bg2's Ratings and Reviews
(v1.3)
4.5/5
Don't remember normal mode (any%) playthrough time. Took a while
Hard mode (100%) is 6:11 as stated
Extensive hack that does almost everything right with some nitpicks
+Flawless visuals
+Good soundtrack
+Many strong puzzles
+Multiple possible paths
+Most items hidden well
+Large map with much to do
+Nice boss fights
+Fighting bosses on hard mode takes some deliberate action (in my case especially Ridley and "Spider", since I didn't have a lot of e-tanks and super missiles)
-Hard/tedious to discover 100% items without external map, especially because some items may have another item hidden in a room behind it that is unaccessible at that point of progression. Once the player can break that block, they may have forgotten about it altogether, look at the ingame map and think "oh, I have been there, so I won't look there for another item". For this reason I suggest using the map provided in the forum thread
-Sometimes backtracking can be a bit annoying, as the map loops are not perfect, especially if the player forgets to break a missile block at some point *cough*
-Some paths are hidden a bit too well. Examples would be ice beam, which I didn't even know exists in the game before going for 100% lol. I do realize though that there is a balance between hiding everything to an obscure extent or hiding nothing at all. Not hiding anything could be boring
-It seems I've never run into spikes accidentally as much as in this hack lol, what is that hitbox? Has it always been like this?
Something I haven't mentioned in reviews of hacks by jasinchen before is the hack's design built around no need for bomb jump or wall jump, which in my opinion is a great choice for an exploration type hack and leaves the decision up to the player to take items out of order or leave them for later and progress as intended.
While wall/bomb jump allow for more different kinds of puzzles, I think this design choice is fair to all players
Despite some criticisms, this is nonetheless one of the best exploration MZM hacks out there. Recommended
4.5/5
Don't remember normal mode (any%) playthrough time. Took a while
Hard mode (100%) is 6:11 as stated
Extensive hack that does almost everything right with some nitpicks
+Flawless visuals
+Good soundtrack
+Many strong puzzles
+Multiple possible paths
+Most items hidden well
+Large map with much to do
+Nice boss fights
+Fighting bosses on hard mode takes some deliberate action (in my case especially Ridley and "Spider", since I didn't have a lot of e-tanks and super missiles)
-Hard/tedious to discover 100% items without external map, especially because some items may have another item hidden in a room behind it that is unaccessible at that point of progression. Once the player can break that block, they may have forgotten about it altogether, look at the ingame map and think "oh, I have been there, so I won't look there for another item". For this reason I suggest using the map provided in the forum thread
-Sometimes backtracking can be a bit annoying, as the map loops are not perfect, especially if the player forgets to break a missile block at some point *cough*
-Some paths are hidden a bit too well. Examples would be ice beam, which I didn't even know exists in the game before going for 100% lol. I do realize though that there is a balance between hiding everything to an obscure extent or hiding nothing at all. Not hiding anything could be boring
-It seems I've never run into spikes accidentally as much as in this hack lol, what is that hitbox? Has it always been like this?
Something I haven't mentioned in reviews of hacks by jasinchen before is the hack's design built around no need for bomb jump or wall jump, which in my opinion is a great choice for an exploration type hack and leaves the decision up to the player to take items out of order or leave them for later and progress as intended.
While wall/bomb jump allow for more different kinds of puzzles, I think this design choice is fair to all players
Despite some criticisms, this is nonetheless one of the best exploration MZM hacks out there. Recommended
(v1.0)
4.7/5
Normal mode playthrough 0:50 (100%)
Hard mode playthrough 0:50 (100%) lol
A first normal 100% playthrough will probably take you a bit less than 50 minutes. I just got confused by a puzzle and did some periodic backtracking until I figured it out :P
+Pretty visuals
+Great soundtrack
+Cute shinespark puzzles
+Puzzles well-made in general
+Nice flow of progression
+Secret bonus
-Not many negatives really
-I guess puzzles could have been a little bit more complex/challenging?
-Ridley much too easy on normal mode due to the way I progressed?
Loved this hack! Recommended
/e: Just finished hard mode. A different path altogether which indeed benefits from prior normal playthrough knowledge. Ridley is harder on hard mode. Good stuff
4.7/5
Normal mode playthrough 0:50 (100%)
Hard mode playthrough 0:50 (100%) lol
A first normal 100% playthrough will probably take you a bit less than 50 minutes. I just got confused by a puzzle and did some periodic backtracking until I figured it out :P
+Pretty visuals
+Great soundtrack
+Cute shinespark puzzles
+Puzzles well-made in general
+Nice flow of progression
+Secret bonus
-Not many negatives really
-I guess puzzles could have been a little bit more complex/challenging?
-Ridley much too easy on normal mode due to the way I progressed?
