Project Base 0.8.1
Release date: Jan 28, 2018
Author: begrimed
Download: Version 0.8.1 [UH] (4870 downloads)
(9669 downloads of previous versions)
Genre: Improvement [?]
Game: SM
Difficulty: Vanilla [?]
Average runtime: 2:38
Average collection: 89%
Read Me: Read Me
Forum Thread: Forum Thread
Rating: Star Star Star Star Star
Other Links: Website
Awards:
  • Top Hacks 2012: Best Aesthetics
  • Top Hacks 2014: Best Aesthetics, Best Quick Play, Best Overall
Description
Project Base keeps the original Super Metroid map mostly intact, while adding new stuff. It doesn't force the player to take a new path, or to use any advanced techniques. Sequence breaks and shortcuts have been left alone, with new ones added. Highly speedrunnable, and with a level of difficulty that is accessible to anyone. Works with Snes9X, ZSNES, higan/BSNES, and on SNES/flash cartridges.

The name "Project Base" refers its original purpose, which was to act as a base hack for others to build from.



PROJECT BASE
Here is some of what's new since 0.7.3:

- Ability to use respin during a shinespark (!!!)

- Updated graphics + aesthetics for several areas

- Small changes to the terrain in several areas

- Ability to shinespark in morph ball form

- X-ray item gives Samus's beams the ability to reveal block types

- Bombs affect a larger area of blocks

- Beam charging no longer stops continuous walljumping

- 5-bomb spread has adjusted physics that factor in charge time & momentum

- 5-bomb spread can be started while morphed by holding shoot (or shoot+down)

- Frozen enemies can be destroyed with speed booster

- Shinespark steering moves faster if dash button is held

- Damage boosts only rise if dash button is held (no dash = default behavior)

- Samus's arm cannon colors vary depending on equipped beams

- Samus's equipment screen visor flashes while unpausing the game

- Mockball / speedball can now be done after Samus has turned around in the air
Screenshots
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Ratings and Reviews
By Vismund Cygnus on May 12, 2015 (Star Star Star Star Star )
104% in 1:50
Project Base v0.7 fixes everything that was wrong with Project Base v0.6, then adds a few hundred things that make it go above and beyond all expectations.
By Cpt.Glitch on May 16, 2015 (Star Star Star Star Star )
No completion stats.
Super Metroid, only better. The many versions makes PB suitable for all occasions. Using this as a base (hence the name) for your hack will make for some great gameplay. I.E: Hyper metroid. Tons of shortcuts, physic changes, new pallets keep the game feeling fresh even though it is the same as vanilla layout and objective wise.
By retroknuckles on May 20, 2015 (Star Star Star Star Star )
No completion stats.
Does this even need any words? One of the best hack ever made, Play it.
By Boomerang on Jun 01, 2015 (Star Star Star Star Star )
104% in 2:10
Not much to say here: it's Super Metroid, but with a bunch of stuff added to make the experience a little more seamless and fun. The physics are re-worked to make things a little less clunky, and there are plenty of new connecting passages that expedite moving around greatly. Other areas have been expanded and the cookie-cutter save rooms have been remodeled into rooms that actually fit the environment they are located in. Many of the more nebulous power ups are located in much more simple locations, which can either be a positive or a detriment. Moving Missile Packs that are randomly located in the walls (in particular, the turtle room in Maridia and the left-most shaft after the power bomb floor in Norfair) is great, since those power ups were originally in silly, nonsensical locations. However, some may find it a little too easy. That being said, the new locations lend themselves to a great speedrun and I had a blast... blasting my way through this game!

The most major thing of note, of course, is the game-wide palette changes. Grime has mentioned that he went overboard on the warm colours, a sentiment I have to agree with. Brinstar and Norfair are both dominated by warm, washed-out palettes that give the hack a really homogeneous look. Adding a bit of variety will go a long way in making a more pleasurable experience.

That all being said, there's not much to complain about. It is, at its core, Super Metroid as we know and love it, but better--and we adore that game!
By RealRed on Jun 07, 2015 (Star Star Star Star Star )
100% in 3:00
Project Base.

The accumulation of years worth of community resources combined with Grime's sheer love and dedication to the greatest game ever made.

