hmsong's Ratings and Reviews
I played v1.2. So the review is based on that version. Note that I didn't use Wall Jump nor Bomb Jump for the first run, as neither were "taught" by anything.
The short version of review is... RECOMMENDED! This is very good. No weird item orders, like getting Space Jump before getting Grapple Beam or Ice Beam (looking at you, Subversion and Super Duper), and it was quite fun without going back and forth like crazy, just for sake of going back and forth (looking at you, Hyper).
PROS:
+ Numerous new items, such as Gliding Thruster and Charge Missile. Replaces X-Ray (although I did like X-Ray due to its anti-frustration feature). They are certainly interesting, and perhaps more useful overall. Gliding Thruster was esp well thought out. It has uses even after getting Space Jump. Using the Thruster while on Morph Ball form seemed a weird, logically speaking, but that's fine.
+ 2 new bosses (one is a new final boss). Replaces Crocomire and Mother Brain 1/2. And the many of the vanilla bosses have new AI that makes them more interesting. I much prefer this version of the bosses.
+ Interesting new field mechanic, which is "return to entrance" when you touch a certain block. It allows a new puzzle, similar to many platformers. One of them is extremely frustrating though (Expert Mario Maker). The Shinespark bouncer was good too. At least these make the Grapple Beam not obsolete after getting Space Jump.
+ Map was very well done. If you came across an item but you didn't get it, the map would mark it as an unobtained item. If the door (ex: green) wasn't opened before, the map would mark it. It's such a simple thing, and yet, so satisfying to have it.
+ Most of the hidden paths have some kind of hint. VERY nice. It feels rewarding to pay attention to details (too many other games have hidden items in such random location with no hint).
+ Somewhat early Spring Ball (you get it with High Jump). YES. I hated waiting for bomb to explode to make a little jump. Early Spring Ball is a must.
+ Elevator allows quick travel, to some degree. Nice.
+ You start with Charge Beam. I think this was a good idea. Some of the bosses don't have destroyable things, so you can technically run out of missiles. So Charge Beam is a must.
CONS:
- The first boss (Ridley) is ridiculously hard. Second boss (Botwoon) is very hard too if you missed Spazer (which I missed), although I liked how you have to fight him in underwater physics. I'm not sure why the first 2 bosses are harder than some of the later bosses (such as Spore Spawn). The first boss ought to be somewhat easy, to get the players "ease" into the game.
- The bgm is sort of remix of the original music, but it just sounds... off. Maybe it's just me.
- Some of the bosses come out of nowhere, and thus catches me by surprise. I don't know if that's a good thing or bad thing for most people, but for me, it's a bad thing. I think all bosses should have that "boss" mark on the map, assuming the map station has been visited. It's not like you have the boss statues from the vanilla.
The short version of review is... RECOMMENDED! This is very good. No weird item orders, like getting Space Jump before getting Grapple Beam or Ice Beam (looking at you, Subversion and Super Duper), and it was quite fun without going back and forth like crazy, just for sake of going back and forth (looking at you, Hyper).
PROS:
+ Numerous new items, such as Gliding Thruster and Charge Missile. Replaces X-Ray (although I did like X-Ray due to its anti-frustration feature). They are certainly interesting, and perhaps more useful overall. Gliding Thruster was esp well thought out. It has uses even after getting Space Jump. Using the Thruster while on Morph Ball form seemed a weird, logically speaking, but that's fine.
+ 2 new bosses (one is a new final boss). Replaces Crocomire and Mother Brain 1/2. And the many of the vanilla bosses have new AI that makes them more interesting. I much prefer this version of the bosses.
+ Interesting new field mechanic, which is "return to entrance" when you touch a certain block. It allows a new puzzle, similar to many platformers. One of them is extremely frustrating though (Expert Mario Maker). The Shinespark bouncer was good too. At least these make the Grapple Beam not obsolete after getting Space Jump.
+ Map was very well done. If you came across an item but you didn't get it, the map would mark it as an unobtained item. If the door (ex: green) wasn't opened before, the map would mark it. It's such a simple thing, and yet, so satisfying to have it.
+ Most of the hidden paths have some kind of hint. VERY nice. It feels rewarding to pay attention to details (too many other games have hidden items in such random location with no hint).
+ Somewhat early Spring Ball (you get it with High Jump). YES. I hated waiting for bomb to explode to make a little jump. Early Spring Ball is a must.
+ Elevator allows quick travel, to some degree. Nice.
