How Super Metroid Gets It Right
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ก.ย. 2024
- Super Metroid is often brought up as one of the best video games of all time, and while it's not 100% perfect (I'm looking at you, Last Save Room In Tourian), it's pretty much 99% perfection.
Have a sit in my animated home and join me in going through just HOW Super Metroid gets it all right.
I may do another video on the graphics and atmosphere alone :-)
Games featured in the montage were:
- Axiom Verge
- Strider (2014)
- Shadow Complex
![[Full] 4 ต่อ 4 Celebrity EP.910 | 22 ก.ย. 67 | one31](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/4TR3MVpOiw8/mqdefault.jpg)
One story beat that I always liked was how the baby metroid recognizes Samus. When you first encounter Ridley on Ceres station, the battle ends when your health gets low enough to trigger the "low health alarm", which the baby hears. Then, when you encounter the baby metroid again and it starts to drain Samus' energy, it stops when it hears the alarm again, recognizing that it's Samus. Then, in the final fight with Mother Brain, the baby comes to the rescue when it hears Samus' alarm once more. Always thought that was cool!
Yeah that's something I've never actually realised. Good spot!
I didn't make this connection! Brilliant observation!
I've been playing this game for years, undoubtedly one of my favorite games of all time, and I have never once realized that. Thank you my guy, for proving once again how good this game is.
This made me cry a little 😆
It's technically possible to "beat" Ridley at Ceres Station (forcing him to drop the baby Metroid if only for a moment) but this explanation is gold.
I remember as a kid I got so pissed off when mother brain killed the metroid. I thought we were going to go on adventures together or something.
I was pissed when Metroid Fusion didn't have the Hyper Beam because I legit thought that after getting it we would get to keep it, but I enjoyed that Fusion had a story reason for why Samus was significantly weaker in her next adventure. I was also heart broken when the super metroid died.
I thought it was because the metroid was killed, that during its death scene, Samus jury rigs her arm cannon to become hyper beam.
It was some sort of 'use as last resort and at own peril' moment, but she has to do this, to avenge its death.
I didn't link that was mother brain's own ability being transfer to you as the metroid dies and bestows it to you.
I like my version better.
@@xenxander Mother Brain had a similar rainbow beam and when the Super Metroid drained Mother Brains energy that power was transferred to Samus
@@xenxander lol if she has the hyper beam the whole time she woulda used it from beginning of game cmon man ur funny 😂🤣
i remember as a kid i cried when mother brain killed the metroid lol
Fun fact: the doors in Ceres Station are actually registered as enemies and can be destroyed with Power Bombs and actually have sprites for their destroyed state.
That IS a fun fact!
Was Ceres an early Wrecked Ship?
@@jess648 the wrecked ship was confirmed to be the one that the Chozo used to get to Zebes, hence it's appearance in Zero Mission
@@mittensdacat nice!
I just thought it was odd that the Space Pirate Mother Ship wasn’t the Wrecked Ship because it has the same robot and molecule looking things as enemies
Where was that confirmed?
I know I'm wayy late to the party, but the entrance to Ridley's lair does do a similar thing to all the other "maybe I need to come back here doors" because you can morph ball through the tunnels above, and reach near the dragon faced door, but not quite reach it
DanielisAwesome52 absolutely; in this sense it can be just like the first time you encounter the entrance to Kraid’s lair (after the elevator between Brinstar and Norfair). You see this bizarre looking mouth open but can’t reach it (well, unless you already got the hi jump boots, or have figured out how to wall climb or infinite bomb jump, but chances are you definitely haven’t learned those yet your first time through.)
Same comments apply to the lava dive room where you enter lower Norfair. Instead of the mouth looking a little like Kraid, it looks like Ridley, but the idea is the same- this is an important place for you to go even if you don’t know how to get in there yet.
I mean, I've played this game probably about 50 times at this point (but by no means an expert) and I'm still fascinated looking at all these analyses and finding out different perspectives I didn't think about at all before in terms of the game's structure and different strategies how to beat it. It's truly amazing.
This also calls back Metroid 1, where the statues of the Kraid & Ridley heads (the equivalent of the "golden four" in Super Metroid) obstruct the path to Tourian.
