{{Nihongo foot|Metroid|メトロイド|Metoroido|lead=yes|group=lower-alpha}} is a 1986 action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo. The first installment in the Metroid series, it was originally released in Japan for the Family Computer Disk System in August 1986. North America received a release in August 1987 on the Nintendo Entertainment System in the Game Pak ROM cartridge format, with the European release following in January 1988. Set on the planet Zebes, the story follows Samus Aran as she attempts to retrieve the predatory Metroid organisms 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 was developed by Nintendo Research & Development 1 (Nintendo R&D1) and Intelligent Systems. It was produced by Gunpei Yokoi, directed by Satoru Okada and Masao Yamamoto, and scored by Hirokazu Tanaka. It pioneered the Metroidvania genre, focusing on exploration and searching for power-ups used to reach previously inaccessible areas. Its varied endings for fast completion times made it an early popular title for speedrunning. It was also lauded for being one of the first video games to showcase a female protagonist.

Metroid was both a critical and commercial success. Reviewers praised its graphics, soundtrack, and tight controls. Nintendo Power ranked it 11th on their list of the best games for a Nintendo console. On Top 100 Games lists, it was ranked 7th by Game Informer and 69th by Electronic Gaming Monthly. The game has been rereleased multiple times onto other Nintendo systems, such as the Game Boy Advance in 2004, the Wii, Wii U and 3DS via the Virtual Console service, and the Nintendo Switch via the Nintendo Classics service. An enhanced remake of Metroid featuring updated visuals and gameplay, Metroid: Zero Mission, was released for the Game Boy Advance in 2004.

Gameplay

File:NES Metroid.png is seen jumping up while enemy creatures fly down toward her. The numerical health meter (energy) is in the upper-left corner, marked by "EN".|alt=A video game screenshot of a protagonist in a powered exoskeleton, traveling through a cave while winged monsters fly down from the ceiling.]]

Metroid is an action-adventure game in which the player controls Samus Aran in sprite-rendered two-dimensional landscapes. The game takes place on the planet Zebes, a large, open-ended world with areas connected by doors and elevators. The player controls Samus as she travels through the planet's caverns and hunts Space Pirates. She begins with a weak power beam as her only weapon, and with only the ability to jump. The player explores more areas and collects power-ups that grant Samus special abilities and enhance her armor and weaponry, allowing her to enter areas that were previously inaccessible. Among the power-ups that are included in the game are the Morph Ball, which allows Samus to curl into a ball to roll into tunnels; the Bomb, which can only be used while in ball form and can open hidden floor/wall paths; and the Screw Attack, a somersaulting move that destroys enemies in its path.{{cite book | title=Metroid Instruction Booklet | publisher=Nintendo of America | location=USA | year=1989 | id=NES-MT-USA-1 | url=https://www.nintendo.co.jp/clv/manuals/en/pdf/CLV-P-NAAQE.pdf | access-date=July 4, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170623230459/https://www.nintendo.co.jp/clv/manuals/en/pdf/CLV-P-NAAQE.pdf | archive-date=June 23, 2017 | url-status=live}}{{cite web | last=Shoemaker | first=Brad | url=http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/video/hist_metroid/p2_01.html | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131003050311/http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/video/hist_metroid/p2_01.html | archive-date=October 3, 2013 | title=The History of Metroid | page=Metroid | website=GameSpot | access-date=April 8, 2014}}

In addition to common enemies, Samus encounters two bosses, Kraid and Ridley, whom she must defeat in order to progress. Ordinary enemies typically yield additional energy or ammunition when destroyed, and the player can increase Samus's carrying capacities by finding storage tanks and defeating bosses. Once Kraid and Ridley have both been defeated, the player can shoot their statues to open the path to the final area and confront the Mother Brain.

Plot

In the year 20X5, the Space Pirates attack a Galactic Federation-owned space research vessel and seize samples of Metroid creatures—the predatory lifeforms discovered on the planet SR388. Dangerous floating organisms, the Metroids can latch on to any organism and drain its life energy to kill it. The Space Pirates plan to replicate Metroids by exposing them to beta rays and then using them as biological weapons to destroy all living beings that oppose them. While searching for the stolen Metroids, the Galactic Federation locates the Space Pirates' base of operations on the planet Zebes. The Federation assaults the planet, but the Pirates resist, forcing the Federation to retreat.

