Developer/Publisher: Nintendo Released: March 1994

Played on: Wii U (originally released on Super Nintendo)

In May 2013, Nintendo released Super Metroid on the Wii U’s eShop for 30 cents. Obviously I bought it, like all the other 30 cent releases, and expected I’d play it for 30 minutes and have a bit of a nostalgia kick. Instead, I was hooked in by a game that is as fresh today as it was 20 years ago.

I never played this on the SNES, but I am a fan of the Metroid Prime series and have played other Metroid platformers on GBA & Wii, so was very familiar with the gameplay and structure. What I wasn’t expecting was that Super Metroid would be so accomplished – the perfect embodiment of the Metroid-style game that so many modern games emulate. The game controls are tight, it handles brilliantly. The game’s map is intricate and it’s a joy to discover each new environment as you power-up and work your way through the game’s gated sections and secrets. The visual design holds up extremely well today, but the nonsensical plot is fairly silly and dated, a forgivable grievance since the game is all about navigating the treacherous world of Zebes with kick-arse platforming rather than telling a convincing story.

As a bonus, this got me using the Wii U again, and the off-TV play feature was a real boon for our shared TV. I played around 17 hours of this 30 cent game, and I hope to do it again! Has definitely cleansed the palette after Other M.

Verdict: A superb game that outshines the majority of games it inspired. Certainly the best platforming Metroid game I’ve played.

Should Bradley play this: Probably one day, but there are more than enough modern games he needs to play that I doubt he’ll ever get around to this.