Digital_Mantra's Hack Reviews - Metroid Construction

Hyper Metroid by RealRed [

Exploration], rated by Digital_Mantra on Apr 19, 2015 (

)

42% in 1:10

Hyper Metroid is a culmination of all the best aspects on the roster of hacks put into one game.
It's made for players of all skill levels, rewarding them equally in whatever path they choose.
Every replay introduces you to a new route or sequence, a new experience that never seems to feel forced or contrived.
Everything just comes together. The layout design is structurally sound, and exploration never gets tasking or dull for a moment.
You can tell this was fleshed out with labor and love. The beautiful, lush level design embellishes from the best,
whilst retaining it's own absolute originality. Hyper Metroid's use of Grime's 'Project Base' physics bonded symbiotically to form
the most fluid gameplay experienced yet. I felt thrust into a new game, a new planet, a new Zebes.
So.. don't get Hype. Get Hyper!

Super Metroid Arcade : Endless mode by Lioran, Tewtal [

Quick Play], rated by Digital_Mantra on Oct 05, 2017 (

)

No completion stats.

Who would have thought a door randomizer with a scoreboard (that even accounts for slick gameplay) combines into the best Super Metroid Hack ever made. Genius.

Super Metroid: Recovery by MetroidNerd#9001 [

Exploration], rated by Digital_Mantra on Nov 06, 2018 (

)

88% in 4:00

As a half-hack, Recovery never felt tedious or boring exploring Zebes, because most of the routes your memory relies on are unfamiliar now. Everything connected intricately and differently. Had fun playing this.

Super Metroid Nature by Jefe962 [

Exploration], rated by Digital_Mantra on Dec 26, 2018 (

)

100% in 0:00

Merry Christmas

Super Metroid: Ascent by Benox50 [

Exploration], rated by Digital_Mantra on May 28, 2019 (

)

No completion stats.

If you could only recommend 3 hacks to a new player, this would be one of them.
Showcasing the best use of FX1 to date, Ascent pushes the boundaries of how aesthetically versatile this game truly is. It's colorful, it's beautiful, it's psychedelic.. and it's fun. It's really fun.
Every time I replayed it I was inadvertently taking different routes, progressing with a different item order. I can't fault the hack for closing off zones either, because you have an item % counter per each zone. It's always your decision to 100% it before a point of no return. When you play this it's important to just stop and take it all in, there's some details in the level design and parallax scrolling that will blow your mind if you're familiar with hacking Super Metroid.
5/5 Orbs, S-Tier. Well done Benox50.

Wibrarne by Taco [

Challenge], rated by Digital_Mantra on May 22, 2020 (

)

4% in 0:14

A 3 star hack with some cool asm in it, and the boss fight made me :[
This was a creative showcase, but not fun to play.
Docking a point for the intro text, and a boss designed for save states.

Super Metroid YPX by YP [

Exploration], rated by Digital_Mantra on Jun 19, 2020 (

)

95% in 5:12

Got better the more I played.
Lots of interesting ideas in this hack, and some challenging items to get that revolve around the speedboost walljumping physics.

Temple of the Winds by Moehr and Albert V. [

Exploration], rated by Digital_Mantra on Jul 06, 2020 (

)

No completion stats.

Temple of the Winds is an ambitious hack, it's unique and it's clear there was love put into it, from the room design, world building lore, and the inclusion of a manual.
The graphics, music and concepts were good, but it was a clustered undertaking weighed down by obfuscating gameplay that demands perusing the included manual.
'What do I do?' and 'What did I do?' were questions repeating in my mind. The challenge was deadly if I ventured out of the intended sequence, and dying and retrying is a motif that demotivates me.
If you're looking for a hack with tonnes of fresh ideas and some genuine 'wow' moments, TotW provides.. unfortunately it's laden cryptic undertones made for an experience that wasn't gamer friendly.

Spooky Mission 2: The Nightmare Before Christmas by Spooky Team [ MZM

Exploration], rated by Digital_Mantra on Nov 02, 2021 (

)

100% in 5:28

I'll preface by saying I don't play gbatroid, but I was bored and decided to try this since I had played the first installment. I went into it spooky mission 2 thinking it would be a small halloween themed hack. This hack is massive. The regions felt fleshed out and fun to explore, backtracking was satisfying with the warp zone, there was lots of cool ideas scattered around, and the music fit the themes. I could tell a few hours into it that this was a labor of love by the people that made it. I'd go as far as to say it's a masterpiece in scope of how ambitious a halloween hack became, and I'd also say it's a solid contender for best Metroid game of 2021. Better than Dread.