This project nspired me to make Hyper Metroid with it's lush worlds, beautiful palettes, and endless supply of new abilities for Samus. It's just that good.
By CrAzY on Jun 07, 2015 (Star Star Star Star Star )
No completion stats.
Love all of it except the over abundance of warm color choices.
The new game play changes to Samus (such as the backflip & demorph jump) are excellent.
By Steel Sparkle on Jun 19, 2015 (Star Star Star Star Star )
104% in 0:56
Insane improvement on the vanilla Super Metroid.Grime did an amazing job. I love everything about this hack.. It's like a speed runners dream. Best improvement ever made.
By GoldenTorizo on Oct 09, 2015 (Star Star Star Star Star )
104% in 0:56
Is it just me, or do these updates to this hack get better and better? As an speedrunner in training, this hack is any speedrunner's dream.

Best rom hack I have ever played. Great job, Grime!
By CaptainIronMan on Dec 14, 2015 (Star Star Star Star Star )
No completion stats.
This hack is excellent. There really isn't much to dislike, if anything at all. If you are into speedrunning, racing, or the item randomizer*, you need to play this hack. In short, this hack gives Super Metroid a fresh feel while maintaining the original layout.

*More about the randomizer at the end

Good:
-Physics changes. I love the physics changes, my favorite in any hack so far
-Power to the player. There are some minor changes (fast firing super missiles, "running" in morph ball, etc.) that make it feel as if some of Samus's limits have been removed. It's really great.
-Shortcuts. The additional shortcuts are implemented very well
-Colors. Some colors are a bit strange, but most of the new colors give the game a bold new look that looks very nice in a lot of places.
-Minor details considered. I didn't realize how amazing the fully colored Samus in the item menu was until I played this hack. I don't know why Nintendo didn't do this for the original. Also, I really appreciate that reserve tanks come full instead of empty. This, in a way, gives value to grabbing reserves. I saw this level of attention to detail throughout the hack and it deserves praise.

Bad (kind of)
-The only "bad" thing about this hack are some of the colors. Personally, I think some areas are colored oddly but that is my personal preference. It doesn't really distract from the experience of the hack. Plus, if you are like me and prefer the original colors, you can look at the other configurations of this hack on Grime's website.

In my opinion, the physics only patch (or gameplay only patch as it is called on Grime's website) should be used for randomizer races. This patch allows suitless underwater wall-jumping and space-jumping. This means that players could manage suitless Maridia without falling way behind.
By Croakomire on Jun 12, 2016 (Star Star Star Star Star )
No completion stats.
Extremely well put together, nice colors, neat physics changes, fun time overall
By Jet3rd on Aug 22, 2016 (Star Star Star Star Star )
68% in 1:28
Wow! This was awesome! The new physics and map changes made this game so much more fun then the original. Highly recommended to anybody who i bored with the physics of the original game and wants something more fast-paced.
By Aran;Jaeger on Dec 07, 2016 (Star Star Star Star Star )
104% in 1:46
[Watch Video]  
Animals saved.

Quick Summary of the meaning of my SM hack ratings:
5 orbs: SM hacks within the 80% to 100% (90% ± 10%) range of perceived perfection; SM hacks for outstanding wholesome playing experiences and at most minor inconveniences.
4 orbs: SM hacks within the 60% to 80% (70% ± 10%) range of perceived perfection; Well done SM hacks with noticeable design problems.
3 orbs: SM hacks within the 40% to 60% (50% ± 10%) range of perceived perfection; Normal decent average SM hacks.
2 orbs: SM hacks within the 20% to 40% (30% ± 10%) range of perceived perfection; Overall messy, confusing, or punishing SM hacks with some upsides.
1 orb : SM hacks within the 00% to 20% (10% ± 10%) range of perceived perfection; Ruthlessly unplayable, broken, or barely from the original game changed SM hacks.

Judgement parameters summary:
° Creative ideas and features, polished design, how enjoyable and fun the hack can be, lack of hard to find or cryptic required game elements, the difficulty, and if the hack can be finished without major guides or tools.
° Note that the length of a SM hack will not necessarily contribute to my rating of the SM hack, since instead the averaged out experience over the whole hack will be taken into account to get a relative comparison between SM hacks.
° Besides this, lack of impactful changes from the original SM game also went into the evaluation of SM hacks (otherwise one may consider them among the 3 stars hacks) as follows: Ultimately, for my ratings I consider a situation in which an SM enthusiast that already has, knows about and is familiar with the original game and its prominent mechanics could only choose 1 new SM hack to play and thus would really want to make sure he/she will get a fresh and fantastic experience or journey out of his/her 1 choice.

