------------------------------------------------------------------------- S U P E R M E T R O I D S U P E R C H A L L E N G E W A L K T H R O U G H Version 2.0 - 06/18/01 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by Asaic ========================================================= TABLE OF CONTENTS ========================================================= 1) Introduction 1.1 Revision History 1.2 What is this walkthrough all about? 1.3 Things you should know 2) Item List 3) Walkthrough 3.1 Space Colony 3.2 Crateria / Old Brinstar 3.3 Brinstar 3.4 Lower Brinstar 3.5 Norfair 3.6 Journey to the Wrecked Ship 3.7 The Wrecked Ship 3.8 Maridia 3.9 Norfair Revisited 3.10 Lower Norfair 3.11 Escape From Norfair 3.12 Tourian 3.13 Escape From Tourian 3.14 Mission Complete 4) Conclusion 4.1 How did you do? 4.2 Tips on surviving with less items 4.3 Emailing The Author 4.4 Credits / Special Thanks ========================================================= Section 1 - INTRODUCTION ========================================================= ------------------------ 1.1 Revision History ------------------------ Version 2.0 (06/18/01) - Reworked most of the walkthrough and changed the item roster. Version 1.2 (12/28/99) - Re-worded some areas to make the this walkthrough easier to understand, and other general editing. Version 1.1 (11/24/99) - Fixed up some enemy names, corrected grammar and spelling. Version 1.0 (05/26/99) - The initial release. ------------------------------------------- 1.2 What is this walkthrough all about? ------------------------------------------- The purpose is to prove to the non-believers that you can finish Super Metroid while leaving out most of the game's key items, and to help those who would like to do it themselves. Low percentage is what this walkthrough is all about. What this walkthrough is NOT about is beating the game with the lowest time or getting 100%. Anyone can beat the game if you have key items like Hi-Jump Boots, Grappling Beam, reserve tanks and tons of energy tanks, but only the elite Super Metroid veterans can beat it without said items. Do you have what it takes?? ------------------------------ 1.3 Things you should know ------------------------------ I'm assuming you've already finished Super Metroid numerous times, and are pretty good at it, otherwise you wouldn't be attempting this challenge. I am also assuming that you have mastered the infamous wall jump, and are quite capable when it comes to bomb climbing. You'll need both skills often during this walkthrough. One important thing of note - DO NOT USE AN EMULATOR. Using ZSNES or any other Super Nintendo emulator is CHEATING. Emulators also allow you to speed up or slow down the gameplay, making it easier to pass certain points or to perform certain actions with difficult timing. And don't even get me started on the cheating nature of the save state feature! I often get emails from people bragging that they can beat the game with 15%. I'd like to see them try it on the real Super Nintendo without using the Game Genie. It simply can't be done. Hell, with an emulator, I can get 15% in under an hour! That doesn't prove anything. Using an emulator to do this walkthrough is cheating, so get the real game and the real system and start playing like REAL gamer. Only THEN do you have any right to brag about your Super Metroid skills. ========================================================= Section 2 - ITEM LIST ========================================================= These are the ONLY items you should be picking up while using this walkthrough. Morphing Ball Bombs Charge Beam Plasma Beam Varia Speed Booster Gravity Suit Space Jump Screw Attack 5 Energy Tanks 30 Missiles 20 Super Missiles 5 Power Bombs That's 25%. I chose this combination as it leaves out a number of the key items and it includes enough energy and missiles to allow you to finish the game on your first or second attempt. Sure, you could stick with only five super missiles and drop your percentage to 22%, but it takes 40 charged shots to take out the final form of the Mother Brain, and no one is good enough to last that long in the final battle without losing more than 100 units of energy. Resist the urge to pick up any other items, even if you have to walk right by them in the course of the game. If this walkthrough doesn't tell you to pick something up, don't. ========================================================= Section 3 - WALKTHROUGH ========================================================= --------------------- 3.1 - Space Colony --------------------- I don't have to tell you what to do here. Just throw yourself at Ridley to drain your energy and get the battle over with quickly. The faster it's over, the less time on the clock. There is no benefit to "beating" Ridley at this stage in the game. -------------------------------- 3.2 - Crateria / Old Brinstar -------------------------------- The