+ You start with Charge Beam. I think this was a good idea. Some of the bosses don't have destroyable things, so you can technically run out of missiles. So Charge Beam is a must.
CONS:
- The first boss (Ridley) is ridiculously hard. Second boss (Botwoon) is very hard too if you missed Spazer (which I missed), although I liked how you have to fight him in underwater physics. I'm not sure why the first 2 bosses are harder than some of the later bosses (such as Spore Spawn). The first boss ought to be somewhat easy, to get the players "ease" into the game.
- The bgm is sort of remix of the original music, but it just sounds... off. Maybe it's just me.
- Some of the bosses come out of nowhere, and thus catches me by surprise. I don't know if that's a good thing or bad thing for most people, but for me, it's a bad thing. I think all bosses should have that "boss" mark on the map, assuming the map station has been visited. It's not like you have the boss statues from the vanilla.
Super Metroid: Subversion by TestRunner and AmoebaOfDoom [
Exploration],
rated by hmsong on Mar 26, 2024 (
)
Exploration],
rated by hmsong on Mar 26, 2024 ( )
100% in 8:52
Metroid Subversion
I only played v1.2 at the normal difficulty. And I got 100%, although it took me a long time (near the end, I used the online map to find all items). The difficulty isn't vanilla though -- it's definitely more difficult than vanilla, although you don't need to know any of the "hidden" techniques, such as wall jump.
The short version of the review is -- VERY MUCH RECOMMENDED. I played plenty of the top-quality SM hacks (such as Hyper Metroid, Ascent, Vitality, Junkoid, and Ancient Chozo), but Subversion tops them all, by a huge margin. I shall do a full review, with pros/cons.
PROS:
- The logbook is really nice. Not only does it add a lot of extra layer into things and hints about the bosses, but when I get a new equipment, I can just read about its ability to learn the basic (such as the Speed Ball and Speed Booster). And if I'm struggling against bosses, the logbook gives me hints (such as against Crocomire and Phantoon).
- The level design is great for the most part (one issue mentioned in Cons below). While there are some going back and forth for the key items, but for the most part, you can get the rough idea by looking at the map. And there isn't mindbogglingly amount of backtracking either -- just enough to not become mindnumbing. Very nice.
- Most bosses were absurdly amazing. The little changes you did for the bosses made them more fun (and challenging). Spore Spawn and Phantoon were very hard, but in a good way. And the fact you encounter Ridley is great, although you won't be able to beat him until much later. It makes Ridley seem like an "unbeatable force", in a good way.
- The ammo -- I love how the missile/s.missile/power bomb uses the same ammo pool (different ammo usage). It makes things SO much less frustrating. And the ammos you can get (2, 5, 10) were nice touch, with new sprites too.
- I love how you gave the Spring/Speed Ball early. Waiting for the bomb to explode to make a tiny jump was a pain in the ass. And you also have the dash with the Morph Ball for puzzle purpose. Very nice.
- I love the new items mechanics, like higher damage/charge speed items, Night Visor, Grappling Beam switch, the new blocks that can only be destroyed with Spazer or Plasma Beam, and the necessity of freeze/missile combo to destroy certain enemies (nicely described in the logbook). Even the "negative" mechanics, like the limited Space Jump and Refuel Tank are better than the original, because sometimes, limitation makes things more fun (actually, Refuel Tank in vanilla was just terrible, as it was just Energy Tank). And the fact you can use Hyper Beam in certain conditions is awesome. Also, I love how Metroid Suit is weak to cold, even from your own beam. Nice attention to detail.
- Some of the puzzles were very ingenius. You had to turn off certain items to get past the obstacles. That's so smart and satisfying.
- While Suzi Ruins seem like unnecessary place that was just "added on" for the sake of adding on (because you don't need to tackle it at all to beat the game), but I have a feeling it's sort of like an "Extra Secret Dungeon/Boss" that you see often in modern JRPGs. If you take it like that, then it's sort of fun. I wish it was more battle-focused (ie locked in a room with multiple of tough enemies), rather than puzzle solving. But the boss is tough, so I can live with that. Hypercharge is just a bragging-rights reward though.
CONS:
- Regarding the level design, by the time you get the Grappling Beam, you'd already have Space Jump, which means it's a completely wasted potential. Sure, there are some switches that can only be opened with the Grappling Beam, but it still doesn't change the fact that going around with Grappling Beam will basically be not used (because you already have the better option -- Space Jump).