The goal of all these SM hack ratings is so that rather new players have an overview of the whole spectrum of SM hacks and how to sort them in, in relation to each other, where SM hacks that are rated lower might still be enjoyable for more experienced players.

Finally, sometimes for SM hacks it can be relevant that they may be significantly more enjoyable from a player standpoint at which the player is well practiced and familiarized with Super Metroid's game mechanics in general, and that in particular some of the best SM hacks may not be the outright best first SM hack choices to play otherwise because of this, and for beginner SM hack players this typically steers the best first SM hack choices towards some of the SM hacks that I rated with 4 orbs instead of 5.

Rating for some hacks may be off by 1 Star, but arguably not more, and ratings are not attempted to be provided within the precision of ''half orbs''.
By Geothermal on Feb 08, 2017 (Star Star Star Star Star )
80% in 1:48
Amazing, Simply Amazing. Although i love the original super metroid controls this hack really tightens up all the gameplay to its smoothest and eliminates all the notorious clunkiness.

noting some of my favorite improvements:

+ this game really is for everyone. veteran, casual metroid player, noob, or speed runner +
(*the game is very speed run-able)

- the 1st beam has a rapid fire feature making the beginning of the game much more enjoyable.
*(over all your firing rate is faster with any beam)

- speed boosting is now easier to preform and takes less space to start.

-you fall much faster after you jump (this means less time floating around in the air)

- wall jumping is much faster

-doors now open immediately when you shoot them making it much easier to just run through them as you shoot.

-the water in the game doesn't slow you down as much even without gravity suit and you can now wall jump while in the water.

overall the game plays much faster and tighter then before. i still love the original super metroid but the improvements in this game really are amazing. easily my favorite super metroid hack, possibly one of the smoothest 2D metroid games i have ever played (outside of AM2R).
By kojakt on Feb 11, 2017 (Star Star Star Star Star )
No completion stats.
When it comes to being an objectively great hack, PB checks off nearly every box. Everything that is unique in this hack feels complimented by something that is familiar. It's got something for players of almost all skill levels. It has an intrinsic balance that feels both simple and brilliant. This is a really, really well made hack that demonstrates a little bit of almost every edit that one could do to make a hack that is accessible to everyone while also feeling like a unique experience. This would likely be the first hack I'd recommend to someone who is totally new to the scene. 9.5/10 overall. Certainly one of the best
By Pixel_Tiger on Jun 28, 2017 (Star Star Star Star Star )
103% in 2:45
I'm simply blown away how awesome this hack felt. Everything had that metroid feeling and MORE. Going into rooms you know from vanilla and then its slighty different or nicely merged or even better.. a choso statue awaits you for that little extra feeling that you accomplished something. It's so satisfying!!!

The colors where beautiful, the tiles... everything a piece of art. And the best part is: IT'S FOR BEGINNERS AND VETERANS! You don't even need to know about any tricks or advanced moves. YOU DON'T EVEN NEED TO KNOW THE BASE GAME!!!

10/10 for me, want to forget and experience again!!!
By Mumu_Didi on Nov 01, 2017 (Star Star Star Star Star )
104% in 0:54
One of the best Super Metroid Hack I have never played, even the best. Awesome experience, during my first playthrough and even during the speedruns !

I would recommend this hack to everyone, even new to Super Metroid, because isn't hard at all to be attract by this game, and to love it ...

The good thing with it too, is the complement hacks that grime developped, like vanilla with only the pbase physics or the project base map with vanilla physics/ palette ...

I give this hack a 10/5 ... but not possible so 5/5 :)

(RTA timing)
By advancedpillow on Nov 28, 2017 (Star Star Star Star Star )
No completion stats.
It honors Super Metroid, while, at the same time, reaching legendary status itself. A must-play for any fan of Super Metroid. Just be aware many of the changes make the game way too easy.
By Mattmatician2002 on Dec 15, 2017 (Star Star Star Star Star )
43% in 1:25
This takes Super Metroid and takes it to the next level. The new mechanics feel SUPER smooth (I love using the Back flip boost) but it did take a while for me to get used to how you stop moving horizontally after a wall jump, but such things happen when you change the mechanics. The multiple versions give variety with the default mode adding a different layout, new mechanics and new palletes. There are versions that keep the default colors, keep the original mechanics, only having the new mechanics, and even a Justin Bailey version. Would recommend.
By Metroid Noob on Jan 14, 2018 (Star Star Star Star Star )
101% in 3:59
This is one of the best rom hacks i've ever played. This game was a masterpiece from the start to the end. The puzzles were alot more challenging, yet fair. The palettes were refreshing, and were extremely atmospheric to the old caves of Zebes. The new mechanics were very useful, yet never required. and the redesigned rooms were a fresh experience.