Loved this hack! Recommended
/e: Just finished hard mode. A different path altogether which indeed benefits from prior normal playthrough knowledge. Ridley is harder on hard mode. Good stuff
(v1.3.1)
5/5
Hard mode time: 5:09 (86%)
Highly ambitious hack that delivers in every respect:
Graphics, music choice, gameplay, level design, endgame content...
The NewGame+ (hard mode) feels much different to play, in a good way, and navigating to upgrades is actually hard for a long while.
Features code edits that I haven't seen before, including inbuilt auto-fire.
Haven't beaten all endgame bosses yet, but just from a normal playthrough it's clear that this hack is so far above what makes a good MZM hack that I have no problem giving 5/5.
I will say though that not using the map for 100% item completion could become too difficult or tedious to find. But that's not a negative per se, as the items for the very most part are hidden fairly. I think that's pretty much unavoidable with larger hacks.
Another thing to keep in mind is that finding upgrades in hard mode is... not that straightforward unless you know what obstacles are where. Not knowing what to expect can make it feel like there is no way to progress, even though there is, sometimes requiring unconventional means.
Certain items have moved location. Could take some time walking back and forth to figure out what needs to be done to progress. Comes as advertised though, and is done really well. Making progress on hard mode is very rewarding.
One of the finest MZM hacks there is. Cannot recommend it enough!
5/5
Hard mode time: 5:09 (86%)
Highly ambitious hack that delivers in every respect:
Graphics, music choice, gameplay, level design, endgame content...
The NewGame+ (hard mode) feels much different to play, in a good way, and navigating to upgrades is actually hard for a long while.
Features code edits that I haven't seen before, including inbuilt auto-fire.
Haven't beaten all endgame bosses yet, but just from a normal playthrough it's clear that this hack is so far above what makes a good MZM hack that I have no problem giving 5/5.
I will say though that not using the map for 100% item completion could become too difficult or tedious to find. But that's not a negative per se, as the items for the very most part are hidden fairly. I think that's pretty much unavoidable with larger hacks.
Another thing to keep in mind is that finding upgrades in hard mode is... not that straightforward unless you know what obstacles are where. Not knowing what to expect can make it feel like there is no way to progress, even though there is, sometimes requiring unconventional means.
Certain items have moved location. Could take some time walking back and forth to figure out what needs to be done to progress. Comes as advertised though, and is done really well. Making progress on hard mode is very rewarding.
One of the finest MZM hacks there is. Cannot recommend it enough!
Spooky Mission 2: The Nightmare Before Christmas by Spooky Team [
Exploration],
rated by bg2 on Feb 24, 2025 (
)
Exploration],
rated by bg2 on Feb 24, 2025 ( )
71% in 4:20
(v1.3)
5/5
2 normal difficulty playthroughs
First one 5:20, second one 3:20
+Custom high quality sprites
+Stylish suit palette
+Custom high quality music
+Expansive map
+Incredible effort
+Interconnectedness in areas make for smooth progression
-Expansive map, could get confused of where to go
-Possible to accidentally walk past upgrades (GravitySuit, ScrewAttack, PlasmaBeam)
-So many items, I can't find them all lol!
Really impressive hack. A must-try!
5/5
2 normal difficulty playthroughs
First one 5:20, second one 3:20
+Custom high quality sprites
+Stylish suit palette
+Custom high quality music
+Expansive map
+Incredible effort
+Interconnectedness in areas make for smooth progression
-Expansive map, could get confused of where to go
-Possible to accidentally walk past upgrades (GravitySuit, ScrewAttack, PlasmaBeam)
-So many items, I can't find them all lol!
Really impressive hack. A must-try!
(v1.01)
4.6/5
Cute mini hack that pulls it off well. Played it twice and I recommend doing so after you've gotten 100% the first time.
Does what vanilla MZM does, but tiny and with small tweaks here and there.
Of note are the bossfights, which have a different feel to them due to minimal layout changes.
Apart from the minty theme, it does not have custom music or sprites, but considering the goal of the hack, that's not a minus and everything is put together tastefully.
Finding items is not a hassle due to the 10x10 layout, which is nice. The puzzling is not strong in this one however. It's got more of a speedrun feel to it that can be done competently even at a beginner skill level.
Overall good experience. Recommended.
4.6/5
Cute mini hack that pulls it off well. Played it twice and I recommend doing so after you've gotten 100% the first time.
Does what vanilla MZM does, but tiny and with small tweaks here and there.
Of note are the bossfights, which have a different feel to them due to minimal layout changes.
Apart from the minty theme, it does not have custom music or sprites, but considering the goal of the hack, that's not a minus and everything is put together tastefully.
Finding items is not a hassle due to the 10x10 layout, which is nice. The puzzling is not strong in this one however. It's got more of a speedrun feel to it that can be done competently even at a beginner skill level.
