Metroid Original Walkthrough

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M E T R O I D for the Nintendo Entertainment System WALKTHROUGH Ver. 1.0 | Completed 02.07.02 written by TJ of the Metroid Database http://www.classicgaming.com/mdb .................................................................................................... This walkthrough may not be used in whole or in part on other websites without permission from the author. With permission, this walkthrough may only be posted if the complete header and byline are included. This walkthrough is currently authorized for use ONLY on the following websites: The Metroid Database [www.classicgaming.com/mdb] .................................................................................................... CONTENTS 1| Introduction 2| Weapon and Item Overview 3| Walkthrough a. Brinstar (The Rocky Zone) b. Norfair (The Fire Zone) c. Ridley's Hideout c.1: Fighting Ridley d. Kraid's Hideout d.1: Fighting Kraid e. Tourian e.1: Fighting Mother Brain 4| Endings 5| Closing Comments .................................................................................................... 1| INTRODUCTION Hello and welcome to the planet of Zebes. My name is TJ and I'll be your guide on our tour through this alien-infested hellhole. Please keep your weapons at the ready and do not feed the Zoomers. This walkthrough is a general guide to the original Metroid game for the NES. It will lead you through the maze of caverns, help you find and obtain all the items, and give you basic hints for defeating bosses. It may be followed as-is; however, the way covered in this walkthrough is most definitely not the ONLY way, and may not even be the best way; in fact, many Metroid players like to come up with their own methods and routes through the game. I wholeheartedly encourage you to do the same (in fact, I'd much rather recommend that you play the game without using this walkthrough at all). But, if you're too scared of the darkness and the creepy crawlies on Zebes, we're here to hold your hand. Advanced techniques and tricks, such as door-jumping, bomb-jumping, or "secret

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worlds" will not be covered in this walkthrough. This is not a "speed" walkthrough designed to get you through the game in the shortest time, nor will it cover shortcuts accessible by tricks or glitches. This guide does not contain in-depth stats on enemies, examinations of the plot or critique of the game's music. This is a basic front-to-back walkthrough for the inexperienced Metroid adventurer. For further explanations of advanced techniques, maps, the Metroid instruction manual, and more in-depth examinations of the finer points of the Metroid videogame series, please visit the largest and longest-running Metroid website on the Internet, the Metroid Database, at www.classicgaming.com/mdb. .................................................................................................... 2| WEAPON AND ITEM OVERVIEW Samus starts off with a short beam weapon which only shoots the distance of a few blocks. The beam can be upgraded and changed through powerups, and Samus can obtain other moves and weapons as well. Powerups and items are found scattered throughout the game. - MISSILES: In addition to her beam weaponry, Samus can obtain Missiles, which do more damage than the beams. Each Missile Tank adds 5 Missiles to the maximum number she can carry. Samus can carry up to 255 Missiles. Missiles are expendable and refills must be obtained by destroying enemies. Switch from beam to Missiles by pressing the SELECT button. - ENERGY TANKS: Samus begins the game with 30 energy units and can collect up to 99. By obtaining Energy Tanks, she can add another 100 energy units to her total. There are 8 Energy Tanks to be found, but Samus can only hold up to 6, for a maximum energy count of 699. Energy units can be obtained by destroying enemies. - LONG BEAM: Extends the length of Samus' beam weapon to reach the edge of the screen. - ICE BEAM: Turns Samus' weapon into an ice shot. One shot freezes an enemy, the next shot unfreezes and damages it. There are two of these in different locations in the game, but they're identical. Cannot be combined with the Wave Beam. - WAVE BEAM: Samus' beam travels in a wave pattern. The strongest beam weapon, the Wave Beam can also shoot through walls. Cannot be combined with the Ice Beam. - MARU MARI: aka Morphing Ball or Round Ball. Allows Samus to turn into a small spherical shape and roll along the ground and fit through narrow passageways. - BOMB: Allows Samus to lay up to three bombs at a time while in Round Ball form. Once you get the Bomb item, Samus' Bombs are unlimited and do not need to be refilled.

