Metroid (1986 Video Game) User Reviews

One of the must have games if you had the Nintendo game console.

[Aaron1375 · 8/10 · 18 February 2009]

Yes, this one came in the iconic gray box that generally featured game play footage. Mario was in a black box, but this one and Kid Icarus I know were in the gray boxes. This one, and Kid Icarus were two of the early games that really had some length to them, The Legend of Zelda as well. Meaning, it took some time to traverse the game and win it. By today's standards, it isn't all that long, but back then it felt like a grand adventure. Of course, a lot of people remember this game for its twist at the end, but these days it is apparently the only twist a company like Disney seems to know how to do...

The story? You are Samus, a bounty hunter who must stop space pirates from releasing Metroid into the universe. A Metroid is a deadly parasitic alien that attaches itself to its host and drains them dry. Granted, maybe the space pirates should have cultivated those indestructible worm things that go back and forth and train them to attack, then they would have an invincible army! Samus must explore the planet in search of armor upgrades and to find the mini bosses that stand in the way of you getting to the head of the operation, The Mother Brain! Though, Ridley and Kraid are no pushovers and getting to them is a chore as their lairs feature particularly tough creatures.

The game play is fairly standard these days as it incorporates a side scrolling world where you can go to higher and lower levels. It features exploration and often times you need to have the correct upgrade to get you to a certain level. You collect missiles and energy tanks to increase your capacity for both and you get freeze beams, high jump shoes and other things to help you get through the world. Fighting can be difficult, but it must be done in order to increase your life energy as you always start out with a small amount when you die and revive. The only way to get more energy is to kill enemies and hope they leave some behind or grab an energy tank which are few and far between.

So, a fun game, I just won it again recently and it holds up alright. I plan on playing the games in order so I think a Game Boy version is after this one. Then the one that is always raved about, Super Metroid. I only played it one time, so I am looking forward to replaying it again and seeing how it holds up. I remember it having really cool music. This one was fun and I managed to get through it, but only able to get her helmet off. I swear, the first time I played this thing I got the full out of armor ending, but I do not think I have gotten it since...

In the deep of space one lone warrior is all that stands between a horrible death and us. Her name is . . . TRANSMITION LOST!

[CyberSkull · 9/10 · 12 May 1999]

In Metroid you are the famous bounty hunter Sammus Aran. You've been hired to deal with the pirate on planet Zebes. The pilots have stolen a mysterious lifeform called a Metroid from the research team on planet SR388.

The challenge factor of this game is extremely high. The bosses are tough, items are well hidden and the Mother Brain and Metroids are lethal. Another item adding to the challenge is a password save system (one password even allows you to play as Sammus without the armor!). Fortunately for you, Sammus is wearing a power suit, a special type of armor that can be easily upgraded with the items you find on Zebes. You have 3 types of weapons, your laser that has several beams: The Regular beam, it's just a laser, The Ice beam (freezes enemy) and Wave beam (shoots shots that go in wave motion). Missiles that do great damage against bosses and open sealed door. Bombs can only be used when you are rolled up into a ball.

The big surprise in the game is no well-kept secret anymore: Sammus is a woman! She has been holding her own in the gaming world longer that Lara Croft of the Tomb Raider series. Not that I'm knocking Lara, it's just that the Metroid series is a really captivating one, despite an overall lack of plot development. The basis of the game is exploration and the action and conquering your foes (a lot easier in the sequels). Players will find themselves searching and exploring the labyrinths for most of the game. Please note however, that the monsters are no wimps, for the most part.

Overall this is a highly challenging and enjoyable game, with good graphics and is just plain fun to play. Be warned though, some parts are very frustrating. I give it a full 10!

This is one of the best games of all time!

[CyberSkull · 9/10 · 13 August 1999]

In Metroid you are the famous bounty hunter Samus Aran. You've been hired to deal with the pirates on planet Zebes. Under the orders of Mother Brain (a giant brain) the pirates have stolen a mysterious life form called a Metroid from the research team on planet SR388.

The challenge factor of this game is extremely high. The bosses are tough, items are well hidden and the Mother Brain and Metroids are lethal. Another item adding to the challenge is a password save system (one password even allows you to play as Samus without the armor!). Fortunately for you, Samus is wearing a power suit, a special type of armor that can be easily upgraded with the items you find on Zebes. You have 3 types of weapons, Laser, Bomb and Missile. The laser has 3 beam types: The Regular beam, it's just a laser, The Ice beam (freezes enemy) and Wave beam (shoots shots that go in wave motion). Missiles do great damage against bosses and open sealed doors. Bombs can only be used when you are rolled up into a ball.

The basis of game play is exploration and the action and conquering your foes (a lot easier in the sequels). Players will find themselves searching and exploring the labyrinths for most of the game. Please note however, that the monsters are no wimps, for the most part.

