Nintendo / Intelligent Systems - Super Metroid (1994), 8/10

Super Metroid (or Metroid III) was one of the most influential and mechanically interesting video games to be produced, further developing and solidifying an entire genre of platformers, to later be dubbed Metroidvania, initially popularized with Metroid for the NES in 1986. What makes Super Metroid particularly successful and timeless, however, is its combination of mechanical complexity, creative game progression including free exploration, including secrets, and its uniquely developed and presented atmosphere. The visuals and art direction are some of the game's most immediately apparent strengths, quickly followed by the game's method of introducing the player to the planet Zebes and its various regions. The game's introduction sets up a story that could be presented entirely within the gameplay, and most of the story develops throughout the gameplay itself, a more effective and powerful mode of presentation. The isolation felt upon arrival at Zebes complements its atmosphere and the player's experiential tutorial. Once the planet is teeming with danger, the journey itself is fairly straightforward in terms of story, but brilliantly crafted in the way the player is introduced to new areas, items, and techniques. The secret areas range from easy to discover to cryptic, as do the additional abilities not explicitly presented through gameplay such as crystal flash, making guides a practical necessity to experience the game to its fullest potential. While it is a sort of weakness in presentation, it does add to the game's replay value, particularly the vast amount of area to explore with non-obvious secrets hidden throughout. The boss fights are generally interesting and properly difficult for their placement, with Ridley outshining Mother Brain as a final boss, but this is appropriate considering Mother Brain's thematic place in the series and the subsequent escape sequence. Super Metroid is clearly one of the best video games beyond the confines of its genre and is properly timeless.