When was the original metroid released

Although a time bomb threatens to destroy Tourian following Mother Brain's defeat, Samus manages to escape before it detonates and takes every last Metroid with it. Metroid is a 2D action platformer. Unlike other platformers in which there are several levels with defined start and end points, the entire world is large and open-ended, with players free to access new areas and return to old ones as they see fit. Though Samus starts off with only the ability to jump and a weak, short-ranged weapon , she can improve her abilities by finding various upgrades scattered throughout planet Zebes, such as the Long Beam to improve her weapon's range and the Morph Ball to access small tunnels.

These upgrades are essential to progressing in the game, as several areas can only be reached by possessing a certain upgrade. In addition, Samus can find Energy Tanks and Missile Tanks to carry more health and missiles, which are occasionally dropped as powerups by defeated enemies. Though the player's goal is to enter Tourian, the area is off-limits to them until they find and defeat Kraid and Ridley, who are located in hideouts beneath Brinstar and Norfair and serve as the game's boss encounters.

The original Famicom Disk System version allows players to save their progress. The Nintendo Entertainment System version, however, uses a password system to allow players to continue where they left off after the game is restarted by giving them a specific password upon death.

The game keeps track of how long it takes the player to beat the game; depending on their time, they will get one of five endings:.

Should the player achieve either of the latter two endings in the NES version, they will be able to restart the game with Samus outside of her Power Suit and all upgrades they previously had excluding Energy and Missile Tanks. The difference, however, is purely cosmetic and doesn't affect regular gameplay.

Reception for Metroid has been largely positive, and its reception has spawned multiple sequels, a manga, and a fanbase. Metroid has shipped over 2.

The magazine also named Metroid called it 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.

Game Informer also put Metroid 7th on their list of "The Top Games of All Time", saying that it "started the concept of open exploration in games". GamesRadar ranked it the fifth best NES game ever made. Metroid was later remade in the game Metroid: Zero Mission , which also included the original game. Immediate Media Company Limited publishers of radiotimes. We may also send occasional updates from our editorial team. You can unsubscribe at any time. For details on how we use your data, please see our privacy policy.

Sadly, a lot of the classic Metroid games are not available on the Nintendo Switch, so you might struggle to find the game you want to play before or after Metroid Dread. Whichever order you choose to play the Metroid games in, you might find yourself wanting to skip to the best games in the franchise rather than wading through every single title on the list.

According to data from Metacritic and GameRankings. With all of this knowledge at your disposal, you should now be able to play through whichever Metroid games take your fancy in the order of your choosing. Have fun! Follow Radio Times Gaming on Twitter for all the latest insights. While research about this life force, currently in hibernation, is incomplete, it is known that exposure to beta rays for 24 hours will cause it to multiply.

Some scientists believe that this life force may have been the cause of destruction of life on SR Scientists decide to call this being a "Metroid" and the mere thought of it being in the hands of the pirates is utterly disturbing. If the pirates learn how to multiply it and use it as a biological weapon, the cost of lives could be overwhelming.

The Federation launched search teams to find the pirates and were fortunate to discover that their base was located deep within the planet Zebes. However, none of the forces are strong enough to take the pirates down. During this outside battle, operations to multiply the Metroid within the Space Pirates' headquarters were soon becoming a reality. Desperate for a solution, the Federation decided that the only option left was to attempt to infiltrate Zebes and destroy the leader of the Space Pirates, "Mother Brain.

Scattered throughout the fortress are various traps and allies of the Space Pirates. This mission clearly requires a special individual to complete, and so the Federation has selected the most dominating Space Hunter of the entire organization.

This space bounty hunter is known as "Samus Aran. Samus, though human, has a cybernetic suit, thus providing her with an uncanny amount of power. She has, to this date, completed many missions considered impossible, and her suit has the power to withstand lethal attacks, while providing many itself.

Samus makes her way through the fortress-planet Zebes, collecting weapon and health upgrades, advancing to new areas, defeating Kraid, Ridley, and Mother Brain, and, in the end, destroys all Metroids on Zebes. Namespaces Page Discussion. Views Read Edit View history. From StrategyWiki, the video game walkthrough and strategy guide wiki.

Metroid Table of Contents Gameplay Walkthrough.