@@EebstertheGreat Wrong "door" mate, and the head thing is in Zero Mission, in the actual Metroid 1, it's a pair of statues with force fields set over a little morphball hole over a pit of lava, killing the boss breaks the force field, allowing you to destroy the statue, destroying the statues activates a mechanism to open a bridge
@@chloemchll3774 The Ridley door unfortunately has a problem where the morphball tunnel route and the actual route to get to the door differs quite a bit
Super Metroid blew me away as a kid. I loved the final boss sequence because I had never played a game that toyed with my heart before like this game did. Games used to be just mindless fun for me until Super Metroid showed me how they can tell compelling and deeply personal stories.
Yeah, Super Metroid's truly one of the greats. I think I had a similar experience with it growing up, matched only by Metroid Prime.
@@VideoGameAnimationStudy you didn't save the animals in the ending you can tell because you see a streak of light if you do save the animals presumably the abandoned ship
That's right, yeah.
I was blessed to grow up in the Golden Age. Playing this and Earthbound as a youngster was eye opening and established an expectation in future games played.
@@brandonzachman7771 same here old games were the best with the ps1 being the best console of my childhood nowadays games are lazy and littered with microtransactions
Fun fact: Ceres was the Roman Goddess of motherly relations, amongst other things. A common theme in Metroid.
Quite correct! :-D
Ceres is also a dwarf planet and by far the largest body in the asteroid belt. It was the first asteroid ever discovered and initially considered to be a planet, much like how Pluto was initially considered to be a planet before other Kuiper belt and scattered disc objects were discovered. This is probably the inspiration behind the name for the fictional space station.
Oh wow. So then Ceres Station was in fact the MOther Ship?
"The Baby"
- Samus (Metroid: Other M) [About 300 times]
motherly relations are a common them in metroid?
I agree that the game gets right into subverting expectations by opening with you having to go left. And still a favorite part of the games design is that first shaft you descend that you'll be unable to go back up. It's already sending so many messages, however secretly you already do have the ability to wall jump but you wouldn't naturally know that.
This game is awesome, not just because of the perfect gameplay and game-flow, but also because of its narrative. I think that the final sequence of the battle against Mother Brain is one of the best silent narrative ever in any medium. When I fought her for the first time, I could literally feel the anger flowing from Samus. Trully something unique.
Yeah, it's just an absolute master piece! Thanks for watching!
Whoever designed the end of Crocomire's boss battle is both a cruel bastard and a damn genius.
That ending is morbid as heck. Poor Crocomire.
Definitely some good variety from the standard explosion
Crocomire got that bowser treatment
One small thing you didn't mention. If you save the creatures that teach the abilities, as Samus ship is escaping the planet, just before it explodes, you can see a little dot race away as well which is suppose to be the creatures ship. It does not appear if you don't save them. Great video, amazing game. You're break down brought back so many memories of countless hours with this game.
Well I did consider it, but it's been mentioned _so_ many times in other videos I just thought people would know this by now, but you're quite right. And thanks for watching!
funny thing is they are on her ship in the next game
Oh I thought they blew up regardless, I mean the planet exploded
Have you learned nothing from AGDQ? KILL THE ANIMALS.
@@IAUnlimited or SGDQ.
The battle with Mother Brain is indelibly seared in my brain.
- I too remember the panic when MB prepared the final blow, followed by intense relief seeing the BABY foil her attack.
- It was revelatory to see the baby metroid give Samus's energy back. We'd never known it was possible for a metroid to do that!
- Funnily enough, for me at least, the first time I saw the baby metroid appear to have killed MB and then moved towards Samus, I thought the baby was still going to kill me! Seeing Samus's energy start refilling was another wave of relief!
- This was of course followed by concern for the baby metroid as MB reawakened and started to attack. I remember pleading with the metroid, "I've got plenty of energy! Defend yourself!"
- Seeing the baby metroid die was a powerful event, and although I might be embellishing my memory a bit, I think that I angrily attacked with Samus's cannon as soon as I could. I'm not sure if I realized that MB's attack had drained all of Samus's missiles, but regardless, I just had to attack MB in protest.
