1980s
Metroid
1986 · Action-Adventure · NES / Famicom Disk System
Overview
Metroid is a classic 1980s action-adventure game developed by Nintendo R&D1 for NES / Famicom Disk System.
Deep Dive
Metroid is a classic 1980s action-adventure game developed by Nintendo R&D1 for NES / Famicom Disk System.
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.
