Super Metroid – Landing on Zebes
When most games return to an area from an older title, it often comes across as a cheap nostalgia play. When Samus Aran first lands on a desolate and abandoned planet Zebes following the ransacking of the Ceres Research Station, the quiet and atmospheric rain pouring down upon her, it’s that sense of dread that links the player to the bounty hunter. As she descends through the escape shaft that was used in the original Metroid, and exits back out through the original Mother Brain boss room to continue her journey, the game isn’t trying to cheaply remind you of what has been. The new player can sense the tension, but for the series fan, what becomes perfectly obvious is just how much time has passed, and very shortly after, how much time was spent by her enemies preparing for her arrival. Choosing to use these areas and effects doesn’t take away from anything for a series newcomer, but seeing the destroyed Tourian means so, so much more to a fan.
