History VideoGame / Metroid1

[[TheEighties In the year 1980]] of the Gregorian Calendar, employees from the nation of UsefulNotes/{{Japan}} [[UsefulNotes/GameAndWatch advanced]] a company known as Creator/{{Nintendo}}, and [[JapanTakesOverTheWorld an age of prosperity began]]. A successful exchange of consumers and developers resulted, and thousands of video games shuttled back and forth between nations. Soon, however, UsefulNotes/TheGreatVideoGameCrashOf1983 began to attack the industry, threatening galactic peace. Nintendo struck back against this aggression, but the Crash's attacks were powerful and it was impossible to withstand it in the vast reaches of the West. So Nintendo called together [[VideoGame/SuperMarioBros1 mighty video]] [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaI game franchises]] to battle the stagnant market.

* BountyHunter: Take a wild guess who. To drive the point home, the [[UsefulNotes/{{Famicom}} FDS]] version places a bag of money next to completed game files.

* SpellMyNameWithAnS: The game's intro spells the planet the game takes place on as "Zebeth", as opposed to the manual and future games, which use "Zebes". A few enemies are also spelled differently in the manual compared to how they are spelled in later games (Reos, for example, are spelled as "Rio").

* DependingOnTheArtist: There are two artstyles used for ''Metroid'' artwork: a [[http://www.metroid-database.com/wp-content/uploads/Metroid/Artwork/m1art_brinstar.jpg gritty]] [[http://www.metroid-database.com/wp-content/uploads/Metroid/Artwork/m1art_norfair.jpg realistic]] style used in the instruction booklet (in both the Japanese and Western versions) and a [[http://www.metroid-database.com/wp-content/uploads/Metroid/Artwork/jpguide1_enemies_Brinstar.png cute]] [[http://www.metroid-database.com/wp-content/uploads/Metroid/Artwork/jpguide1_enemies_Norfair.png chibi]] style used in the Japan-only strategy guide. Most characters and creatures, including Samus and Kraid, have consistent designs between the two artstyles, but Ridley is a notable exception. In the instruction booklet, Ridley's head has a very alien design with two large bug eyes, three ExtraEyes along his snout, and a tube-shaped mouth. In the guide, Ridley's head appears more similar to that of a traditional western dragon, removing the extra eyes and tube-mouth in favor of long toothy reptilian jaws. What makes this notable is that the former design is EarlyInstallmentWeirdness while the latter design much more closely resembles his iconic modern design later introduced in ''VideoGame/SuperMetroid''.

* AwesomeButImpractical: The Wave Beam does more damage than the normal or Ice Beam, can hit the various [[DenialOfDiagonalAttack crotch monsters]], can destroy several rocks quickly and can shoot through walls. Unfortunately, you need the Ice Beam to reach certain areas and to kill the Metroids in Tourian (even if you decide to skip the Metroids, freezing them with the Ice Beam is still the better option for doing that). The Wave Beam is the best weapon to beat Kraid with, however.

** Samus cannot duck, nor can she shoot downwards while jumping. This makes it impossible for her to shoot any enemy who's on the same plane if they are shorter than she is.

* MutuallyExclusivePowerups: One cannot hold the Ice Beam and the Wave Beam at the same time, requiring those with one wanting the other to go back to where they initially found it (they respawn once Samus picks up the opposite beam). Inputting the NARPAS SWORD code (which grants the player every powerup save Energy/Missile Tanks) curiously gives Samus the Ice Beam, but with a blue colored Wave Beam sprite (presumably the game's way of handling having both weapons at once).

* SamusIsAGirl: Beat the game fast enough to get any but the worst ending, and Samus will take off some or all of her armor, revealing a feminine face and [[LongHairIsFeminine hair down to her back]]. To sell the twist, the manuals outright lied and repeatedly referred to her with male pronouns -- even in Japanese where they could've easily gone with GenderNeutralWriting instead.