As a last resort, the Federation decides to send a lone bounty hunter to penetrate the Pirates' base and destroy Mother Brain, the biomechanical life-form that controls the Space Pirates' fortress and its defenses. Considered the greatest of all bounty hunters, Samus Aran is chosen for the mission. Samus lands her gunship on the surface of Zebes and explores the planet, traveling through the planet's caverns, finding upgrades like missiles, energy tanks, the morph ball, bombs, screw attack (lightning ball), and ice beam, and uses these weapons to dispatch the alien creatures who get in her way. She comes across Kraid, an ally of the Space Pirates, and Ridley, the Space Pirates' commander, and defeats them both. Eventually, Samus kills the Metroids, and finds and destroys Mother Brain. A timed bomb goes off to destroy the lair and Samus is able to escape before it explodes.{{cite video game |title=Metroid |developer=Nintendo R&D1 |publisher=Nintendo of America |date=August 1987 |platform=Nintendo Entertainment System |level=Tourian}}

Development

File:Yoshio Sakamoto - Game Developers Conference 2010 - Day 3 (2) cropped.jpg|alt=Portrait of Yoshio Sakamoto, making a public speech.]]

After Nintendo's release of commercially successful platforming games in the 1980s, including Donkey Kong (1981), Ice Climber (1985), Super Mario Bros. (1985), and the critically acclaimed adventure game The Legend of Zelda (1986), the company began work on an action game. The word "Metroid" is a portmanteau of the words "metro" and "android".{{cite episode |title=Episode 10 |episode-link=GameCenter CX#1st Season |series=GameCenter CX |network=Fuji TV |airdate=2003}} It was co-developed by Nintendo's Research and Development 1 division and Intelligent Systems, and produced by Gunpei Yokoi.{{cite web|url=https://www.nintendo.co.jp/nom/0303/4/index.html |script-title=ja:「メトロイド」に託す思い坂本賀勇インタビュー |date=March 2003 |work=ニンテンドウオンラインマガジン（No.56） |publisher=Nintendo Co., Ltd. |access-date=August 22, 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100307021506/http://www.nintendo.co.jp/nom/0303/4/index.html |archive-date=March 7, 2010}}{{cite web|url=http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/4333/the_elegance_of_metroid_yoshio_.php |title=The Elegance Of Metroid: Yoshio Sakamoto Speaks |author=Christian Nutt |date=April 23, 2010 |work=Gamasutra |publisher=United Business Media |access-date=August 5, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150512151501/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/4333/the_elegance_of_metroid_yoshio_.php |archive-date=May 12, 2015}} Metroid was directed by Satoru Okada and Masao Yamamoto (credited as "Yamamoto"), and featured music written by Hirokazu Tanaka (credited as "Hip Tanaka").{{cite video game |title=Metroid |developer=Nintendo R&D1 |publisher=Nintendo of America |date=August 1987 |scene=Staff credits}}{{cite web|url=https://www.nintendo.co.jp/nom/0411/interview/index.html |title=Nintendo Online Magazine No. 76 – Nintendo DS 開発者インタビュー |language=ja |date=November 2004 |publisher=Nintendo |access-date=June 21, 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111210135133/http://www.nintendo.co.jp/nom/0411/interview/index.html |archive-date=December 10, 2011}} The scenario was created by Makoto Kano (credited with his last name), and character design was done by Hiroji Kiyotake (credited with his last name), Hirofumi Matsuoka (credited as "New Matsuoka"), and Yoshio Sakamoto (credited as "Shikamoto"). The character design for Samus Aran was created by Kiyotake.{{cite magazine |magazine=Nintendo Dream |script-title=ja:やればやるほどディスクシステムインタビュー(前編) |pages=96–103 |date=August 6, 2004 |issue=118 |language=ja |publisher=Mainichi Communications}}{{cite web|url=http://press.nintendo.com/GDC2010/downloads/bio_yoshiosakamoto.zip |title=Yoshio Sakamoto bio |date=March 2010 |work=GDC 2010 Online Press Kit |publisher=Nintendo of America, Inc. |access-date=August 6, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/5rmqi4tPr?url=http://press.nintendo.com/GDC2010/downloads/bio_yoshiosakamoto.zip |archive-date=August 6, 2010}}

