The Best Nintendo Game Every Year 1983 - 2024
31. 1994 - Super Metroid
There are a handful of games out there that can claim they shook gaming at its core, but very few have entire genres named after them. Whilst Super wasn’t the first Metroid game, it was absolutely the one that perfected the formula.
Samus Aran’s third outing, even more than the previous two, ingeniously presented something that filled a niche; an adventure with a tight yet winding, inter-connected and constantly unfolding map that spoke to players who were tired of running from left to right to finish individual stages but also weren’t fans of full-on RPGs. It also almost wordlessly communicated a beautiful tale that really flipped the perspective of the parasitic Metroid creatures.
It may not be one of the console’s best sellers but, even twenty years later, Super Metroid is still beloved and heralded as not just one of the best games in its series but of the genre it helped create. Players all over the world are still enjoying it pure or otherwise breaking it with speedruns and randomisers.
This level of devotion doesn’t happen without Super Metroid being a deeply satisfying game to play, with tight controls, luscious 16-bit locations to explore and a uniquely moody soundtrack.