Super Metroid Legacy is one of those SNES games that just sticks with you. You start off as Samus, landing on this eerie alien planet with nothing but your basic blaster and a creeping sense that something’s not right. The atmosphere is thick—literally, with fog and weird alien noises—and before long, you’re crawling through tunnels, backtracking for upgrades, and stumbling into boss fights that feel impossible until you figure out their patterns.

The level design is genius, full of hidden paths you’ll only notice after getting new abilities. That first time you accidentally bomb-jump into a secret room? Pure magic. And the music—haunting synths that make every new area feel like a discovery. It’s not just nostalgia, either. Even if you’re playing it for the first time now, it holds up because the pacing is so tight. You’re always one upgrade away from unlocking a whole new chunk of the map.

Yeah, some of the controls feel a little stiff by today’s standards, but once you get used to wall-jumping and the weird floaty physics, it clicks. This is the game that basically defined the whole "Metroidvania" genre. If you’ve ever played Hollow Knight or Dead Cells and wondered where that exploration itch started, here’s your answer.