“The one thing that Samus fears most”
| Hyper Metroid SUPER | ||
Release date: Apr 18, 2025 |
Author: RealRed |
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Genre: Total Conversion [?] Game: 
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Difficulty: Vanilla [?]
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Average runtime:
4:37 Average collection: 91% |
Read Me: [None] |
Forum Thread: Release Thread |
Rating:
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Description
Hyper Metroid SUPER is an overhaul of Hyper Metroid that restructures areas to be more cohesive, re-balances enemies and weapons to be more fair, and features innumerable bug fixes. The invisible hand of Super Metroid has also been reintroduced, making the game much more linear, fair, and fun for first time players.
On top of Hyper Metroid, SUPER features:
-Restored features from Super Metroid, previously disabled by Project Base
-New demos and intro
-New areas, graphics, and heavily modified levels
-New enemies, Re-balanced enemy stats and drop rates
-Updated item progression to cut down backtracking
-Gate progress tracker on the pause screen
-Smoother platforming and camera movement
-Removed edgy content
-New easter eggs
On top of Hyper Metroid, SUPER features:
-Restored features from Super Metroid, previously disabled by Project Base
-New demos and intro
-New areas, graphics, and heavily modified levels
-New enemies, Re-balanced enemy stats and drop rates
-Updated item progression to cut down backtracking
-Gate progress tracker on the pause screen
-Smoother platforming and camera movement
-Removed edgy content
-New easter eggs
Screenshots
Ratings and Reviews
YEP YEP YEP!
I was too late to take its five orb virginity... But there's no shame in sloppy seconds when there's such a wonderful hack to be rated!
For now, I think I like the original better, but the replays are where that'll really be put to the test, and I think this will be a way better experience for first-timers. Consider this review to be updated when I have more concrete thoughts, though I promise you the five-orb score is both finalized and well-deserved!
I don't think this really qualifies as a total conversion, though
For now, I think I like the original better, but the replays are where that'll really be put to the test, and I think this will be a way better experience for first-timers. Consider this review to be updated when I have more concrete thoughts, though I promise you the five-orb score is both finalized and well-deserved!
I don't think this really qualifies as a total conversion, though
OG Hyper Metroid obsessives will be put off by some of the changes this hack of a hack makes (particularly the railroading early on), but ultimately this still manages to still be the Hyper Metroid that I loved 10 years ago.
In terms of hack remasters, I'd put this closer to Eris 2012 than Redesign: Axeil Edition. While there are some befuddling changes and a bit of overcorrection, overall it manages to understand the assignment.
Animals saved.
In terms of hack remasters, I'd put this closer to Eris 2012 than Redesign: Axeil Edition. While there are some befuddling changes and a bit of overcorrection, overall it manages to understand the assignment.
Animals saved.
When I was a kid, I'd beat classic SNES titles and wish Nintendo would make more games in the same engine (like Capcom did with the Mega Man games.) That never happened, but ROM hacks became the answer to that wish. In a lot of ways this continues that idea. It's the dark other Zebes unique to Hyper Metroid's engine; yet I got to experience a brand new adventure in another version of that world.
In many ways it's a major departure from the Hyper Metroid you know. My previous experience with the hack was both a help and a hindrance in navigating the planet.
If you have never played Hyper before, this might be the version you will prefer. It's more straight-forward, more streamlined and more polished. Bugs that plagued the original are squashed, and complaints regarding certain creative choices have been answered.
If you are coming to this well-accustomed to the original hack, the early game will seem very restrictive to you. It will hold your hand, and smack that hand if you try to be too clever. The middle and end it definitely opens up, and the polish really becomes more apparent. Puzzles and challenges that were slightly obtuse have been made simpler.
What version do I prefer? If I'm completely honest nothing will ever replace the original (and RealRed isn't trying to do that either.) There are iconic room layouts that have been replaced and redesigned. To gain this new thing, you trade off the old.
Fortunately, as long as the site exists, we will always have both games. (Axiel Edition is a better experience, but I still love the original Redesign.)
There are certain hacks that I often replay. I can see myself keeping this new version in my rotation.
The best inclusion is the Gate Tracker. The new graphics are top-notch.
I highly recommend this.
Animals saved. I will update my review when I pick up the remaining 5% item completion
In many ways it's a major departure from the Hyper Metroid you know. My previous experience with the hack was both a help and a hindrance in navigating the planet.
If you have never played Hyper before, this might be the version you will prefer. It's more straight-forward, more streamlined and more polished. Bugs that plagued the original are squashed, and complaints regarding certain creative choices have been answered.
If you are coming to this well-accustomed to the original hack, the early game will seem very restrictive to you. It will hold your hand, and smack that hand if you try to be too clever. The middle and end it definitely opens up, and the polish really becomes more apparent. Puzzles and challenges that were slightly obtuse have been made simpler.
What version do I prefer? If I'm completely honest nothing will ever replace the original (and RealRed isn't trying to do that either.) There are iconic room layouts that have been replaced and redesigned. To gain this new thing, you trade off the old.
Fortunately, as long as the site exists, we will always have both games. (Axiel Edition is a better experience, but I still love the original Redesign.)
