Wow I loved this! I can feel the memories coming out of your words, like a big hug! And I love that you found that little secret to defeating the queen after all these years, it’s always fun when that happens. 🤣
That idea of belonging “regardless of knowledge or skill” is a great message, especially in a hobby that can so easily slip into gatekeeping.
I enjoyed reading this. I’ve never played Metroid II but have played other games in the series. Glad this one was able to give you such a positive experience.
What I like best about each Metroid sequel that came after the NES game is that they are fairly easy to get into without needing to have played other games in the series to understand it.
Metroid 2 is one of the most important games to me personally, mostly because it was the first game I ever beat entirely by myself with no help. That credits sequence and song is probably the most triumphant thing in the universe.
It's even more incredible to me, looking back, how much better it was in every way from the original, and not through technical improvements [obviously] but pure game design. Every room, for one thing, is unique, and identifiable, even the ones that are most similar to the sprawling vertical shafts or hallways of the first game, and there's enough detail despite the memory limitations to really create believable, or more to the point, coherent contextual environments, which by itself makes navigation, the hardest thing to get right in a Metroidvania, much easier.
But I think the most underrated thing Metroid II has going for it, over the whole rest of the series, is that soundtrack. The fact that so much of it is mostly quiet ambient tracks, a desolate alien world with the chittering and chirping of unseen things, bringing the excellent sound effects to the fore, is one of the things that really sold the setting to me as a kid, and something I wish the newer games, in spite of their excellent music, would lean into.
And it all comes together in that moment you describe, when you realize you're in a place on a barren planet that's TOO barren, TOO quiet, TOO empty and still, and swap to your missile launcher less with a conscious thought and more on instinct. That level of environmental awareness is shockingly rare in games, which is a shame, because games are a format uniquely situated for giving you those 'hairs on the back of your neck standing up' sensations.
You just took me back in time with your description of the soundtrack. "The chittering and chirping of unseen things" is precisely how I would have described it back then. It kind of gave me the sense that, while Samus is supposed to be the hunter, she's also at risk of being hunted if she doesn't watch her back.
The soundtrack conveys that feeling of being watched by things seen and unseen. It was both creepy and exhilarating to the same time.
Super Metroid is as far back as I went, but now I feel surprised by Metroid II. I had no idea you could pull a similar trick to that boss like in SM, it shows how forward thinking Nintendo was in a far less powerful platform. I may have to try it on NSO.
It was great to hear your memories and how you bonded with your brother.
Agreed! That trick for beating the boss in Metroid II really blew my mind since I didn't discover it until well after playing through Super Metroid, Fusion, and Prime 1 & 2. Like you said, it made that forward thinking from Nintendo seem all the more advanced.
In retrospect, I also appreciate that playing the final battle the "normal" way was still very doable and didn't feel like you had to know the unique way to defeat the Queen in order to still feel a sense of accomplishment. It mostly just hinged on having enough missiles to finish the job.
Thank you for taking the time to read and comment by the way!
Wow I loved this! I can feel the memories coming out of your words, like a big hug! And I love that you found that little secret to defeating the queen after all these years, it’s always fun when that happens. 🤣
Hey Amy! I feel relieved that you enjoyed the article. I’m never 100% sure if my writing style will land with my audience.
Yes, finding new things in games well traveled is one of my favorite aspects of gaming.
That idea of belonging “regardless of knowledge or skill” is a great message, especially in a hobby that can so easily slip into gatekeeping.
I enjoyed reading this. I’ve never played Metroid II but have played other games in the series. Glad this one was able to give you such a positive experience.
What I like best about each Metroid sequel that came after the NES game is that they are fairly easy to get into without needing to have played other games in the series to understand it.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Metroid 2 is one of the most important games to me personally, mostly because it was the first game I ever beat entirely by myself with no help. That credits sequence and song is probably the most triumphant thing in the universe.
It's even more incredible to me, looking back, how much better it was in every way from the original, and not through technical improvements [obviously] but pure game design. Every room, for one thing, is unique, and identifiable, even the ones that are most similar to the sprawling vertical shafts or hallways of the first game, and there's enough detail despite the memory limitations to really create believable, or more to the point, coherent contextual environments, which by itself makes navigation, the hardest thing to get right in a Metroidvania, much easier.
But I think the most underrated thing Metroid II has going for it, over the whole rest of the series, is that soundtrack. The fact that so much of it is mostly quiet ambient tracks, a desolate alien world with the chittering and chirping of unseen things, bringing the excellent sound effects to the fore, is one of the things that really sold the setting to me as a kid, and something I wish the newer games, in spite of their excellent music, would lean into.
And it all comes together in that moment you describe, when you realize you're in a place on a barren planet that's TOO barren, TOO quiet, TOO empty and still, and swap to your missile launcher less with a conscious thought and more on instinct. That level of environmental awareness is shockingly rare in games, which is a shame, because games are a format uniquely situated for giving you those 'hairs on the back of your neck standing up' sensations.
You just took me back in time with your description of the soundtrack. "The chittering and chirping of unseen things" is precisely how I would have described it back then. It kind of gave me the sense that, while Samus is supposed to be the hunter, she's also at risk of being hunted if she doesn't watch her back.
The soundtrack conveys that feeling of being watched by things seen and unseen. It was both creepy and exhilarating to the same time.
Super Metroid is as far back as I went, but now I feel surprised by Metroid II. I had no idea you could pull a similar trick to that boss like in SM, it shows how forward thinking Nintendo was in a far less powerful platform. I may have to try it on NSO.
It was great to hear your memories and how you bonded with your brother.
Agreed! That trick for beating the boss in Metroid II really blew my mind since I didn't discover it until well after playing through Super Metroid, Fusion, and Prime 1 & 2. Like you said, it made that forward thinking from Nintendo seem all the more advanced.
In retrospect, I also appreciate that playing the final battle the "normal" way was still very doable and didn't feel like you had to know the unique way to defeat the Queen in order to still feel a sense of accomplishment. It mostly just hinged on having enough missiles to finish the job.
Thank you for taking the time to read and comment by the way!