- Finally, seeing that wild beam from Samus's gun was a huge surprise, and I do remember immediately pausing the game and checking Samus's inventory screen. It was such a rush to see all of the BEAM elements replaced with one solitary entry: HYPER
Receiving the Hyper beam from the baby is a poignant moment: it's as though the baby stole that power from MB and passed it to Samus just as the baby faded from existence to help ensure the survival of its mama.
Been a while but this replicates how I felt. I never played the entire game alone but I watched and finished it. The sound design is incredible. Scary and dark to me..never saw something like this until this game
This game is a masterpiece. Flawless gameplay and proof that you don't need words to tell a good story.
nazart I'd have to disagree with your perfect gameplay bit
On which aspects? I think the gameplay is nearly perfect, too.
Zocker Bruderschaft I think that Samus controls too slippery for me in Super Metroid. Whereas Zero Mission and Fusion the controls felt tight and responsive. And when I try to find something whether it be a missile expansion or a power up, I find myself shooting and bombing every square centimeter of Zebes. Also walljumping is way too complicated than it needs to be.
Those are pretty much my gripes with it
Ricardo Hamilton what do you mean walljumping is too complicated
It's just not to everyone's dexterity, is probably what he means.
This was an absolute treat. Great upload mate. I just beat super metroid for the first time this morning. I am 34 years old and just went into it mostly blind. I remember playing it for an hour on emulator way way back and loving the atmospheric opening but got stuck somewhere and stopped. Now all these years later I started again and I was absolutely hooked, no guides, no wikis or youtube, just me and the game. I did beat metroid prime and fusion already however so that helped me understand the way these games work. I absolutely love how little handholding there is, no big stop go tutorials, no waypoints, no glowing directions etc. You land on the planet and are essentially on your own till the credits role. What a game.
the ending is so badass no matter how many times you play
Nothing else has ever compared to my first time playing this game all the way through, as a teen. Mind-blowingly well crafted, immersive and largely intuitive, with only the briefest of dialogue pieces, yet full of life and hand picked details in each and every sub-area, which also gives the games environs, the Planet Zebes, its own personality too. Also, the music is a cinematic masterpiece, the animations contain enough detail to give the impression of biological or mechanical composition and life in movement, and so on, and so on, and so on. It's no wonder it's my favorite game of all time!
This game is an absolute masterpiece, especially when considering the circumstances under which it was developed.
Different artists which were new to the industry causing significantly different graphics styles which had to be cleaned up, lots of experimenting with graphics and sound techniques causing the module ROM size to steadily increase over time and three budget overruns which got the game almost canceled three times during development. Plus a ridiculous amount of crunch time near the end where developers even stopped cleaning themselves for a while and more or less lived in the office.
I had this game from release and i never noticed the first elevator room got brighter once you've been spotted!!!
Super Metroid is still one of the greatest games ever created, even after 25 years.
29 years! I love Metroid Dread, it's so fluid, but Super Metroid still holds its own against it, and the soundtrack beats it hands down.
Why I love Super Metroid? Atmosphere. From the whole "attacked by an unknown enemy"-research station, to the first few minutes on Zebes in which everything is silent and you just have the lightning and the fleeing insects... The dead army guy with bugs all over him, other friendly aliens, rooms which have no music, the game is amazing in setting up scenes/ stories.
Another thing which I really love about the atmosphere is that it generally doesn't feel like the enemies are specifically out to get you, as much as that you are just intruding on their territory. Kind of like a nature documentary kind of feel, in an alien (and hostile) environment.
Unfortunately, I think they lost this feeling in Samus Returns and Metroid Dread. Due to the inclusion of the Melee Counter, now pretty much every enemy will attack Samus on sight, so that she gets to use the the Melee Counter. I miss strange creatures just creeping around the floors, walls, and ceilings, minding their own business, or things that wait to attack Samus until she gets close.
One of the many, many reasons this is a perfect game in my eyes is the replayability. No two play-throughs are the same. If you know enough of the ins and outs of the game, you can get the items and power-ups in almost any order you want. Hell, you can even do the jump glitch in the golden statue room to bypass all four main bosses. You can play the game how YOU want. It's never on rails, and it NEVER holds your hand.