moment the ship touches down and Samus rises out, sprint to the left and go through the door. Work your way down to the elevator to Brinstar and take it down. At the bottom of the elevator, go left and grab the Morphing Ball. Next head to the right, go through the door, drop down and grab the first missile pack. Head back up and left to the elevator and take it up. Go all the way back up to the top of Crateria and fight the Torizo for the Bombs. When it's over, grab the spoils and exit the room. Head back up and go to the left. Bomb through the rock wall and go through the door. Race down the diagonal passage and dodge the Wavers to grab your first energy tank. Continue on to the next elevator to Brinstar and ride it down. ----------------- 3.3 - Brinstar ----------------- Drop straight down to the bottom of this room. Blow open the red door on the right. If you don't have five missiles to open the door, kill some of the Zeelas to get refills. Go through the newly opened door and make your way past all the Geemers and Rios and exit on the far side. Make your way up to the very top of the room and blast open the red door on the right. Use the Zebbo pipe to the left to refill your missiles, then go through the door. Kill each Kihunter with a missile and proceed through the door in the ceiling to the Spore Spawn's room. If you have your own preferred strategy for defeating the Spore Spawn, feel free to use it. This is the way I fight the battle, it's the quickest way for me: Once you're standing on the green door that closed below you, run to the left against the step, turn around and crouch. Aim upward (hold both R + L) and start firing your beam after the Spore Spawn has begun to move back and forth. Alternate between firing up and firing diagonally to get rid of the floating spores before they can get very far. When the Spore Spawn stops to say "ahh", switch to missiles, jump straight up, and fire two into its mouth. Crouch again and repeat the process until the battle is over. Some people like to crouch on top of the step against the left wall when fighting the Spore Spawn, but that's just a waste of time. You have to roll into a ball to avoid the Spore Spawn as it swings back and forth, and you can't blast the spores at the same time. It's really up to you, but keeping a low time is best. Once you've burnt the plant, climb on top and grab the refills, then go up and take the door at the top. Drop down through the second pipe and grab the super missiles at the bottom, then exit through the left. Continue to the left until you've reached the large pink room again, then head down and grab the missile pack and bomb down to get the Charge Beam. Go back up and to the right and blast your way through the green door. Follow the lower path and grab the hidden missile pack through the high pipe along the way (wall jump to get to it). Pass through the blue gate and exit through the door at the end. Head through this next room and into the tall vertical shaft at the end. ----------------------- 3.4 - Lower Brinstar ----------------------- Head straight down to the bottom of the shaft and take the door on the right. Pass through the next several rooms until you reach the elevator. (Remember not to go for the Spazer! Don't let old habits get the best of you.) When you reach the elevator room, use a super missile and blow away the bottom block on the right wall and roll under. Stand against the blocks and run to the right and jump at the last possible moment. Wall jump off the side of the ledge and flip up onto it. Go through the door to enter Kraid's area. Go down to the bottom, roll through the bomb passage and go up through the door. Use a missile on each Kihunter here. Shoot the hole in the floor, drop down and enter the door. Switch back to missiles and plug each Zebesian with one as you go. Let the fake Kraid's flying spikes hit you and just keep running. As soon as you see the false boss, fire off two missiles to kill it. Enter the door. Use the Zebbo in the pipe to refill as necessary, then proceed to the right. Save some time by using a super missile on the door creature. Enter Kraid's room and waste him with your remaining super missiles. ---------------- 3.5 - Norfair ---------------- Hop off the elevator and take the lowest door on the left. Jump over the energy tank and fall through the collapsing floor and blast the Sova before it moves down the narrow passage. Turn around and grab the energy tank, and exit through the now-flashing door. Move up and go through the highest door on the right. Shoot the floor and drop down to the bottom. Head to the right, using missiles on the Desgeegas. Get up on the ledge above and use the bomb climb to get up to the red door and go through it. Don't waste time trying to kill the Gerutas and Geemers in the next room, and don't get the missile pack hidden beneath the lava. Just pass through the door