** Kraid is hairy and [[http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100501204216/metroid/images/9/94/Samus_artwork_11.png the same height as Samus]], and Mother Brain has a defined face with two eyes instead of a single large eye. Ridley stands out the most, as while he still looks like a dragon in his sprites, the manual instead depicts him as [[https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/metroid/images/3/38/M1_Ridley.png a fat alien with a multi-eyed, leech-like head]]. He, like Kraid, is also much smaller than he would later be depicted. He's also depicted as just another monster for Samus to fight rather than her intensely personal ArchEnemy.

** The manual claims Ridley is a native Zebesian who is controlled by Mother Brain, in stark contrast to his more intelligent and malicious depictions in future games (which never state Ridley ever hailed from Zebes).
** By beating the game fast enough, the game can be replayed with a suitless Samus (though this is merely a graphics swap). While ''Zero Mission'' would feature a temporary segment where an unarmored Samus can be controlled, no other games to date have featured a full "suitless mode" as this game does.

** Kraid is hairy and [[http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100501204216/metroid/images/9/94/Samus_artwork_11.png the same height as Samus]], and Mother Brain has a defined face with two eyes instead of a single large eye. Ridley stands out the most, as while he still looks like a dragon in his sprites, the manual instead depicts him as [[https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/metroid/images/3/38/M1_Ridley.png a fat alien with a multi-eyed, leech-like head]].

* WhamShot: It's the 1980s and Samus Aran is the manliest man who ever put on a space suit. Getting him through this masochistic adventure was not enough for many players then, they wanted to do it quickly enough to see him take off his helmet... or rather, ''[[SamusIsAGirl her]]'' helmet.

** By ''accident''; the famous '''[[AC:JUSTIN BAILEY]]''' code is just a side-effect of the password calculation system and is but one of many codes that bestow Samus with a leotard. The far less famous '''[[AC:NARPAS SWORD]]''' ('''[[FunWithAcronyms N]]'''[[FunWithAcronyms ot]] '''[[FunWithAcronyms A]]''' '''[[FunWithAcronyms R]]'''[[FunWithAcronyms eal]] or North American Release Password) actually ''is'' a special, unique password, however.
** '''[[AC:[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3UyVylP7AI ENGAGE RIDLEY MOTHER FUCKER]]]]'''. Sadly, that code has now become a system-killer in the 3DS port. Using it on a NES emulator will also crash the game on the spot.

* PrecisionFStrike: The random password generation somehow gave two notable passwords with the word "fuck" in them. [[AC:ENGAGE RIDLEY MOTHER FUCKER]] is the more popular of the two, although it's known for bricking 3DS systems and isn't playable anywhere else. [[AC:MOTHER BRAIN? FUCKIN TOASST]], [[MeaningfulName by some bizarre twist of fate]], spawns Samus in Tourian suitless with every upgrade but the Long Beam and Morph Ball with Mother Brain dead.

* ZeroEffortBoss: Ridley becomes this if you're able to figure out that [[spoiler:he can't hit you if you stand very close to him.]]

* InASingleBound: The High Jump Boots , which are not required, but makes the various secret passages that end up going nowhere much more bearable.

[[TheEighties In the year 1980]] of the Gregorian Calendar, employees from the nation of Japan [[UsefulNotes/GameAndWatch advanced]] a company known as Creator/{{Nintendo}}, and [[JapanTakesOverTheWorld an age of prosperity began]]. A successful exchange of consumers and developers resulted, and thousands of video games shuttled back and forth between nations. Soon, however, UsefulNotes/TheGreatVideoGameCrashOf1983 began to attack the industry, threatening galactic peace. Nintendo struck back against this aggression, but the Crash's attacks were powerful and it was impossible to withstand it in the vast reaches of the West. So Nintendo called together [[VideoGame/SuperMarioBros1 mighty video]] [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaI game franchises]] to battle the stagnant market.