If you have to play a Super Metroid Rom Hack, Then this is the one to go for.

Have Fun.
By MetroidNerd#9001 on Jan 15, 2018 (Star Star Star Star Star )
101% in 1:54
I don't think that there is anything I can say that hasn't already been said. This hack is amazing, and has paved the way for even more amazing hacks like Hyper Metroid. It's so speedrunnable. I just don't get why the maximum completion % is 101.
By sanojes on May 09, 2018 (Star Star Star Star Star )
93% in 4:00
10/10
one of the best rom hack I've played so far
By albert v. on Jun 29, 2018 (Star Star Star Star Star )
100% in 2:12
My Favorite Hack!
By Metroid3D on Dec 27, 2018 (Star Star Star Star Star )
No completion stats.
Amazing!
By Hubert0987 on Dec 27, 2018 (Star Star Star Star Star )
104% in 0:35
Very good, I play this hack too much. Excited for the updates to come
By SnakeLancer on Dec 31, 2018 (Star Star Star Star Star )
25% in 0:39
Forgot to rate this hack as I was speedrunning it a couple times. Absolutely one of my favourite! I love all the mechanics and the feel of freedom is just glorious. I would totaly suggest this to GBA players coming from the GBA titles to Super Metroid!
By Scipion3 on Feb 04, 2019 (Star Star Star Star Star )
No completion stats.
An amazing hack. I love how it improved some areas like Kraid's lair or the new rooms below the wrecked ship. The new backgrounds are nice too and Samus feels better to control. My only issue is the fact that some "cutscenes" like Phantoon's appearance or the Big baby metroid are too short. I know this hack is primarly for the speedruners but it kinda ruins a part of the atmosphere.
By pathomSM on Mar 13, 2019 (Star Star Star Star Star )
100% in 2:44
Simply amazing! 5 stars!
By alexman25 on Aug 14, 2019 (Star Star Star Star Star )
43% in 3:50
A very great hack well deserving of it's rating.

The new map is great, the physics changes don't feel bad, and the palettes are very nice.
By Syphon on Oct 23, 2019 (Star Star Star Star Star )
80% in 1:32
Decided to replay this after finishing Hyper Metroid quite a while ago and recently Ancient Chozo which also use Project Base physics and mechanics. Initially didn't like the changes but it was just matter of getting used to it. It actually felt pretty great. You can tell this was made with speedruns in mind as you pretty much blaze through the rooms.

It's something I would especially recommend to Fusion and Zero Mission fans who can't get into Super Metroid because of the physics and want something more fast-paced and obviously speedrunners.

5/5
By HellBlade64 on Dec 06, 2019 (Star Star Star Star Star )
No completion stats.
While I can enjoy the effort put towards making the mechanics better (for the most part), I would have more appreciated if the modification was just that on it's own. To be perfectly frank the modified palettes, sounds, and areas should have been relegated to their own external mods/expansions rather than being bundled with the main mod itself. I don't hesitate to say I personally think most of the new tilesets look rather ugly, out of place, and wholly detract from the cool-coloured ambient atmosphere the original one made so well. The sound changes from right out of the gate I found queer at best, and repugnant at worst.

TL;DR
I'd absolutely love this mod more were it just an expansion of the original's mechanics and did not touch it's palettes, tiles, sounds, or map.

