If you you could be a really tall half bird, half human that could turn into a ball, would you take the offer? Cuz I know that I would. Now very specific long lost childhood dreams aside, lets talk about Metroid. A game released for the NES on August 15, 1987 in the United States, and on many other things (Nintendo things, and only Nintendo things, only) throughout the years. It spawned a slew of sequels and...... no movies, but lots of games, without it, we wouldn't have Mr. Metroid herself: Samus Aran, so famous they named a soccer player after her! It put the Vania in MetroidVanias, and so, so much more. So without further Ado lets talk about the original Metroid.

How would we get to know and love Samus without her amazing character sprite in this game! OK to get that out of the way really fast, Samus looks like some kind of weird anorexic Pumpkinhead rip off in this game at first, well all game, but she changes colors later. I also kinda feel like shes missing a few frames in just about everything she does, it might just be a me thing though, but you can't tell me the run cycle isn't a bit off at least. It might not help that Samus's terrifying pumpkiness is projected In front of a black background and repetitive foregrounds. I understand the limitations of the NES but maybe they could have done something with the backgrounds, I mean even Mario did backgrounds, even Mega Man has backgrounds. I'll get more into it later but I feel the repetition in the foreground is more of an actual problem, that definitely makes backtracking an issue. Rather than those things I feel the graphics do a good enough job in making you feel what a Metroid game can be, even though the vengeful demonic spirit is here, you can really tell that's Samus. The backgrounds aren't there but you know your on Zebes (or Zebeth) and even though some of those terrifying looking pixels are monsters you recognize them from their later incarnations. I don't think the graphics are making your NES smoke or anything, but I do feel like its kinda commendable how much they can get going on the screen at once, just do it with less screen flickering next time. And if you're not impressed with that, then just the size of the game is a feat in its own, even with all the repetition in them added in. I feel like I should mention how good the power ups look, but I feel they just look OK, another point for Mega Man cuz I feel almost every Robot Masters weapon from 1 and 2 looks better than anything you get in this game. But all in all, the Wave and Ice beam do look different enough and act different enough from the Energy beam to be called their own, and the Morph Ball looks nice and bally. All around I feel for the first game in a series, from an old console at this, and at a relatively large sized game that they did a great job for the first Metroid. It gets fairly repetitive graphically by the end, and the lack of backgrounds is noticeable, but the iconic frame work for so much that would be graphically explored later that I don't mind those problems at much. So I'll give the graphics a nice 7 out of 10.

So the sounds of the Metroid series is always just soooooooo good, and the first game is no exception, in fact its kinda the core of the rule, as so many amazing songs get their origins here. From the title screen theme to Kraids Lair, its all just so amazing, it all sounding so unique but so Metroid 1, coming out the sound chips of the NES. The biggest problems with all these songs sadly is that they repeat so fast and so often that its maddening at times. It doesn't help that the songs themselves aren't as intricate as they later get so that doesn't help either, but once you hear it for the first time in a while/ever, that's when you get hyped. Sadly the songs repeating over and over is but the least of the sound problems I feel as well all know that one game that has the warning sound engraved into them. And this game is one for me, this and Kingdom Hearts low health warning give me severe PTSD. Sadly you'll be spending a lot of your time (especially at the beginning of the game) listening to the low health alarm and probably to stressed to be trying to hear anything else on top of it! All the beeps and boops you hear in the game are pretty nice as well, they differently remind me of Metroid 1, but not always Metroid as a whole but I still enjoy them none the less. The sounds of Samus's weapons are also OK as well, nothing too memorable but they also get the point across. Really that's all I personally have to say about the sounds of Metroid, so may iconic songs packed into one game, its really nice! Just look at how the title song became the theme of the series and how many remixes it has throughout it! Just go listen to all the area themes if you never have, all been remixed, all awesome, So minus that low health music causing wrinkles and the repetition of music occasionally causing madness I'll give the sound of Metroid a 8 out of 10.

This is probably going to be where I may make some enemies as I personally don't go back to Metroid 1 very much myself, I know I'll see myself out. It may just be that I'm not that good at the game (its definitely that) or that I think it plays a bit slow near the beginning, but I never really have the urge to go back and play this from beginning to end. I might load it up and play it and a few lives (and I will be touch more on this later) but starting from the beginning of the area every time you die drains you and I die a lot. All that aside once you get the ball rolling (literally and metaphorically) you get into a certain groove you can only get from playing a NES game, and not exactly before you know it, but eventually you'll have beaten the game. After that you'll definitely sigh a I've beaten an NES game' sigh and I don't think you'll be ready for another playthrough right afterwards, if anything you'll be excited to play Metroid 2, and there's nothing wrong with that either. I feel like a big part of all this the wildly fluctuating difficulty, the game is so bipolar that it needs meds and a therapist. You'll have a good run going then you'll just die and now you gotta go like 6 rooms to get back to where you was, and after 3 times of doing that I'm usually not feeling it anymore. And then sometimes I'll just jump around the enemies just right, and NOT FALL IN THE LAVA! And it'll be proper 8-bit fun. If you grew up playing this then I'm sure you have all the love for this game and probably could pick this up whenever. So if that's you, or if you like old school Mega Man, or Contra then you'll run through this game if you haven't already a few times before. I've done a few myself so I can safely give the addictiveness a 6 out of 10, its not Tetris but there is an itch I feel for this game when I'm playing it for a full playthrough.