on the right side, and race through the next room with the rising lava. When you reach the large green bubble room, destroy both of the Wavers and get up on the ledge above the door you came through and charge your beam. Run and jump to the right and fire a charged shot diagonally at the Cacatac up on the ledge to destroy it. Once those three enemies have been dispatched, get yourself into position between the two statues and do the bomb climb up to the ledge the Cacatac was on. Alternately, you can wall jump off the wall in the middle of the room, but the timing is very difficult; it'll probably save you time to just bomb climb. Take the green door at the top right, destroy the Skrees and head up through the passage to the door at the top. You can stop and use the Gamet pipe in this room to refill if necessary. Go through the door and run down the passage. Blow away the red door at the end with five missiles. Grab the missile pack in the ceiling, then go through the open doorway. Grab the Speed Booster and race back up through the hallway and go back down to the large green bubble room with the Cacatac and Wavers. Take the bomb passage in the center of the room between the two statues, and exit through the lowest door heading left (not the one going down). Go through the door on the left in this room. Dash through the next room, pass through the save room at the end and head up to the elevator. Ride it back up to Lower Brinstar. ------------------------------------ 3.6 - Journey to the Wrecked Ship ------------------------------------ Head back to the left through the next several rooms until you reach the tall, red vertical shaft. Dispatch the Rippers with super missiles. Find the right starting spot and bomb climb up onto the ledge way up above. Continue up the shaft past the door you first entered this area from. Get rid of the Rippers with super missiles (go back and forth through the door here to refill your super missiles if necessary). Wall jump up to the top of the shaft and shoot open the hole in the ceiling. Fall back down to the nearest ledge and wall jump your way up and through the hole in the ceiling before it closes, then go through the door. Pass through this room and exit on the far side. Shoot the floor and head down to get the power bombs. Blow away the wall with a power bomb and grab the hidden missile pack here as well. Exit to the right and head up to the elevator and ride it up. Go through the door on the ceiling and head up into the room with the two Kihunters. Get rid of them with charged shots. Use a power bomb to open the yellow door, then back up against the blue door on the left side. Run to the right and hit down just before you get to the first step. Tap jump and then tap forward and jump together. You'll soar right through the next room, collecting the missile pack on the way. Exit through the door on the right. Once outside, jump from ledge to ledge while heading to the right. Wall jump off the side of ledges if necessary. Blast open the green door and enter the Wrecked Ship. ------------------------- 3.7 - The Wrecked Ship ------------------------- Head downward, using a power bomb to quickly get through the bomb passage in the floor, and continue to the bottom of the ship. Blow away the green door and drop in. Go over to the right wall, roll through the passage and waste the door creature with a super missile. Enter Phantoon's room. Phantoon isn't too difficult, even with so few items. Just be sure to grab all the energy you can from the bouncing blue flames. If you're having trouble beating the boss with regular missiles (the fastest way), use super missiles and charge up your beam and flip through the fire waves that Phantoon rains down from the top of the room. It takes a lot longer this way, but it's easier. Once Phantoon is finished, head back to the central shaft and take the flashing door on the left to get the pack of super missiles. Go back to the central shaft and bomb through the passage in the right wall and make your way to the right side of this room to grab the other pack of super missiles. Move back out to the central shaft, then make your way to the top and enter the door on the ceiling. Use missiles to dispatch all of the enemies in the room, and exit through the door on the left side. Once outside of the ship, make your way over to the left end and go through the right-most bomb passage and take the door to the right. Use the Zeb here to refill if necessary. Pass through these two short rooms. Run and jump through the spikes to get to the statue and ride it downstairs. Take the door on the left and grab the Gravity Suit, then head outside through the next left door. Go back into the Wrecked Ship and run down the hallway and through the next door, then head down and take the door on the right. Pass through the next two rooms, then up and through the hidden passage in the ceiling and take