Overall good experience. Recommended.
(v1.0.3)
4.9/5
Highly polished quality hack with pretty graphics and music.
First 100% normal playthrough: 3h
Second 100% normal playthrough: 1h
The negatives are:
-Shinespark puzzle clues could be placed more accurately. Sometimes I did not see any tells at all where I have to aim for and had to resort to trial and error, which made the arguably hardest shinespark puzzle in the game unnecessarily frustrating.
-One super missile container was hidden through a tunnel where it's possibly hard to miss.
Other than that, this is up there with the best MZM hacks ever.
4.9/5
Highly polished quality hack with pretty graphics and music.
First 100% normal playthrough: 3h
Second 100% normal playthrough: 1h
The negatives are:
-Shinespark puzzle clues could be placed more accurately. Sometimes I did not see any tells at all where I have to aim for and had to resort to trial and error, which made the arguably hardest shinespark puzzle in the game unnecessarily frustrating.
-One super missile container was hidden through a tunnel where it's possibly hard to miss.
Other than that, this is up there with the best MZM hacks ever.
(v1.2)
4.5/5.
Very enjoyable with few nitpicks.
The biggest plus is that this hack is very smooth in terms of progression, without it feeling artificial. There is little wandering around, you can pretty much follow your instincts where you want to go and you should be fine.
Most items are easy enough to find, but challenging enough to feel rewarding.
The most difficult for me to get was a missile which required traversing multiple screens including a save room and shinesparking upwards. That took a little while, but it was fun nonetheless (or maybe I just did it wrong lol).
The music choices were all good, although I wished for maybe one more track for variety.
As for a few negatives:
Bosses have questionable properties. Maybe this is for low% runs, but I just did a regular one and found this strange:
Just one Super Missile is enough to win the Serris fight, which did not feel right.
Ridley starts out in red color.
Nightmare deals pretty low damage for how much health is possible to have.
Some tiles early on look a bit wonky, like the 2x2 blocks in the starting area, but this is not a big deal.
Overall highly recommend this one.
4.5/5.
Very enjoyable with few nitpicks.
The biggest plus is that this hack is very smooth in terms of progression, without it feeling artificial. There is little wandering around, you can pretty much follow your instincts where you want to go and you should be fine.
Most items are easy enough to find, but challenging enough to feel rewarding.
The most difficult for me to get was a missile which required traversing multiple screens including a save room and shinesparking upwards. That took a little while, but it was fun nonetheless (or maybe I just did it wrong lol).
The music choices were all good, although I wished for maybe one more track for variety.
As for a few negatives:
Bosses have questionable properties. Maybe this is for low% runs, but I just did a regular one and found this strange:
Just one Super Missile is enough to win the Serris fight, which did not feel right.
Ridley starts out in red color.
Nightmare deals pretty low damage for how much health is possible to have.
Some tiles early on look a bit wonky, like the 2x2 blocks in the starting area, but this is not a big deal.
Overall highly recommend this one.
Metroid: Spring Break by Jefe962, Frydi [ Exploration],
rated by bg2 on Apr 21, 2025 ( 
)
Exploration],
rated by bg2 on Apr 21, 2025 ( )
102% in 2:33
(v1)
3.8/5
1st playthrough (normal 102%) 2:33
2nd playthrough (normal 100%) 1:01
Not sure why that 1st playthrough got 102%. I remember picking up a missile pack with too many enemies onscreen, so I had to pick it up a second time. Maybe that glitched the game?
Cute hack with custom graphics and sound. The gameplay is generally good, but it has some weak points
+Relatively open map with plenty of freedom and some choices which I assume are intended for speedrunning
+Good amount of decent puzzles, some with higher complexity
+Very cute/funny visuals, many good songs
+Overall hack feels like a lot of heart was put into it
+Some ideas unique to this game
+Secret rooms
-The first song has ear-worm potential, but it is highly repetitive, and that can get annoying
-Certain puzzles were cryptic, made me think that I needed to get another item or enter another screen, but turned out to be doable in a roundabout way. Wished for some better visual tells in many places (hidden walls/unique blocks especially)
-The wall jumping puzzle was nice, but waiting for dropping down was annoying and having to walk below the puzzle just to retry felt unnecessary. I wish there had been a shortcut. Granted, with practice, this is not a big issue anymore, but before that it can be frustrating and I think that's mostly down to how the puzzle is designed
-Long corridor parts of the map could have been more engaging
-Some glitches (102% item completion; some bosses respawn)
In its current state this hack offers a unique, light-hearted experience. The graphics and music/sound effects (quack quack) are charming. But the gameplay while being great in some areas, could use some fine-tuning. I'd say wait for an updated version
3.8/5
1st playthrough (normal 102%) 2:33
2nd playthrough (normal 100%) 1:01
Not sure why that 1st playthrough got 102%. I remember picking up a missile pack with too many enemies onscreen, so I had to pick it up a second time. Maybe that glitched the game?
