Super Metroid

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Super Metroid
American Boxart
Developer	R&D1 Intelligent Systems
Publisher	Nintendo
Release Date(s)	April 1, 1994 [NA] March 19, 1994 [JP] March 18, 1994 [EU]
Rating	K-A (Kids to Adult)

The Story

Here is the story, as written by the game development team, and included in the game manual/pamphlet:

Broken Peace

The galaxy once enjoyed a period of peace and prosperity. Trade lines were open, the citizens were happy and the Galactic Federation kept a watchful eye over the planets. Not long ago, that peace was broken by a startling discovery. The Dawn of the Metroids On a routine survey mission of the planet SR-388, the crew of a Galactic Federation vessel discovered a new airborne life form and gave it the name "Metroid". These creatures, which could engulf other living beings and take away their energy, proved to be strong and prolific. After just a few seconds of Beta-Ray bombardment, a single Metroid became two Metroids, and then four. Several Metroid specimens were gathered so that the survey vessel crew could take them to Galactic Federation Headquarters for further examination. As the crew sped towards headquarters, they were ambushed by space pirates from the planet Zebes. The pirates stole the Metroids and took them to their home planet, where the planet-leading Mother Brain created a Metroid force.

Enter Samus

Bounty hunter Samus Aran was commissioned by the Galactic Federation to eliminate the space pirates and do away with the dangerous Metroids. Samus landed on Zebes alone and carried out her mission with speed and precision. After the skirmish on Zebes, a special corps was assigned by the Galactic Federation to destroy the Metroids on SR-388. That corps was never heard from again.

The Supreme Council gave Samus the job to fly to SR-388 and do what the special corps could not do--make the Metroids extinct.

Return to SR-388

The Metroids on SR-388 were more advanced than the creatures on Zebes. These monsters could shed their skins and grow even stronger. Samus worked deep below the surface and blasted all of the Metroids in her path. Her final victory was against the enormous Metroid Queen. When the queen was defeated, Samus discovered a Metroid egg which hatched before her eyes. Even this hardened bounty hunter could not destroy the Metroid larvae. When the larvae sensed Samus' presence, it clung to her as though it had found its mother.

Samus packed up the Metroid larvae and took it with her to the Space Science Academy on the Galactic Federation Space Colony where scientists could study the creature and understand its special organic structure.

A New Discovery

The Science Academy scientists found out that the energy-producing properties of the Metroid could benefit humankind. Their report suggested that the Metroids may have originally been created for peaceful purposes. Just when it seemed peace and order had been restored, Samus received an emergency directive from the Galactic Federation:

EMERGENCY! EMERGENCY! Return immediately to the Space Science Academy!

When Samus made her way to the research facility, she found the building in ruins and the Metroid larvae was nowhere to be found. Out of the darkness came a group of Zebesian space pirates and their leader, Ridley, who had the Metroid larva in tow. The pirates fled to a rebuilt planet Zebes and Samus followed them, resolving to finish them off and save the hatchling!

Plot

Super Metroid follows bounty hunter, Samus Aran, in her adventures directly after the events of Metroid II: Return of Samus. Upon noticing the potential power that could be harnessed (for the good of humans, of course) by the Metroid that attached to Samus in Metroid II, the scientists on the Ceres Space Colony. Upon leaving, and barely reaching the asteroid belt, Samus gets a distress message from the space colony. Upon returning, she finds the station in shambles, riddled with dead bodies, and, most importantly, missing the Metroid!

Soon, the answer to how this happened becomes apparent as Ridley, her nemesis from Metroid, appears near the colony. Despite several shots, Ridley manages to escape with the vial (containing the Metroid) and activates the self-destruct sequence. Armed, only with her Power Beam, Samus heads to the Space Pirate homeland, Zebes.

Credits

Role	Name
Executive Producer	Hiroshi Yamauchi
Producer	Makoto Kanoh
Director	Yoshio Sakamoto
Background Designers	Hirofumi Matsuoka
Background Designers	Masahiko Mashimo
Background Designers	Hiroyuki Kimura
Object Designers	Tohru Ohsawa
Object Designers	Tomoyoshi Yamane
Samus Original Designer	Hiroji Kiyotake
Samus Designer	Tomomi Yamane
Music Composers	Kenji Yamamoto
Music Composers	Minako Hamano
Program Director	Kenji Imai
System Coordinator	Kenji Nakajima
System Programmer	Yoshikazu Mori
Samus Programmer	Isamu Kubota
Event Programmer	Mitsuru Matsumoto
Enemy Programmer	Yasuhiko Fujii
Map Programmer	Motomu Chikaraishi
Assistant Programmer	Kouichi Abe
Coordinators	Katsuya Yamano
Coordinators	Tsutomu Kaneshige
Printed Art Work	Masafumi Sakashita
Printed Art Work	Yasuo Inoue
Printed Art Work	Mary Cocoma
Printed Art Work	Yusuke Nakano
Printed Art Work	Shinya Sano
Printed Art Work	Noriyuki Sato
General Manager	Gumpei Yokoi