There are certain hacks that I often replay. I can see myself keeping this new version in my rotation.
The best inclusion is the Gate Tracker. The new graphics are top-notch.
I highly recommend this.
Animals saved. I will update my review when I pick up the remaining 5% item completion
When I was told almost a year ago by RealRed that he was working on an update for one of the most critically acclaimed and popular super metroid hacks ever made, I told him people are just going to complain about it, nostalgia glasses are too thick.
I like this version better.
I like this version better.
I gave Hyper 5/5 in 2015.
Hyper Super is superior.
Hyper Super is superior.
You don't know you need the version of Hyper Metroid that lets you speedboost and shinespark everywhere until it drops into your lap. It's just that much less rocky than the original. And to anyone who says the handholding is too strong, you just don't know how to break the hand trying to feed you yet. It's very possible, you just might need to realign your strategy and reanalyze your surroundings.
Animals saved.
Hyper was my romhacking cherry, the first, the daddy, the one that got me into playing them and made me integrate them into my streaming routine. It was gonna be hard to top it... but this remaster managed to do so.
It doesn't exactly -repalce- Hyper (because the OG version is still really good) but it does cut out a significant amount of meandering and removes a lot of the more obtuse elements the OG version has. The combat rebalance has been done really well, the changes to the map mean that you can never quite rely on prior experience to guide you, and whilst the guiding hand is firm and can feel insistent, I have already seen places that I think 'I could sequence break here'.
On balance I prefer this version and I'd argue that this is now the jumping-in point for romhacking newcomers to play.
Hyper was my romhacking cherry, the first, the daddy, the one that got me into playing them and made me integrate them into my streaming routine. It was gonna be hard to top it... but this remaster managed to do so.
It doesn't exactly -repalce- Hyper (because the OG version is still really good) but it does cut out a significant amount of meandering and removes a lot of the more obtuse elements the OG version has. The combat rebalance has been done really well, the changes to the map mean that you can never quite rely on prior experience to guide you, and whilst the guiding hand is firm and can feel insistent, I have already seen places that I think 'I could sequence break here'.
On balance I prefer this version and I'd argue that this is now the jumping-in point for romhacking newcomers to play.
YEP YEP YEP!
this is truly amazing. while the original hyper metroid is still excellent, this is simply a superior hack overall in basically every way. there isnt really a strong reason to play the original other than sentiment.
i agree with the thought that for a newcomer to SM hacks, this is probably the best hack to start with. you get a nice balance of a fresh new feel, while still maintaining familiarity.
EDIT: some have made comments that this update is too linear, sequence breaking doesnt exist, and have questioned adjustments to the map from the original. however I believe most of that is based on an initial playthrough where some didnt even complete the game, or didnt pay attention to some subtle details.
i recommend all to play the game to the very end, and not ignore small details. this is a hack that gives FAR more than meets the eye.
this is truly amazing. while the original hyper metroid is still excellent, this is simply a superior hack overall in basically every way. there isnt really a strong reason to play the original other than sentiment.
i agree with the thought that for a newcomer to SM hacks, this is probably the best hack to start with. you get a nice balance of a fresh new feel, while still maintaining familiarity.
EDIT: some have made comments that this update is too linear, sequence breaking doesnt exist, and have questioned adjustments to the map from the original. however I believe most of that is based on an initial playthrough where some didnt even complete the game, or didnt pay attention to some subtle details.
i recommend all to play the game to the very end, and not ignore small details. this is a hack that gives FAR more than meets the eye.
Hyper Metroid Super is to Hyper Metroid as Redesign Axeil is to Redesign. Too bad the long item fanfares are back and you can't turn them off.
I never went back playing Hyper after my first playthrough so now this 10th anniversary edition gives me a perfect opportunity to deep dive into it again. Overall, I'd say this is nice step up from OG Hyper. More or less fixes some issues I had with the original.
The infamous "dark take on the Metroid storyline" has lot some of its cringe, it's better now I guess? Phantoon boss fight is still hard af this early in the game but more doable since you have to be on the lookout for Wave Beam now and you should be having more gears to survive.
I liked the new visual touches here and there and the freedom of movement. Backtracking after getting grapple is a bit too lenghty for my taste. Difficulty greatly lowers once you get Gravity Suit then Screw attack, trivializing everything leading up to Draygon/Ridley. Mini-Ridley was cute btw.
Now it's still a very 10' hack so there is not much to be raving about. Hyper being one of the most, if not, the most quintessential RTZ hack out here, I fundamentally disagree with it being categorized as a total conversion as such.
Recommended.
The infamous "dark take on the Metroid storyline" has lot some of its cringe, it's better now I guess? Phantoon boss fight is still hard af this early in the game but more doable since you have to be on the lookout for Wave Beam now and you should be having more gears to survive.
I liked the new visual touches here and there and the freedom of movement. Backtracking after getting grapple is a bit too lenghty for my taste. Difficulty greatly lowers once you get Gravity Suit then Screw attack, trivializing everything leading up to Draygon/Ridley. Mini-Ridley was cute btw.
