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Spiral Staircases; Metroid, kthx
Topic Started: Apr 22 2010, 06:36 PM (214 Views)
Golem
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By the way, Metroid Prime Hunters is a fun game. Does it deserve the Metroid name? No, it's not the most amazing thing I've ever played. Still, I'm having a good time so far. The controls hurt my left hand, though.

So, this is a very vague thought.

In 2D Metroid games, verticality is very important. Elevators more often than not allow you to explore downwards. There are tons of passages where you work your way straight down. The most notable vertical passage is the escape tunnel in Metroid--you climb up and out of Brinstar. This is the same tunnel you use at the beginning of Super Metroid; only in Super Metroid, you go down through the tunnel at the start of your quest. In Metroid 2, the final passage before you reach the Queen's nest is a long, upward tunnel. Overall, vertical passages are some of the most memorable moments in Metroid.

Here's an immediate, knee-jerk reading of going downward: it means you're going down to face your deepest fears. Things that are below are dark (unlit) and unknown. They're hard to see, they're practically hidden. Once you conquer the unknown, you rise upward, triumphant.

I used to consider verticality absent in Metroid Prime. It made sense, though; in first person, going straight up or straight down would be frustrating.

My recent playthrough of Metroid Prime Hunters has caused me to reconsider this stance, though.

I realized that there are lots of vertical spiral passages in Metroid Prime and MPH. (Can anyone verify if they're in MP2 and MP3?) In Metroid Prime, for instance, there's the large tree in the Chozo Ruins, and there's two on the overworld. One is underwater, where you go once you've got the Gravity Suit and Ice Beam; the other is where you go once you've got the Grapple Beam (this second one is near the entrance to Chozo Ruins).

Do you think these spiral staircase rooms are comparable to the vertical ascents and descents of 2D Metroid? If not, do you think they still might have some significance?
Edited by Golem, Apr 22 2010, 06:39 PM.
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