Super Metroid

Super Metroid
North American box art featuring Samus Aran in battle with Ridley
Developer(s)	Nintendo R&D1 Intelligent Systems
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Director(s)	Yoshio Sakamoto
Producer(s)	Makoto Kano
Programmer(s)	Kenji Imai
Artist(s)	Hirofumi Matsuoka Masahiko Mashimo Hiroyuki Kimura
Composer(s)	Kenji Yamamoto Minako Hamano
Series	Metroid
Platform(s)	Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Release	JP: March 19, 1994 NA: April 18, 1994 PAL: July 28, 1994
Genre(s)	Action-adventure
Mode(s)	Single-player

Super Metroid^[a][b] is a 1994 action-adventure game developed by Nintendo and Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It is the third installment in the Metroid series, following the events of the Game Boy game Metroid II: Return of Samus (1991). Players control bounty hunter Samus Aran, who travels to planet Zebes to retrieve an infant Metroid creature stolen by the Space Pirate leader Ridley.

Following the established gameplay model of its predecessors, Super Metroid focuses on exploration, with the player searching for power-ups used to reach previously inaccessible areas. It introduced new concepts to the series, such as the inventory screen, an automap, and the ability to fire in all directions. The development staff from previous Metroid games—including Yoshio Sakamoto, Makoto Kano and Gunpei Yokoi—returned to develop Super Metroid over the course of two years. The developers wanted to make a true action game, and set the stage for Samus's reappearance.

Super Metroid received acclaim, with praise for its atmosphere, gameplay, music and graphics. It is often cited as one of the greatest video games of all time. The game sold well and shipped 1.42 million copies worldwide by late 2003. Alongside Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Super Metroid is credited for establishing the "Metroidvania" genre, inspiring numerous indie games and developers. It also became popular among players for speedrunning. Super Metroid was followed in 2002 by Metroid Fusion and Metroid Prime. It has been re-released on several Nintendo consoles and services.

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