(The following is only a spoiler if the only things you have heard about the Metroid series was info from it's release nearly 15 years ago)

The big surprise in the game is no well-kept secret anymore: Samus is a woman! This was when there were next to no female leads in video games. Granted, there still aren't that many, but the number is steadily rising. In many publications I have read She has been referred to as a "He," even in many official Nintendo publications. The knowledge that Samus is a woman is clearly stated in the Instruction Manuals for the sequels and many other sources. She has been holding her own in the gaming world longer that Lara Croft of the Tomb Raider series. Not that I'm knocking Lara, it's just that the Metroid series is a really captivating one, with a fairly simple plot that has room for any kind of story development.

Overall this is a highly challenging and enjoyable game, with good graphics and is just plain fun to play. Be warned though, some parts are very frustrating. I give it a full 10!

A start of an excellent series by Nintendo!

[Angel_Meiru · 18 April 2004]

When I was little, I loved Metroid, and I still do, every single one of them. Now, I think Samus Aran is a great role model for girl gamers, much better than Lara Croft or any of those slutty Final Fantasy heroines. Samus Aran stands up for what she thinks is right, and that's an important message for females to learn. She also teaches us female gamers that they don't have to be quiet, docile, and perfectly proportioned. Sure, Samus is very curvy and proportioned, but that's not all she is, unlike other heroines geared toward little girls. She actually wears *gasps* armor usually when going out to battle, unlike most game heroines whom fights in leather thong bikinis or Las Vegas stripper showgirl outfits.

If you want a great series of games by Nintendo besides Mario and Zelda, Metroid is a great treat.

Metroid · II: Return of Samus · Super Metroid · Fusion · Zero Mission · Other M

[drrevo-1 · 10/10 · 20 July 2010]

Metroid​ is an action-adventure video game and the first entry in the Metroid series. Developed by Nintendo Research & Development 1 and published by Nintendo, the game was released in Japan in August 1986, in North America in August 1987, and in Europe in January 1988. It was re- released for the Game Boy Advance in October 2004, and for the Wii Virtual Console in Europe in July 2007, in North America in August 2007, and in Japan in March 2008. Following a series of commercially successful video games released by Nintendo in the early 1980s, the company began developing Metroid alongside its sister game, Kid Icarus (1986). Metroid was produced by Gunpei Yokoi and directed by Yoshio Sakamoto, with music composed by Hirokazu Tanaka. Set on the planet Zebes, the story follows Samus Aran as she attempts to retrieve Metroid creatures that were stolen by Space Pirates, who plan to replicate the Metroids by exposing them to beta rays and then use them as biological weapons to destroy Samus and all who oppose them. The game's style, focusing on exploration and searching for power-ups used to reach previously inaccessible areas, influenced other video games, and the varied endings for fast completion times made it a popular game for speed running. Metroid was lauded for being one of the first video games to feature a woman, Samus Aran, as the protagonist. Nintendo Power ranked Metroid 11th on their list of the best video games made on a Nintendo video game console. On Top 100 Games lists, Metroid was ranked 7th by Game Informer and 69th by Electronic Gaming Monthly.

love this game

[karlajames32-1 · 10/10 · 16 January 2008]

My all time favorite game. A friend had a working NES system a few years back, and I raved about this game. I got it off Amazon and played it with them. I was not disappointed, and quickly fell back into the patterns, challenges, and fun times I had with this game as a child. I spent many nights playing this growing up, and I think that it is a skill to master a game as difficult as this one. It took me a long time to beat this game, and using the codes do not justify the work and satisfaction that comes along with the start to finish of Metroid. This game is awesome. Pick up an old copy and see. The new versions are pretty cool too, but none of them compare to this gem

The first of a great series.

[davidking · 10/10 · 16 May 2006]

The Metroid series began with this relatively small (the ROM is only 128 kBytes, or 1MBit), but well designed game. It has always been one of my favorite titles, and is one of the greatest influences in my personal efforts to create games of my own. From this title is one of my all time favorite tunes, the music used in Kraid's hideout. I highly recommend this game.

I would, personally, rank this game as my third favorite in the Metroid series, my favorite being Super Metroid and my second favorite being Metroid Prime; I don't like to rate different types of games against each other because they aren't really the same thing, are they?

Beginning of the Space Saga

[hellraiser7 · 10/10 · 14 March 2023]

Beginning of the Space Saga This is one of my favorite video games of all time and one of my favorite games of the NES console. It's also no doubt the game that begin or helped begin the Metroid Vania genre which just like this franchise is still going strong today. Sure, there have been plenty within that genre but to me the Metroid franchise is the one and still the best in my book. It's true that this NES game might seem a tad dated compared to some of the later entries in the franchise along with Metroidvanias, which is why this game is a little lower on my list, it's sometimes that fundamental factor even with the movie franchise like with the Bond films. But it's still fun to play for its retro goodness and just to see where it all began.

