Games To Beat In A Day – Super Metroid

Thanks to the boom in indie gaming, the past few years have offered players countless great experiences that you can get through in a single day. However, having an extra day to sit at home and play video games makes me nostalgic for some of my favorite childhood gaming experiences, and Super Metroid is and will always be right at the top of that list.

Warning: The following contains spoilers for the ending of Super Metroid. If you haven't played it yet, stop reading and do so now. Also, what is wrong with you?!

I was only about 12 when I first played Super Metroid, and as such the adventure took me a heck of a lot longer than a day to complete. Samus' harrowing journey to planet Zebes pushed my prepubescent gaming abilities to their limits, as I tried to learn wall jumping from a trio of space monkeys, get down the rhythm for bomb jumping, and best a steady stream of terrifying, screen-filling bosses. I remember the 16-bit adventure as a sprawling and surprisingly emotional epic that I thought would never end. Twenty years later, I still feel largely the same way, even if I can now comfortably beat the game in a day.

That shortened game time isn't a deterrent, however – if anything it embodies what a perfectly refined experience Super Metroid is. The combat and platforming are tight, each new power-up expands your world and abilities in meaningful ways, and every defeated boss feels like a significant milestone. Even the graphics and music have a timeless beauty to them, providing just enough detail to flesh out the history and tone of the universe, without limiting your ability to fill in the gaps with your imagination.

To say Super Metroid left an indelible impression on me is an understatement, and much of my fondness for game stems from the unforgettable showdown with Mother Brain. The final boss battle was a whirlwind of emotions for my own little-kid brain: Samus' apparent defeat (which I didn't understand was a scripted moment); the intervention and subsequent martyrdom of enemy-turned-ally Baby Metroid (which totally made me cry); the overpowered awesomeness of the hyper beam (which I will always remember as the "tooty fruity" beam, for some dumb reason); and the frantic, unexpected escape sequence (which I almost botched and pushed the limits of how long I could unconsciously hold my breath before passing out). These memories, along with dozens of others, are why I'll never get tired of Nintendo's 16-bit masterpiece – and why I'll never stop hoping they'd just make another one already.

It's been a long time since I've played Super Metroid, but even just looking up a few random facts for this article (and watching the opening to our Super Replay, seen above) has me yearning to pick up the controller again. If you're looking for something to play, you really can't go wrong with devoting your Labor Day to this old-school classic.

To read more about games you can beat in a day, check back at our hub over the course of the day.