Yes, this one came in the iconic gray box that generally featured game play footage. Mario was in a black box, but this one and Kid Icarus I know were in the gray boxes. This one, and Kid Icarus were two of the early games that really had some length to them, The Legend of Zelda as well. Meaning, it took some time to traverse the game and win it. By today's standards, it isn't all that long, but back then it felt like a grand adventure. Of course, a lot of people remember this game for its twist at the end, but these days it is apparently the only twist a company like Disney seems to know how to do...
The story? You are Samus, a bounty hunter who must stop space pirates from releasing Metroid into the universe. A Metroid is a deadly parasitic alien that attaches itself to its host and drains them dry. Granted, maybe the space pirates should have cultivated those indestructible worm things that go back and forth and train them to attack, then they would have an invincible army! Samus must explore the planet in search of armor upgrades and to find the mini bosses that stand in the way of you getting to the head of the operation, The Mother Brain! Though, Ridley and Kraid are no pushovers and getting to them is a chore as their lairs feature particularly tough creatures.
The game play is fairly standard these days as it incorporates a side scrolling world where you can go to higher and lower levels. It features exploration and often times you need to have the correct upgrade to get you to a certain level. You collect missiles and energy tanks to increase your capacity for both and you get freeze beams, high jump shoes and other things to help you get through the world. Fighting can be difficult, but it must be done in order to increase your life energy as you always start out with a small amount when you die and revive. The only way to get more energy is to kill enemies and hope they leave some behind or grab an energy tank which are few and far between.
So, a fun game, I just won it again recently and it holds up alright. I plan on playing the games in order so I think a Game Boy version is after this one. Then the one that is always raved about, Super Metroid. I only played it one time, so I am looking forward to replaying it again and seeing how it holds up. I remember it having really cool music. This one was fun and I managed to get through it, but only able to get her helmet off. I swear, the first time I played this thing I got the full out of armor ending, but I do not think I have gotten it since...