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- VARIA: Cuts the amount of damage Samus sustains from enemies and lava by 50%. - HIGH-JUMP BOOTS: Gives Samus the ability to jump 1.5 times higher than normal. - SCREW ATTACK: Samus' spinning jump is transformed into a deadly attack when this item is obtained. .................................................................................................... 3| WALKTHROUGH A NOTE BEFORE WE BEGIN: Enemies are everywhere in Metroid. I'll leave it up to you whether you want to destroy or avoid every little creature, but realize that in order to gain Energy and Missile refills, you must destroy some.

a. BRINSTAR (The Rocky Zone) Samus begins here, materializing on a platform with two towers floating in midair on either side. Head left, over the big blocks, and grab the Maru Mari. Samus can now roll into a ball. You can't go any further left so head back to the right. Go through a door, a one-screen room, another door, and through the long corridor. You'll come up to a rock wall with a small opening underneath. (NOTE: There is an Energy Tank hidden in the ceiling just to the left of the wall, but you can't get it without at least having the Ice Beam, so keep it in mind if you want to come back and get it later in the game.) Roll under the wall and continue right through the door. You are now in a blue vertical shaft. Make your way up and enter the first door you see, on the right. This leads to a one-screen bridge and another door. Through that door you'll find yourself in another long vertical shaft, this time colored gold. Head down and enter the door near the bottom of the shaft. Go right until you grab the Missile Tank, then backtrack left, back to the vertical shaft. Head up, then enter the first door to the right. Go right through a bluish corridor, a one-screen room, another corridor, another one-screen room, a longer corridor (get the Energy Tank here), and continue right until you reach a gold vertical shaft. Go up, enter the first door to the left, go left, through the red door, and get the Bombs. Backtrack out of here by heading right, then down through the gold vertical shaft, and left through the bluish corridor where you got the Energy Tank. In the next one-screen room, lay bombs just left of center on the floor and you'll open a hole. Drop through the hole into a short gold vertical shaft, and go through the door to the left. Continue left, through the red door, and get the Ice Beam. (You can skip this part if you wish to keep your regular beam -getting back out is a little tricky without the High-Jump Boots, so if you don't think you're up to it, don't.) Backtrack out again (right, up the gold vertical shaft, and into the one-screen room --

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you'll have to either use a bomb jump or freeze a Waver enemy to make the jump through the hole in the floor again) and head to the left until you reach the long gold vertical shaft again. Head up, and go through the door to the right near the top of the shaft. Continue to the right through this green area. You can bomb away some of the stones and roll through the metal tubes to make your way through this corridor. Go through a door, and into a one-screen room. There may or may not be a Waver in this room. What you need to do is shoot the ceiling until you open a secret passageway leading up. Ideally, you can make the Waver go up this passage and into the room above, where you can follow it up there, freeze it, and jump to the door to the left. However, this is tricky -- especially if the Waver decides not to show up. In that case, you need to try the Door Jump trick (explained in detail at the MDb). In any case, get up to the room above, get through the door to the left, continue left through the red door and grab the Varia. (The game can of course be completed without the Varia, but be aware that enemies will do twice as much damage to Samus if you choose to skip it.) Then backtrack right and down, back to the green one-screen room, and continue on your way right. Grab a Missile Tank in the next corridor. You'll reach what appears to be a dead end, but it's not -- just shoot a hole in the ceiling, jump up there and bear right, and you'll land inside a hidden passage in the wall. Move right and there'll be an open space. From that open space, there's a little hidden passage to the right which is accessible by rolling into a ball, laying a few bombs, and propelling yourself up and right through the passage. Roll through here to the right and out. Grab the Energy Tank there and continue right, through the door, and you'll end up in the gold vertical shaft where you found the Bombs a little while ago. You're done with Brinstar for now. You now have the choice of going to Norfair to collect more items, or if you're gutsy you can head to Kraid's Hideout and challenge one of the two mini-bosses. I would definitely recommend going to Norfair first, but here are directions to both areas: TO NORFAIR: Drop down to the bottom of the gold vertical shaft. Head left through the door and continue left until you reach the longer gold vertical shaft. Get to the bottom of that shaft and go through the door to the right. Continue right, past where you got your first Missile pack, and through the door at the end. Through this door is an elevator to Norfair. Get on it and press down. Continue this walkthrough with section 3|b., NORFAIR (The Fire Zone). TO KRAID'S HIDEOUT: Drop down to the bottom of the gold vertical shaft. Head left through the door and continue left until you reach the longer gold vertical shaft. Go straight across to the door on the left, through the one-screen bridge, and into the blue vertical shaft. Get down to the bottom of this shaft and go through the door to the left. Continue left until you get to the one-screen room with all the breakable blocks. Bomb through the floor and drop down into a blue vertical shaft. Head to the bottom and go through the door to the right. You'll find an elevator which leads to Kraid's Hideout. Get on it and press down. Continue this walkthrough with section 3|d., KRAID'S HIDEOUT.