4:00 I find that the steam bursts also make one feel like the escape never goes perfectly, thus making the player think they're in over their head when they aren't.
And then you see crazy speedrunners who somehow figured out how to perfectly dodge every steam blast, lol.
Regarding the statue that comes to life, it shows battle damage as you fight it, letting you know that harder to kill enemies will have visual changes to let you know that you are progressing in the fight and are getting closer to beating them. This is important because Metroid enemies never have health bars to gauge how close you are to beating them, it's always a guessing game to keep the tension high.
Great video! I especially liked how you put the screenshot mosaic map over the screen at key points, and overlaid the original Metroid game onto Super and showed other parts that relate in small picture-in-pictures. This is probably one of my favorite metroid games and my favorite super metroid review.
I do wish you had spent a bit more time though on sequence breaking and how the game invites you to do it by giving you multiple ways to get the same place, and to avoid what would otherwise be necessary backtracks. Also you didn't mention probably one of the most important tools for such breaks: The bomb trick. Otherwise, 10/10.
Gino Vincenzini
Hey, thank ever so much for the feedback! 😃
Yeah you're right, I guess I could've spent a bit more time on the sequence breaking, probably a massive aspect into why people enjoy replaying it!
I'm glad you enjoyed it otherwise!
There's something so satisfying about loving a game, not being able to express why clearly, and then watching a TH-cam vid accurately articulating every reason.
WHY AND HOW HAVE I NEVER HEARD OF YOU BEFORE
Haha, I guess it's because I'm starting to take a little more time and put a little more effort into my videos :-)
No problem Tomoko, I haven't either.
Same dude.
There's also another small moment where the game teaches you how to use ball mode to dodge attacks. When you enter the room with pirates for the first time, their beams go in order that forces your to sit, but the last beam is low enough to hit you even in sitting position. You press down again and covert into the ball. And you dodge all beams this way.
I've been binge-watching Metroid related content since the Dread reveal, and I got to say, your videos are some of the best❤
P.S. love that new thumbnail
Same
the Torizo statue gave me ptsd, i couldn't trust any chozo statue after that
One thing I've always found amazing in the atmospheric tension of the Ceres Station escape sequence is the way the vertical hallway rocks back and forth. Architecturally, I'm not sure how realistic that is, but it makes it feel like the whole structure is coming apart at the seams, it makes precise platforming all the more necessary in a tense situation, and it makes the reward of escaping all the more relieving.
Man I've always loved that, I usually wait a bit and let it sway before leaving just so I can see it!
This video was very high quality and i hope you get more subs
Hey there, thanks for watching! And that's lovely of you to say, so long as I can keep entertaining people :-)
Good work on this video you got my sub I hope you get many more in time
5:00 GREAT editing!
Ha! Thanks, I was pleased with that!
I have played through this game 6 times and I JUST realized that the room at 4:59 is Mother Brain's original boss room. This game is the gift that keeps on giving.
Made a subscriber out of me, I think your channel is going to go very far if you keep this up. Great presentation and great points.
Thank you very much, that's lovely of you!
@@VideoGameAnimationStudy he was right
One thing I love is the lack of handholding. "Select and press the Y button" but does not bore you with details of how to open doors, or that some enemies may be more vulnerable, blah, blah. It lets you discover this for yourself.
Yeah exactly, and I think this is the heart of open-ended exploration, and I think Super Metroid is the heart of the Metroid series.
Yet the countless hidden passages and areas, none of it is obvious. This makes these Metroid games so intriguing and hard.
Sometimes I actually wish I didn't know Super Metroid as well as I do, because I'd love to experience it for the first time again.
Does anyone else get chills down their spine when "the last metroid is at peice" plays.
it is ''the last metroid is in captivity, the galaxy is at piece
@@DiegoArmando-ci7gg Let's try "at peace"....then again, the voice had a "thlight lithp", or slight lisp, so it sounded like "The galakthy ith at peath." Maybe Mike Tyson was moonlighting? =)
The galaxy and last Metroid are in pieces.