''Metroid'' successfully sold millions of units and established dozens of mechanics now standard for subsequent video games, such as secret endings, back tracking, discoverable power-ups, and sequence breaking. Its own legacy was continued by [[Franchise/{{Metroid}} a budding franchise]] of ''Metroid'' sequels that told the rest of the saga of Samus, and by its remake, ''VideoGame/MetroidZeroMission'', which came out in the year 2004 of the Gregorian Calendar. In ''Zero Mission'', Samus retells the story of her first adventure to a new generation, and includes a few twists in the story for her veteran fans.

** Both Kraid and Ridley give you 75 missiles upon killing them, which cuts down on the time spent searching for missile tanks, and both of their rooms have a hidden energy tank, which will refill your health even if you have six already.
** Any Zebetite barriers destroyed by the player will remain destroyed, even if the player dies or has to reload the game with a password. Since the act of destroying Zebetite consumes a lot of missiles and leaves the player vulnerable to a constant onslaught of turrets and Rinkas, it is very merciful of the game developers to not force players to repeat the process every time they die to Mother Brain.
** If you're playing the game on the original hardware and have two controllers, you can press start on Controller one, then press Up and A on Controller two at the same time to end your game and go to the password screen without dying.[[note]]Pressing Up and Select while paused on the Game Boy Advance ports will yield the same result, while later releases on Nintendo's home consoles still make use of this original trick.[[/note]]

* BigBad: Mother Brain, the mechanical life vein, is the leader of the space pirates and Samus's primary target, despite Metroids having the AntagonistTitle.
* {{Bizarrchitecture}}: This game has the most alien and isolating environments in the series, designed to make the player uncomfortable rather than for pacing or flow. A perfect example is the final ascent at the end; the platforms are ''incredibly'' small and awkwardly spaced, while in ''Videogame/SuperMetroid'' and ''Videogame/MetroidZeroMission'', the same platforms are much larger and less obstructive to the player.
* BlackAndWhiteMorality: Samus is a clear cut protagonist, while the Space Pirates and their goal to exploit the Metroids are unquestionably evil.
* BountyHunter: Take a wild guess who. To drive the point home, the FDS version places a bag of money next to completed game files.

* DamnYouMuscleMemory: Samus controls differently in this game compared to later titles, making it all too easy for franchise veterans to make simple yet costly mistakes while playing this entry. For example, she cannot shoot down or [[DenialOfDiagonalAttack diagonally]] at all; pressing down and B causes her to go into Morph Ball and drop a bomb, rather than crouch and fire; pressing up in midair will prevent Samus from aiming left or right until she touches the floor; and her Screw Attack is canceled out by letting go of the jump button or by touching the ceiling, leaving her vulnerable in narrow spaces.
* DenialOfDiagonalAttack: The game only lets you shoot horizontally and straight up, and you can't duck. The Wave Beam helped deal with this, but you inevitably needed to replace it with the Ice Beam to deal with the Metroids. The Screw Attack was awesome enough to possibly qualify for a partial aversion for flying enemies, but the only other way to deal with crotch monsters was with bombs.

* InASingleBound: The High Jump power up, which is not required but makes the various secret passages that end up going nowhere much more bearable.

** After beating the game you get to keep all of Samus's power ups for future times playing through except for her Energy and Missile Tanks, which you have to find again. Still, it can allow you to finish the game much faster...

* NoSidepathsNoExplorationNoFreedom: In stark contrast to the rest of the game, [[TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon Tourian]] is a very linear, straightforward level with no power ups, where your goal is to fight your way past the Metroids, reach Mother Brain and then destroy her.

* OpeningTheSandbox: You start off with just a meager blaster, and getting the Morph Ball allows you to get past the first few rooms. Getting the missiles and the morph ball bombs basically let you explore anywhere you want--the rest of the items are needed so you can have a fighting chance of survival while you explore, although the Hi Jump Boots and Ice Beam are needed to access certain areas.

* SamusIsAGirl: The game that [[TropeNamer established the name]]. This was a huge secret in the original game, but [[LateArrivalSpoiler now everybody knows it]].