b. NORFAIR (The Fire Zone)

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Norfair is the most complex area of the game, and it can be navigated in a wide variety of ways. Most of your time in Norfair will just be spent collecting Missile Tanks (there's only one Energy Tank here), but there are four important items here: the Ice Beam (which you may have already grabbed in Brinstar), the Wave Beam, the Screw Attack and the High Jump Boots. Look through these directions and if you feel like skipping some of these Missiles, go for it, you madman you. From the elevator, drop to the bottom of the elevator shaft and head through the door to the left. Grab the Missile Tank in this corridor, then find a secret passage to go through in the apparent dead end. Continue left and go through the door to the vertical shaft. Go down and through the door to the right. There's another Missile Tank in this corridor, and a dead end. Grab it and then make your way back left, up, and right back to the shaft with the elevator where you entered Norfair. Go right through the other door and continue through the corridor to the right and through the door at the end. You're now in a purple vertical shaft. Head up. Near the top, there are two doors to the left. Plese READ THIS paragraph before poking around so you understand how the corridors up here are connected. The bottom one takes you to an apparent dead end which does have a secret passage in it. On the other side is an Ice Beam. Get it if you want, or skip it if you already have it or don't want it. Under the Chozo Statue is a secret passage which leads to a door, which leads to the bottom of a vertical shaft, which I'll get to in just a moment. Back in the purple vertical shaft, the door at the top leads to a corridor containing three Missile Tanks. You'll probably want to grab those, but the corridor ends there so come back out to the purple vertical shaft. You can shoot a hole in the ceiling of the purple vertical shaft, which takes you to a small purple room with a door to the left. Through that door are two Missile Tanks, and the wall at the end has a secret passage. If you roll through it, then go through the door on the other side, you'll be in a vertical shaft with a door at the bottom. This door leads to a secret passage which brings us back to, you guessed it, the Chozo Statue with the Ice Beam. Okay, go ahead and grab whatever you want from this little network of passages and I'll meet you back at the top of the purple vertical shaft where we were at the beginning of this paragraph. Hi. Okay, now get yourself all the way back down to the bottom of the purple vertical shaft. The door on the left at the very bottom of the shaft leads to a long corridor, then a dead end with a secret passage in it. Through the secret passage is a short corridor with two Missile Tanks. You may have to freeze the jumping Squeept with the Ice Beam to make it over the large wall in this corridor. Once you've grabbed the two Missile Tanks, backtrack to the right, back to that purple vertical shaft again. Bomb around on the floor and you'll open up some blocks; drop through them to, yes, another purple vertical shaft. Go down and take the first door on the left that you see. You'll be in a room with some platforms and lava and a red door to the left. Go through the red door and you'll find the High Jump Boots. Bomb to find a secret passage under the Chozo Statue and roll left through the wall. Continue left, through the door, past the one-screen bridge and through another door, then through another corridor and a door, until you reach a green room with a door to the left. In this green room, blast away at the ceiling until you open up a passage. Go up through the passage and into an identical green room with a door to the left. Go through this door, through the room with lava, through the red door and get the Screw Attack. Congratulations,