The production was described as a "very free working environment" by Tanaka, who stated that, though being the composer, he also gave input for the graphics and helped name areas. Partway through development, one of the developers asked the others, "Hey, wouldn't that be kind of cool if it turned out that this person inside the suit was a woman?" This idea was incorporated into the game, though the English-language instruction manual for the game uses only the pronoun "he" in reference to Samus.{{cite web|url=http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/488/488084p3.html |title=Metroid: Zero Mission director roundtable |website=IGN |date=January 30, 2004 |access-date=February 20, 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080324184655/http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/488/488084p3.html |archive-date=March 24, 2008}} Ridley Scott's 1979 horror film Alien was described by Sakamoto as a "huge influence" after the game's world had been created. The development staff was affected by the work of the film's creature designer H. R. Giger, and found his creations to be fitting for the theme.{{cite magazine |title=The Making of Super Metroid |magazine=Retro Gamer |issue=65 |page=60 |date=July 2009 |publisher=Imagine Publishing}} Still, there were problems that threatened timely progress and eventually led Sakamoto to be "forcefully asked to participate" by his superiors, hoping his previous experience could help the team. Sakamoto stated he figured out a way to bypass the limited resources and time to leverage existing game media assets "to create variation and an exciting experience".{{cite magazine|title=Metroid Made New|date=September 2017|magazine=Game Informer|page=61|issue=293}}

Nintendo attempted to distinguish Metroid from other games by making it a nonlinear adventure-based game, in which exploration was a crucial part of the experience. The game often requires that the player retrace steps to progress, forcing the player to scroll the screen in all directions, as with most contemporary games. Metroid is considered one of the first video games to impress a feeling of desperation and solitude on the player. Following The Legend of Zelda, Metroid helped pioneer the idea of acquiring tools to strengthen characters and help progress through the game. Until then, most ability-enhancing power-ups like the Power Shot in Gauntlet (1985) and the Starman in Super Mario Bros. offer only temporary boosts to characters, and they are not required to complete the game. In Metroid, however, items are permanent fixtures that lasted until the end. In particular, missiles and the ice beam are required to finish the game.

After defeating Mother Brain, the game presents one of five ending screens based on the time to completion. Metroid is one of the first games to contain multiple endings. In the third, fourth, and fifth endings, Samus Aran appears without her suit, and for the first time, reveals herself to be a woman. In Japan, the Disk Card media used by the Famicom Disk System allows players up to three different saved game slots in Metroid, similar to The Legend of Zelda in the West. Use of an internal battery to manage files was not fully realized in time for Metroid{{'}}s international release. The Western versions of Metroid use a password system that was new to the industry at the time, in which players write down a 24-letter code and re-enter it into the game when they wish to continue a previous session. Codes also allow for cheats, such as "NARPAS SWORD" and "JUSTIN BAILEY".{{fact|date=June 2024}}

=Music=

Tanaka said he wanted to make a score that made players feel like they were encountering a "living organism" and had no distinction between music and sound effects. The only time a melodic theme is heard is when Mother Brain is defeated in order to give the victorious player catharsis. During the rest of the game, the melodies are more minimalistic, because Tanaka wanted the soundtrack to be the opposite of the "hummable" pop tunes found in other games at that time.{{cite interview|last=Tanaka|first=Hirokazu|interviewer-last=Brandon|interviewer-first=Alex |url=http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20020925/brandon_01.htm |title=Shooting from the Hip: An Interview with Hip Tanaka |website=Gamasutra |date=September 25, 2002 |access-date=February 19, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080321024558/http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20020925/brandon_01.htm |archive-date=March 21, 2008}}