Not a whole lot I can say that hasn't already been there is so much to like about it from the graphical presentation where it was dark and gothic. In a way it was sort of a haunted house but in space and instead of a giant mansion it was caverns on an Alien planet. The game was different as it wasn't the linear point A to B, but actually nonlinear where you had to actually explore, figure out and map out where certain things are and where you need to go. I'll admit that was part of what hooked me on the game as there were always so many more places yet to explore, I always wondered what was behind that door that has yet to be penetrated or what's beyond the cavern channel I'm exploring.

I'll admit the only misfire of the game is that you don't have a map to track down your movements which can make the game a little troublesome as it can mean some pain in the butt backtracking or even just being plain lost. Which is why when you play this game you might have to watch a visual guide to figure out where to go next.

Gameplay is very solid it's the typical platform action as well as action RPG action as your character collects some items and weapons to make yourself stronger than before. Also each of the cavern channels and section you explore are always a different challenge and surprises, so make sure your well-armed because you never truly know what's behind that next door and cave. Yeah, I know all this is commonplace, but you must understand this game was in the 80's none of these things were commonplace, so it's easy to see how anyone back in that decade was blown away by this game; I know as I was a kid from the 80's.

You have a good variety of enemies to fight as they consist of aliens that are all weird and cool looking at the same time. Like those dreaded alien porcupine crawlers, not much of a threat depending on where their placed and how many there are. Missile bats that just drop right down on you. But of course the most memorable is the head honcho Mother Brain, really like that you have an antagonist that is female and inhuman as she's just some evil alien brain that's all messed up and just want to kill you and take over the universe, all you need to know.

And of course, you have a protagonist Samus whom was one of the first female video game protagonists and one of my first fictional character crushes. I always thought that was cool as even as a kid strong female protagonists I've always had the biggest crush on as they not just could kick ass but are actually interesting characters.

And of course, it was the 80's where strong female protagonists and characters were on the rise like Ellen Ripley from "Aliens" which was one of the partial inspirations for this game. Scarlett, Lady Jaye and Cover Girl from "G. I. Joe", martial arts now academy award winning actress Michelle Yeoh, you name it they were everywhere and here to stay.

She was just cool from that power armor suit she was in, the color scheme of it were just the colors of a hero. But also, how that armor had capabilities that put you one step ahead in the game and a step above your enemies, I wanted power armor suit of my own. You could say it sort of a big homage to the sci-fi genre mainly the book "Starship Troopers" which had armored power suits. And of course, just seeing what she looked like without the armor which was a mind-blowing surprise at the time, and I leave that to you if you ever beat the game, but I'll just say it didn't disappoint me.

Just like the constellations in the sky, Metroid is a vintage classic that stays forever.

Rating: 4 stars.

An Honest Review

[generationofswine · 10/10 · 14 May 2019]

I remember having a little notebook with the saves written in it as I slowly worked my way through the game...and then I remember Nintendo Power's reveal and trying over and over again to beat the time it took to see her face, just to do it, which made the game even more playable...especially since at the time it was one of the few with an open world and a really cool sci-fi one at that.

It was just...addictive fun.

Metroid.

[bombersflyup · 1/10 · 29 January 2022]

More platform jumping and shooting, blah... bored already. These things are like printed t-shirts, must be trillions of these things. It's so bloody repetitive.

Best ever!

[homerjsimpsonn · 26 May 2001]

This is by far the best video game to have come out, ever. I know that's a heck of a sweeping statement, but it is. The play is fantastic, the objectives and goals of the game are extremely well thought out, and it actually requires skill! Even with the new, fancy shmancy video game systems out there with the far better graphics capabilities, I've yet to see one game since the original Metroid that actually meets the goals of video games: fun! As far as I'm concerned, Metroid shows that impressive graphics and sound don't make the game.

Metroid!

[Movie Nuttball · 24 January 2005]

Metroid is one of the most exciting action video games! The characters, the action, and the sure thrill of excitement makes this game a fun non-stop playing time! Below is a brief look how I think the game is!

Game Play: The game play is very good. There is really basic controls here and is easy to perform. Novice gamers should have a good time here!

Graphics: The graphics are wonderful especially for the Nintendo System! The backgrounds are really beautiful!

Difficulty: The game is easy but as it goes on you find out that it will become more difficult!

Music: The music is great! Just fantastic catchy tunes through out the game! In My opinion its some of the best music ever in a video game!

Sound: The sound is great. Nuff said!

Overall: I have always loved Metroid! If you like mysterious action adventure games then I strongly recommend you play this game!

To purchase this video game check out Amazon.com!