the door on the left. Hop from ledge to ledge and wall jump off of the left wall and up to the energy tank. Make your way back to the door at the right and exit. Drop down through the floor and enter the door there. Make your way through the next series of rooms as you would normally, and take the elevator down to Maridia. ---------------- 3.8 - Maridia ---------------- Head down from the elevator and take the door at the bottom. In this next room, just roll along the floor (in the water) and you'll pass right under all of the ledges with the enemies on them. Just take the hits in order to quickly climb over the section in the center of this room, then roll through the water for the second half as well. Exit through the door. Pass through this room quickly to avoid the Yapping Maws. In the following large room, head down and to the left, then head up and left to the green door in the floor. Blast through it and drop into the pipe. When you exit from the tall pipe, bomb down through the floor and take the door on the left. Make the extra effort to avoid falling into the sinking sand in this room, you don't have Hi-Jump to save you. Make your way down to the glass tube connecting Maridia and Brinstar and blow it apart. Head up and enter the door in the ceiling. Go all the way up to the top of this room and go through the door. Drop down to the floor, then wall jump up and turn into a ball in mid-air to roll into the hidden passage in the wall. Grab the super missiles and head back out and drop back down to the floor. Run to the right and dispatch the Scisers, then head back to the left wall. Dash to the right and hit down when Samus has gaining enough speed. Line yourself up and do a diagonal super jump to the door at the top right of the room and go through. Head down through the passage in the floor and then to the right and blow away the green door. Switch to power bombs and enter the next room. Walk off the step and drop a power bomb. Fall through the hole in the floor and head to the upper-left of the room and take the door on the ceiling. Work your way through this room with the Mochtroids and enter Botwoon's room. Switch to super missiles and wait for Botwoon to stick out its head. When it does, feed it a super missile or two or three. Once you've won, head through the door on the right. Run to the right and shoot any enemies lurking on the left side of the quicksand. Back up against the step near the door you came in and run to the right. Jump and roll into a ball in mid-air to land in the bomb passage with the energy tank. Grab the tank and continue through the passage and go through the door. Avoid the Mochtroids and go through the door at the top. Use your wall jumping skills to navigate this large room and take the far door at the bottom. Head down and blow away the door creature with a super missile and enter Draygon's room. Now you can blow away the wall cannons, but you don't have to. They're more annoying than anything else. Roll into a ball and sit on the right side of the room. Every time Draygon swims past you, roll to the other side of the room. When you notice that Draygon hasn't gone overhead, stand up and run towards to opposite side until you can see it dispatching those little white things (for lack of a better term). Once you see the white things, run back to the wall behind you and start firing your beam rapidly towards Draygon to destroy its "projectiles". Make sure they don't touch you. Once you've destroyed them all, you'll have several seconds with which to unload on Draygon before it swims away. You have to be very quick here. Repeat the process until the battle is over. Grab Space Jump from the room on the left, then head back out of Draygon's room and back up. Head back through the large room with the Mochtroids into the vertical hallway with more Mochtroids and take the upper- most door on the left. Continue through the next several rooms and head for the Plasma Beam. Once you have it, make your way to the bottom of Maridia where you blew up the glass tube and take the elevator down to Norfair. -------------------------- 3.9 - Norfair Revisited -------------------------- When the elevator touches down, drop down and take the second lowest door on the right side. Pass through the save room (save if you wish) and dash through the following hallway. Exit through the far door and enter the door in the floor of the green bubble room. Drop to the bottom of this room (you can stop in the room in the middle for refills) and take the bottom door. Pass through the Magdollite room and exit on the right. Go down to the bottom of this small shaft and use a power bomb to open the yellow door, then enter it. Take a dip in the lava and use your trusty Space Jump to get yourself up onto the ledge at the top left. Go through the door to the elevator room, and take the elevator down. You might want to save first though, because