@@TheGauges420 Spoiler alert for fusion
The last metroid is at peece
Great video, I'm always down for someone singing the praises of Super Metroid. I had a Genesis growing up and didn't play this until 2009 and it still became one of my top 10 all-time. Its nearly flawless.
Hey thanks for watching!
Well that's interesting, how long did it take you to complete on your first playthrough?
love the animation and editing, it all looks so professional! this type of video reminds me quite a bit of sequelitis, but a little more relaxed. I hope to see more great stuff from you!
Thank you ever so much on the feedback and support! Indeed, Sequelitis was a big inspiration on my TH-cam animation avenue, and while I'm not nearly as charismatic as Arin Hanson or as talented, it did inspire me to pursue a higher level of detail and quality. Along with one of my favourite TH-camrs Mark Brown: Game Maker's Toolkit.
Dan Root new sub here! You should also check out King K and Writing on Games and Super Bunnyhop :) love analytical video game videos
Dalton McCabe Hey thanks! Yeah I love those guys, I think I support King K on Patreon actually. Thanks for the sub!
FANB "a little"
This is why art doesn't have to be fancy. Super Metroid is quite simple it just does it perfectly.
This is one of the only videos I've seen on Super Metroid that really tackles what I love about it: the freedom they give you for a second playthrough and how good it feels to push those boundaries.
Super Metroid is one game that still gives me a creepy sense of fear to this day playing it. They knew just how to create an atmosphere that was unsettling. An all time classic game for sure!
This was a really great analysis :) Super Metroid is really one of my favourite games. The soundtrack is especially wonderful. Even today it holds up fabulously
Hey there, thanks for watching! I feel I could do an entire video just on Super Metroid's atmosphere!
It rewards exploration SO MUCH. My brother got stuck, and all I had to do was check the map to find out where he hadn't been, and the rest of the game opened up completely.
It's a well designed game, for sure! I love how the map is designed like that.
Truly one of the best games of all time.
At 12mins, I always thought this to be another bounty hunter that just never made it. It created great story element for me as it made me more scared of what was to come behind the next few doors.
Thanks. I love you too, boo. 😘💕
Bae
Dan Root ❤
I love you samus!!!!!
Samus Aran: The intergalactic Bounty Hunter I never played one
Phostings1 💘
I didn't expect the little animated segments! This is so cool! When it first showed your guy sittin' on the couch with a metroid @3:50 i literally went "Whoa!" out loud! Subbed
Man, that was a great analysis! Also thank you for not saying please like and subscribe at the end and instead just be chill and down to earth about it.
Still gonna like and sub tho :>
Hey, thanks very much for the kind words, and thanks for watching! I know, I used to do that, but it made me feel a little shameful. Like, people _know_ what to do, if they want to like, comment and subscribe, then they'll do it, if they want to find other videos of mine, they'll go looking :-)
To be honest, one of the reasons I subscribed is because you didn't make a big deal out of it, along with the high quality content
invghost Again, thanks so much!
The cozy intro with the rain in the background made me feel so comfortable and happy inside I subscribed immediately, this is cheating and I'm reporting you
🌌🌠🌠This was such a marvelous game! 🖤Samus!
Great channel and review of Super Metroid. Definitely one of the best classic games that really weaves its lore beautifully. You get touches of the original mixed in with a real idea of a timeline. Revisiting the world once again with a lot of nods to the original but also tons of new things that the player discovers along the way.
I would have to add that i found the Sprite work in this game amazing. Just looking at Samus in her Idle animation.. So much life. You see her body moving when she is breathing. The top part of her body is moving, slightly. As in showing that she a living person inside. When you run whille the Arm canon is aimed up or down, when you press L or R button. You see the shoulder pads basicly jiggle, going up and down. As well as samur holding her Arm cannon as well in the idle animation. In Super Metroid, she is holding the arm canon on top. Whille in Metroid Fusion, she is holding under the arm canon.
I heard in a video once that the way she holds her arm cannon resembles how one would hold a rocket launcher in Super and a shotgun in Fusion
There actually is some indication that you have to return to the pre-Ridley lava pit. There's a tunnel you can morph ball through that takes you just close enough to the entrance that you can see the giant Ridley head.