Maybe what I played was a modified version because I see nary a texture touched here.
By guilhermebrum on Jan 31, 2020 (Star Star Star Star Star )
93% in 4:18
Excellente hack.
Keeps the feel of playing the original super metroid, keeps the original item collection, with new features, moves and map locations. In my opinion is the best hack ever made.
By Freyhia on Apr 27, 2020 (Star Star Star Star Star )
91% in 0:00
Very fluid and a lot of details that makes the game less frustrating.
Good.
By croissant bug on May 21, 2020 (Star Star Star Star Star )
No completion stats.
Beautiful graphics but the gameplay needs some work. Beams and missiles fire extremely fast removing any difficulty, and bosses are also very weak usually dying in seconds. I also don't like how enemy projectiles can be destroyed for free health, because that just makes an already easy difficulty level into baby mode. I hope that a new harder version of Project Base with more config patches will come in the future.
By DramaticMarquinh0svi on Oct 02, 2020 (Star Star Star Star Star )
104% in 5:13
October 2nd 2020 Version 0.7.3
Really good,but way too easy,bosses die way to quicly,enemies are nerfed,and it's only hard at the start because of the damages,but i still find it better than OG. Too bad it's probably abandoned.
April 22nd 2023 Version 0.8.1
This hack is incredible, it changes pretty much everything Super Metroid has and improves it greatly, it's a really good improvement hack and def reccomended after you finish the og sm, all the customization is incredible, the new shinespark is insane and the many, many hidden paths for speedruns and it's incredible, the reference to the Green Chozo myth is also cool, the improvement on pacing on the slower bosses is a good improvement even tho i feel like they are a bit too fast, well you should play this hack because it's a big showcase of how far Super Metroid rom hacking has gotten.
By benox50 on Oct 20, 2020 (Star Star Star Star Star )
No completion stats.
So this is for the current version, its great at what it does, I really like some of the added gameplay. I think imo it offers a better speedrun than vanilla and I really want to see this more and more in speedruns instead of vanilla because its just that good to watch. I dont understand how you can say it has bad physics when the positives in the list is way longer than the bads. However I dont like some of the changes to how super metroid should feel since this is like a remaster. I wont mention all, but stuff like the ceres escape and how bosses "cutscenes" have been speed-up to a point that it breaks the anticipation and rythm. It also makes the overall game easier probably to make it even faster, however I dont think super metroid needed to be more easier.
By Daniel94Gomes on Dec 06, 2020 (Star Star Star Star Star )
104% in 1:32
I Play The Version 0.7.3
By Kremit44 on Jan 03, 2021 (Star Star Star Star Star )
100% in 2:00
I played 0.8. It's available at the authors website begrimed.com. It's amazing what this hack means to the future of Super Metroid. It's layout is largely vanilla but it's additions to the Super Metroid engine and the possibilities for other hacks, like Hyper Metroid, means this is likely the most important Super Metroid Hack there is. Thanks for the amazing work to all involved.
By shaktool7 on Dec 12, 2021 (Star Star Star Star Star )
No completion stats.
a project which is objectively based
By LackedL on Feb 02, 2022 (Star Star Star Star Star )
55% in 1:11
[Watch Video]  
Time is IGT.
OVERVIEW
As most people who have played this hack know, it is just a recreation. A recreation that blew me out of the water when I first played it! I utterly LOVE this hack so much! It is honestly in my number one spot for the best rom hacks I've completed in general! Everything about this hack is awesome with the customizability and access of the entire game. It doesn't completely revamp the game to a point beyond recognition nor does it add just a few graphical differences. It adds a whole new take on Super Metroid. The movement is better, the game looks better, the rooms are better, and everything is just BETTER!
MOVEMENT
The movement of the game is feels very natural, or as natural as Metroid gets. The addition of the Dash Ball and backflipping allow for multiple new routes as well. These routes can be mockball spots made easier and getting to Phantoon without grapple beam. With speed keep being a thing in this as well, that allows for very broken movement with the speed booster. You can gain a charge in almost every room and go anyway you want. It definitely helps out in red tower and with accidentally running into a wall as well.
ZEBES
Zebes, in this hack, is the same as Vanilla, but with many additions and graphical enhancements. Take the pre wrecked ship room with the grapple beam points and everything. That room, under the water especially, adds a secret underground area of the ship where the ghost always haunts even after Phantoon. It also has a quick route to Marida which is very helpful. Also, the first missle item rooms revamp, along with quite a bit of other rooms make the game look really nice and beautiful.
MENU/CUSTOMIZABILITY
The menu in this game, or map screen, adds quite a bit to this game. There is a brand new screen that allows for customizing Samus in multiple different ways by turning on and off minor things such as backflip echoes and screen shaking as well as major things like backflipping and speed keep to allow you to play however you want. It also comes with many preset and the ability to customize your own top menu to a speedrun style with a controller tracker, a prime style screen, and more. The Samus Item screen is also different since it now has more color and shows different beams being equipped along with the color of suits.
IN THE END
This hack is a straight 10/10 and I would recommend it to anyone that has or wants to play Super Metroid. I believe it is a quite easy hack to get into as well with the added things and new abilities that help with speedrun tricks. All in all, this hack is great and you should DEFINETLY get it!