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you are now practically invincible against most of the weaker enemies in the game. Backtrack out of this room to the right and through the floor in the green room to the first green room. Go through the door to the left and continue until you reach a vertical shaft. Drop down and you'll have two options: the door to the right, or bombing through the fake lava puddle in the floor. The door to the right ultimately leads to an Energy Tank, but it's a pretty long side trip. If you want to take it, here's what to expect: - If you go through the door to the right, you can continue right through a long corridor, a green room, another long corridor, a secret passage in the wall, another corridor, and into a little green room with some lava. In this room, bomb the floor near the door and drop down the hole and through the lava (it's harmless). You'll end up in another little green room with a door to the left. Go through the door, left through the corridor, and collect the Energy Tank at the end. Then backtrack right to the green room, up into the other green room, through the door to the left, and left through all those corridors again until you get back to the vertical shaft with the puddle of fake lava. Bomb through the floor in the fake lava and drop down to the bottom. Go through the door to the right and head right through the corridor, to a green room. Here you can bomb through the floor to a green vertical shaft where there's a door on the right near the bottom. Go through it and grab the two Missile Tanks there, then head back left and up to the green room again. Then go through the right door in the green room, then through another corridor and into another green room. In this room, bomb the floor and drop through the hole you open up and into another small green room. Head through the door to the left, through the lava room and red door, and you can get the Wave Beam. You don't have to get the Wave Beam if you don't want to, but it's very powerful, goes through walls, and has a wide range. I'd recommend grabbing it -- just remember that before you head into the final area of the game, you'll have to grab one of the Ice Beams again (if you get the Wave Beam, both Ice Beams will be back in their original locations again). From the Wave Beam room, backtrack right and up, to the upper green room again. There's one more Missile Tank you can grab if you head right through a corridor, a secret passage in a wall, and another corridor. Whether you do this or not, you now have to make one big backtrack by heading left as far as you can go to the green vertical shaft. Go up, through the ceiling, and up to the top door of the upper green vertical shaft. Head allllllllllll the way to the right, way back to the purple vertical shaft. Get down to the bottom of the shaft and go through the door, left through the corridor, through the door at the end and into the vertical shaft. Go down and through the door to the right. This is the elevator to Ridley's Hideout. Get on and press down. Continue this walkthrough with section 3|c., RIDLEY'S HIDEOUT.

c. RIDLEY'S HIDEOUT Although it's technically part of Norfair, Ridley's Hideout differs from Norfair proper in