Release

Officially defined as a scrolling shooter video game, Metroid was released by Nintendo for the Famicom Disk System in Japan on August 6, 1986.{{cite web|url=http://us.wii.com/iwata_asks/metroid-other-m/vol1_page2.jsp |title=Iwata Asks: Metroid: Other M – Vol. 1: The Collaboration / Just One Wii Remote |publisher=Nintendo of America Inc |date=July 29, 2010 |access-date=July 3, 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722131305/http://us.wii.com/iwata_asks/metroid-other-m/vol1_page2.jsp |archive-date=July 22, 2011}}{{cite web|url=http://www.gametrailers.com/full-episodes/90j5yi/gt-retrospectives-metroid-retrospective--part-1 |title=The Metroid Retrospective – Part 1 |publisher=GameTrailers |date=June 6, 2006 |access-date=April 8, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140410190209/http://www.gametrailers.com/full-episodes/90j5yi/gt-retrospectives-metroid-retrospective--part-1 |archive-date=April 10, 2014}} An arcade version of the game was released in 1987 for Nintendo's PlayChoice-10 system.{{cite web |title=Metroid - Videogame by Nintendo |url=https://www.arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?game_id=8684 |website=International Arcade Museum - Killer List of Videogames |access-date=21 December 2023 |archive-date=December 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231221063355/https://www.arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?game_id=8684 |url-status=live}} It was released on the Nintendo Entertainment System a year later in August 1987, in North America, and on January 15, 1988, in Europe.{{cite web|url=http://uk.gamespot.com/metroid/related/release/platform/nes/|title=Metroid Related Games|publisher=GameSpot|access-date=April 18, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130629081605/http://uk.gamespot.com/metroid/related/release/platform/nes/|archive-date=June 29, 2013|df=mdy-all}}

=Emulation=

The game was re-released several times via emulation. Linking the Game Boy Advance game Metroid Fusion (2002) with the GameCube's Metroid Prime (2002) using a link cable unlocks the full version of Metroid on the GameCube.{{cite web|url=http://guides.ign.com/guides/15316/page_7.html|title=Metroid Prime Guide: Secrets|author=Mirabella III, Fran|date=December 15, 2002|publisher=IGN|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040611173853/http://guides.ign.com/guides/15316/page_7.html|archive-date=June 11, 2004|url-status=live|access-date=February 22, 2009}} The game is unlocked as a bonus upon completion of Metroid: Zero Mission (2004).{{cite web|url=http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/reviewArt.cfm?artid=4172|title=Metroid: Zero Mission|author=Metts, Jonathan|date=February 12, 2004|publisher=Nintendo World Report|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090428230012/http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/reviewArt.cfm?artid=4172|archive-date=April 28, 2009|url-status=live|access-date=February 22, 2009}} A stand-alone version of Metroid for the Game Boy Advance, part of the Classic NES Series collection, was released in Japan on August 10, 2004, in North America on October 25, and in Europe on January 7, 2005.{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/gba/action/famicomminimetroid/similar.html?mode=versions|title=Classic NES Series: Metroid Release Summary|publisher=GameSpot|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060511194111/http://www.gamespot.com/gba/action/famicomminimetroid/similar.html?mode=versions|archive-date=May 11, 2006|url-status=live|access-date=August 27, 2009}} The game arrived on the Wii's Virtual Console in Europe and North America in 2007, and in Japan on March 4, 2008.{{cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/games/metroid/wii-853199|title=Metroid for Wii: Game Editions|date=August 10, 2007|publisher=IGN|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120522001149/http://www.ign.com/games/metroid/wii-853199|archive-date=May 22, 2012|url-status=live|access-date=December 26, 2008}} Metroid was one of the ten NES games released as part of the Nintendo 3DS Ambassador Program for people who purchased the Nintendo 3DS prior to its first price drop. It was released in North America on August 31 and in Europe on September 1, 2011.{{cite web|last=Newton|first=James|title=NES Ambassador Games for North America Available Now|date=August 31, 2011|url=http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2011/08/nes_ambassador_games_for_north_america_available_now|publisher=nintendolife|access-date=September 12, 2012|archive-date=November 1, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121101122656/http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2011/08/nes_ambassador_games_for_north_america_available_now|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last=Newton|first=James|title=NES Ambassador Games Available in Europe Now|date=September 2011|url=http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2011/09/nes_ambassador_games_available_in_europe_now|publisher=nintendolife|access-date=August 23, 2013|archive-date=October 2, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131002053035/http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2011/09/nes_ambassador_games_available_in_europe_now|url-status=live}} Metroid was released for all 3DS owners on March 1, 2012.{{cite web|url=https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/gS0eLnwQcwwXa7THX396jPmveOcaVCr2|title=Nintendo eShop: Metroid|publisher=Nintendo|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120511093803/http://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/gS0eLnwQcwwXa7THX396jPmveOcaVCr2|archive-date=May 11, 2012|url-status=live|access-date=July 5, 2012}} It was also one of the 30 games included on the NES Classic Edition, released in 2016.{{fact|date=June 2024}}