That's true, yeah!
Amazing video. Well written and put together.
Jimmy Dinh Thank you so much!
Man seeing the little Metroid again already got me cryin
11:51 Or you encounter a metal snake-looking thing and many years later a guy makes a TH-cam video where he calls it a humanoid-looking thing and you go "huh? humanoid thing? How is he seeing that as a...oh, is that what that was supposed to be this whole time?"
I never understood what I was seeing either 😅
Super Metroid has all things in one.
Backy Backy Tracky
Oh yay, another powerup to add to my ever-growing collection.
I have died to this boss over a million times, please end my suffering.
And...
EXPLOSIONS, LOT'S OF EXPLOSIONS!
Dude you're killing it with this video. It's a real shame that good content like this doesn't get the exposure it rightfully deserves. All I can say is keep at it, man! My good internet friend started making analytical gaming videos like this and out of nowhere one of his videos got over 100k views and his sub count tripled in a week. Never stop making amazing content, and people will come and find that content and share it with other people.
Hey there, thanks for the great feedback! I know, I spent a lot more time on this video and my subscriber base has doubled in a week, so it's a great confidence that knowing when I put more effort into my videos that more people will enjoy them! Thanks for watching!
19:18 "You can't run from it"
Good sir, you haven't tried enough 😂
Oh yeah it can be outrun if you know what you're doing, of course.
But one's first playthrough of this game will result in what seems like an impossible to escape scenario.
amazing video, I just beat this game for the first time. I grew up with zero mission and then fusion. Now that im old i like this game the most of all 3. This game is so underrated when it comes to exploration, choosing your own paths, sequence breaking, and even the feeling of executing hard mechanics. I wish this game had gottten a proper sequel with something like 6 guardian bosses. Sad Nintendo doesnt see the potential. New age pixel art would look amazign and be cheap for them to produce
I actually bought my SNES system after playing part of Super Metroid in a Phar-Mor store for about ten minutes. The music, backgrounds, gameplay and story line were so perfectly created that it felt like I was the lead character in a sci-fi thriller movie. In fact, I once hooked up my SNES system through the VHS (remember those?) and I recorded my 2-hour triumph on a VHS tape so I could watch it over and over, just like watching Star Wars. This was long before laptops, the internet or HDD players. In fact, I may have been the first person to record a video game on a VHS; at least no one else I knew did it. And all because Super Metroid played so beautifully. It remains my favorite overall game soundtrack.
The first laptop was made in 1982, lol. But I get what you mean. Having a 2 hour time and figuring out how to decently record SNES footage back then was definitely a cool thing.
Instantly subscribed. Very nice to see the gameplay while you tell your story with your voice.
Thanks so much!
Super Metroid is a game more aspiring designers should look to, and you did a great job of walking through and breaking down the elegant ways it teaches players through its' mechanics and level design alone.
Of note, there is a subtle visual clue to that fake wall: the animated edge lighting. Below that ledge the player can see that only the vertical face of the cliff is lit up and it fades to black deeper into the wall, whereas the deeper part of the fake wall is illuminated.
Hey, thanks for the feedback!
Well that's certainly interesting, I'd never noticed that before. Super Metroid: The Game That Keeps Giving!
I grew up playing this game, so this is the most ever game I've played so far.
Played this story with my dad when I was 5 or 6. We used to play every day when he got back from work, it was so fun to try to solve the puzzles together
This is my favorite game of all time. I never get tired of watching reviews of it. Subbed.
Thanks so much, glad you enjoyed it!
*Love* the subtle references to Sequelitis littered throughout this video. Paying homage to the greats, always makes a video more relatable. Especially when it's tastefully done, not flagrant imitation.
Thanks. Sequelitis was definitely an inspiration to the start of this channel proper, and I'm glad I can break away and begin doing my own thing.
Let's talk about the how crazy it is that Egoraptor has earned his place next to Miyamoto, Cobain, and John K. Something about a Newgrounds alum being a legit super star makes me feel old. Tell me I'm not alone in this.
