If you've played Super Metroid enough to know the map by heart, Arena is the hack that finally makes you sweat again. It strips away the exploration and dumps you straight into brutal combat scenarios—no quiet alien caves here, just wave after wave of enemies in tight, punishing arenas.

At first, it feels familiar—same controls, same satisfying charge beam—but then you realize how much you relied on running away before. Now? You’re cornered, dodging like crazy, and suddenly those wall jumps you barely used in the original are the only thing keeping you alive. The level design forces you to actually fight, not just spam missiles and dip.

It’s not just harder, though—it’s smarter. Enemy placements feel deliberate, almost like a puzzle. And yeah, you’ll die. A lot. But when you finally clear an arena after ten tries, it’s that same rush you got beating Ridley the first time. Perfect for anyone who thought vanilla Super Metroid was too cozy.