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that it's actually one of the simplest map layouts in the whole game, and very few items within. However, there are a couple different ways you might end up going about it, depending on just how tight your jumping skills are. From the bottom of the elevator shaft, head through the door to the left. You'll go through a one-screen room, a door, and into an identical one-screen room. Here you can blast through the ceiling into another room, go through the door to the left and through a long corridor, and grab a Missile Tank. Backtrack back to the one-screen room and continue left. In the long corridor, there is a pole at the end which you can't get over. The solution to this corridor is simple: There's lava under the floor near the right end of the corridor. On the left end of the lava, where the floor is solid, lay a few bombs in that area and you'll open a hole. Drop down and roll all the way to the left, under the pole. Bomb again and get yourself back on the floor and through the door to the left. Now you're in another single-screen room, and there's an Energy Tank on the left. I know it's tempting to just run over there and grab it, but wait. In the middle of the floor is a hole which you can't see. Now, you're gonna need to be where that hole leads you anyways, but depending on how bad you want that Energy Tank, here's what you can do: - Jump over the hole. If you make it (it's a bit tricky), grab the Energy Tank. If you make it, you might as well just go ahead and drop down the hole -- that's where you need to go anyways. - If you miss and fall down the hole without getting the Energy Tank, you'll land at the bottom of a shaft with no way to get back up, and a door on either side of the screen. If you really want the Energy Tank, go through the left door, through a short corridor, and into a vertical shaft with many little pipes on which you can make your way back up and through a door near the top to the right. Head right through a short corridor and a door, and you'll end up on the left side of the room with the Energy Tank. Grab it and drop down the hole again. Once you've dropped down the hole, you'll be in (as stated above) a vertical shaft with no way back up and a door on either side. Head right, through a corridor and a door. You'll find yourself at the top of a red vertical shaft. There's a door on the right straight across from you, but the platforms and low ceiling make it difficult to reach. If you can make the jump, go through the door and grab a Missile Tank before hitting a dead end. If you miss and fall to the bottom of the shaft, again, no big deal, that's where you gotta be anyway. You're on your way to Ridley! At the bottom of this shaft, there's a door on either side again. Go through the door to the left. Lots of enemies and lava here. Destroy as many enemies as you can in this corridor and build up your Energy and Missile levels as high as you can because on the other side of the door at the left end of this corridor is one of the two mini-bosses, Ridley. c.1: FIGHTING RIDLEY Your method of attack on Ridley will vary depending on what weapons

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you choose to use. MISSILES or WAVE BEAM: Not much strategy here. Just unload on Ridley with everything you've got. Watch the pattern of his fireballs; if you're lucky and they're arcing high, you can stand on the platform right in front of him and unload on him while the fireballs sail right over your head. If you're not lucky and he's shooting the fireballs close to himself, just try to avoid them as best you can while firing at him. Another method is to take advantage of the fact that the Wave Beam can travel through floors and walls: You can stand in the lava underneath Ridley and just fire the Wave Beam upward through the platform and it'll hit him. Of course, the lava will be taking Energy off your meter constantly (you can keep jumping to minimize this), but at least you won't have to avoid the fireballs. ICE BEAM: If you have the Ice Beam, you can actually freeze Ridley's fireballs temporarily. Once they're all frozen, he won't have any attacks for a while and you can switch to missiles and fire those at him. When his fireballs thaw out, switch back to your Ice Beam, freeze them again, and repeat until the dragon bites the dust. Defeating Ridley earns you 75 more Missiles. After blowing him away, go through the door on the left side of his room (it requires 10 missile shots to open). You'll be in a corridor with lava all along the bottom. You can actually walk on top of most of this lava without harm, but there are one or two spots where the lava is "real" and you can fall through. Suck it up and cross the lava to the left and be rewarded with an Energy Tank. You're done with Ridley's Hideout. Now it's time to get out of here. From Ridley's room, head as far to the right as you can, until you're in a red vertical shaft with lots of platforms. (A side note: There is one more Missile Tank in Ridley's Hideout that I haven't mentioned. It's so far out of the way that it's barely worth talking about, but if you really want it, now's the time to get it. Go to the bottom of this red vertical shaft, and go through the door at the bottom to the left. Run left through a long, long corridor and nab the Missile Tank about two-thirds of the way through. Backtrack right, to the red vertical shaft again.) All you have to do to get out of the Hideout is make up the red vertical shaft and go through the door on the left side at the top. Head left through one corridor, through the door at the end, and you'll be back in the elevator shaft where you came in. Get on the elevator and press up to get back to Norfair. From Norfair, you're going to head back to Brinstar. From the elevator room, go out the left door, up the vertical shaft, and through the door on the right near the top. Head right through the corridor to the purple vertical shaft. Go all the way up, blast through the ceiling and go up through it into the upper purple vertical shaft. Pass the first door to the left (the one right at floor level) and enter the door just a little ways above it. Go left through one corridor and the door at the end, and you'll be in the elevator shaft where you entered Norfair. Get on the elevator and press up, taking you back to Brinstar. From here, you're going to do one of two things. If you followed my advice and went to Norfair first, you're going to go to Kraid's Hideout now. If you've already gone through Kraid's Hideout, you're ready to head to the final