Well he's the same age as me, roughly, so I don't feel as old, actually.
Enjoying this video, but wanted to offer one bit of visual critique as I watch: around 10:25 you ping places on the minimap. This is a nice touch that accompanies your script, but it's not eye-catching enough. Something like an arrow that moves from point to point instead of a small and easy-to-miss circle ping would help a lot here.
Hey! Thanks very much for the feedback, I really appreciate it and I'll use this to help me make better videos!
I guess the dots are pretty small and short-lived. Thanks!
Holy Mackerel! I didn't even notice the map there.
constructive criticism these days is so refreshing
sorry, but what circle ping?
When I talk about where to find things on the map that pops up
This will always be my favorite game from my childhood. The music and atmosphere was so well done. I don't think I've seen it bested. I wish dread was as good. I would really enjoy a refresh of this.
I love this game so much awesome action and music. You played my favorite song at the end 23:05. Man you brought back memories!!! 😭
Best out of all the Metroid games hands down
Don't forget about saving the animals, in the final escape scene you are given the choice to save the alien creatures that taught you the shinespark and walljump abilities
That's right
Awesome review. You make all of us Hardcore Metroid fans proud!
Well thanks! That's lovely!
I've played this game well over a hundred times and still go back every once in a while. Super Metroid made me fall in love with the metroidvania genre.
Yay, one fan like me, I really loved this game, I've played it like 20 or so times since I first played it, and no run has been equal top any other, after a few runs I found that you could get the spazer beam really early in the game, on another run I used the mockball since I saw it on a speed run, and more recently in my third to last run I've found, accidentally, a missile expansion under motherbrain's old room. So every run is different from the previous one. That's what makes it special, the expectation of finding something new, or doing it better at another run.
The 10-frame running animation! Not the 3 frame loop of Metroids 1 and 2, not the 2-4 frame loops most big name RPGs at the time, not even the 6 frames some games tried. Intelligent Systems and/or Nintendo R&D1 just jumped all the way to 10 frames! For me, that's really what made this game stand out among so many others. The way the terrain just slants a bit here and there and she doesn't lose momentum running uphill, or have to stop and catch her breath, for the first couple times I played I didn't even care about progressing the story or finding the necessary upgrades, I just wanted to see her running and jumping through the environment.
I was listening to this while making breakfast. When you got the part where the child metroid dies, that screech.... still gives me goosebumps... #metroidBro
Steve Smith Yeah it's so sad 😰
Thats what im missing in todays games. Games back then were well thought through and COMPLETE of all things, no need for dlc or patches. Man i miss These days
Ahhh one of the greatest of all time. Your so perfect Super Metroid.
Super Metroid is just so great.
Something I realised after watching a couple of these and thinking back to my fun playing this game - that first vertical shaft on Zebes, descending down to the original Mother Brain room? It is a throwback to Ceres station, only now with smaller platforms, and more alien looking. And on the return, you are forced to fight space pirates within it, further developing skills and building tension
Yeah that's exactly right. There's lots of parallels and themes going on in the game, it's so well designed. The two Torizos acting as bookends to your adventure is a nice touch.
Ridley does have a weakness though- he's the only his that takes damage from power bombs, and you can damage him before the fight starts by using it.
Yeah that's true, you can use pretty much any weapon on him!
he also keeps the damage from the ceres fight, if I recall rightly, making winning that first round even more impactful.
@MageBurger still pretty genius that Nintendo gave attention to detail
SM had one of the best death animations. It just seemed to show how much power the powersuit had and it gets so damaged it goes critical like a nuclear reactor. Samus in her underwear is a nice touch too.
Yeah, it was pretty swish wasn't it?!
This video encouraged me to play Metroid, and eventually a bunch of other great snes games.
until *norfair*
The really cool thing about the dead soldier is the fact that they make literally no attempt to make it seem like Kraid Jr was not the boss of the area, atleast for those who are returning from the original metroid. The fight against him plays out almost identically in every way, so its like 'oh we fought kraid, so lets go get the next power up.'
