Patient Gamers

14214 readers

67 users here now

A gaming community free from the hype and oversaturation of current releases, catering to gamers who wait at least 12 months after release to play a game. Whether it's price, waiting for bugs/issues to be patched, DLC to be released, don't meet the system requirements, or just haven't had the time to keep up with the latest releases.

^(placeholder)^

founded 2 years ago

MODERATORS

[email protected]

Does Super Metroid get any better? (lemmy.blahaj.zone)

submitted 20 hours ago* (last edited 20 hours ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

8 comments fedilink hide all child comments

I wish I had listened to general fan wisdom and played Super Metroid first. Having played the original Metroid, then Zero Mission, this is my third romp in the planet Zebes, and I'm finding the game extremely redundant.

The original was a little tedious, but I absolutely loved Zero Mission. I appreciated the slightly more linear gameplay. Paired with the manga, it also had a surprisingly good story that establishes Samus as a character. In context with the manga, the Wrecked Ship segment where you lose and then regain your suit is an amazing piece of gameplay-driven storytelling.

And then Metroid II was just as interesting. A completely new horror-esque locale plus a really creepy minimalist storyline that makes you really question the orders forced on you by the Galactic Federation.

So I was expecting a lot more out of Super Metroid. So far, I'd say I'm about halfway through the game. I beat Torizo, the Spore Spawn, Kraid, and the Crocomire. Aside from a really stellar cinematic opening, there hasn't been any plot to speak of, just a nonlinear dungeon to explore without a clear path. I know that in development, Super was meant to just be a 16-bit remake of the NES Metroid game, but was later retooled to be its own game, so that might be why the story feels so barebones?

Everything feels like a rehash of the original. I looked up the wiki and all (Brinstar, Norfair, Crateria, Wrecked Ship, and Tourian) but one of the levels (Maridia) are lifted from the original game, and I've heard that one new level we get is considered the worst one. It feels like a remixed new game+ rather than a full-fledged game that stands on its own, and honestly, I'm bored. It kind of reminds me of what I didn't like about Castlevania after a while, that game after game took place in the exact same mansion.

This might seem a little unfair. Super Metroid came out first, so it might be more accurate to say that Zero Mission is just an asset flip, that it's the less original game -- which is absolutely true, but I played Zero Mission first. And nonlinearity isn't a bad thing at all and it's great for this genre, but since I feel like I've done all this before, I don't feel motivated to discover all of Super's secrets. Does it get any better, or can I skip to Fusion?

TL;DR I played Zero Mission first and read its tie-in manga. Now Super Metroid feels boring because it "reuses" all but one of its areas on the planet Zebes, and it has a comparatively barebones story. Should I keep going or skip to Fusion?

top 8 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old

[–] [email protected] 19 points 20 hours ago

There was a big shift between Super Metroid and Metroid Fusion. Compared to Zero Mission, there is almost no plot in Super Metroid. The only major plot point is the whereabouts of the metroid which Ridley abducted in the opening scene.

Super Metroid is much more action focused then the later entries. I will say that the later areas are a little more atmospheric than the first half of the game. Wrecked Ship definitely has a different vibe than the rest.

I'd say it's okay to take a break from Super Metroid and try Fusion. Fusion is much more linear and story driven. There was a short Super Metroid comic series in Nintendo Power that might provide some more context.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

I miss the days when there wasn't as much plot. We didn't need Samus to have a relationship to the Chozo. They were just cool, mysterious alien statues. They could attack her. Then in Zero they could only have a puzzle battle to help her.

I really prefer the gameplay of Super as well. There aren't so many speed booster puzzles. No long cutscenes. It's really good at letting me get into a flow state. The music is great, too. If you're not good at the game, you can get enough items to make a lot more mistakes. If you're super good at it, there's tons of sequence breaks.

Another thing I did not like about Zero was the stealth parts. Also didn't like the qte in Dread nor the railroading. And the 2 remake's parry mechanic was also annoying and constantly interrupted flow.

I'm surprised you liked two so much an I found the Gameboy one extremely repetitive. AM2R made it amazing, though, so if you haven't tried that, give it a go. Not sure where you can get it these days, though.

The plots have also sometimes been meme worthy bad. Other M comes to mind.

Another thing I really didn't like with some of the plot driven ones was excuses to not have items that were based on Samus being somebody's subordinate. Just let me explore. Don't give me a manager.

But if Super isn't doing it for you, that's valid. I hope you get more enjoyment than frustration from the series.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 12 hours ago* (last edited 12 hours ago)

I came of age during the PS3 era and the Indie Game Revolution, where people were debating on whether video games could be art, so I personally can't help but prefer when games have storytelling and ludonarrative and lore.

But for many people, Super Metroid's lack of a plot will be a draw and not a drawback, and that's cool. I'd actually really love a new nonlinear Metroid game in the vein of Super someday, and perhaps this time it wouldn't take place on the planet Zebes.

I have AM2R archived on my computer. I'm very excited to try it!

[–] [email protected] 10 points 20 hours ago

It's been a while since I've played super metroid, but I really liked it. The point of it isn't the plot, it's exploring strange new places and then coming back to them cleverly when you realize the new item you've unlocked will work on that mysterious closed door. If you're really not enjoying it, I suggest you just skip to fusion because super metroid isn't particularly plot heavy. I liked discovering all the secret areas and items in super, but to each their own.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 18 hours ago* (last edited 16 hours ago)

As others have said, there isn't much story for most of the game outside of subtle, environmental story that can only be inferred. The biggest story beats happen at the very beginning and very end of the game.

Those callbacks that are annoying rehashes for you are intended to be nostalgic for players of the first game. Keep in mind that there was an 8 year gap between console metroid games.

If you aren't having fun playing the game, then it's failing at its primary goal. Feel free to skip the rest of the game, but please be sure to at least watch an online video of the ending, before, during, and after the final boss. The opening of Fusion and other future games in the series reference that ending, and it's absolutely an iconic piece of gaming history.

Edit: I couldn't find any examples on PeerTube, but this video of the ending from YouTube is fantastic (should you choose to skip the game).

https://youtube.com/watch?v=rAoVPsjEcNg

[–] [email protected] 2 points 19 hours ago

You're not going to find more text/explicit plot than you have already. That said, there is good environmental storytelling in the last zone of the game. The next zone for you (Wrecked Ship) might have a little more for you to chew on. I'd say get through that zone and then see how you feel about it. If you like it, the ending will probably feel rewarding.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

The following post will meander a bit as I wrote it in a kind of stream of consciousness state.

I don't know where you heard that Super Metroid was originally a remake of the NES game, I'd never heard that and I can't find anything to back that up. As well, keep in mind that Super Metroid came out a full decade before Zero Mission did, and the original NES game that Zero Mission is a remake of was even lighter on story than Super is. If you aren't enjoying Super because of a lack of story that's fine, you won't miss much if you skip it, though I will warn you that a very common complaint about fusion is that until basically the very end the game is extremely linear. That said, I also think it's unfair to call Zero Mission an asset flip, it's much more a full on remake. Back to the Super Metroid thing, I will point out that the Wrecked Ship in Super Metroid is mostly not the Wrecked Ship you traverse in Zero Mission, there's like one screen that is shared between the two games.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 12 hours ago* (last edited 9 hours ago)

When I called Zero Mission an asset flip, I was trying to steelman a potenial opposing point in favor of Super. I may not have been successful at this. And I myself don't actually see it as an asset flip -- I loved Zero Mission.