Play Metroid Online

Metroid came out on the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1986, developed by Nintendo R&D1. It was part of that early wave of NES games that moved beyond simple arcade ports, offering a bigger, more involved world to get lost in. You weren't just playing a level; you were exploring a planet.

You control Samus Aran, a bounty hunter in a powered suit, and your goal is to stop the Space Pirates from exploiting a parasitic alien species called the Metroids. The game is built on exploration; you move screen by screen through caverns and tunnels, and you often find your path blocked until you discover a new ability, like the Morph Ball to roll into small spaces or missiles to blast certain doors. It's a difficult game that doesn't hold your hand, and you'll do a lot of backtracking through previously cleared areas once you get a new power-up. It feels isolating and tense, like you're truly on your own in a hostile world.