Now it's still a very 10' hack so there is not much to be raving about. Hyper being one of the most, if not, the most quintessential RTZ hack out here, I fundamentally disagree with it being categorized as a total conversion as such.
Recommended.
I shall do a review, in comparasion to both vanilla and the original Hyper Metroid. I know many things I say applies to the original Hyper Metroid, but this review should be fresh. I'll do positives and negatives. This applies to v1.0 (I will update if a new version comes out).
+ Progress has been linear (and that's a good thing). There is one part where you can technically get early Super Missile soon after getting Bomb (via Bomb Jump and good jumping timing), but most casual players won't be able to do that. And based on what's being said, this is intentional for the speedrunners. I don't know how to feel about that...
+ The demos were AWESOME!! It was really necessary to teach people some of the "hidden" features, such as backflips, Agility Ball being able to dash, and especially Speed Booster slowdowns (and changing direction). I do wish it showed a bit more (such as bomb jumps, insta-morph, no-jump bomb explosions, and Crystal Flash), but those aren't really necessary to do 100% run.
+ The bomb explodes early (and can have 4 in one screen), which expands its usage during combat. I like it. And it also makes bomb jumps more difficult to time, and yet much faster to climb for those who put a little practice. Three birds, one stone. Very well done.
+ All special weapons using one ammo pool was awesome. It makes ammo refill so much more pleasant.
+ Gate system was great. It makes the exploration more interesting.
+ Thank you very much for giving access to X-Ray early (assuming a little backtrack). It is such an anti-frustration item.
+ Having the animals teach you the wall jump early was great. I bet the new comers would love it.
+ I love how you don't get damage from Shinespark. I hated that part in vanilla.
+ Compared to the original Hyper Metroid, the color of the final beam was much better. The original Hyper was gold, which made "Ice" Beam not seem like it (frozen urine?). But here, it's white (with shades of purple). Perfect.
- Most bosses were way too easy (almost vanilla). The first Chozo is understandable, as it's the first boss, but the rest? C'mon. Vanilla bosses were famous for being easy, even to the new players -- just exchange blows until you win. Get rid of all the "untouchable" spots in Spore Spawn fight. Have 2-block-wide acid pits or spikes in Crocomire fights. Remove the platforms in Kraid fight. Remove the "easy kill electric" thing in Draygon fight.
- While this hack improved from the original Hyper Metroid, I still feel that many things were too spread apart. I often find myself finding a key upgrade, then I have to go on the other side of the map to find another key item, then come back to fight the boss. Lots of wasted time, and it would have been a real pain without the map. I don't mind backtracking for non-mandatory upgrades, but not for the key items.
- Compared to the original Hyper, the "puzzles" became a bit too simple, so much so that it didn't "fulfill" the players. For example, in the original Hyper, in NW of Brinstar, there was a S.Missile you can get via freezing the fish (if no Gravity Suit) -- that's been reduced to simple "go and grab". Also, I think keeping Screw Attack in Tourian would have been a better idea. I mean, Screw Attack really isn't necessary (I think), even to the casual players, and at the same time, it gives more purpose to both the gates and Tourian (other than to beat the game).
Overall, this has more positives than the negatives, compared to the original Hyper Metroid, which was already a very high quality hack. While I wish things would improve, but that may be just my taste. Either way, thank you.
P.S. There were some minor bugs I noticed. I reported them in the forum.
+ Progress has been linear (and that's a good thing). There is one part where you can technically get early Super Missile soon after getting Bomb (via Bomb Jump and good jumping timing), but most casual players won't be able to do that. And based on what's being said, this is intentional for the speedrunners. I don't know how to feel about that...
+ The demos were AWESOME!! It was really necessary to teach people some of the "hidden" features, such as backflips, Agility Ball being able to dash, and especially Speed Booster slowdowns (and changing direction). I do wish it showed a bit more (such as bomb jumps, insta-morph, no-jump bomb explosions, and Crystal Flash), but those aren't really necessary to do 100% run.
+ The bomb explodes early (and can have 4 in one screen), which expands its usage during combat. I like it. And it also makes bomb jumps more difficult to time, and yet much faster to climb for those who put a little practice. Three birds, one stone. Very well done.
+ All special weapons using one ammo pool was awesome. It makes ammo refill so much more pleasant.
+ Gate system was great. It makes the exploration more interesting.
+ Thank you very much for giving access to X-Ray early (assuming a little backtrack). It is such an anti-frustration item.
+ Having the animals teach you the wall jump early was great. I bet the new comers would love it.
+ I love how you don't get damage from Shinespark. I hated that part in vanilla.
+ Compared to the original Hyper Metroid, the color of the final beam was much better. The original Hyper was gold, which made "Ice" Beam not seem like it (frozen urine?). But here, it's white (with shades of purple). Perfect.
- Most bosses were way too easy (almost vanilla). The first Chozo is understandable, as it's the first boss, but the rest? C'mon. Vanilla bosses were famous for being easy, even to the new players -- just exchange blows until you win. Get rid of all the "untouchable" spots in Spore Spawn fight. Have 2-block-wide acid pits or spikes in Crocomire fights. Remove the platforms in Kraid fight. Remove the "easy kill electric" thing in Draygon fight.
