Metroid (NES) review "On Planet Zebes, No One Can Hear You Scream"

Metroid for NES plays pretty much like watching the first Alien film. Wandering into closed corridors underground mostly alone with nothing but alien creatures all wanting to end your existence along with natural and artificial obstacles as you carry on your mission on finding Mother Brain and eradicate the Metroid she created for the safety of the galaxy.

The soundtrack also adds to the depths of its claustrophobic nature, one that would certainly make you uncomfortable and I daresay, a bit scared when you realize just how lonesome it feels traveling through the inside of an alien world with no one to talk to, no one to share info on your progress as you course through and the haunting, chilly soundtrack on some sections which add that much desperation as you try to finish Samus' mission all by yourself.

The game lets you experience anew as you backtrack to earlier segments with new means to get through in order to advance. Something you would be accustomed to in such maze-like enviroment. As much as you try to get used to the overall ambience of the game, you still feel its lingering uneasiness and fear factor that never seems to leave even when completing the game. Yet somehow you would come back and do it all over again, negating said fear factor and try to finish it as fast as you would knowing most of the layout from past gaming sessions.

Samus herself is a very brave space hunter, not letting such things bother her as she blasts her way through the frightful environment and dangerous alien creatures that block her way. You could never had guessed that this heroic character would indeed be a woman unless you finished the game within an specified timeframe, something unheard of during the avid 8-bit era of videogames and even during the entire generation of said era, paving the way for more female-oriented heroes to be displayed in future franchises.

Even after all the fright that you go through there would be the final section of the game reachable only after defeating the two bosses within their respective hideouts within the planet's cavernous areas. The game amps the fright level up to 11 as technological corridors replace natural rock made ones, and facing off against the ever dangerous Metroid which are hard as nails to defeat unless you know the means to by that time. The titular enemy wastes no time as you transverse through the final areas, latching onto you and sapping away your energy with no remorse.

Once you manage to get through such a nasty being, you face off against the vile Mother Brain, encased safely within her tough glass exterior while her chamber is protected by various turrets and safety hazards. It is quite a final battle to behold but not the last thing you must endure as a countdown suddenly begins once you defeat the killer brain. Indeed, Metroid would not give you the benefit of a cut scene where Samus rushes out the perilous levels about to explode and fly away on her spaceship. You take the reins on saving her before successfully completing the game.
Only when Samus survives the explosion its when its time to celebrate. Congratulations, you saved the galaxy...for now.

Even today gamers go back to the original NES title to make speed runs or for nostalgic reasons. Some who may try it the first time might find it highly difficult than anything contemporary they had played regarding the series, but still fills you with that sense of accomplishment that you must abide in order to finish it, with the ever finding of secrets, passageways, and items littered all around for you to expose. A very high replay ability count, being that you always find something you missed during your first play through. Finding glitches within the game is also a fun thing to accomplish, which adds to the fun ratio overall if only to mask the creepy atmosphere that the game provides.

A classic which still holds out as others like Legend of Zelda on the ever lovable NES system overall.

Community review by CptRetroBlue (February 25, 2019) A bio for this contributor is currently unavailable, but check back soon to see if that changes. If you are the author of this review, you can update your bio from the Settings page.