At E3 2010, Nintendo featured Metroid among NES and SNES games in a tech demo called Classic Games, to be released for the Nintendo 3DS. Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé said "not to think of them as remakes". Miyamoto said that these classics might be using "new features in the games that would take advantage of the 3DS's capabilities".{{cite web|url=http://kotaku.com/5566935/mega-man-2-yoshis-island-among-teased-3ds-sorta+remakes|title=Mega Man 2, Yoshi's Island Among Teased 3DS Sorta-Remakes|author=Totilo, Stephen|date=June 18, 2010|publisher=Kotaku|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100621132523/http://kotaku.com/5566935/mega-man-2-yoshis-island-among-teased-3ds-sorta%20remakes|archive-date=June 21, 2010|url-status=live|access-date=July 18, 2010}}

=Remake=

The game was reimagined as Metroid: Zero Mission with a more developed backstory, enhanced graphics, and the same general game layout.{{fact|date=June 2024}}

Reception

Metroid was a commercial success, reported to be "famous" and "very popular" by 1989. As of 2004, 2.73 million units of Metroid have been sold worldwide.{{cite book|title=2004 CESA Games White Paper|date=December 31, 2003|publisher=Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association|isbn=4-902346-04-4|pages=58–63}}

=Critics=

{{Video game reviews

| NES = true

| WII = true

| GBA = true

| na = true

| GR_NES = 63% (retrospective){{cite web |title=Metroid for NES |url=http://www.gamerankings.com/nes/519689-metroid/index.html |website=GameRankings |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191209012651/http://www.gamerankings.com/nes/519689-metroid/index.html |archive-date=December 9, 2019 |url-status=dead}}

| GR_GBA = 62%{{cite web |title=Classic NES Series: Metroid for Game Boy Advance |url=https://www.gamerankings.com/gba/921926-classic-nes-series-metroid/index.html |website=GameRankings |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191209012716/https://www.gamerankings.com/gba/921926-classic-nes-series-metroid/index.html |archive-date=December 9, 2019 |url-status=dead}}

| rev1 = Beep

| rev1_NES = 3/5

| Allgame_NES = 5/5{{cite web |last=Norris IV |first=Benjamin F.|title= Metroid - Review|publisher=Allgame |archive-date=November 14, 2014 |url=http://allgame.com/game.php?id=1260&tab=review|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141114124718/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=1260&tab=review|access-date=May 5, 2015}}

| CVG_NES = 80%{{cite journal |title=Complete Games Guide |journal=Computer and Video Games |date=16 October 1989 |issue=Complete Guide to Consoles |pages=46–77 |url=https://retrocdn.net/images/9/98/CompleteGuideToConsoles_UK_01.pdf#page=46 |access-date=August 1, 2021 |archive-date=June 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210611004221/https://retrocdn.net/images/9/98/CompleteGuideToConsoles_UK_01.pdf#page=46 |url-status=live}}

| Fam_NES = 5/5{{cite book |chapter=メトロイド |trans-chapter=Metroid |title=ファミコン通信〜 '89全ソフトカタログ |trans-title=Famicom Tsūshin: '89 All Software Catalog |series=Famicom Tsūshin |date=15 September 1989 |page=49 |publisher=ASCII Corporation |location=Japan |chapter-url=https://cdn-ak.f.st-hatena.com/images/fotolife/M/MULTi88/20200420/20200420023154.jpg |access-date=March 14, 2021 |archive-date=November 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211116124649/https://cdn-ak.f.st-hatena.com/images/fotolife/M/MULTi88/20200420/20200420023154.jpg |url-status=live}}

| GSpot_WII = 5.5/10{{cite web|last=Provo|first=Frank|title=Metroid Review|publisher=GameSpot|access-date=December 6, 2012|url=http://uk.gamespot.com/metroid/reviews/metroid-review-6177706/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130124184129/http://uk.gamespot.com/metroid/reviews/metroid-review-6177706/|archive-date=January 24, 2013|df=mdy-all}}

| IGN_WII = 8/10 {{Cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2007/08/14/metroid-review|title=Metroid Review - IGN|date=August 14, 2007|via=www.ign.com|access-date=October 23, 2020|archive-date=August 17, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240817142727/https://www.ign.com/articles/2007/08/14/metroid-review|url-status=live}}

| NLife_WII = 6/10{{cite web|url=http://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/nes/metroid|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20190311143246/http://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/nes/metroid|accessdate=April 17, 2025|date=July 21, 2007|work=NintendoLife|title=Metroid Review|archivedate=March 11, 2019}}