Cute hack with custom graphics and sound. The gameplay is generally good, but it has some weak points
+Relatively open map with plenty of freedom and some choices which I assume are intended for speedrunning
+Good amount of decent puzzles, some with higher complexity
+Very cute/funny visuals, many good songs
+Overall hack feels like a lot of heart was put into it
+Some ideas unique to this game
+Secret rooms
-The first song has ear-worm potential, but it is highly repetitive, and that can get annoying
-Certain puzzles were cryptic, made me think that I needed to get another item or enter another screen, but turned out to be doable in a roundabout way. Wished for some better visual tells in many places (hidden walls/unique blocks especially)
-The wall jumping puzzle was nice, but waiting for dropping down was annoying and having to walk below the puzzle just to retry felt unnecessary. I wish there had been a shortcut. Granted, with practice, this is not a big issue anymore, but before that it can be frustrating and I think that's mostly down to how the puzzle is designed
-Long corridor parts of the map could have been more engaging
-Some glitches (102% item completion; some bosses respawn)
In its current state this hack offers a unique, light-hearted experience. The graphics and music/sound effects (quack quack) are charming. But the gameplay while being great in some areas, could use some fine-tuning. I'd say wait for an updated version
Metroid Fusion Master Quest V2 by Gameringly [
Exploration],
rated by bg2 on Apr 19, 2025 ( )
Exploration],
rated by bg2 on Apr 19, 2025 ( )
99% in 7:50
(v2)
4.4/5
Great hack, but some errors severely weaken the overall rating
Potential to softlock and worse even: lock out of 100% item completion! Be careful!
If you can avoid the bugs, this hack is outstanding
Played through twice
Let's get the really bad out of the way:
-You can get locked out of 100% items if you miss the hidden power bomb you can only get when visiting the sub-zero frozen Ridley chamber. After that sequence, the whole area is completely inaccessible from either side, because the elevator does not make a stop in the correct spot anymore, and from the other side, the speed booster blocks reappear and cannot be destroyed because Samus cannot get enough momentum to activate the speed boost. Shinespark does not work either, because the area is only 2 blocks tall. In other words, if you don't get the power bomb the first time, you can't get 100% item completion (...as far as I can tell... PLEASE correct me if I'm wrong about this. I really want to be wrong about this! Sucn a huge oversight). This is a reason why my total playtime is so high, since I was looking for an item that's actually out of reach
-There is an E-tank somewhere around the area where you fight Nightmare. If you place a powerbomb in morph ball form in the bottom left corner, a pillar will appear out of the floor and lock Samus in with no way to escape. If you regularly save, this is not such a big deal as you can just soft reset, but if you save only irregularly or not at all, there is a possibility to encounter this situation and lose a lot of progress
The good:
+Hack truly feels like new game plus
+Some new routes, entire playthrough feels fresh despite essentially following the same story as vanilla
+Challenge done well: harder than vanilla, but gameplay is engaging, not frustrating
+Many many strong puzzles, some of which would not be possible in Metroid Zero Mission
+More cool SA-X encounters
+Story dialogue is hilarious, but also gets to the point and does some early game handholding
The bad:
-The bugs mentioned
-A select few items are not accessible in a normal way and could take a long time to find. Weak spoiler, read backwards (rotces.tnereffid.morf.meti.ssecca.ylno.nac)
-No new sprites or music (not an issue in my opinion, only if you really care about such things. I think keeping the original tileset is completely fine in this kind of hack)
Honestly, this hack is everything someone who wants to play a more challenging new game+ of Metroid Fusion could ask for. Remember to avoid the bugs, and you should have a blast with this hack! Recommended
4.4/5
Great hack, but some errors severely weaken the overall rating
Potential to softlock and worse even: lock out of 100% item completion! Be careful!