- X-Ray comes WAY too late in the game. Right now, the earliest I can get it is after the Grappling Beam, which is very close to the end (not counting Suzi Ruins). That's way too late. The whole point of that item is for the anti-frustration feature, but you'll be almost done by the time you get it. Sure, backtracking is a part of the game, but I would rather it be, "I can see it, but can't access it yet" than "I can't see it at all and therefore must bomb every surface". Very frustrating.
- Crocomire is even easier than vanilla. Sure, you won't figure it out until you see the logbook, but on the replay, Crocomire can be beaten in 5 seconds or so. Maybe make Crocomire start closer to the spike wall, and there it must be pushed nearly to the back before Speed Booster can be used? Or maybe have Speed Booster BEHIND Crocomire, so that you'll have to push the boss back in order to get the item?
I only played v1.2 at the normal difficulty. And I got 100%, although it took me a long time (near the end, I used the online map to find all items). The difficulty isn't vanilla though -- it's definitely more difficult than vanilla, although you don't need to know any of the "hidden" techniques, such as wall jump.
The short version of the review is -- VERY MUCH RECOMMENDED. I played plenty of the top-quality SM hacks (such as Hyper Metroid, Ascent, Vitality, Junkoid, and Ancient Chozo), but Subversion tops them all, by a huge margin. I shall do a full review, with pros/cons.
PROS:
- The logbook is really nice. Not only does it add a lot of extra layer into things and hints about the bosses, but when I get a new equipment, I can just read about its ability to learn the basic (such as the Speed Ball and Speed Booster). And if I'm struggling against bosses, the logbook gives me hints (such as against Crocomire and Phantoon).
- The level design is great for the most part (one issue mentioned in Cons below). While there are some going back and forth for the key items, but for the most part, you can get the rough idea by looking at the map. And there isn't mindbogglingly amount of backtracking either -- just enough to not become mindnumbing. Very nice.
- Most bosses were absurdly amazing. The little changes you did for the bosses made them more fun (and challenging). Spore Spawn and Phantoon were very hard, but in a good way. And the fact you encounter Ridley is great, although you won't be able to beat him until much later. It makes Ridley seem like an "unbeatable force", in a good way.
- The ammo -- I love how the missile/s.missile/power bomb uses the same ammo pool (different ammo usage). It makes things SO much less frustrating. And the ammos you can get (2, 5, 10) were nice touch, with new sprites too.
- I love how you gave the Spring/Speed Ball early. Waiting for the bomb to explode to make a tiny jump was a pain in the ass. And you also have the dash with the Morph Ball for puzzle purpose. Very nice.
- I love the new items mechanics, like higher damage/charge speed items, Night Visor, Grappling Beam switch, the new blocks that can only be destroyed with Spazer or Plasma Beam, and the necessity of freeze/missile combo to destroy certain enemies (nicely described in the logbook). Even the "negative" mechanics, like the limited Space Jump and Refuel Tank are better than the original, because sometimes, limitation makes things more fun (actually, Refuel Tank in vanilla was just terrible, as it was just Energy Tank). And the fact you can use Hyper Beam in certain conditions is awesome. Also, I love how Metroid Suit is weak to cold, even from your own beam. Nice attention to detail.
- Some of the puzzles were very ingenius. You had to turn off certain items to get past the obstacles. That's so smart and satisfying.
- While Suzi Ruins seem like unnecessary place that was just "added on" for the sake of adding on (because you don't need to tackle it at all to beat the game), but I have a feeling it's sort of like an "Extra Secret Dungeon/Boss" that you see often in modern JRPGs. If you take it like that, then it's sort of fun. I wish it was more battle-focused (ie locked in a room with multiple of tough enemies), rather than puzzle solving. But the boss is tough, so I can live with that. Hypercharge is just a bragging-rights reward though.
CONS:
- Regarding the level design, by the time you get the Grappling Beam, you'd already have Space Jump, which means it's a completely wasted potential. Sure, there are some switches that can only be opened with the Grappling Beam, but it still doesn't change the fact that going around with Grappling Beam will basically be not used (because you already have the better option -- Space Jump).
- X-Ray comes WAY too late in the game. Right now, the earliest I can get it is after the Grappling Beam, which is very close to the end (not counting Suzi Ruins). That's way too late. The whole point of that item is for the anti-frustration feature, but you'll be almost done by the time you get it. Sure, backtracking is a part of the game, but I would rather it be, "I can see it, but can't access it yet" than "I can't see it at all and therefore must bomb every surface". Very frustrating.