}}

A reviewer in the Japanese video game magazine Beep said they found themselves absorbed into the game, while finding it took time to use the games controls and found the only negative to be the long loading time on the Famicom Disk System.{{cite magazine|magazine=Beep|title=激突!! 3大ファミコン•シューテングゲーム|language=Japanese|date=October 1986|publisher=Nippon Softbank|author=Takejun}} Catherine Cella of Pennywhistle Press described Metroid as fun noting its graphics as detailed and colorful while finding the password-based save system as tedius.{{cite news|newspaper=Pennywhistle Press|date=March 13, 1988|page=8|title=On Video|last=Cella|first=Catherine|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/sun-journal-overview-of-the-legend-of-ze/170512386/|accessdate=April 17, 2025|via=Newspapers.com}}

Computer and Video Games said it was a "tough" platform arcade adventure with a "very handy" password system and recommended it to "avid" arcade adventurers. Game Players praised its "fast-paced" gameplay.{{cite magazine |title=100 Guidepost: The Hot 100 |date=November 1989 |issue=5 |magazine=Game Players |pages=106–11 |publisher=Signal Research |location=United States |url=https://archive.org/details/Game_Players_Issue_05_November_1989/page/n109/mode/2up}} Computer Entertainer praised the graphics as "outstanding" and the gameplay as being "full of surprises around every corner".{{cite magazine|magazine=Computer Entertainer|title=Nintendo Software|date=September 1987|volume=6|issue=6|pages=10–11}} Both Computer and Video Games and Computer Entertainer complimented the ability to restart the game where they had last left off through Nintendo's new password system.

In 2006, Nintendo Power ranked Metroid as the 11th-best game on its list of the Top 200 Games on a Nintendo video game console.{{cite magazine |title=NP Top 200 |magazine=Nintendo Power |date=February 2006 |pages=58–66 |issue=200}} Two years later, the magazine named Metroid the fifth-best game for the Nintendo Entertainment System in its Best of the Best feature, describing it as a combination of Super Mario Bros.{{'}}s platforming and The Legend of Zelda{{'}}s exploration and character upgrades.{{cite magazine |title=NP Best of the Best |magazine=Nintendo Power |date=August 2008 |issue=231 |pages=70–78}} The game was ranked 44th on Electronic Gaming Monthly{{'}}s original 100 best games of all time in 1997,{{cite magazine |title=100 Best Games of All Time |magazine=Electronic Gaming Monthly|issue=100 |publisher=Ziff Davis |date=November 1997|page=130}} Note: Contrary to the title, the intro to the article explicitly states that the list covers console video games only, meaning PC games and arcade games were not eligible. dropped to 69th in 2001,{{cite magazine |access-date=February 22, 2009 |url=http://gamers.com/feature/egmtop100/index.jsp |title=Top 100 Games of All Time |magazine=Electronic Gaming Monthly |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040619211353/http://www.gamers.com/feature/egmtop100/index.jsp |archive-date=June 19, 2004}} but was ranked 11th on its "Greatest 200 Videogames of Their Time" in 2006, which ranks games on their impact at the time (whereas EGM{{'}}s earlier lists rank games based on lasting appeal, with no consideration given to innovation or influence).{{cite web |title=The Greatest 200 Videogames of Their Time |url=http://1up.com/do/feature?pager.offset=9&cId=3147448 |website=1UP.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060519133422/http://1up.com/do/feature?pager.offset=9&cId=3147448 |archive-date=May 19, 2006}} Game Informer ranked it 6th best game of all time in 2001{{cite magazine |title=Top 100 Games of All-Time |magazine=Game Informer |date=August 2001 |issue=100 |page=34}} and 7th in 2009, saying that it "started the concept of open exploration in games".{{cite magazine|author=The Game Informer staff|access-date=July 9, 2010 |url=https://gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2009/11/16/game-informer-s-top-100-games-of-all-time-circa-issue-100.aspx?PostPageIndex=10 |title=Game Informer's Top 100 Games Of All Time (Circa Issue 100)|pages=44–79|issue=200|date=December 2009|magazine=Game Informer|issn=1067-6392|oclc=27315596|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111111161651/http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2009/11/16/game-informer-s-top-100-games-of-all-time-circa-issue-100.aspx?PostPageIndex=10 |archive-date=November 11, 2011}} In 2004, Metroid was inducted into GameSpot{{'}}s list of the greatest games of all time.{{cite web | url=http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/all/greatestgames/p-61.html | title=The Greatest Games of All Time: Metroid | website=GameSpot | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071016074430/http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/all/greatestgames/p-61.html | archive-date=October 16, 2007}} GamesRadar ranked it the fifth best NES game ever made. The staff said that it had aged after the release of Super Metroid but was "fantastic for its time".{{cite web|title=Best NES Games of all time |url=http://www.gamesradar.com/best-nes-games-all-time/ |work=GamesRadar |date=April 16, 2012 |access-date=December 5, 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150630014007/http://www.gamesradar.com/best-nes-games-all-time/ |archive-date=June 30, 2015}} Metroid{{'}}s ranking of multiple endings entices players to race the game, or speedrunning. Entertainment Weekly called it the #18 greatest game available in 1991, noting its gameplay as a high mark, despite calling its visuals "simplistic".{{Cite web|url=https://ew.com/article/1991/11/22/video-games-guide/|title=Video Games Guide|website=EW.com|access-date=September 9, 2018|archive-date=February 19, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170219184932/http://ew.com/article/1991/11/22/video-games-guide/|url-status=live}}

