Metroid

1986 · Action-Adventure · NES / Famicom Disk System

Overview

Metroid (1986) is Nintendo's non-linear sci-fi adventure: explore the caverns of planet Zebes, gaining abilities that open new paths.

Deep Dive

Bounty hunter Samus Aran lands on Zebes to destroy the Metroids and the Mother Brain of the Space Pirates. The planet is one interconnected labyrinth, and items such as the Morph Ball, missiles, bombs and the Ice Beam open routes that were closed before — the exploration structure later called 'Metroidvania'. Finishing quickly reveals that Samus is a woman, one of gaming's first famous twists. Produced by Gunpei Yokoi's R&D1, it launched a major Nintendo series.

Developer Story

Metroid was developed by Nintendo Research & Development 1 under producer Gunpei Yokoi in 1986. The game's non-linear structure — a world where players needed abilities from later areas to access earlier ones — created the "Metroidvania" genre. The shocking reveal that the protagonist Samus Aran was a woman, shown only when players completed the game quickly enough, was one of gaming's first major plot twists.

Did You Know?

Completing Metroid in under 5 hours revealed that Samus Aran was a woman — in 1986, this was one of gaming's most shocking reveals.
The Metroid creatures — jellyfish-like beings that drained energy — were designed to be immune to everything except Ice Beam followed by Missiles.
The non-linear world, where later-game abilities unlocked paths in earlier areas, created an entirely new design philosophy now called "Metroidvania."
Samus's power suit was designed to make her appear male specifically to enable the gender reveal — the helmet never came off during gameplay.
The game has no save system on NES — passwords regenerated exact game states, but Samus's equipment and map progress had to be reconstructed.

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