Black Luster Soldier's Hack Reviews

Hyper Metroid by RealRed [

Exploration], rated by Black Luster Soldier on May 09, 2015 (

)

86% in 5:48

NOTE: This review was based on the first playthrough I did, and not the one that is currently up on my channel (in which I got 100% in 2:39).

Easily the best Super Metroid ROM hack that I have played so far. There was a lot of love that was put into this hack. The exploration was top notch (aside from the fact that new unsuspecting players might encounter the Gold Torizo too early and get absolutely wrecked), the graphics are neat (palette choices could have been better for some parts), Maridia was a great experience, and the escape sequence was the best I have played through in any SM hack.

However....

- The Draygon fight needs some fixing.
- The Bomb Torizo gets stuck on the spikes once it gets there. Not cool, especially when you run out of missiles (your beam does no damage to it).
- Lack of a nearby Save Station after the Phantoon fight, as you are likely to not have a lot of energy left after defeating it. Move carefully.

Despite those flaws, and a few others (mostly small), I'd give this a 5/5.

Legacy by Banana Oyaji [

Exploration], rated by Black Luster Soldier on May 10, 2015 (

)

100% in 2:16

Great hack for those who want to get into playing Super Metroid ROM hacks. Just don't expect too much change from the original game (especially since this hack came out about a whole decade ago).

Super Metroid Revolution EX by RealRed [

Exploration], rated by Black Luster Soldier on Mar 22, 2018 (

)

88% in 2:14

Somewhat decent hack. It can be played without save state usage. But it's a bit dated; the Space Pirates are a bit annoying to fight, no map, the second part of the Hell's Run (after the very early Ridley fight) is very tough, and other annoyances. Also, there is a lack of graphics variety in the rooms.

Super Metroid: Golden Dawn by Black Telomeres [

Exploration], rated by Black Luster Soldier on Mar 29, 2018 (

)

100% in 2:44

Terrible. No save stations (aside from your gunship) so you're going to have to use save states. Also, crumble block navigation without Spring Ball, too much forced damage, hidden upgrades up the wazoo, and other bad design all around.

Black Telomeres' other hack, Dependence, is better, but not by a lot.

Super Metroid: Dependence by Black Telomeres [

Exploration], rated by Black Luster Soldier on May 12, 2018 (

)

100% in 2:13

Not a good hack, but not terrible either. There is a severe lack of Save Stations in the game, there are some questionable design choices (such as the spikes in some rooms in ProtoTourian (this hack's version of Maridia) and the possibility of getting stuck in the escape sequence). I do not recommend playing this on console.

Still not as bad as Black Telomeres's other hack, Golden Dawn.

Super Metroid: Pantheon by squishy_ichigo [

Exploration], rated by Black Luster Soldier on May 16, 2018 (

)

62% in 2:38

No Save Stations (because of the escape sequence). Some items seem almost impossible to get in real-time. Would not recommend, especially on console (unless you do single-segment playthroughs often) and/or if you want to get 100%. I wished Squishy_Ichigo updated this hack; it seemed promising when I first saw it long ago.

Super Zero Mission by SBniconico [

Exploration], rated by Black Luster Soldier on May 17, 2018 (

)

51% in 3:20

Version 2.3, normal edition.

This ROM hack brings a lot to the table in terms of level design and exploration. It plays mostly like Super Metroid, but there's Zero-Mission-based physics changes as well (such as being able to restart a spin while falling, and shinespark chaining).

This hack's difficulty unfortunately spikes up massively when you first get to the Space Pirate Mother Ship and Chozodia. Tourian also has some sudden difficulty spikes too. Also, getting 100% is obscenely difficult (mainly due to a certain Missile Tank in Tourian that requires...every advanced trick in the book).

SM Redesign: Axeil Edition by Drewseph [

Exploration], rated by Black Luster Soldier on Jul 01, 2019 (

)

88% in 6:23

This review is based on the final version of Redesign: Axeil Edition.

Much better than the original Redesign and even the early versions of Axeil Edition (prior to 1.5). While still not an easy hack, it is less frustrating to play through. Sections that scream savestate abuse are fixed (such as that Grapple segment in Norfair shortly after getting the Grapple Beam). Metroids (espeically the ones in the feeding pit) are bearable to deal with.

My only main gripe is one of the rooms in Crateria during the escape sequence. It is easy to get trapped (but not permastuck) and when you do, you won't get out in time before the lava rises above you, effectively killing you.

I recommend this hack, but make sure you have the latest version!

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