In a retrospective focusing on the entire Metroid series, GameTrailers remarked on the original game's legacy and its effect on the video game industry. They noted that Metroid launched the series with its ever-popular search and discovery gameplay. The website said that the combination of detailed sprites, original map designs, and an intimidating musical score "generated an unparalleled ambience and atmosphere that trapped the viewer in an almost claustrophobic state". They noted that the Morph Ball, first introduced in Metroid, "slammed an undeniable stamp of coolness on the whole experience and the franchise", and they enjoyed the end segment after defeating Mother Brain, describing the race to escape the planet Zebes as a "twist few saw coming". They said the game brought "explosive action" to the NES and a newfound respect for female protagonists. Noting that Metroid is not the first game to offer an open world, or the first side-view platformer exploration game, or the first game to allow players to reach new areas using newly acquired items, Gamasutra praised Metroid for being perhaps the first video game to "take these different elements and rigorously mold them into a game-ruling structure".{{cite web|access-date=February 23, 2009 |url=http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/1902/game_design_essentials_20_open_.php?page=3 |title=Game Design Essentials: 20 Open World Games |publisher=Gamasutra |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081221042940/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/1902/game_design_essentials_20_open_.php?page=3 |archive-date=December 21, 2008}}

Reviewing the original NES game, AllGame awarded Metroid with the highest rating of five stars. The review praised the game above Metroid II: Return of Samus and Super Metroid, stating that "Metroid{{'}}s not just a classic because of its astounding graphics, cinematic sound effects, accurate control, and fresh gameplay, but also because of its staying power". Reviewing the Classic NES Series version of the game, GameSpot noted that eighteen years after its initial release, Metroid "just doesn't measure up to today's action adventure standards", giving the game a rating of 5.2 out of 10, for "mediocre".{{cite web|access-date=February 23, 2009 |url=http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/classic-nes-series-metroid-review/1900-6112278/ |title=Classic NES Series: Metroid Review |publisher=GameSpot |date=November 3, 2004 |author=Colayco, Bob |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131030032345/http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/classic-nes-series-metroid-review/1900-6112278/ |archive-date=October 30, 2013}} For the Wii Virtual Console version, IGN commented that the game's presentation, graphics, and sound were basic, but they were still pleased with Metroid{{'}}s "impressive" gameplay, rating the game 8.0 out of 10, for "great", and giving it an Editor's Choice award. The review stated that the game was "still impressive in scope" and that the price was "a deal for this adventure" while criticizing the number of times it has been re-released and noting that it takes "patience" to get past the high initial difficulty curve.{{cite web|access-date=February 23, 2009 |url=http://wii.ign.com/articles/812/812613p1.html |title=Metroid Review |publisher=IGN |date=August 13, 2007 |author=Thomas, Lucas M. |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090220041355/http://wii.ign.com/articles/812/812613p1.html |archive-date=February 20, 2009}} In GameSpot{{'}}s review of the Virtual Console version, they criticized its "frustrating room layouts" and "constantly flickering graphics". In particular, the website was disappointed that Nintendo did not make any changes to the game, specifically criticizing the lack of a save feature.{{cite web|access-date=February 23, 2009 |url=http://www.gamespot.com/metroid/reviews/metroid-review-6177706/ |title=Metroid Review |publisher=GameSpot |date=August 27, 2007 |author=Provo, Frank |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111214092747/http://www.gamespot.com/metroid/reviews/metroid-review-6177706 |archive-date=December 14, 2011}}