Super Duper Metroid by Metaquarius, Daltone [

Exploration], rated by Digital_Mantra on Dec 08, 2021 (

)

5% in 0:37

Super Duper Metroid is to Project Base 0.8 what Hyper Metroid was to 0.7, a full hack that utilizes the mobility in a fast paced landscape.

This hack also boasts the most non-linear Metroid experience yet. You won't play it the same way twice, or even five times.
The challenge lies in what the player wants the challenge to be. Made by and made for fans of project base and routing some personal bests.

Duper quickly became one of my all time top 3 favorites, easily and unapologetically shoving one of my others out of place.

Huge thanks to Metaquarius for completing the final stretch of Daltone's hack. It's been a privilege to see this hack grow over the years.

Oh and Dreads got nothing on Duper.

Super Metroid: Subversion by TestRunner and AmoebaOfDoom [

Exploration], rated by Digital_Mantra on Sep 05, 2022 (

)

100% in 2:13

Halfway into Subversion it became a top 3, by the end it was my favorite hack.

The amount of unique sequences in Subversion's progression really made it feel like a 3 act movie.
The sub-areas per region helped aid navigating a planet this massive with clear themes and landmarks.
The replayability and post-game content kept me hooked to the very last challenge.

Subversion delivered on all fronts for me, this is a special kind of hack that rarely comes along.
I can't recommend it enough.

Super metroid familiar by Tundain [

Exploration], rated by Digital_Mantra on Dec 13, 2022 (

)

100% in 6:46

While it looks and plays like a dated hack, that's not what this one is about. It's about the title, Familiar. Each room is crafted to look like it's original room, just not in shape and size. This makes for an experience that is both familiar and unfamiliar, like a version of Super Metroid from a parallel dimension. In some instances once I knew which room was being portrayed I also knew this room was going to have a hidden morph tunnel or a pack of missiles, or a hidden etank in the ceiling. The concept itself is wonderfully preserved in these new rooms based on old rooms. Highly recommended for players that want to experience Super Metroid vanilla in a familiar way.

Metroid: Desolation by jasinchen [ MZM

Exploration], rated by Digital_Mantra on Apr 01, 2023 (

)

100% in 5:00

Great hack, big planet that doesn't feel like another Zebes.
Progression was seamless for the most part.

Solid 5/5 for the post-game content, this is the subversion of gbatroid.

distressCall by moehr [

Exploration], rated by Digital_Mantra on May 29, 2023 (

)

100% in 1:18

My second favorite Metroid game is Metroid 2, so when Moehr dropped a full hack I was intrigued.
Then I was surprised how awesome it was.

DistressCall is a highly detailed and unique M2 experience, you aren't exploring a planet lowering lava, you're on a research station with a map that wraps around the satellite zones cylindrically. It's a perfectly sized hack where it's not too big and not too small, the goldilocks zone of enjoyment and replayability.

Highly recommended!

Super Junkoid by P. Yoshi [

Exploration], rated by Digital_Mantra on Aug 23, 2023 (

)

100% in 4:09

Incredible hack, there's a lot to talk about but everything I want to say falls into spoiler territory.
The custom gfx sets a dark vibe from start to finish. It's quintessential horrortroid.
Experience this one at night.

V E R T I C A L I T Y by Tundain [

Exploration], rated by Digital_Mantra on Apr 30, 2024 (

)

100% in 1:28

A great full hack by Tundain, full of custom enemies/bosses/items/music. It's the whole package.

The concept of a purely vertical map is that there's only so many ways to design rooms and challenges around it. While at first I wasn't a fan of the teleport blocks and the gliding puzzles, it soon became a staple of the hack that I enjoyed figuring out and attempting in different ways.

While I share some of the sentiments posted in other reviews, I overcame their frustrations and got familiar with them and better at them. This hack merits multiple playthroughs and playstyles to see the full scope of its routes and shortcuts.

Best 100%: 1:28
Best Low%: 12.1%

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