the most difficult part of the game is right around the corner... ----------------------- 3.10 - Lower Norfair ----------------------- As soon as elevator stops, race to the left. Go through the door and jump over the acid, then drop a power bomb to reveal the statue. Roll up in its hand and drop down below once the acid is gone. Go through the bomb passage and avoid the Holtzes, then exit on the right. Fall through the collapsing floor and walk over to the right until the statue drops from above. Back up and allow the statue to come to life. This battle can be quite lengthy if you want to stay healthy. Once it stands up and has changed color, you can plug it with two or three super missiles before it starts to move. Now the battle begins. Use whatever strategy works best for you. Remember that you can hit its legs, you don't have to hop and fire into its belly. You may need a few tries to win this fight. It's difficult to avoid taking hits during this battle, and the windows of opportunity are very small. Aren't you glad you saved just above the elevator? Once this fight is over, go through the now-flashing door and take your prize, the Screw Attack. You might want to stop for an energy refill in the room above. Next, make your way upwards and take the door at the top right. Continue to the right and use your Screw Attack to destroy any Rippers you come across and take the super missiles they leave behind. Keep going right and then upward, then Space Jump your way through the room with the rising acid to the door at the top right and go through it. Pass right through this room and exit through the opposite door. Drop a power bomb to beat the Namihe on the right, then go through the false wall on the right and head down and around to the energy tank. Grab the tank and head back up to the door. Go through the door and down to the save point on the right. Once you've saved your progress, head down and power bomb through the blocks to enter the small passage. Now just continue through Lower Norfair until you reach the Elite Zebesians. This has to be one of the most misunderstood battle of the game. People spend way too much time fighting these things, when in reality they are a cinch. Space Jump over the first Zebesian and it will flip over to the left. When it does this, get on the ground and ready your super missiles. Once it lands, (if you're not standing too far from it) it will hop straight up and begin its drop kick attack. Hop up and have a super missile meet the pirate at the apex of its jump, just as its starting to change color. Now quickly fire off two more super missiles on your way down from your hop. That's one down. Repeat the process for the other Zebesian. You may not get all three shots in before the pirate reaches you with its drop kick. If it hits you, just turn and quickly fire off the third shot at its back. You should be able to take them both down within 15 seconds of entering the room. Make your way through the next two rooms. Use a Zebbo pipe to refill everything to maximum (except power bombs). Proceed to the door creature and annihilate it with a super missile. Enter Ridley's lair. This battle is pretty easy, just keep jumping back and forth and avoid Ridley's tail, and fire off a super missile (or a charged plasma shot when your super missiles run out) when you have a clear shot. You should start the round with a power bomb, it will hurt Ridley even before he has become visible. Once you've beaten the dragon, head back up and exit through the upper door. Forget about the energy tank in the room to the left. Trust me, you've already got more than enough energy to finish the game, and we want to keep that item percentage low. ----------------------------- 3.11 - Escape From Norfair ----------------------------- Time to head back to the ship and use it to refill and save. I'm sure you know the way from here, so knock yourself out. Next head down to the large golden statue at the entrance to Tourian and wait for the light show to finish. Take the elevator down to the final area. ----------------- 3.12 - Tourian ----------------- Drop down and take the door on the left. Use your Space Jump/Screw Attack combo and herd the four Metroids together. Once they're all on the same screen, let them grab you and start dropping power bombs. After three blasts the Metroids will be gone, and they should replenish your power bombs. Continue through Tourian, dispatching the Metroids with power bombs, until you reach the room with the two large blue Side Hoppers. Just run through the Side Hoppers and exit through the door. Pass through this room and into the next, then run into the blue Side Hopper to drain your energy (don't die in the process). After the scene with the Super Metroid, exit and head down, blow open the red door, then enter the blue door on the left. Refill energy and missiles, then head back out to the right. Proceed to