PixlBit

To say the least, 1985 proved to be a very good year for Nintendo. They successfully launched the Nintendo Entertainment System in the U.S., introduced the Super Mario Brothers, and quickly won the love and devotion of many youngsters getting into console gaming for the first time. It wasn’t long before Nintendo became a name synonymous with high quality video game entertainment.

And in 1986 (1987 in the U.S.), a game was created that would wow the crowd again and become a pillar of strength in the ever-growing catalogue of NES cartridges. That game, of course, is Metroid-- the first to introduce us to the bounty hunter Samus Aran. Breaking away from the simpler arcade elements found in most games of its day, Metroid went on to be a truly innovative title with a long-standing presence still felt throughout the gaming industry today.

This is the game that began the continual battle of bounty hunter Samus Aran against the space pirates and their attempts to breed Metroids-- dangerous creatures capable of draining energy from any living organism. The leader of the space pirates, Mother Brain, has a Metroid brought back to their fortress on the planet Zebes so that it can multiply and be used as a biological weapon to destroy anyone who dare oppose them. In response, the Galactic Federation Police send Samus to locate the enemy’s headquarters, destroy the Metroid and Mother Brain, thereby averting a crisis of unfathomable severity. All in a day’s work.

 

Metroid is a game of equal parts action and exploration. It is perhaps most known for its nonlinear structure. The game is completely devoid of maps or characters telling you where to go or what to do next. The only clues you have as guidance are platforms that are momentarily out of reach or similar obstacles (mostly of the vertical variety) that suggests to the player that an upgrade might be necessary in order to progress further in that direction.

Skilled players can also do some sequence-breaking if they happen to discover certain items before the game intended for you to find it. Metroid is famous for being one of the first games to use a password system for saving your progress. While it wasn’t as convenient as save files (which weren’t available for NES game yet), it was better than having to start from scratch every time.

Ironically, the Metroids themselves are not the game’s main focal point. Instead, it’s really about Samus becoming stronger as she journeys deeper into the unknown. Among the items introduced in this game are the Morph Ball, Ice Beam, and Varia Suit, just to name a few. Each upgrade to her super adaptable power suit allows her to travel further into the enemy stronghold.

Additionally, you’ll need to stock up on missiles so you can advance through special doors and defeat certain enemies, as well as extra energy tanks to extend Samus’ health points well beyond the meager 30 units she starts with. However, in order to find these enhancements, you’ll need to explore every nook and crevice of Zebes. This often involves finding a way to reveal hidden passages in seemingly dead-end walls and floors.

Where Metroid truly succeeded was the way that the above gameplay elements combined beautifully to into one unforgettable adventure. The world of Zebes was alive with unusual enemy designs and plenty of platforming and shooting action. Yet the exploring the dark depths of the world also effectively created a sense of isolation, and at time desperation to reach your final goal.

Finding each new upgrade feels like a momentous event, making your struggles seem all the more worthwhile. It is not a game easily beaten in a couple hours (for the newbie anyway), but once you confront Mother Brain fully armed to the teeth, you can’t help but to feel a real sense of accomplishment.

 

I really liked the clever concept that went into the level design and structure of the game. Instead of merely advancing through a number of stages more difficult than the last, Metroid featured a connected world with branching sections that could all be accessed from one main hub area. Brinstar is the main area that connects to the other sections of Zebes. Norfair is the fiery zone that's home to some of toughest creatures in any 8-bit game.

Tourian, is where you'll meet the life-draining Metroids that patrol the area. Although there are only 3 main areas in the game, Brinstar and Norfair have their own sub-sections that must be explored. Not being forced down any particular path was a refreshing element not common in video games at the time. It gave the player freedom to go almost anywhere they wanted at any time. Unfortunately, that kind of freedom also had its drawbacks.

It is really easy to get lost or confused if you aren’t using a game guide of some sort. You will constantly be moving both horizontally through corridors and vertically to reach deeper sections of the two main areas. Norfair is especially staggering in terms of how my walls, floors, and ceilings have hidden passages that will take you further down the rabbit hole.

Many of the rooms within each section of the game are nearly identical in design. There are virtually no differences between them, except one room might be a true dead-end where another might have an exploitable secret passage. And since only some rooms lead to significant items or areas, this can cause less patient players to feel like they wasted their time in addition to being completely lost.

The other downer is that, while the password system does keep track of any items collected and bosses defeated, it has no algorithm to keep track of your health points. This means that you’ll always resume the game with only 30 units of health, forcing you to spend time spamming enemies for energy pellets before you can truly focus on moving forward.

At first, it won’t seem like much of an inconvenience when you only have 1 or 2 energy tanks collected. But once you start reaching 4 or more blocks of energy tanks to fill, it can take some time to completely fill it depending on the frequency of energy drops from defeated enemies. While it doesn’t take away from the overall enjoyment of the game, it’s enough of a nuisance to be noticeable if you aren’t in the mood for energy collecting upon resuming where you left off.

 

Without question, the Metroid proves to be a challenging journey in its entirety. But that isn’t to say that it's a “hard” game. At first, you may find yourself getting ripped to shreds, dying easily and quite often. But each time you find a new upgrade, missile stock, or energy tank, you’ll feel more confident to press on and keep exploring the depths of the fortress. In fact, the game actually gets a bit easier once as Samus acquires more upgrades. Once you get the Varia Suit and Screw Attack (my personal favorite), you’ll find that the creatures inhabiting Zebes aren’t so intimidating. In short, perseverance pays off.

Both the audio and visual presentation effectively create the sense of being on a hostile alien world. Much attention was given to the atmosphere of each major section in the game. Although Brinstar, Norfair, and Tourian are never directly referred to in-game, you can easily recognize each section's environment.

The cold, jutting rocks of Brinstar are the first things you'll see as you travel around Zebes. Norfair is my favorite section to look at because the way that area conveys the idea of being in a superheated place. Its ledges and ceilings have little crystal bubbles hanging from them-- as if parts of the structure are slowly melting.

Just the right mix of color and brightness are present here as well. The only real mark against the game’s graphics are the occasional glitches that show up at the end of the screen as Samus moves. Also you might notice discolored brick or ledges in some areas, but it's nothing that wasn't already common to games of that era anyway. Overall, Metroid holds a nice visual style that only got better with the later games in the series.

 

The music that accompanied the environments in the game was enough to always grab your attention and keep you playing for hours. All of the tunes have their own life and personality that sticks with you long after you've finished the game. For instance you’ll be happily moving along to the upbeat tempo of the upper areas of Brinstar, until you take the elevator down to Kraid's hideout. Suddenly, the music becomes cold and haunting. You'll always know when you're about to get a new upgrade, because the music changes to a mysterious tune as you make your way to that new item. Such nuances make this game all the more compelling to play.

Metroid will always stand as cornerstone in the earlier years of game development. Admittedly, it isn’t perfect. The antiquated execution of its nonlinearity is somewhat of an achilles heel and won’t win everyone over despite the series’ fame. That being said, it’s definitely a good study reference for seeing how gaming evolved on the NES and shaped the future of the action\adventure genre. If you consider yourself a video game historian, this one belongs in your collection.

The gameplay elements made a major impact on the gaming industry. Other well-received games throughout the years like Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Shadow Complex, Guacamelee, and Axiom Verge are all reflexions of a game series that would define (and later redefine) a gaming generation. Even after all these years, I still get the sense that I’ve bonded with Samus Aran’s character a little more each time I finish Metroid. Any game that can repeatedly evoke such a feeling is a classic in its own right.