- While this hack improved from the original Hyper Metroid, I still feel that many things were too spread apart. I often find myself finding a key upgrade, then I have to go on the other side of the map to find another key item, then come back to fight the boss. Lots of wasted time, and it would have been a real pain without the map. I don't mind backtracking for non-mandatory upgrades, but not for the key items.
- Compared to the original Hyper, the "puzzles" became a bit too simple, so much so that it didn't "fulfill" the players. For example, in the original Hyper, in NW of Brinstar, there was a S.Missile you can get via freezing the fish (if no Gravity Suit) -- that's been reduced to simple "go and grab". Also, I think keeping Screw Attack in Tourian would have been a better idea. I mean, Screw Attack really isn't necessary (I think), even to the casual players, and at the same time, it gives more purpose to both the gates and Tourian (other than to beat the game).
Overall, this has more positives than the negatives, compared to the original Hyper Metroid, which was already a very high quality hack. While I wish things would improve, but that may be just my taste. Either way, thank you.
P.S. There were some minor bugs I noticed. I reported them in the forum.
As someone who was familiar with Hyper Metroid and naturally did plenty of sequence breaks in it even on my first playthrough, this felt basically the same but with some annoying railroading early on, some sequence breaks being slightly harder (but almost none completely removed), and the Screw Attack gate thing being completely removed to instead put the Screw Attack in a more natural place. Spazer was turned into a progression item because MercurysSteam has cursed us all. The story is bland and irrelevant instead of being hilariously edgy, which I personally consider a downgrade but understand why it would be changed.
Overall, to me, this was just Hyper Metroid but a little worse. Unless there's something major I'm missing, I would never choose to play this version over the original Hyper Metroid because that version doesn't have the railroading start or the item fanfares that got old before the first play-through of Super Metroid ended, let alone in a hack. This version is probably better for a first-timer who isn't as interested in sequence breaks as I am (and doesn't mind the fanfare).
Note that it's still really good, because it's just a worse Hyper Metroid, and Hyper Metroid was already fantastic.
Overall, to me, this was just Hyper Metroid but a little worse. Unless there's something major I'm missing, I would never choose to play this version over the original Hyper Metroid because that version doesn't have the railroading start or the item fanfares that got old before the first play-through of Super Metroid ended, let alone in a hack. This version is probably better for a first-timer who isn't as interested in sequence breaks as I am (and doesn't mind the fanfare).
Note that it's still really good, because it's just a worse Hyper Metroid, and Hyper Metroid was already fantastic.
I'm a big fan of this total conversion of super metroid
This is an excellent hack that I'm still going to complain about because I show my love by being an ungrateful prick.
As you've probably figured out already, Hyper Metroid SUPER is a rerelease of the original Hyper Metroid, which was itself an excellent hack all around. It's made in the Project Base engine, which turns Speed Booster into an item that basically makes you invincible as long as you don't bump into things; you could go through several rooms, going up and down and all around, without even needing to spark onto a slope to restore speed. The fact that you even *can* spark onto a slope to restore speed is almost comical because of how little you need to use it.
The original Hyper Metroid was aware of this, which is why Speed Booster was the penultimate major item in the vanilla, sequence break-less progression. The only item later in the game was Screw Attack, which is the same as vanilla and was quite uniquely located in Tourian after opening a subset of the gates needed to access the main part of Tourian. That leads me into one of my main problems with the original Hyper, which is that it's kind of frontloaded. In the vanilla game, by the time you have all the major items, you're basically on Ridley's doorstep and have already seen 95% of the game. In Hyper, by the time you got Speed Booster, you had just killed the third of four members of G4 and still have a large part of Maridia to explore that only contains a Tourian gate. As a result, the endgame of the original Hyper always felt very empty to me, not having major items sprinkled in every so often to keep you going. (Quick note: Yeah, this was kind of a problem in Prime 1 and 2 as well; while Prime 1 doesn't really do it right either, Prime 2 does mitigate this problem severely by making sure you can still complete basically everything it has to offer before killing Quadraxis, the final major boss before the endgame, and then still puts two major items after Annihilator)
And thus comes the one thing I'm going to complain about with Hyper Metroid SUPER, which is that instead of making the game less frontloaded, it makes the game MORE frontloaded by moving Screw Attack out of its actually interesting location in Tourian- where you have to go out of your way to get it- and instead just kind of plops it at your feet on your way to Ridley. Not only does this not solve the problem of the endgame being boring, it also ruins half the fun of Speed Booster because the invincibility you get from maintaining your flow doesn't make as much of a difference when you're invincible half the time *anyway.* I really wish that RealRed had opted to take more of the major items and move them to later in the game (such as Space Jump and Wave Beam, which barely have any logical checks) as well as kept Screw Attack in Tourian where finding it was actually memorable.
I know I sound like I'm being overly negative, and that's because that's exactly what I'm doing, but really, I love this hack. I even want to go for low% (which gets teased in the end credits). Having a slow endgame is barely a problem when the game is as much fun to play as Project Base Super Metroid is anyway, and I don't expect RealRed to move the major items LMAO. I just think it's worth leaving a comment on, especially if it helps someone smooth out the level design of their own hack.