If you can avoid the bugs, this hack is outstanding
Played through twice
Let's get the really bad out of the way:
-You can get locked out of 100% items if you miss the hidden power bomb you can only get when visiting the sub-zero frozen Ridley chamber. After that sequence, the whole area is completely inaccessible from either side, because the elevator does not make a stop in the correct spot anymore, and from the other side, the speed booster blocks reappear and cannot be destroyed because Samus cannot get enough momentum to activate the speed boost. Shinespark does not work either, because the area is only 2 blocks tall. In other words, if you don't get the power bomb the first time, you can't get 100% item completion (...as far as I can tell... PLEASE correct me if I'm wrong about this. I really want to be wrong about this! Sucn a huge oversight). This is a reason why my total playtime is so high, since I was looking for an item that's actually out of reach
-There is an E-tank somewhere around the area where you fight Nightmare. If you place a powerbomb in morph ball form in the bottom left corner, a pillar will appear out of the floor and lock Samus in with no way to escape. If you regularly save, this is not such a big deal as you can just soft reset, but if you save only irregularly or not at all, there is a possibility to encounter this situation and lose a lot of progress
The good:
+Hack truly feels like new game plus
+Some new routes, entire playthrough feels fresh despite essentially following the same story as vanilla
+Challenge done well: harder than vanilla, but gameplay is engaging, not frustrating
+Many many strong puzzles, some of which would not be possible in Metroid Zero Mission
+More cool SA-X encounters
+Story dialogue is hilarious, but also gets to the point and does some early game handholding
The bad:
-The bugs mentioned
-A select few items are not accessible in a normal way and could take a long time to find. Weak spoiler, read backwards (rotces.tnereffid.morf.meti.ssecca.ylno.nac)
-No new sprites or music (not an issue in my opinion, only if you really care about such things. I think keeping the original tileset is completely fine in this kind of hack)
Honestly, this hack is everything someone who wants to play a more challenging new game+ of Metroid Fusion could ask for. Remember to avoid the bugs, and you should have a blast with this hack! Recommended
Metroid: New Zero Mission by jasinchen [ Exploration],
rated by bg2 on Mar 29, 2025 ( )
Exploration],
rated by bg2 on Mar 29, 2025 ( )
100% in 7:01
(v2.4)
4.2/5
Played twice.
First playthrough (any%) 5h
Second playthrough on hard mode (100%) 7:01h
+Visually appealing (Looks much like original Zero Mission)
+Large map
+Well-placed enemies
+Lot of solid puzzles
+Cute ideas sprinkled in here and there
-Areas can be frustrating to travel
-Some puzzles took me a long time to figure out
-After getting the suit back, I got lost in the pirate ship, trying to find the first powerbomb. I think I missed the cue where I need to go, but this happened during both playthroughs and was very annoying so I thought I'd mention it
This hack has some flaws, but overall it has a lot to offer and is a good experience. Recommended
4.2/5
Played twice.
First playthrough (any%) 5h
Second playthrough on hard mode (100%) 7:01h
+Visually appealing (Looks much like original Zero Mission)
+Large map
+Well-placed enemies
+Lot of solid puzzles
+Cute ideas sprinkled in here and there
-Areas can be frustrating to travel
-Some puzzles took me a long time to figure out
-After getting the suit back, I got lost in the pirate ship, trying to find the first powerbomb. I think I missed the cue where I need to go, but this happened during both playthroughs and was very annoying so I thought I'd mention it
This hack has some flaws, but overall it has a lot to offer and is a good experience. Recommended
(v2.2)
3.5/5
Not taking into account 24-hour creation deadline. For that, it's a pretty good effort
Some glitchy visuals.
Cool tileset.
Not difficult. Beginners might struggle slightly with a couple parts of the hack, but the true "big" obstacle is figuring out the first few items.
Gameplay flows pretty well after figuring out what you need to do.
It's alright.
Probably gonna be worth your time, but don't expect too much
Edit: Bumping it up to 3.8 (4 total). This hack is great for chilling while listening to podcasts lol
3.5/5
Not taking into account 24-hour creation deadline. For that, it's a pretty good effort
Some glitchy visuals.
Cool tileset.
Not difficult. Beginners might struggle slightly with a couple parts of the hack, but the true "big" obstacle is figuring out the first few items.
Gameplay flows pretty well after figuring out what you need to do.
It's alright.
Probably gonna be worth your time, but don't expect too much
Edit: Bumping it up to 3.8 (4 total). This hack is great for chilling while listening to podcasts lol
Metroid Another Legend by DuoLa Ayu [ Exploration],
rated by bg2 on Mar 07, 2025 ( )
Exploration],
rated by bg2 on Mar 07, 2025 ( )
No completion stats.
(v1.07)
4.2/5
I love this hack despite some unusual design choices.
It looks a bit odd in some places, it has some graphical imperfections, the level design philosophy deviates quite a bit from the original game... but all in all, if you allow this hack to grow on you and accept that it's not going to be a standard experience, it's more likely than not going to be a good time.
Many hidden paths truly are hidden and there is sometimes more than one way of achieving a goal, which I like a lot, even though it requires some prior knowledge, so I would recommend doing more than one playthrough of this hack. I could appreciate the creativity of some puzzles more during my second playthrough.
Of note is the Rockman music, which in my opinion does not at all fit with the original MZM soundtrack, but individually they are amazing songs that give this hack its personal flavor.
During the time I played this hack I sometimes woke up from sleeping and heard the Crateria music playing in my head lol. Again, unusual, but not bad at all!
