jakoliath's Ratings and Reviews
Sort Oldest First or Sort Best First or View Tier List
Metroid: Juicy Mission by Frydi [MZM Exploration], rated by jakoliath on Mar 31, 2024 (Star Star Star Star Star )
No completion stats.
Interesting platforming and puzzles, fun to route, the music is excellent
Super Metroid Nature by Jefe962 [SM Exploration], rated by jakoliath on May 06, 2023 (Star Star Star Star Star )
69% in 3:00
Really enjoyed the platforming, the exploration, the bosses. I was drawn to this hack because of the mostly-vanilla physics and difficulty. Not a lot to say that hasn't been said already.

Whenever I got lost, I never felt like it was unfair; every path forward (or toward an item) was telegraphed in some way.

Did some accidental sequence breaks but still was able to move forward and progress without too much trouble.

Several places where I was really impressed with the room tiling/level design/blending and the palette choices. Side note, the tiles for the doors made them all look similar to a gadora to me, which I felt added to the atmosphere, perhaps unintentionally. :)

Recommend to anyone who's interested in something similar to vanilla or a fresh take on vanilla without straying too far from the feel of the original.
Spooky Mission 2: The Nightmare Before Christmas by Spooky Team [MZM Exploration], rated by jakoliath on May 06, 2023 (Star Star Star Star Star )
100% in 3:48
Really enjoyed the fun atmosphere, the thematic level design, the platforming, the exploration, and the bosses. Fun movement with some challenges.

Only issue I really came across - I thought I was stuck somewhere, but didn't understand the mechanic of how, in some places, you can press up to go through a door/transition, but that could have been solved by either paying more attention or playing Spooky 1 first, so I can't really fault Spooky 2 for that.

Some of the (completely optional) item puzzles are pretty tricky to figure out. Never felt that any of them were unfair.

Recommend if you enjoy the vanilla game and want a fresh experience with some puzzles that doesn't take itself too seriously.
Super Metroid: Subversion by TestRunner and AmoebaOfDoom [SM Exploration], rated by jakoliath on Oct 07, 2022 (Star Star Star Star Star )
89% in 10:08
Played on console

- Creative and interesting items and bosses
- Beautifully detailed map
- Large map with plenty to explore (can make it more difficult to find/remember where to go next, but not too bad in my experience)
- Thoughtful puzzles including some optional ones
- Good execution of "come back later when you have the right tools" - sometimes for progression, other times just for hidden items if you so choose
- Nonlinear at times (for better or worse), I completed a section without an upgrade that would have made it much easier