TL;DR - Project Base is a good hack with a ton of new stuff
By Zincoshine on Jul 29, 2022 (Star Star Star Star Star )
87% in 3:59
This is the definitive experience for super metroid. This adds a ton of modern QoL improvements to super Metroid and really highlights why it remains one of the best games ever made 28 years later. There's two issues with it thought that should be mentioned. The first is that the doors close too fast, this sometimes causes you to get stuck in them when you enter a room. The second problem is that tourian is pretty much ruined. The hoppers are alive and invincible for some reason, the super Metroid attacks the hopper in the other room before you're able to figure out what is going on. mother brain's hyper beam attack is made too short, both with charging and the attack itself, and finally, when you get the hyper beam yourself there is no uplifting victory music. While these are all purely aesthetic problems it does make me hesitant to recommend this to people who have never played super Metroid before as the emotional impact of all of these events is severely weakened as a result of these changes.

Edit: after consideration, I have decided to bump the score down to 4/5 orbs. I just cannot excuse the damage done to tourian. The whole point of me recommending this hack is to say that this is the definitive experience of super metroid for newcomers but how can I do that when I know how anti-climactic tourian is in this hack? I'll change my score back to 5 orbs if tourian gets fixed.
By vsf3000 on Nov 16, 2022 (Star Star Star Star Star )
96% in 1:32
for what it is (a base for other hacks to work from), its absolutely astounding, and continues to just get better and better.

as a SM playthrough, its great because of the updates it brings, but as some have mentioned, the speed at which certain events happen detract a bit (like doors closing so fast you occasionally get stuck in them, boss battles moving so fast that they are weird, dramatic events losing their drama). also the way it allows for more sequence breaks is great, but leads to an absurdly easy experience.

if someone could take this, and make a few tweaks to adjust the pacing of certain events back to how it was in original SM, and maybe add a higher difficulty mode to the game (with some extra secrets trickled in), then that would basically become a perfect Definitive Edition of SM.

regardless, if someone is looking to replay SM with some updates to gameplay and minor map/graphical tweaks, this and Ancient Chozo are the ways to go. fantastic hack.
By OmegaDragnet9 on Jan 20, 2023 (Star Star Star Star Star )
70% in 1:37
This was the hack that got me into ROM hacks and emulation in general. My starting point was 0.7.3, and all other versions I tend to compare to that version.

0.8.1 is the one this review is based off of, but it exists in the context of a well-preserved line of developmental progression, a few "forks" (Nintendit and Control Freak versions) as well as a growing family of hacks that use its physics engine and gfx.

In addition to that, Begrimed has included versions of the last few releases for folks who might like the new routes but not the physics and vice versa. These all can be found on his site and I am grateful he has preserved these.

Quote58 has done a wonderful job organizing and documenting the ASM as well as all the new features he added to the 0.8 release. The new menu and HUD is a wonderful touch.

I consider Project Base to be the best way to relive the Vanilla route. As a kid, there were always certain spots where I wondered "what's behind that wall?" and this answers those questions in the best way.

As for the GFX and palettes, I really love 0.7's funky colors as it brings up memories of watching ROM hacks on youtube around 2014. When I got into playing these years later it was always cool to rediscover hacks I had forgotten the name of. I appreciate Hyper for solidifying these weird colors as part of the Metconst legacy.

As for returning to form in 0.7.3 and 0.8.1, I really like the more subtle approach Begrimed took in this evolution of Project Base. In some regards the GFX was like Axeil Edition, deceptively vanilla at a first glance, but not so much once you get to studying it more. So many CRE-heavy rooms have been improved with more organic landscapes. Trippy modifications to FX like spores flying up really fleshes this version of Zebes out.

The physics are smoother than ever. As a personal preference there are aspects of various revisions I feel did better than others, in very specific ways. 0.8.1 perfected the wall-jump mechanics, but I preferred the faster falling momentum from earlier versions, particularly 0.7.0-0.7.2 (even though I respect the extra work that went into the gradually slowing spin-jump.)