Finding all items without the map is hard, I haven't done so at this point, but I've found a lot. Discovering stuff yourself could be fun, but at a certain point I recommend consulting the map.
This is a large hack.
A first-time player should expect 2-5 hours playtime if just going for the credits.
I hope people will give it a try despite it's aggregate score currently being less than 4 orbs. I think it's pretty underrated!
4.2/5
I love this hack despite some unusual design choices.
It looks a bit odd in some places, it has some graphical imperfections, the level design philosophy deviates quite a bit from the original game... but all in all, if you allow this hack to grow on you and accept that it's not going to be a standard experience, it's more likely than not going to be a good time.
Many hidden paths truly are hidden and there is sometimes more than one way of achieving a goal, which I like a lot, even though it requires some prior knowledge, so I would recommend doing more than one playthrough of this hack. I could appreciate the creativity of some puzzles more during my second playthrough.
Of note is the Rockman music, which in my opinion does not at all fit with the original MZM soundtrack, but individually they are amazing songs that give this hack its personal flavor.
During the time I played this hack I sometimes woke up from sleeping and heard the Crateria music playing in my head lol. Again, unusual, but not bad at all!
Finding all items without the map is hard, I haven't done so at this point, but I've found a lot. Discovering stuff yourself could be fun, but at a certain point I recommend consulting the map.
This is a large hack.
A first-time player should expect 2-5 hours playtime if just going for the credits.
I hope people will give it a try despite it's aggregate score currently being less than 4 orbs. I think it's pretty underrated!
Metroid FreezeFlame 2: Twisted Dimensions by Conner [ Exploration],
rated by bg2 on Feb 27, 2025 ( )
Exploration],
rated by bg2 on Feb 27, 2025 ( )
100% in 1:07
(v1.0)
3.6/5
Not as enjoyable as its predecessor
+Larger map than the first FreezeFlame
+Many different tilesets
+Some cute ideas
+Possible to get stunlocked in Ridley arena if not paying attention (this is a good thing)
-Some cosmetic technical issues (some sprite artefacts, invisible blocks, escape beep during credits)
-More confusing map layout, may get lost & backtrack is not as satisfying
-Some areas feel like they were made individually and put together haphazardly (e.g. the area that requires space jump has an area where there are rippers that can just be space jumped over. Maybe something I just don't understand)
Decent fun can be had with this hack. Absolutely fine to spend an hour or two on imo, but don't expect a 4+/5 experience
3.6/5
Not as enjoyable as its predecessor
+Larger map than the first FreezeFlame
+Many different tilesets
+Some cute ideas
+Possible to get stunlocked in Ridley arena if not paying attention (this is a good thing)
-Some cosmetic technical issues (some sprite artefacts, invisible blocks, escape beep during credits)
-More confusing map layout, may get lost & backtrack is not as satisfying
-Some areas feel like they were made individually and put together haphazardly (e.g. the area that requires space jump has an area where there are rippers that can just be space jumped over. Maybe something I just don't understand)
Decent fun can be had with this hack. Absolutely fine to spend an hour or two on imo, but don't expect a 4+/5 experience
(v1.1)
3.7/5
NOT taking into account the time it took to make this hack!
Otherwise would be rated higher
2 playthroughs, first one took 14min at 100%
+Decent hack for how quickly it was made, bubble theme is cool and well-imcorporated
+Due to the short nature of the hack, it's good to speedrun at any skill level
Still, some nitpicks:
-I wish there was a bit more challenge in picking up the items, at least the last few ones. Enemy placements are good though
-Final boss fight could have been more challenging
It's a good quick-play hack. Check it out
3.7/5
NOT taking into account the time it took to make this hack!
Otherwise would be rated higher
2 playthroughs, first one took 14min at 100%
+Decent hack for how quickly it was made, bubble theme is cool and well-imcorporated
+Due to the short nature of the hack, it's good to speedrun at any skill level
Still, some nitpicks:
-I wish there was a bit more challenge in picking up the items, at least the last few ones. Enemy placements are good though
-Final boss fight could have been more challenging
It's a good quick-play hack. Check it out
Metroid: Extraction by Conner, Exister, Raygun [ Quick Play],
rated by bg2 on Feb 23, 2025 ( )
Quick Play],
rated by bg2 on Feb 23, 2025 ( )
100% in 0:24
(v1.2)
4.2/5
Played twice on normal mode
First playthrough: 35 minutes
(+)
Solid short hack with good music.
Shows off unique game mechanics, which are the main selling point of this hack.
Puzzles are mostly simple but clever and well-done, involving said new game mechanics.
(-)
At least one music track is too loud.
Some spacious areas hold no items, which may waste time during a first playthrough.
The biggest drawback really is that it's such a short hack. It's pretty good overall.
4.2/5
Played twice on normal mode
First playthrough: 35 minutes
(+)
Solid short hack with good music.
