Producer: Nintendo
System: NES, GameBoy Advance
Year: 1986,(NES) 2004 (GBA)
Overview: This futuristic adventure game was certainly among the greatest titles ever. Giving a huge area to explore and non-linear gameplay, Metroid became an instant classic.
Story: In the distant future, a group of space pirates, led by Mother Brain, have stolen a sample of a galactic organism called a ‘Metroid’. These large single-celled organisms multiply at an alarming rate and can quickly kill most life forms by sucking them dry of their life energy. Mother brain is breeding these creatures as a kind of biological weapon, and so intergalactically-renowned bounty hunter Samus Aran has been called on to travel to the space pirates’ home base on planet Zebes and eradicated the Metroids, along with Mother Brain.
Graphics: The graphics are fairly primitive, but it’s understandable, being such an early game as this is.
Sound: There’s little music, but it’s still catchy. Sound effects are limited as well.
Gameplay: The catacombs of Zebes are divided into three main areas; Brinstar (a basic rocky area), Norfair (a fiery region filled with lava), and Tourain (Mother Brain’s home base). In order to get to Tourain, you must defeat Mother Brain’s two lackeys, Kraid and Ridley, who have sealed the entrance to Tourain. Both lurk deep within Brinstar and Norfair, respectively. But it’s still not that simple. There is a large number to special items to be found in Zebes, and you’ll need most of them to find and defeat Kraid, Ridley, and finally Mother Brain. This game emphasizes a lot on exploration.
Challenge: The game's challenge is so-so, I'd say. It will be much harder if you skip the numerous upgrades, but with them, it's fairly easy. Mother Brain, however, IS one tough mother.
Final Rating: 9/10 Certainly worth picking up. If you have a GBA, you should look for Metroid Zero Mission. It has the original game completely remade with 16-bit graphics, and also has the original Metroid that can be unlocked.