Now play this before I decide to be even more of a prick about how it murdered my family and salted my land or something idk (also nice clear time)
As you've probably figured out already, Hyper Metroid SUPER is a rerelease of the original Hyper Metroid, which was itself an excellent hack all around. It's made in the Project Base engine, which turns Speed Booster into an item that basically makes you invincible as long as you don't bump into things; you could go through several rooms, going up and down and all around, without even needing to spark onto a slope to restore speed. The fact that you even *can* spark onto a slope to restore speed is almost comical because of how little you need to use it.
The original Hyper Metroid was aware of this, which is why Speed Booster was the penultimate major item in the vanilla, sequence break-less progression. The only item later in the game was Screw Attack, which is the same as vanilla and was quite uniquely located in Tourian after opening a subset of the gates needed to access the main part of Tourian. That leads me into one of my main problems with the original Hyper, which is that it's kind of frontloaded. In the vanilla game, by the time you have all the major items, you're basically on Ridley's doorstep and have already seen 95% of the game. In Hyper, by the time you got Speed Booster, you had just killed the third of four members of G4 and still have a large part of Maridia to explore that only contains a Tourian gate. As a result, the endgame of the original Hyper always felt very empty to me, not having major items sprinkled in every so often to keep you going. (Quick note: Yeah, this was kind of a problem in Prime 1 and 2 as well; while Prime 1 doesn't really do it right either, Prime 2 does mitigate this problem severely by making sure you can still complete basically everything it has to offer before killing Quadraxis, the final major boss before the endgame, and then still puts two major items after Annihilator)
And thus comes the one thing I'm going to complain about with Hyper Metroid SUPER, which is that instead of making the game less frontloaded, it makes the game MORE frontloaded by moving Screw Attack out of its actually interesting location in Tourian- where you have to go out of your way to get it- and instead just kind of plops it at your feet on your way to Ridley. Not only does this not solve the problem of the endgame being boring, it also ruins half the fun of Speed Booster because the invincibility you get from maintaining your flow doesn't make as much of a difference when you're invincible half the time *anyway.* I really wish that RealRed had opted to take more of the major items and move them to later in the game (such as Space Jump and Wave Beam, which barely have any logical checks) as well as kept Screw Attack in Tourian where finding it was actually memorable.
I know I sound like I'm being overly negative, and that's because that's exactly what I'm doing, but really, I love this hack. I even want to go for low% (which gets teased in the end credits). Having a slow endgame is barely a problem when the game is as much fun to play as Project Base Super Metroid is anyway, and I don't expect RealRed to move the major items LMAO. I just think it's worth leaving a comment on, especially if it helps someone smooth out the level design of their own hack.
Now play this before I decide to be even more of a prick about how it murdered my family and salted my land or something idk (also nice clear time)
- half orb for removing the "edgy" content. Feels like something that Netflix or a big corpo would do.
- 1 orb for feeling less "unique" compared to OG Hyper. I'd give a somewhat long essay about it, but starlightintheriver beat me on it on my biggest issue with the hack. I also liked the sequence breaks, or how easy they were in the OG Hyper compared to here.
I much prefer the hack that made Hyper more open than this one, for example. This hack feels a downgrade for me, and for me it's too much vanilla, easy and linear compared to OG Hyper. Other hack remakes like Redesign Axeil (even tho I prefer the original), Eris and Cliffhanger Redux are better in enhancing some qualities of the original hack, fixing some mistakes and making it more user-friendly.
At the end of the day, for me, this is a hack that is less fun compared to the OG one.
I wish these kind of changes were made in "bad" hacks with unique concepts, not a great one to begin with. And there's not even the argument the OG one was hard and this one was needed so more people would play it.
- 1 orb for feeling less "unique" compared to OG Hyper. I'd give a somewhat long essay about it, but starlightintheriver beat me on it on my biggest issue with the hack. I also liked the sequence breaks, or how easy they were in the OG Hyper compared to here.
I much prefer the hack that made Hyper more open than this one, for example. This hack feels a downgrade for me, and for me it's too much vanilla, easy and linear compared to OG Hyper. Other hack remakes like Redesign Axeil (even tho I prefer the original), Eris and Cliffhanger Redux are better in enhancing some qualities of the original hack, fixing some mistakes and making it more user-friendly.
At the end of the day, for me, this is a hack that is less fun compared to the OG one.
I wish these kind of changes were made in "bad" hacks with unique concepts, not a great one to begin with. And there's not even the argument the OG one was hard and this one was needed so more people would play it.
I played the original Hyper Metroid in 2023. I suffered a lot, because it was the first rom hack I passed, and I passed it 100%. I liked this re-release, but I will say that it became easier. But nevertheless, none of the cool things that were in the original were broken.
