggest problems are that Samus can’t crouch or shoot down, so small enemies are practically invulnerable until you get the bombs; and that when you die you restart with just 30 HP regardless of how many energy tanks you have, meaning you have to grind to get your health back up to full. Really if they fixed those issues the game would be much more enjoyable.
Well, OK, maybe a map would be nice as well.
I strongly disagree. Yes the original Metroid can be a tough, intimidating, obtuse game (and the 30 health thing is total BS, I'll agree with that), but once you spend enough time getting over that hump and really learn how the game works and how to play within its limitations, it becomes a very fun and addicting game. Yeah it would be nice if you could crouch or shoot down like in later Metroid games, but not having that ability in the original means you have to deal with enemies in different ways early on and the bombs serve more of a purpose in regular combat than in later games. And learning how to navigate without a map is a satisfying challenge in its own way, again intimidating at first but very possible to figure out if you challenge yourself. I love Zero Mission, it was my very first Metroid game and it's still a great entry point into the series that holds up very well today and it has some really tricky shinespark puzzles if you want 100%, but coming back to it after learning the NES version I realize how much more restrictive it is compared to the original game, in terms of progression. MZM is more like a guided tour of Zebes, while NES Metroid is wide open and lets the player make a lot more of their own choices about how to tackle the game. So as fun and worthwhile a game MZM is I feel like it actually fails to capture some of that spirit from the original. There was a Boss Keys episode that illustrated this pretty well, even though they weren't super keen on the original game's design either.
>implying metroid-like and metroidvania are the same thing
I love metroid-likes and I don't care for metroidvanias.
Can you explain the difference for someone not familiar with metroid. I've never heard of metroid-like before
Nice this video came out after Stossdrunk explained if it was libertarian or not.
Got one question, why the vania in metroidvania? what does castlevania add to the genre?
Stick around and find out.
"Vampire killer is pretty obtuse at times. For example, there's an old lady who will sell you stuff....but only if you whip her"
Yes? And this is unusual how? I have to say though, i'm not American and so maybe in your culture this is not how you initiate trading.
I love the channel but it seems a bit odd in a series called "Metroidvania Works" to devote twice as much time to Zork as you do to Metroid.
Not really, if you watch the intro video that explains the point of this entire series.
Such a bland overview of Milon's Secret Castle, I was happy to see it as part of the lineup, but disappointed in how quick it gets passed over. I also have to raise an eyebrow at the _later_ bosses being marked as tough. With all the upgrades it always felt to me like the first boss was the toughest and then, assuming you're collecting everything, the rest of the bosses settle in to a pretty standard difficulty. And that's even assuming you're not walking into them with the bee shield each time.
The backtracking in the game which also was pretty glossed over I think is more important to first playthroughs of the game. Where you're not collecting everything in a stage every time or discovering every hidden item and instead going back and forth trying to discover what solution you're missing in 3 or so stages at a time. If anything, I was expecting at least some chatter on how obtuse some of the secrets can be. Having to hit invisible spots or walk over them or just in general how obtuse the level design could be to a modern gamer's eye.
Fear not, tiny friend. This is a video series about tracing design concepts, and Milon barely even fits within those parameters. A full retrospective is due up in the next season of NES Works.
@@JeremyParish I'll be excited to see it, for sure!
that ending song is from evangelion anime, is there an original source of that song after all?
Sorry, but I’m not really clear what you’re asking for here.
@@JeremyParish when `next episode` appears, what song is that? Because it is the same as the one in evangelion. See this teaser th-cam.com/video/-xezMJ2s50E/w-d-xo.html&feature=emb_logo
it’s from an Eva game for WonderSwan
How are you going to call metroid a metroidvania? It's just metroid!!!
Mmmkay.
Feel like Metroidvania's should just be called Metroidlikes or something. Metroid did it first, and Castlevania wasn't really a "Metroidvania" until yearrrrs later with Symphony of the Night. It's all Metroid's doing!
This video literally shows Castlevania farting around with those same concepts, chief
Can you call it a metroidvania when the game is literally Metroid?
Jeremy, why can’t we be friends in real life?
Because stalkers make me uncomfortable?
Jeremy Parish True. That kind of job sounds like alot of work.
I think I'm the only one who hates the use of Metroidvania to describe Exploration Action games. It's like calling FPS games Quakedooms.
You’ll be ok.
@@JeremyParish True, the words people use to describe game genres should be the least of my worries right now...
Yes, exactly!
I love Metroid NES to death but talking about it still in 2020 is really milking a dead horse
Good news, you don't have to watch videos about it.
@@JeremyParish I cant help it I still have to watch
The dead horse is calling from INSIDE the house