the right through the hallway and use regular missiles on the door creature. Drop straight down and blast open the red door at the bottom. Blast your way through the Zebetites with regular missiles. Once you've destroyed the four Zebetites, head back out of this hall and back to the refill station. Refill your energy and missiles, then go back for the Mother Brain. Dodge the Rinkas and use six regular missiles to shatter the case around the Mother Brain. Fire your remaining missiles at the brain, then switch to super missiles to finish it off. When the Mother Brain rises up in full form, unload your super missiles into its head. When they're done, go for charged plasma shots. Eventually it will begin its charge for the big power blast (I hope you've got more than 300 units of energy left!). When the Super Metroid dies, let the Mother Brain have it with 36 Hyper Beam blasts. ----------------------------- 3.13 - Escape From Tourian ----------------------------- When the timer starts, get moving. The only thing you need to do now is cut off as much time as possible, so get back to the ship fast. Don't waste time saving the Etecoons or the Dachola, it just adds more time to the clock. -------------------------- 3.14 - Mission Complete -------------------------- Hop into the ship and it'll take off. Sit back and watch the ending, and take extra notice of your finishing time. Watch the credits again for the thousandth time and check out your item percentage at the end. If you followed this walkthrough correctly, you should have exactly 25%. Good work! ========================================================= Section 4 - CONCLUSION ========================================================= ----------------------- 4.1 How did you do? ----------------------- What was your finishing time? If you had between 1:30 and 1:40, you're doing pretty good. If you had between 1:20 and 1:30, you're awesome, a true Super Metroid master. If you had less than 1:20, you didn't follow this walkthrough properly (or you cheated, shame on you!). How about percentage? If you find you've gone over 25%, you must have picked up an additional item or two along the way out of habit. Better luck next time. ----------------------------------------- 4.2 Tips on surviving with less items ----------------------------------------- If you find that you're having trouble surviving your battles, use the following tips to help: - If you don't have to kill an enemy to get by, don't. You'll save time and energy by just avoiding it altogether. - The wall jump and bomb climb techniques are your friends. You need to use them a lot to get to hard to reach areas that you would normally use items like Hi-Jump and Spring Ball to reach. Practice make perfect, and perfect means less items and less time. - Energy is rare, especially in the first half of the game. You'll only have two energy tanks until after you defeat Phantoon. This may seem suicidal, but when you actually try not to get hit, it's pretty easy. You'd be shocked at how far you can actually make it on just one or two tanks of energy if you're good enough. - Use power bombs often. They may cause a few moments of slow motion, but they can take out an entire room of regular enemies instantly. Just make sure you always have one left for the next yellow door you come across. It takes far too long to go back refill them from regular enemies. - Pipe-based enemies are life savers. When you find a pipe or hole with Zebs, Zebbos or Gamets, stop and fill up. It only takes ten or fifteen seconds, and you're back in top shape for the next area. - Play it safe whenever possible. You might like to show off, but you're just going to get yourself killed. When you're only running around with a couple of energy tanks, the odds are against you. Don't try to be the Terminator here. Don't take chances or show off and don't take unnecessary hits. --------------------------- 4.3 Emailing The Author --------------------------- Before you email me, make sure that your topic is applicable to this walkthrough. I get tons of people emailing me telling me that you can quickly beat Draygon with Grappling Beam, but if they had paid proper attention they would know that you don't ever get Grappling Beam in this walkthrough. And don't even think about emailing me with a better way of doing something if you're running an emulator! Direct your questions or comments to smetroid3@home.com -------------------------------- 4.4 Credits / Special Thanks -------------------------------- The Super Metroid Super Challenge Walkthrough was written by Asaic. Thanks go out to Mie, Rayman and Kevin Burnell for their input. Special thanks to TJ of the Metroid Database for hosting this walkthrough. And thanks to those who've attempted to complete the task this walkthrough sets out to accomplish. That's it! Hope you enjoyed this walkthrough. Let's keep Metroid alive! Long live Samus Aran!