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area, Tourian. Here are directions to each area: TO KRAID'S HIDEOUT: From the elevator room, head left through the gold corridor until you reach the gold vertical shaft. Go up until you reach the middle, where there's a door on either side of the screen. Go through the left door, through the one-screen bridge room, and into the blue vertical shaft. Head to the bottom and go through the door on the left. Run to the left, through the door and into the room full of breakable blocks. Bomb through the blocks and drop down into a vertical shaft. Get to the bottom of the shaft and go through the door on the right. This room contains the elevator to Kraid's Hideout. Get on the elevator and press down. Continue this walkthrough with section 3|d., KRAID'S HIDEOUT. TO TOURIAN: From the elevator room, head left through the gold corridor until you reach the gold vertical shaft. Go up until you reach the middle, where there's a door on either side of the screen. Go through the left door, through the one-screen bridge room, and into the blue vertical shaft. Head all the way up, and go through the door at the top on the left. Continue left through the corridor and through the door at the end, and you'll find yourself in a room with two statues: one of Ridley and one of Kraid. Continue this walkthrough with section 3|e., TOURIAN.

d. KRAID'S HIDEOUT Kraid's Hideout can be navigated a few different ways. I'll cover the simplest way to grab all the items and make it to Kraid himself. Unlike the other areas, the elevator leading into Kraid's Hideout isn't in an isolated room; rather, it's at the top of a fairly long vertical shaft which serves as the central hub, or "main drag" as it were, of the whole area. So, from the elevator, head down. First, you'll see two doors, one on either side of the screen. Go through the right one to grab a Missile Tank. You can continue right and through a door, but don't bother; it just leads to a couple of vertical shafts and a few corridors but there are no items there. Instead, go back to the left and into the main vertical shaft, and go down to the next two doors. Enter the one on the right and find a secret passage in the dead end, through which there's an Energy Tank. Go back to the left to that main vertical shaft again, and enter the opposite door, on the left. Continue left through this corridor and go through the door at the end, where you'll end up in a long vertical shaft. Go up just a bit and you'll be at the top, and go through the door to the right, through the corridor there and grab a Missile Tank. Now go back out that door, and drop all the way to the bottom of that vertical shaft. There's a door on the right -- go through it, and through two one-screen rooms. The second room -- the one on the right -- is a bit

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of a crossroads. First, exit to the right and grab a missile tank, then come back to the one-screen room. Then bomb the floor and open a passage. Drop through it and into a small green room with a door on the left. Go through this door, and -- it's Kraid! Lob a few missiles his way, and he'll drop like a sack of potatoes. Hmm, you say, that was easy... TOO easy. Yes...yes it was. That wasn't the real Kraid. You've just defeated the infamous Fake Kraid. The real one is just ahead, and he's raring to kick your butt a lot harder than the fake one did. Continue right through this corridor and through the door into a green one-screen room. There's a hole in the floor, so drop through it, and you'll find yourself in a scary room that sort of looks like a monster face, with a bridge over some lava and some annoying creatures that keep popping up out of it. There's a door on the left and one on the right -through the one on the left waits the real Kraid. Go get 'im, tiger!! d.1: FIGHTING KRAID Your tactics should be similar to those used in fighting Ridley. If you have the Ice Beam, you can temporarily freeze Kraid's projectiles, then plow tons of Missiles into him. Bombs also seem particularly effective against Kraid. If you still have the Wave Beam, just charge on in there, damn the torpedoes and unload on him. He should go down without too much trouble. You'll be rewarded with 75 Missiles for destroying Kraid. But wait -- don't leave his room just yet. There's a hidden Energy Tank here. It's located in the wall just underneath the door. To get it, jump down in the lava and shoot the wall, revealing the Tank. Then quickly get up on the ledge by the door, roll into a ball, roll off the edge and hug the wall as you fall -- Samus will touch and acquire the Energy Tank. Time to split. Head right out of Kraid's room and continue through a corridor until you reach a vertical shaft. It has lots of breakable blocks stacked up in tall vertical columns. You have to shoot some of the blocks, jump onto some of them, then keep shooting up and breaking blocks while jumping and letting the blocks re-form underneath you, slowly working your way up. I won't kid you -- it's a pain in the arse. On your way up, stop off at the first door to the left -- there's a Missile Tank in there. Then continue up and go through the door on the left at the top of the shaft. Move left through a corridor, and the door at the left end will put you back in that main vertical shaft. However, the ledge you're on and the layout of the walls isn't exactly cooperative as far as letting you get right back up to the top, so you may have to drop down, go through the door on the left at the bottom of the shaft, left through the short corridor and through a door, up the short vertical shaft and through the door to the right at the top, right through the short corridor and out the door back to the main vertical shaft. From here you should be able to work your way back up to the elevator. Get on the elevator and push up, taking you back to Brinstar.