But then the next room throws all expectations off. Youre in a room with more spikes, theres a dead soldier, and an eye door which iirc, was also used in metroid 1 to block off boss or very dangerous rooms. So youre clearly not over. Kraid was not the big bad, and theres something far more dangerous lurking ahead, and its not until you finally step through that first door, and youre greeted with the boss music and literally out from the ground youre greeted with the real Kraid.
Its one of those moments that i never fully appreciated until i had gone back to play the original, since super metroid was my first game in the series. They really really *really* did this area so damn well.
The replay ablitiy of this game is just perfect even over 20 years later this game is still as fun to play as it was my first playthough in 95. also as you get good at this game the movement you can do is just in a world of its own.
I could not stop playing this game as a kid until I found everything with the x-ray scope. Played this game for months. Truly top 3 greatest games in the world.
Excellent video. The quality was top notch. Subbed and looking forward to more content. Also Super Metroid...one of the best!
Thanks for watching, and thanks very much! I look forward to keeping you entertained!
Super Metroid is a game I still play today. I have beaten it over 30 times, and it is very high on my list of the best games of all time.
the pause screen! picking the weapons, like you are in the suit UI. its fantastic!
Ahh man, yeah. I wish they'd bring that back. Customisable suit!
mega man x did a great job at early immersion. Like when you get to the booths where you get upgrades and you see all the internals. I like that stuff. I about lost it when MAss effect came along and I coud customize a lot. Like deadspace 2/3
Gotta say, this video was really good. High quality animation, insightful commentary and an enjoyable style. You've earned a sub.
Thank you ever so much! I hope to bring you more as soon as I can!
Brinstar theme at the end was perfect.
Nice video. There's not a lot left to be said about Super Metroid, but you did a good job.
One bit of criticism if I may. The animated avatar you use has a bit too slow of a framerate. It looks more like a series of still images than an animated character, and it doesn't quite feel like your voice is coming out of him when you talk.
Hey thanks for watching, and thanks for the feedback!
Well the frame rate is 12fps, which is something I prefer to work in as I find it makes it feel more 'animated', but I understand about the movement, but this is evolving as I make more videos.
Hey lambtaco games
I recently finished Dread and I think it's the best episode of the series after Super. The only things that make me prefer Super are the exceptional music and the atmosphere. There's a stripped down quality to the graphics and sounds that produces a sense of foreboding and horror and therein lies the genius.
SM is one of my all-time favorite games!
Just the overall atmosphere of this game mixed with the music and ambiance of it all is what gets me to come back every time. The attention to detail in the many rooms of this game is amazing. I think my favorite room is probably the spazer pick up room
Why that room particularly? I do like the room before the Tourian entrance statue, like there's nothing else like it, is so mysterious.
Video Game Animation Study I love the background of the spazer room! That shade of blue is my favorite color
Good systemic analysis of game´s internal rules and design. I have suscribed and a big hello from spain.
Thank you very much! And hola, buenas tardes :-)
I can't believe this didn't occur to me before. The arrival at Zebes is very reminiscent of the film Aliens. The dank rainy environment. Traces of an old battle, but the place seems utterly devoid of life. "Sir this place is dead. Whatever happened here, I think we missed it."
Excellent point!
@@VideoGameAnimationStudy In point of fact the Aliens franchise was what inspired the creation of Metroid Some of the developers at Nintendo where fans of the movies.
That's right.
And The Thing inspired Fusion.
@@germainetaylor1757 Metroids = Facehuggers on acid
Chozo statues = Space Jockey
Samus' dual-mode cannon = M41A Pulse Rifle with underslung grenade launcher
Even the naming convention SR-388 = LV-426
SUPER METROID: My favorite game of all time and I've been a gamer all my life. It's the closest thing to perfection as a video game outside of that last Save Room in Tourian (why would they think it's a good idea is beyond me). I can't wait to play it again. It's been a long time.
Good job! Nice intro ^^
Thank you! It's been a long time coming :-)
Your animated avatar alone warrants a like, as a big super metroid fan, thanks for taking me on that journey once again.
Yeah Super Metroid is a timeless masterpiece. I think the only other SNES games that match it in terms of brilliance are Chrono Trigger and A Link to the Past.
Absolutely agree!