I recommend going through this re-release. And I recommend going through it without external help until you collect Hyper Booster
I recommend going through this re-release. And I recommend going through it without external help until you collect Hyper Booster
Great hack. I enjoyed it way more than I did 10 years ago, but to be fair, I was a lot more lazy back then. Still, this one deserves extra points for the replayability. Three different times I beat the game (the stats are for the last win) but each time was a totally different experience. I've never felt compelled to do that before, nor beat the game with low percentage. The map reworks really make you think about how else you can approach this hack to beat it with what few items you've got. I thought I wouldn't have the skills to do it, but you just need the time and persistence. I'm sure everyone else who beat low% did also, but I straight up made a checklist for it first. That's some meta gaming
Animals were saved all three times.
Also shinespark mode was super fun. I loved the escape through maridia and the wrecked ship
Animals were saved all three times.
Also shinespark mode was super fun. I loved the escape through maridia and the wrecked ship
I never played the original because I heard it was really obtuse to navigate and on the much-harder end of the difficulty spectrum, so I saw this on RHDN and thought I'd give it a whirl, especially seeing some of the praise here. So knowing that's my perspective, here are my thoughts:
SPOILER-FREE OVERVIEW: If you're a Super Metroid veteran who knows their way around the game, give this a go. I got stuck on finding progress for almost two hours, which almost made me quit, but honestly I got stuck in the vanilla game for a while too when I was a kid (it took me like a solid week to figure out the bowling puzzle), so maybe you'll easily see what I missed and sail on. Despite that, the hack is very worth the play. The main criticisms I have are that the level design is really drawn out, and in my opinion, one thing you're meant to figure out is so obtuse or hidden that it took me *over two hours* to find it, which was mostly tedious backtracking and x-ray scoping every square inch of the map. The hack description says "fun for first-time players", and the difficulty says "Vanilla", but the bosses are anything but. I'm a Super Metroid veteran who regularly does randomizer runs (almost once a day), and I really struggled with a couple of them. The rest of the game fits the vanilla difficulty descriptor, but the bosses are *rough*. Despite these issues, it controls great, using many movement tweaks that make the movement very crisp and responsive, and the level design (while pretty vast and sometimes tedious to backtrack through) is interesting and challenging, with clever puzzles and interesting use of mechanics, and very nice custom visuals throughout. I give it four orbs, with one knocked off for the boss difficulty (which isn't itself bad, but is certainly too high for the Vanilla rating) and for a few *extremely* hard-to-spot progress solutions. If you're a Super Metroid veteran looking for a fresh experience that still feels like Super Metroid, I think you'll like this.
=== SPOILER ALERT ===
The rest of this review is expanded and specific criticisms and praise and contains heavy spoilers!
Starting with the rough stuff: if this is the version that was made *easier* by making it more cohesive and linear, *goodness gracious* the original must have been a *maze*. I gave this my best, and I got stuck for hours after getting Space Jump, to the point where I almost quit completely—in fact, this review was initially a DNF perspective. I believe what happened was that I stood *almost exactly* on top of the *one* breakable block, so my admittedly hasty x-ray scoping—bear in mind at this point I was *very* frustrated—missed it. There were a couple other spots that took me quite a bit of time to find too, in particular the gate switches—which I don't think I'd ever have found if I didn't have the map thing letting me know in what region they were. Putting major progress items behind completely invisible blocks is *rough*; I can see optional pickups being really well hidden, but something that I *need* to complete the game should at least have a subtle hint. And then to exacerbate that issue, the map is massive, and there's *so much* backtracking in this game, especially because in order to look at Maridia's map, you have to be *in* Maridia, so while you're looking for stuff you're missing, you have to pop in to each area to refresh yourself on that map. It also doesn't help that there's no indication of when you've collected an item you've seen. While this *is* the vanilla behavior, other hacks have features that let you switch which part of the map you're looking at and differentiate collected items, and in my opinion these are non-optional features, especially in sprawling hacks like this one.
MOST of the hack that I played was pretty much on the level of vanilla Metroid, or at least not much harder, so anyone who's familiar with the original should find this accessible. The exception is the bosses (and some minibosses), which I'd describe as "abusive". I barely squeaked by Phantoon first try, so I think he's about right for veteran players, but Kraid took me like five goes because the dude just eats missiles for days; same for Ridley, which was a *twenty-minute* fight that was mostly charge blasts. I think for the Kraid fight I had significantly more missiles than expected, too, because I was able to get deep into Norfair early with some tricky wall jumping and mockballs, but I still kept running out. Maybe he's weak to super missiles and goes down faster if you use them, but the fist couple tries it was so easy to lose soups to his claw blocks I switched to regular boom tubes just to make misses less costly. Mercifully, Draygon's grapple beam quick kill wasn't removed or nerfed, or else I'm sure that would have been a nightmare too, given how many more e-tanks it took to kill her. Now, being hard isn't an inherently *bad* thing, and as a veteran I can say they were beatable with perseverance, but calling the game "Vanilla" implies that someone who's never played Super Metroid could get through this as readily as the original, and that's just not the case. A casual player could beat Super Metroid; here, even the minibosses are extremely aggro with tons of health, and I don't think a casual player could beat this hack as a result. If the claimed difficulty were changed to "Veteran", I'd be tempted to look past the backtracking and give this five orbs.