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Okay, now that you've finished Kraid's Hideout, it's walkthrough redirection time again: If you did Kraid's Hideout first and have not yet been to Norfair and Ridley's Hideout, you'll be going there. If you went through Norfair and Ridley's Hideout first and have now polished off Kraid as well, you're ready to head to the final area, Tourian. Directions to both areas are as follows: TO NORFAIR: From the elevator room in Brinstar, head out the door on the left, up the blue vertical shaft, and through the rock floor. Go out the right door, continue right to the blue vertical shaft. Go up and take the first door on the right, through the one-screen bridge room and into the gold vertical shaft. Go down and take the door on the right at the bottom of the shaft. Continue right through the gold corridor, past where you got your first Missile Tank, and through the door at the end. This is the elevator to Norfair. Get on it and press down. Continue this walkthrough with section 3|b., NORFAIR (The Fire Zone). TO TOURIAN: From the elevator room in Brinstar, head out the door on the left, up the blue vertical shaft, and through the rock floor. Go out the right door, continue right to the blue vertical shaft. Go all the way up and take the door on the left at the top of the shaft. Continue left through the corridor and through the door at the end, and you'll find yourself in a room with two statues: one of Ridley and one of Kraid. Continue this walkthrough with section 3|e., TOURIAN.

e. TOURIAN IMPORTANT NOTE: You MUST have the Ice Beam before entering Tourian. If you have the Wave Beam, go back to Brinstar and grab the Ice Beam again. So here you are, on a ledge in this room with statues of Ridley and Kraid, a wide expanse of lava, and a door on the side you're not on. What to do? Well, now that you've defeated both minibosses, shoot both of the statues. They'll rise up into the air, and a bridge will form, joining the ledges across the lava. Roll up into a ball and zip across the bridge, and enter the door on the left. Here you'll find the elevator to Tourian. Get on it and press down. You're on your way to the end. Tourian's layout is totally simple: a vertical shaft down, a corridor to the right, a shaft down, two corridors to the left, a shaft up. Navigation will not be a problem here. However, you're finally about to meet the game's namesake, the Metroids, and fight the final battle against the Mother Brain. The main thing you need to know here is how to defeat a Metroid. First, freeze it with the Ice Beam. Then just shoot the frozen Metroid with five