Shows off unique game mechanics, which are the main selling point of this hack.
Puzzles are mostly simple but clever and well-done, involving said new game mechanics.
(-)
At least one music track is too loud.
Some spacious areas hold no items, which may waste time during a first playthrough.
The biggest drawback really is that it's such a short hack. It's pretty good overall.
(v1.7.2)
3.7/5
3 playthroughs at medium difficulty
Ingame time NOT reflective of actual time spent playing. I'd say the first playthrough took an hour or so
Decent and unique hack with some shortcomings.
+Successfully captures the NES feel
+Secrets and sequence breaks make for different paths that add some replayability
+Quite different gameplay from other hacks (mashing, safe spots, changes in boss layouts, low health run at all times and more)
-Hidden stuff is sometimes a bit cryptic to find. I'm pretty sure that I haven't found every secret thus far
-Returning to bosses can feel tedious until you find a strategy that works for you
Some gameplay ideas could be seen as either positive or negative, depending on who you ask.
For example, the zero cooldown beam is authentic to Contra, but it's not pleasant to play with, even though it's not a strict negative, as the player gets an exact feedback of the effort they put into the game, so boss fights could be an endurance battle or take no time at all, depending on the player's mashing skills.
Similarly, I feel ambivalent about the color matching puzzle.
The problem is not that this hack does not recreate the NES feel, it's moreso a problem of those gameplay mechanics having aged not the greatest.
All in all I'm glad that this hack exists, and at the same time I'll say that it's not gonna be for everyone, but it's worth a shot to see which one it is for you. I'd absolutely recommend anyone giving it a shot
3.7/5
3 playthroughs at medium difficulty
Ingame time NOT reflective of actual time spent playing. I'd say the first playthrough took an hour or so
Decent and unique hack with some shortcomings.
+Successfully captures the NES feel
+Secrets and sequence breaks make for different paths that add some replayability
+Quite different gameplay from other hacks (mashing, safe spots, changes in boss layouts, low health run at all times and more)
-Hidden stuff is sometimes a bit cryptic to find. I'm pretty sure that I haven't found every secret thus far
-Returning to bosses can feel tedious until you find a strategy that works for you
Some gameplay ideas could be seen as either positive or negative, depending on who you ask.
For example, the zero cooldown beam is authentic to Contra, but it's not pleasant to play with, even though it's not a strict negative, as the player gets an exact feedback of the effort they put into the game, so boss fights could be an endurance battle or take no time at all, depending on the player's mashing skills.
Similarly, I feel ambivalent about the color matching puzzle.
The problem is not that this hack does not recreate the NES feel, it's moreso a problem of those gameplay mechanics having aged not the greatest.
All in all I'm glad that this hack exists, and at the same time I'll say that it's not gonna be for everyone, but it's worth a shot to see which one it is for you. I'd absolutely recommend anyone giving it a shot
(v1.2b)
Overall 4.3/5
Good:
-FUN concept, the feeling of time pressure forces the player to make quick decisions. Defeating enemies actually makes a lot of sense in this hack, while in most other hacks you can ignore most enemies
-Pleasant level design, mini puzzles are rewarding
-Quick gameplay, secrets have good tells most of the time
While I enjoyed this hack a lot, there are few but significant nitpicks:
-Ability acquisition around the second half of the game feels VERY rushed, so hack could have been slightly longer to make up for that
-Drops are so incredibly good that health is almost never actually an issue, it still feels that way but most of the time it's not. Especially not since e-tanks give 100 health each and are plentiful. On the plus side, farming health is rarely necessary
-"Copy-pasted" areas can be a little bit confusing, but to be fair, it's definitely more "stylish" that way :)
I played this one twice. Overall highly recommend.
Overall 4.3/5
Good:
-FUN concept, the feeling of time pressure forces the player to make quick decisions. Defeating enemies actually makes a lot of sense in this hack, while in most other hacks you can ignore most enemies
-Pleasant level design, mini puzzles are rewarding
-Quick gameplay, secrets have good tells most of the time
While I enjoyed this hack a lot, there are few but significant nitpicks:
-Ability acquisition around the second half of the game feels VERY rushed, so hack could have been slightly longer to make up for that
-Drops are so incredibly good that health is almost never actually an issue, it still feels that way but most of the time it's not. Especially not since e-tanks give 100 health each and are plentiful. On the plus side, farming health is rarely necessary
-"Copy-pasted" areas can be a little bit confusing, but to be fair, it's definitely more "stylish" that way :)
I played this one twice. Overall highly recommend.