So those are my primary criticisms that almost made me quit. Here's the good stuff: the game controls great, with improved basic controls that incorporate a lot of the better ideas the hacking community has come up with over the years, like respin, momentum conservation, spark balls, and a few more. The backwards long jump is pretty cool and original (to my knowledge), though I only came across one place where it was required to grab something, and that was an optional item, and honestly you could just tank the spike damage if you had a couple e-tanks already. The manual teaches some of the special movement tech, and implies that there might be more, but I didn't find any that weren't listed or available in vanilla Metroid. Also, a small thing, but I *very much* appreciate the charge beam going silent instead of making the constant "wyoowyoowyoo" in the original, since a lot of enemies post-Brinstar (most, even, I think) are immune to the regular beam and need either charge or missiles.
I also think that, despite my frustrations with the extensive backtracking, the level design is very good, with lots of visual variation and clever use of the various game mechanics to make progress and get optional pickups. It feels polished overall and I've enjoyed exploring the environment (well, the first couple times anyway). It was a nice twist for the Wrecked Ship to go dead *after* beating Phantoon, too; that was clever, and not something I've seen in other hacks. I know I said that Phantoon was a challenge, but fair challenge is good, and I liked the changes to his behavior. So many hacks seem to do really interesting stuff with Phantoon!. So overall good job on the level design; I just wish there were faster ways to get from point A to point B, since that's what ultimately made me decide I'd had enough. The graphics glowup is solid, and I'm impressed the environs and enemies aren't just recolors—well, some are, but there's a *lot* of custom stuff too, and it looks great, sometimes I'd argue better than the vanilla game.
So overall, great work and a solid hack worth a play for any experienced Super Metroid player. Well done; an update to add the map features mentioned above, as well as changing the listed difficulty to "Veteran", would push this to 5 orbs for me.
SPOILER-FREE OVERVIEW: If you're a Super Metroid veteran who knows their way around the game, give this a go. I got stuck on finding progress for almost two hours, which almost made me quit, but honestly I got stuck in the vanilla game for a while too when I was a kid (it took me like a solid week to figure out the bowling puzzle), so maybe you'll easily see what I missed and sail on. Despite that, the hack is very worth the play. The main criticisms I have are that the level design is really drawn out, and in my opinion, one thing you're meant to figure out is so obtuse or hidden that it took me *over two hours* to find it, which was mostly tedious backtracking and x-ray scoping every square inch of the map. The hack description says "fun for first-time players", and the difficulty says "Vanilla", but the bosses are anything but. I'm a Super Metroid veteran who regularly does randomizer runs (almost once a day), and I really struggled with a couple of them. The rest of the game fits the vanilla difficulty descriptor, but the bosses are *rough*. Despite these issues, it controls great, using many movement tweaks that make the movement very crisp and responsive, and the level design (while pretty vast and sometimes tedious to backtrack through) is interesting and challenging, with clever puzzles and interesting use of mechanics, and very nice custom visuals throughout. I give it four orbs, with one knocked off for the boss difficulty (which isn't itself bad, but is certainly too high for the Vanilla rating) and for a few *extremely* hard-to-spot progress solutions. If you're a Super Metroid veteran looking for a fresh experience that still feels like Super Metroid, I think you'll like this.
=== SPOILER ALERT ===
The rest of this review is expanded and specific criticisms and praise and contains heavy spoilers!
Starting with the rough stuff: if this is the version that was made *easier* by making it more cohesive and linear, *goodness gracious* the original must have been a *maze*. I gave this my best, and I got stuck for hours after getting Space Jump, to the point where I almost quit completely—in fact, this review was initially a DNF perspective. I believe what happened was that I stood *almost exactly* on top of the *one* breakable block, so my admittedly hasty x-ray scoping—bear in mind at this point I was *very* frustrated—missed it. There were a couple other spots that took me quite a bit of time to find too, in particular the gate switches—which I don't think I'd ever have found if I didn't have the map thing letting me know in what region they were. Putting major progress items behind completely invisible blocks is *rough*; I can see optional pickups being really well hidden, but something that I *need* to complete the game should at least have a subtle hint. And then to exacerbate that issue, the map is massive, and there's *so much* backtracking in this game, especially because in order to look at Maridia's map, you have to be *in* Maridia, so while you're looking for stuff you're missing, you have to pop in to each area to refresh yourself on that map. It also doesn't help that there's no indication of when you've collected an item you've seen. While this *is* the vanilla behavior, other hacks have features that let you switch which part of the map you're looking at and differentiate collected items, and in my opinion these are non-optional features, especially in sprawling hacks like this one.
MOST of the hack that I played was pretty much on the level of vanilla Metroid, or at least not much harder, so anyone who's familiar with the original should find this accessible. The exception is the bosses (and some minibosses), which I'd describe as "abusive". I barely squeaked by Phantoon first try, so I think he's about right for veteran players, but Kraid took me like five goes because the dude just eats missiles for days; same for Ridley, which was a *twenty-minute* fight that was mostly charge blasts. I think for the Kraid fight I had significantly more missiles than expected, too, because I was able to get deep into Norfair early with some tricky wall jumping and mockballs, but I still kept running out. Maybe he's weak to super missiles and goes down faster if you use them, but the fist couple tries it was so easy to lose soups to his claw blocks I switched to regular boom tubes just to make misses less costly. Mercifully, Draygon's grapple beam quick kill wasn't removed or nerfed, or else I'm sure that would have been a nightmare too, given how many more e-tanks it took to kill her. Now, being hard isn't an inherently *bad* thing, and as a veteran I can say they were beatable with perseverance, but calling the game "Vanilla" implies that someone who's never played Super Metroid could get through this as readily as the original, and that's just not the case. A casual player could beat Super Metroid; here, even the minibosses are extremely aggro with tons of health, and I don't think a casual player could beat this hack as a result. If the claimed difficulty were changed to "Veteran", I'd be tempted to look past the backtracking and give this five orbs.