If you've played a few 8-bit games before then you know basically every plot ever to them. BUT Metroid is pretty unique in its plot, its nothing exactly crazy like something like Final Fantasy 6 but its good enough to get a series spun off it. So its not a super long plot but here we go in one giant run on sentence. Samus Aran is a bounty hunter who is hired by the Galactic Federation who is basically the space government to go to planet Zebes (or Zebeth) and kill Mother Brain, a big brain with one big eye (did she pry open her third eye?) that's basically the mother to the planet and these cute things called Metroids that can latch onto you and suck the life out of you until your dust and upon doing so she must escape the planet before it self destructs because Samus just has that relationship with planets, for sure that one. And really that's the whole plot of the game, notice how I didn't mention Kraid or Ridley huh? Well that's cuz they are just there in this story, they aren't even mention either by name in the 14 1/2 word title screen synopsis. They both must be beat as there is a weird bird........ugly 3 eyed (pried open his third eye maybe?) totem thing that represents them that must open to get to Mother Brain. Outside of that they are just the only 2 other bosses that make this 3 boss fight game. They also look completely different then you would ever think they'd look, they are so cute and short and chubby! I know that's a graphic thing but that I couldn't ever get over it when I was younger playing this game. I wouldn't say Kraid but Ridley has some huge plot significance in most Metroid games, this one included just not.......... this one this one. There's key plot points that aren't in this game like the whole entire presence of the Space Pirates on this planet since Ridley is here. Or what happens to her upon literal exit of the planet at the end of this game. But I plan to keep that to my Metroid Zero Mission review. The last thing I'll mention which I feel is definitely implanted in the identity of this game/series which is the reveal at the end of the game that Metro....... I mean Samus is a girl. If you beat the game in the least amount of time then she takes her power suit off and waves at you.......... in space, as her hair flows......... in space. Any who, that was a big deal then, not as much now but I feel this game can rep that, and it sure gives that ending screen a more personal meaning when you get her waving at you......... in space. Oh yeah the story gets a 7 out of 10 for all that good stuff and the missed points are for the simplicity of it all. Wait til Zero Mission to see what's missed.

Is this game as deep as the planet of Zebes (or Zebeth)? Eh! I feel for how this game is set up that its up there with or above Mega Man in this category! As there is enough different ways you can do a playthough (assuming you have the skills!) that its pretty impressive for a NES game. You can play the game 'straight' as straight as a Metroid game gets, or you can skip some items, or get items ahead of time. Or just straight up break the game by letting the doors close on you. The possibilities are about as endless as the 255 values a NES can read! But like hinted at, there's a pretty large skill curve for a lot of that stuff, more then I'm probably most Metroid games. Even though most of them wasn't set up with sequence breaking in mind, this one veeeeeery much doesn't seem it. As just doing things your supposed to is hard enough so doing stuff your not supposed to do can straight up break the game in all the wrong ways. So past all that stuff your not met to do, there's loads you can do, like pick up different upgrades. Like the different beams or bombs for your Morph Ball. Missiles for your arm cannon, a long beam to make your beam long. There's enough here to make your playthough packed. While your doing all that you can possibly find some Energy Tanks to increase your health. Don't get me started on the cheat codes you can put in to play the game in numerous ways your supposed to and ways you aren't as well. The fundamentals of what makes a Metroid game great is in this game and you can tell if you've played one before, its a bit rough around the edges but its still deep enough. Deep enough to get a great 9 out of 10!

I could just say this is an NES game and call it a day but I'll go a bit deeper, its a clunky NES game. One of the biggest thing for me is the lack of directions you can shoot, you can only shoot straight up or right in front of you, I feel the Wave beam was supposed to fix that issue a bit, but its basically pointless in numorous ways, so I guess if anything that adds to the challenge. And if its not that, then its the fact that Samus is pretty fragile in this game, for sure at first in the game. Everytime you die you start back at the begining of the area with only 30 health, out of 99, of the last Energy Tank you have, out of all of them, empty, all. So its off to grind out some health and missiles, cuz those don't refill either. And if its not the enemies that drain you its the eviremnet that will, and usually a enemy knocking you into lava or something like that if you have bad luck. And its not the same kind of difficulty, I feel just getting around is a chore. Even if everything wasn't hurting you on top of it, you spend a good amount of time sometimes just trying to get to the other end of the screen. Doesn't help that enemies literally constantly regenerate out of enemy generators, and they do it the moment one is gone. Nice for grinding, crap for everything else. Luckily the bosses are a real push over, Ridley is so easy to beat its a wonder hes the leader of the Space Pirates. Kraids harder but his area is easier, and cooler looking in my opinion, while Ridley is the exact opposite. Once you get one (Ridley first) you get 75 missiles free and are off to putmp them in the other dude for another 75. So the big hurtle is getting to the first 75, after that its not as bad honestly. If for whatever reason the game isn't hard enough then there is countless handicaps you can do, and if that's not random enough then there is enough 8-bit jank to make up for it. Like enemies will literally hit you as you walk through door, what's up with that. Oh and fake lava section, and ice beetle tunnel section is all I'll say, and a 7 out of 10 for difficulty.

And that is the one that started the francishe, a real blast from the past, but a true leader in many different things in its series and others to come for years. It might have its high highs and its low lows but without all those I don't think we would have such things as Super Metroid. Or the remake years later on the GameBoy Advance called Metroid Zero Mission. If you never played this game but have played the others. Or are just curious, then pick it up, no need to finish it if you cant but you should experience the reason for stuff like Cave Story or Symponey Of the Night. With all that being said I'll give the original Metroid a 7.9 out of 10, almost an 8 but not exactly there. It's made its place in the halls of the video game legend and I couldn't have it any other way. See you next time space cowboy!