The small details, like bombs matching beam colors, are an absolute labor of love. Being able to farm off enemy projectiles feels like it should have always been in the game.

I look forward to wherever Begrimed takes this project in the future. Thanks for a great hack!

(At some point I need to go through and 100% this one.)
By Metroid Violinist on Feb 15, 2023 (Star Star Star Star Star )
85% in 2:03
This review may seem redundant given that this hack has already received so much praise, but this is truly a near-perfect way to re-experience Super Metroid. Any criticisms I had during play were so minor that they might as well have been nitpicks, especially since I had forgotten the few gripes I had by the time I was finished. Beautiful use of vanilla and edited tiles, extra movement options, and level edits were done to perfection, and I was finally fully immersed in a game in which I had trouble immersing myself in after such a long time.

This hack is almost exactly what I would've wanted as a kid when I played the original, and it does everything I would've done perfectly if I had made a similarly styled hack.

This hack is so masterfully crafted that I would recommend it to anyone looking for their first Metroid experience. Because if this isn't a perfect example of what Metroid is at its core, I'm not sure what is.
By Thirteen1355 on Feb 22, 2023 (Star Star Star Star Star )
93% in 4:42
At this point in time, this hack is a definitive improvement to Super Metroid. I know there's people who disagree, but I think a newcomer is better off playing this instead of the original Super. That was different in past versions, because some aesthetical choices deviated more from the original's vision.

The controls are smoother, faster and the player is given a lot more agency over what Samus will do in any given situation. There's more interconnectivity, which speeds up backtracking and makes the world feel more endearing to explore. There's a lot of quality of life options added, which can be turned on or off through the menu screen. All this almost makes it feel like this game could've been released as some polished, well-made indie game on Steam. It just feels that much with the times.

One personal gripe I have is that the map stations have been removed, and what was added when interacting with them has become part of the default map screen. This makes the game very easy to navigate. I solved this by simply not checking the map screen until I beat the final boss (with about 58% item completion). With the interconnectivity granted by this hack, that is a very viable way to play, even for a newcomer. You barely hit a dead end in Project Base.

One thing I would like to see is a way to check whether you already collected an item shown on a minimap tile, similar to Zero Mission. The fact that this is missing cannot be put on Project Base itself, though.
By FANXINGPRIME on Apr 14, 2023 (Star Star Star Star Star )
100% in 2:59
If you don't wanna play the Super Metroid due to the old handle feeling,I wish you have a try.
By Sapphron on Jun 18, 2023 (Star Star Star Star Star )
No completion stats.
Yeah, it's good. Surprised I haven't reviewed it yet. Basically the Super Metroid hack that everyone should play.
retroactively rated, don't remember IGT/%
By NikoleThaPuppy on Jul 17, 2023 (Star Star Star Star Star )
73% in 2:36
If it ain't broke don't fix it. Well Project Base says fuck that shit and makes one of the greatest games of all time even more perfect than it already was somehow?? You know what stop reading this review and play the damn hack it is so amazing. Just imagine Super Metroid but this time the world is even more of your playbox than before.
By guilhermebrum526 on Nov 10, 2023 (Star Star Star Star Star )
No completion stats.
Masterpiece
By SakuraUnit on Nov 14, 2023 (Star Star Star Star Star )
87% in 3:32
Begrimed never fails to put out quality! Project base was an absolute joy to play from beginning to end. Made you feel like the original was almost too easy. Great overall hack, and can't wait to see more!
By NateTheGameK on Nov 19, 2023 (Star Star Star Star Star )
100% in 12:00
LOVED THIS HACK!

* Extremely cool additions to movement
* Great and speedrun-friendly additions and changes to terrain and item progression
* Accounts for low%
* Great visuals
* Speed booster

11/10, play this.
By KPF on Nov 26, 2023 (Star Star Star Star Star )
No completion stats.
There are 3 door that freeze the game after going through them.
By ironrusty on Mar 01, 2024 (Star Star Star Star Star )
No completion stats.
There is a lot to appreciate about project base, but I am still left puzzled about some of the changes. Certainly, the physics engine changes are monumental and influential, but this application of applying them to the original map with the many shortcuts still feels like a step 'on the way' to greatness.

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