G: Super Metroid

I have recently completed my first experience with a Metroid game and it was riveting. That game was Super Metroid the second entry in the long running series. My initial reaction to it was that it was a bit awkward. Jumping felt like hopping on the moon. This may have been intentional given the setting of this game, but it was still weird to me. Over time I adjusted to these controls. The non-linear structure also felt a little weird to me. It might have been because I haven't played any non-linear games in a while, well that's not exactly true. One of the last games I played was The Legend of Zelda A Link to the Past which definitely has non-linear portions, but the differences rely in that A Link to the Past's non-linearity is mostly choosing the order of the temples you want to complete and side quests while Metroid's consists of sequence breaking and backtracking.

I would've sat with the backtracking a little bitter if there were faster methods of getting around. If you realize you have to go back to one area that's across the map, it can be a drag to travel all the way there. The game does do exploration well however. Finding hidden paths to upgrades and new areas is satisfying, but I did feel that the amount of missile upgrades were pointless until I came to the end of the game where bosses required an extensive amount of hits to take down and they didn't give you ammunition like the previous bosses.

In excavating the terrain on Planet Zebes, I found myself immersed in the environment. The game provides a sense of loneliness, grimness, and doom. The music aligns with these feelings. Kenji Yamamoto did a decent job with the soundtrack, but oddly I appreciated it more outside of the game than within the game.

The combat is pretty straight forward and most regular enemies just require simple shots to take down. They switch it up a little bit by having enemies that climb walls, fly, or attach to the ceiling so you'd have to use angle shots or jump shots to take them down. Later down the line some enemies required upgraded weaponry and the most annoying will require some bomb usage. Getting the ice beam upgrade and freezing enemies feels great. Most of the bosses have pretty straight forward designs and the last two really provide some challenge. All in all Super Metroid is a pretty good game.