(v1.0)
3.1/5
4 normal playthoughs
First playthrough (100%) 1:34
With prior knowledge (100%) 0:31
Definitely a laudible first effort, but it can't compete with some other hacks
+Some cute ideas, I very much liked many of the speed booster puzzles
+New graphics is always appreciated
+Looks like skipping certain items is an option (e.g. easy/skipping Kraid by getting early supers)
+With exception of regular bomb blocks, the modified block styles (speed booster especially) look very cool
+Good ending screens
-Rather simplistic hack, not very technical in most parts (might a plus to some)
-Graphics seem to be saturated improperly and backgrounds are rather bland (it makes a big difference)
-Not a fan of how certain items are hidden: often behind a missile block that has zero indication (though it seems to follow a pattern); inside a hidden wall that has zero indication; that final super missile was hidden unconventionally (spoiler read backwards: !reliops!.ddiiccaa.eht.ni.roolf) and took me a lot of time to discover, I'm 50/50 on it, it was annoying to find, but it's also cool to see new ideas. I wish that block would have been colored differently or otherwise more eye-catching
-Escape sequence is anticlimactic to say the least
Bugs/features
-Glitching through the floor: At the very east of the map, there is a room with a morph ball shine sparking device. In that room it's possible to fall through the floor by jumping at around the door area. Waiting long enough will return Samus to the game, but it's clear that there is an error there
-Softlock: After using said device, Samus finds herself in an area where she can shinespark back to the ship. By shinesparking diagonally, it's possible to get to the next screen where there is no way to either progress or walk back, since changing the screen makes the shinespark blocks from the previous room reappear. As far as I can tell, there is no way to escape that area
-Charge beam worm can be cheesed by crouching at the lowest point where it can't even reach
-Ridley cheese in the acid
Not a hack that I would go out of my way to recommend. It's not bad, but it's not great either
3.1/5
4 normal playthoughs
First playthrough (100%) 1:34
With prior knowledge (100%) 0:31
Definitely a laudible first effort, but it can't compete with some other hacks
+Some cute ideas, I very much liked many of the speed booster puzzles
+New graphics is always appreciated
+Looks like skipping certain items is an option (e.g. easy/skipping Kraid by getting early supers)
+With exception of regular bomb blocks, the modified block styles (speed booster especially) look very cool
+Good ending screens
-Rather simplistic hack, not very technical in most parts (might a plus to some)
-Graphics seem to be saturated improperly and backgrounds are rather bland (it makes a big difference)
-Not a fan of how certain items are hidden: often behind a missile block that has zero indication (though it seems to follow a pattern); inside a hidden wall that has zero indication; that final super missile was hidden unconventionally (spoiler read backwards: !reliops!.ddiiccaa.eht.ni.roolf) and took me a lot of time to discover, I'm 50/50 on it, it was annoying to find, but it's also cool to see new ideas. I wish that block would have been colored differently or otherwise more eye-catching
-Escape sequence is anticlimactic to say the least
Bugs/features
-Glitching through the floor: At the very east of the map, there is a room with a morph ball shine sparking device. In that room it's possible to fall through the floor by jumping at around the door area. Waiting long enough will return Samus to the game, but it's clear that there is an error there
-Softlock: After using said device, Samus finds herself in an area where she can shinespark back to the ship. By shinesparking diagonally, it's possible to get to the next screen where there is no way to either progress or walk back, since changing the screen makes the shinespark blocks from the previous room reappear. As far as I can tell, there is no way to escape that area
-Charge beam worm can be cheesed by crouching at the lowest point where it can't even reach
-Ridley cheese in the acid
Not a hack that I would go out of my way to recommend. It's not bad, but it's not great either
(v1.0)
2/5
After playing through twice and getting 100% items, I can't justify more than 2 orbs.
For all intents and purposes, a functional hack with custom sprites and music, but the gameplay is severely lacking in challenge and variety
+Reduced cooldown space jump is always appreciated
+Custom sprites and music
-Must be one of the most boring hacks I've ever played gameplay-wise and visually
-It seems that the <100% and 100% item completion ending screens are the same (normal difficulty setting)
-Some slopes don't work (e.g. in one of the rooms after obtaining space jump)
A novelty, but not a good time. A lot of blunders could be overlooked if the gameplay is decent; unfortunately that's not the case with this hack.
Not recommended
2/5
After playing through twice and getting 100% items, I can't justify more than 2 orbs.
For all intents and purposes, a functional hack with custom sprites and music, but the gameplay is severely lacking in challenge and variety
+Reduced cooldown space jump is always appreciated
+Custom sprites and music
-Must be one of the most boring hacks I've ever played gameplay-wise and visually
-It seems that the <100% and 100% item completion ending screens are the same (normal difficulty setting)
-Some slopes don't work (e.g. in one of the rooms after obtaining space jump)
A novelty, but not a good time. A lot of blunders could be overlooked if the gameplay is decent; unfortunately that's not the case with this hack.
Not recommended
