15 Best Video Game Platformers Ever
9. Super Metroid
Following on from Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night, a Metroid game also takes its place on the list. In the end, it’s Super Metroid representing the Metroid in MetroidVania, bringing some new innovations on top of the legendary original.
Super was much smoother than the first Metroid game, although the graphics look every bit of their 25 years old. However, a much more modern idea housed within Super Metroid’s walls was the ability to explore very open ended areas, giving a more immersive experience than typical left to right side scrollers.
The moonwalk feature to move backwards and shoot forwards was great too. Super Metroid was chock full of features which seem minor on their own, but added together they made for an extremely rich gameplay experience.
Though it qualifies here as a platformer due to its side scrolling nature, it’s one of the most influential releases ever in the action adventure genre. It did brilliant work with the restrictive technology of its era, mixing intuitive gaming with a hugely memorable soundtrack to create one of the most enjoyable gaming experiences ever.
The original was praised as groundbreaking, but Super Metroid took that potential and built something even better.