Thursday 21 February, 2008
Gamplay
The game really gives you a sense of seclusion. You are the only person on the planet and you must battle through the areas alone, with no help or hints from the outside world. After hours of playing the game, I found myself quite addicted to it as I spent a large amount of my time searching for upgrades and returning to places that were previously inaccessible to me.
As I entered new areas I noticed that there were different habitats. There were areas with water and others with plants and bugs. The game does a good job of keeping me busy. There is a ton to explore. You often have to run back and forth between areas in order to advance farther. For instance, after I received a new ability, I noticed that I could now proceed through places located near the start of the game that I was unable to enter before.
A drawback for the game is that I often found myself stuck, not knowing where to go next. I would run back and forth between different areas until I finally notice that you can blow up the floor and go deeper in the area.
The bosses scattered throughout the level proved to be difficult as I often found myself on the verge of dying before defeating them. The sense of defeating an enormous boss and collecting power ups was satisfying. Some of the bosses however, were complete disappointments. They were easy and can taken down with minimal effort. I found that this
Design
Super Metroid has to be one of the best adventure games I have ever played. It does an extraordinary job on level design. I loved playing through each sector and blasting enemies with my powered up weapon. There are no levels in the game. Instead you have a large map featuring areas with its own environment. You have to backtrack a lot and as you get farther in the game, creatures in previous areas will get stronger, giving you a feeling of progression, even if you are entering the same area again.
The game is designed to give its player a very confined and solitary feeling. Although the map was extensive, tour movements were restricted in many ways. The game gave you a feeling of freedom but actually limited you in many ways, forcing you to fight certain bosses or fulfill certain events in order to advance. The music in the background is eerie and the levels are often dark which gives you a sense of seclusion. This only made the game all the more awesome as you get the feeling it is all up to you.
Super Metroid offers a pretty standard reward system that is nonetheless fulfilling. After defeating a boss you will get a power up, which gives players something to look forward to. I never got tired of fighting bosses and anticipating what new ability I would get next. The reward system may seem pretty standard, beat a boss, get an upgrade, but it doesn’t stop players from getting a feeling of accomplishment.
I can clearly see how this game is a classic and would recommend this game to anyone looking for a challenging game.
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