Metroid{{'}}s gameplay, focusing on exploration and searching for power-ups to reach new areas, influenced other series, mostly the Castlevania series.{{cite web|url=http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3152658|title=One Girl Against the Galaxy: 20 Years of Metroid and Samus Aran |publisher=1UP.com |first=Nadia |last=Oxford |date=August 7, 2006 |access-date=February 22, 2009}} The revelation of Samus being a woman was lauded as innovative, and GameTrailers remarked that this "blew the norm of women in pieces, at a time when female video game characters were forced into the role of dutiful queen or kidnapped princess, missile-blasting the way for other characters like Chun-Li [from the Street Fighter series] and Lara Croft [from the Tomb Raider series]".

=Music=

In his book Maestro Mario: How Nintendo Transformed Videogame Music into an Art, videogame scholar Andrew Schartmann notes the possible influence of Jerry Goldsmith's Alien score on Tanaka's music—a hypothesis supported by Sakamoto's acknowledgement of Alien{{'}}s influence on the game's development. He also noted that the game emphasises on the silence to create a claustrophobic atmosphere.Schartmann, Andrew. [http://thoughtcatalog.com/book/maestro-mario-how-nintendo-transformed-videogame-music-into-an-art/ Maestro Mario: How Nintendo Transformed Videogame Music into an Art] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130823064005/http://thoughtcatalog.com/book/maestro-mario-how-nintendo-transformed-videogame-music-into-an-art/ |date=August 23, 2013}}. New York: Thought Catalog, 2013. Schartmann further argues that Tanaka's emphasis on silence was revolutionary to videogame composition:

{{Blockquote|text=Tanaka's greatest contribution to game music comes, paradoxically, in the form of silence. He was arguably the first videogame composer to emphasize the absence of sound in his music. Tanaka's score is an embodiment of isolation and atmospheric effect—one that penetrates deeply into the emotions.|author=Andrew Schartmann|title=Maestro Mario: How Nintendo Transformed Videogame Music into an Art|source=Thought Catalog (2013)[http://thoughtcatalog.com/book/maestro-mario-how-nintendo-transformed-videogame-music-into-an-art/ Maestro Mario: How Nintendo Transformed Videogame Music into an Art] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130823064005/http://thoughtcatalog.com/book/maestro-mario-how-nintendo-transformed-videogame-music-into-an-art/|date=August 23, 2013}}, Thought Catalog (2013)}}

This view is echoed by GameSpot{{'}}s History of Metroid, which notes how the "[game's music] superbly evoked the proper feelings of solitude and loneliness one would expect while infiltrating a hostile alien planet alone".

Notes

References

External links

{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20100720130654/http://metroid-database.com/index.php?g=m1 Metroid]}} at the Metroid Database
[https://www.nintendo.com/jp/famicom/software/fmc-met/index.html Metroid] on the Famicom 40th Anniversary page {{in lang|ja}}

Category:1986 video games

Category:Famicom Disk System games

Category:Game Boy Advance games

Category:Intelligent Systems games

Category:Metroid games

Category:Metroidvania games

Category:Nintendo Entertainment System games

Category:Nintendo Research & Development 1 games

Category:PlayChoice-10 games

Category:Single-player video games

Category:Video games featuring female protagonists

Category:Virtual Console games