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missiles, and it'll be destroyed. They leave behind quite a bit of Energy and Missile refills, so make sure you grab those. Basically, just work your way through the shafts and corridors, defeating all the Metroids as you go. If a Metroid latches onto you and starts sucking your energy away, you can get it off you by rolling into a ball and laying bombs, or by going through a doorway. Be careful and take your time moving ahead, as the Metroids can sometimes surprise you! Try your best to avoid the Rinkas too (the little rings of fire floating around) -- but they're more annoying than dangerous. When you reach the bottom of the second vertical shaft, take a moment to check your stats. This is a good spot to work on refilling your Energy and Missiles if you need to. Just go back and forth through the door at the bottom of this shaft, defeating the group of 3 or 4 Metroids each time. When your Energy and Missiles are full or close to it, continue on to the left through the corridor. When you reach the door at the end of this corridor, take a deep breath, then charge ahead -- the final battle awaits. In the Mother Brain's room, your path will be blocked by poles with Zebetites in them -- they look like like glass tubes with red stuff in them. Blow them away with several Missile shots. Work your way left, trying your best to avoid Rinkas and gunfire from the tiny gun turrets in the room. After 5 Zebetites, you'll reach the Mother Brain. Time for the final showdown. e.1: FIGHTING MOTHER BRAIN The only thing that works on Mother Brain is your Missiles, so there isn't much technique to actually fighting her other than just unloading your Missiles at her. The trick is avoiding Rinkas, gunfire, and not getting knocked into the small pool of lava right in front of Mother Brain. Your best position to be in is standing in the space which had been occupied by the last Zebetite, on the pole directly in front of Mother Brain. Rinkas will float at you, so it's better to get off the pole to the right and avoid them than to get hit by them and knocked around. You can temporarily freeze Rinkas with your Ice Beam, and that'll get them out of your hair for a short time. If you do get knocked into the lava, you can try jumping onto the ledge that Mother Brain sits on, but if you touch her glass case it'll hurt you and knock you back. With a little skill you can jump to her ledge, then jump back to your spot on the pole; or, you can freeze a nearby Rinka, then jump on it and back up to the pole. Of course, you can also dispose of Rinkas with your Missiles, Bombs or Screw Attack to get rid of them, but they'll just keep coming out anyway, so the Ice Beam is your best bet to buy yourself some time to fire at the Brain. Whatever happens, don't be too afraid to make the effort to save your own skin instead of just concentrating on firing at Mother Brain. If you're running low on Energy and

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Missiles, you can go back and destroy some more Metroids to replenish. But if you're careful in avoiding the dangers, it won't take too long to drive 30 or 40 missiles into the Brain and blow her up. Once Mother Brain is destroyed, you may feel a brief sense of peace -but that's quickly done away with when a message appears onscreen, informing you that there's a time bomb set, and you gotta hightail it outta Tourian right quick! A door will appear in the wall behind where Ma Brain was. Open it and head through it. You'll be at the bottom of a vertical shaft with lots of tiny ledges. The clock's ticking, so move it. Luckily, there are no creatures here; your only enemies are time and gravity. Make your way up -- the small platforms make it a little difficult and nerve-wracking for beginners, but even if you slip up and fall a ways, you actually have plenty of time to make it. At the top of the shaft is an elevator. Just get on the elevator and press up, and Samus will exit Tourian. Congratulations, you've finished Metroid! .................................................................................................... 4| ENDINGS The time it takes you to complete Metroid determines the ending you get. There are 5 endings total; in-depth information on the endings can be found at the Metroid Database. To put it simply, finishing the game in under 3 hours earns you the "best" ending, and Samus' secret identity will be revealed. No matter which ending you get, you'll get a congratulatory message and a staff roll. When the words "The End" appear onscreen, you can push the START button to begin a new game. Samus will have all of her weapons, but you'll have to collect all the Energy and Missile Tanks again. If you earned the best ending, you'll be able to play as "armorless" Samus! .................................................................................................... 5| CLOSING COMMENTS I've been a Metroid player since 1988. I hope this walkthrough has proven to be accurate and helpful for anybody who's used it. Thanks to the visitors to the Metroid Database for their support, to Mr. Sakamoto, Mr. Kanoh, the late, great Mr. Yokoi and the rest of R&D1 and Nintendo for creating the Metroid series, and to the big black 1987 "Official Nintendo Player's Guide" for providing me with some old-school reference material which aided in the writing of this walkthrough. And of course, thank you for reading and using this walkthrough.

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Please visit the Metroid Database at www.classicgaming.com/mdb ! E N D ....................................................................................................

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