- Crocomire is even easier than vanilla. Sure, you won't figure it out until you see the logbook, but on the replay, Crocomire can be beaten in 5 seconds or so. Maybe make Crocomire start closer to the spike wall, and there it must be pushed nearly to the back before Speed Booster can be used? Or maybe have Speed Booster BEHIND Crocomire, so that you'll have to push the boss back in order to get the item?
Super Duper Metroid by Metaquarius, Daltone [ Exploration],
rated by hmsong on May 06, 2024 ( 
)
Exploration],
rated by hmsong on May 06, 2024 ( )
91% in 7:51
This review is specifically only for the normal casual gameplay -- no bomb jump, and wall jump was only used after I was taught that by the animals (which was early enough).
PROS:
- The descriptions -- You have most of the item descriptions available by pressing X button on menu. And speaking of which...
- The extra section for the menu (press L on the map) was truly excellent. It had lots of options (I left as default), and it described how to use the backflip (not that I used much of it). It also had numerous quality-of-life features, such as being able to move quickly after landing and quick morph. It also had a way to control how fast the bomb exploded. Very nice.
- The charge bomb was excellently used, since you can now sort of "aim" the charge bombs. This would have been more useful if Spring Ball was available earlier. Oh well.
- I love how X-Ray was available somewhat early. It is such an anti-frustration feature, and I'm not sure why most of the other hacks don't have this available earlier.
- The Speed Booster is really flexible and fun to play around with. I mean, you get it as the 2nd to the last key items you get, but still. There are SO many things you can do with the new Speed Booster.
- The map is large, but you are generally faster due to being able to move quickly after landing.
CONS:
- the bosses are far too easy, sometimes even easier than vanilla (looking at you, plant boss, Phantoon, and Draygon).
- Foreground breaking by beam is very unnecessary due to how distracting it is.
- X-Ray doesn't work on numerous blocks/paths. Now, you can generally know what needs to be done by looking at the map and/or using intuition, but there are just too many of those, and some of the hidden things are damn near impossible to find due to X-Ray not working.
- Some of the item orders you get are... questionable. For example, you get Ice Beam AFTER Space Jump. What the heck? That makes the whole point of Ice Beam meaningless (other than just simply higher DPS). Space Jump should be one of the last items you get, since it makes Grapple Beam and Ice Beam obsolete. Also, you get Gravity Suit BEFORE Varia Suit, and therefore Varia Suit's Def is never used. You should have at least switched the Def stat of Varia Suit and Gravity Suit (and change the description).
PROS:
- The descriptions -- You have most of the item descriptions available by pressing X button on menu. And speaking of which...
- The extra section for the menu (press L on the map) was truly excellent. It had lots of options (I left as default), and it described how to use the backflip (not that I used much of it). It also had numerous quality-of-life features, such as being able to move quickly after landing and quick morph. It also had a way to control how fast the bomb exploded. Very nice.
- The charge bomb was excellently used, since you can now sort of "aim" the charge bombs. This would have been more useful if Spring Ball was available earlier. Oh well.
- I love how X-Ray was available somewhat early. It is such an anti-frustration feature, and I'm not sure why most of the other hacks don't have this available earlier.
- The Speed Booster is really flexible and fun to play around with. I mean, you get it as the 2nd to the last key items you get, but still. There are SO many things you can do with the new Speed Booster.
- The map is large, but you are generally faster due to being able to move quickly after landing.
CONS:
- the bosses are far too easy, sometimes even easier than vanilla (looking at you, plant boss, Phantoon, and Draygon).
- Foreground breaking by beam is very unnecessary due to how distracting it is.
- X-Ray doesn't work on numerous blocks/paths. Now, you can generally know what needs to be done by looking at the map and/or using intuition, but there are just too many of those, and some of the hidden things are damn near impossible to find due to X-Ray not working.
- Some of the item orders you get are... questionable. For example, you get Ice Beam AFTER Space Jump. What the heck? That makes the whole point of Ice Beam meaningless (other than just simply higher DPS). Space Jump should be one of the last items you get, since it makes Grapple Beam and Ice Beam obsolete. Also, you get Gravity Suit BEFORE Varia Suit, and therefore Varia Suit's Def is never used. You should have at least switched the Def stat of Varia Suit and Gravity Suit (and change the description).
Well, this was certainly very interesting. So far, out of the SM hacks (I played this, Ascent, and Vitality), and I like this the best. I used the online map though, since I don't like bombing every surface -- that'll take forever, and I have better things to do than that. But I did get 100% map, which was why it took a bit long time. With that in mind, I shall do a pro/con review.
