Metroid is a franchise that has a legacy defined by one word: quality. Especially the early years. Rom Hacking one of these games is like covering a famous song – it has to do something new but somehow pay homage to what made the original great. These ones hit the spot, though.
Metroid is not a casual platformer. From day one, it’s been an immersive and serious experience requiring time and dedication. The games often invoke a claustrophobic alien feeling like few others. Check out these games for hours more of xenophobic exploration that’s fresh yet familiar in all the right ways.
Patching the original rom is not hard, just follow our IPS patching tutorial to learn how to modify your legally-obtained backup copy of the original ROM.
Metroid Super Zero Mission
Rom: Super Metroid
What it’s like: A jumbo sized version of new Super Metroid maps with lots of nods to the original and zero mission.
Made by a programmer who states that he’s as “old as Metroid 1”, this remake of Super Metroid brings elements of the original, zero mission and super Metroid. The name is perhaps it’s only fault, it’s not a remake of Super or Zero mission but a wonderful homage to both. The game is almost three times as big as super Metroid thanks to some amazing memory hacking the developer came up with on its own. The amazing thing is it still works in the confines of the SNES’s hardware. You can even get a physical cartridge on eBay. It Definitely feels like part of the series.
Super Metroid Phazon
Rom: Super Metroid
What it’s like: A SNES sequel to Super Metroid you somehow never heard about
This hack changes graphics and enemies and colors of everything you’ve seen in the original. There are all new enemies, new environments and new items and weapons. It’s only flaw may be the fact that there are places you can become permanently trapped if you’re not careful. You’ll want to use save states to get around this but the artistic quality of this hack far outweighed these tiny issues.
Metroid: Project Ridden
Rom: Metroid
What it’s like: Lost levels equivalent for Metroid
Project Ridden had a very involved story that I won’t spoil for you. It’s a wonderful hack of the original Nes Metroid that changes the graphics and also adds some new challenges. You won’t regret spending some time playing this epic game.