So those are my primary criticisms that almost made me quit. Here's the good stuff: the game controls great, with improved basic controls that incorporate a lot of the better ideas the hacking community has come up with over the years, like respin, momentum conservation, spark balls, and a few more. The backwards long jump is pretty cool and original (to my knowledge), though I only came across one place where it was required to grab something, and that was an optional item, and honestly you could just tank the spike damage if you had a couple e-tanks already. The manual teaches some of the special movement tech, and implies that there might be more, but I didn't find any that weren't listed or available in vanilla Metroid. Also, a small thing, but I *very much* appreciate the charge beam going silent instead of making the constant "wyoowyoowyoo" in the original, since a lot of enemies post-Brinstar (most, even, I think) are immune to the regular beam and need either charge or missiles.
I also think that, despite my frustrations with the extensive backtracking, the level design is very good, with lots of visual variation and clever use of the various game mechanics to make progress and get optional pickups. It feels polished overall and I've enjoyed exploring the environment (well, the first couple times anyway). It was a nice twist for the Wrecked Ship to go dead *after* beating Phantoon, too; that was clever, and not something I've seen in other hacks. I know I said that Phantoon was a challenge, but fair challenge is good, and I liked the changes to his behavior. So many hacks seem to do really interesting stuff with Phantoon!. So overall good job on the level design; I just wish there were faster ways to get from point A to point B, since that's what ultimately made me decide I'd had enough. The graphics glowup is solid, and I'm impressed the environs and enemies aren't just recolors—well, some are, but there's a *lot* of custom stuff too, and it looks great, sometimes I'd argue better than the vanilla game.
So overall, great work and a solid hack worth a play for any experienced Super Metroid player. Well done; an update to add the map features mentioned above, as well as changing the listed difficulty to "Veteran", would push this to 5 orbs for me.
OUTSTANDING HACK! the 1st hyper metroid was a banger hack, let alone this.
Even tho I found SUPER easier & more straightforward, liked it quite a lot.
The way to the first beam upgrade was as scary as a horror game at low energy, & the last boss before mother brain was easy
Even tho I found SUPER easier & more straightforward, liked it quite a lot.
The way to the first beam upgrade was as scary as a horror game at low energy, & the last boss before mother brain was easy
Animals saved.™
Having only played the original Hyper back when it came out, and not remembering much about it, I was very pleasantly surprised.
The world feels well connected and open, without overwhelming you with options. It makes good use of all its gameplay tweaks, without overtly relying on you knowing pbase trivia. Most of all, it's a breath of fresh air that, of the "classic" hacks in this style, it avoids being excessively sadistic to the player and instead just focuses on being a cool experience. Tiling is consistently great looking, and the original custom tilesets are widely used resources for a reason. I meme about the huge jump height, but the level design uses it well and makes playing feel distinctly different from most hacks.
If I had to make some complaints, there are many item rooms which felt a bit like "elaborate dead ends" where it's just some windy path with fancy decorations you go through. I'd have liked them to perhaps have more involved puzzles or challenges to make collecting those items feel more meaningful. The difficulty, while fair and satisfying early, later on takes a nosedive as you stock up on ammo and health, and could stand to be a little harder.
Overall, while it doesn't blow my mind anymore like some of my newer favorite hacks that have come out over the years, the amount of polish and fun here is just ridiculous, truly a pioneering hack and an update that lives up to its name.
Having only played the original Hyper back when it came out, and not remembering much about it, I was very pleasantly surprised.
The world feels well connected and open, without overwhelming you with options. It makes good use of all its gameplay tweaks, without overtly relying on you knowing pbase trivia. Most of all, it's a breath of fresh air that, of the "classic" hacks in this style, it avoids being excessively sadistic to the player and instead just focuses on being a cool experience. Tiling is consistently great looking, and the original custom tilesets are widely used resources for a reason. I meme about the huge jump height, but the level design uses it well and makes playing feel distinctly different from most hacks.
If I had to make some complaints, there are many item rooms which felt a bit like "elaborate dead ends" where it's just some windy path with fancy decorations you go through. I'd have liked them to perhaps have more involved puzzles or challenges to make collecting those items feel more meaningful. The difficulty, while fair and satisfying early, later on takes a nosedive as you stock up on ammo and health, and could stand to be a little harder.
Overall, while it doesn't blow my mind anymore like some of my newer favorite hacks that have come out over the years, the amount of polish and fun here is just ridiculous, truly a pioneering hack and an update that lives up to its name.
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