Pros:
- I love how the bombs explode a lot quicker. And you can have 5 shots/bombs on the screen, instead of 3. True anti-frustration features that make the game so much more enjoyable.
- I love how the missiles/super missiles/power bombs now all use one pool of ammo (different ammo usage per shot though). That is so much better, because it allows you to weigh the options, and refilling the ammo is so much quicker.
- The difficulty (exploration/battle against normal enemies) was slightly harder than vanilla, but very fair. It kept you on your toes (in a good way), because if you got careless, you would receive damage constantly -- you can't just rush like crazy. Very nice.
- I like how later bosses are actually difficult, in a good way (esp eel and draygon). I esp like how you made Gold Torizo fight available somewhere in the middle, but you have very little chance of beating it until you get all the necessary upgrades (ie the Gravity Suit and Plasma Beam). That was very refreshing -- you can fight the battle, but you won't win until you get lots of upgrades.
- Thank you very much for giving access to X-Ray early. It is such an anti-frustration item.
- I like all the new skills you gave Samus. I esp like how you gave Spring Ball a Morph Ball dash. It adds more to the puzzle solving.
- The gate system was great. You get access to Tourian pretty early, but you you can't really go far until you open all the gates. Some gates are easy to access, while others are difficult.
- I like how the animals teach you wall jump early. Sure, it's not necessary to beat the game, and you certainly don't need for them to teach you to actually execute wall jumps, but for the newcomers, it's great.
Con:
- The later combination of Ice Beam's color was absolutely terrible. I mean, red/yellow/pink? (all beams together will result in one of the pink shades) And more importantly, it affects the color of the frozen enemies? That's a terrible choice of color. If you wanted color it to something other than vanilla (ie light blue), then you should have gone for white (ice is actually clear color, but white would be better in this context). But really, one of the blue shades would have been better.
- While the level design is good, but it was really far too spread apart. I mean, too many times, you have to wonder around aimlessly. 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 for the key items? No.
- I don't like how you can't beat the game unless you learn the "hidden" skills, such as slowing down the Speed Booster, or getting up while Morph Ball dashing. Nothing teaches you that, there's no hint, and it's not very intuitive either. So the game is basically unbeatable unless you accidentally find out such thing even exists.
Pros:
- I love how the bombs explode a lot quicker. And you can have 5 shots/bombs on the screen, instead of 3. True anti-frustration features that make the game so much more enjoyable.
- I love how the missiles/super missiles/power bombs now all use one pool of ammo (different ammo usage per shot though). That is so much better, because it allows you to weigh the options, and refilling the ammo is so much quicker.
- The difficulty (exploration/battle against normal enemies) was slightly harder than vanilla, but very fair. It kept you on your toes (in a good way), because if you got careless, you would receive damage constantly -- you can't just rush like crazy. Very nice.
- I like how later bosses are actually difficult, in a good way (esp eel and draygon). I esp like how you made Gold Torizo fight available somewhere in the middle, but you have very little chance of beating it until you get all the necessary upgrades (ie the Gravity Suit and Plasma Beam). That was very refreshing -- you can fight the battle, but you won't win until you get lots of upgrades.
- Thank you very much for giving access to X-Ray early. It is such an anti-frustration item.
- I like all the new skills you gave Samus. I esp like how you gave Spring Ball a Morph Ball dash. It adds more to the puzzle solving.
- The gate system was great. You get access to Tourian pretty early, but you you can't really go far until you open all the gates. Some gates are easy to access, while others are difficult.
- I like how the animals teach you wall jump early. Sure, it's not necessary to beat the game, and you certainly don't need for them to teach you to actually execute wall jumps, but for the newcomers, it's great.
Con:
- The later combination of Ice Beam's color was absolutely terrible. I mean, red/yellow/pink? (all beams together will result in one of the pink shades) And more importantly, it affects the color of the frozen enemies? That's a terrible choice of color. If you wanted color it to something other than vanilla (ie light blue), then you should have gone for white (ice is actually clear color, but white would be better in this context). But really, one of the blue shades would have been better.
- While the level design is good, but it was really far too spread apart. I mean, too many times, you have to wonder around aimlessly. 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 for the key items? No.
- I don't like how you can't beat the game unless you learn the "hidden" skills, such as slowing down the Speed Booster, or getting up while Morph Ball dashing. Nothing teaches you that, there's no hint, and it's not very intuitive either. So the game is basically unbeatable unless you accidentally find out such thing even exists.
