Chronologically, Super Metroid takes place immediately after the events of Metroid II: Return of Samus, and begins with a narrative by bounty hunter Samus Aran. Samus describes how a Metroid larva hatched from an egg and immediately imprinted upon her, believing her to be its mother. She brought the larva to Ceres Space Colony, where scientists learned that they could harness its power. Just after she left the colony, she received a distress call and returned to find the scientists dead and the larva stolen. The game begins as she follows the leader of the Space Pirates, Ridley, to the planet Zebes, where she searches for the stolen larva in a network of caves.

Along the way, Samus defeats four of the Space Pirate bosses, including Ridley, and arrives in Tourian, the heart of the Space Pirate base. There, she encounters the Metroid larva, which has now grown to an enormous size. It attacks Samus and nearly drains all of her energy before it realizes who she is, and then departs. Samus recharges her energy and confronts Mother Brain, the biomechanical creature that controls the base's systems. Mother Brain nearly kills Samus, but is then attacked by the Metroid larva, which drains it of its energy and transfers it back to Samus. Mother Brain recovers and destroys the Metroid in retaliation, but is in turn destroyed by Samus with an extremely powerful weapon created from the energy given to her by the Metroid. Afterward, a planet-wide self-destruct sequence begins, which Samus narrowly escapes.

Super Metroid was developed by Nintendo R&D1 with a staff of 15 people managed by Gunpei Yokoi. The game was directed and written by Yoshio Sakamoto, and produced by Makoto Kano, with music composed by Kenji Yamamoto and Minako Hamano. The game, which was released almost a decade after the original Metroid game, took half a year to gain approval for the initial idea, and actual development of the game took two more years to complete. When asked why the game took so long to make, Sakamoto responded, "We wanted to wait until a true action game was needed. [...] And also to set the stage for the reappearance of Samus Aran." Super Metroid attempts to stay true to its predecessors. Its music uses 16-bit versions of music from previous games, and previously visited areas reappear. Nintendo Power said "This is great for fans who get an almost seamless transition from the previous games," noting that it also made it easier for the developers of Super Metroid to build the game because they could reuse existing material. Reused areas were modified "to correct parts we were unhappy about in the original game". Previously seen areas were added to Super Metroid to add a sense of familiarity that would satisfy players of previous Metroid games, and "the new sections also give a much greater sense of drama to the game." Sakamoto noted that Super Metroid was deeper and more involved than previous Metroid games, and considered it to have a more dramatic overtone.

The developers' primary goal was to make the game a "good action game". They wanted the game to have a large map, but found it difficult to organize the amount of graphic data involved. Coming up with several ideas, the developers decided to break the game up into many mini-adventures. Sakamoto observes, "Thus, the major goal was how to create an effective mix of all the separate elements. We believe that we have almost completely succeeded in our objective." New weapons are introduced to the Metroid series in Super Metroid, including the Grapple Beam, used to latch a laser beam onto the ceiling. The game is the first in the series to let Samus fire in all directions while moving, and it is among the first open world games to offer the player a mapping facility. The feature shows the outlines of rooms, locations of important rooms, and dots for special items. Shortly before the game's release, the Entertainment Software Rating Board, a self-regulating organization, was formed in response to the increasing violence found in games such as 1992's Mortal Kombat. When asked whether he thought that recent game violence controversy would cause any negative backlash for Super Metroid, Sakamoto stated, "We don't think there's too much violence in the game." Using Samus as an example, he explained that her purpose is to maintain peace in the galaxy, claiming, "It's not violence for the sake of violence." Sakamoto mentioned that there was a possibility for a Metroid game for Nintendo's upcoming video game console, the Nintendo 64, then referred to as "Project Reality", but reminded that it was not guaranteed.

Super Metroid was released by Nintendo in Japan on March 19, 1994, in North America on April 18, 1994, and in Europe on July 28, 1994. The game was re-released for download over the Nintendo Power flash memory cartridge in Japan on September 30, 1997. It was later released as a Virtual Console title for the Wii in North America on August 20, 2007, in Japan on September 20, 2007, and in Europe on October 12, 2007. As part of the Wii U Virtual Console Trial Campaign promotion, Super Metroid will be made available for a limited time from May 15, 2013 to June 13, 2013. Users who own the Wii Virtual Console version of the game will be able to get the Wii U Virtual Console version for a reduced price.

Super Metroid was met with widespread critical acclaim, receiving an aggregated score of 95.50% percent from Game Rankings, making it the website's 7th highest-rated game. When the game launched in Japan, GamesRadar's Andy Robinson noted that it was released "at the wrong place, at the wrong time". Struggling against more commercially popular games, such as Donkey Kong Country in 1994, along with the launch of the PlayStation and Sega Saturn video game consoles, Super Metroid sold poorly in Japan. With the help of strong marketing from Nintendo, Super Metroid sold better in North America and Europe, and a year after its release, Nintendo placed it on their Player's Choice marketing label due to its critical success. However, since none of the games in the Metroid series up to that point had enjoyed the level of success that Mario and The Legend of Zelda had, Nintendo did not make another Metroid game until eight years later, with the release of Metroid Prime (GameCube) and Metroid Fusion (Game Boy Advance) in 2002.

Chris Slate of the Game Players video game magazine thoroughly enjoyed Super Metroid, claiming that it "easily lives up to everyone's high expectations". He was satisfied with how Nintendo mixed complex gameplay with "state-of-the-art" graphics and sound. Slate found the newly added auto-mapping feature, which charts the player's progress through the game, something that players really needed, noting that it was the only feature in Super Metroid that the original Metroid should have had. Concluding his review, Slate stated, "Action fans can't afford to miss Super Metroid. [...] You'll want to play through again and again even after you've beaten it."Nintendo Power mentioned that the game "may well be the best action adventure game ever", calling it the "wave of the future". They praised the game's graphics, sound, and controls, while their only negative comment was, "Even 100 megabits of Metroid wouldn't be enough." In Electronic Gaming Monthly's review, they praised Super Metroid's graphics and dramatic plot, complimenting the "crisp and clear" controls, and applauding the many weapons available. Lauding the game's length, Electronic Gaming Monthly noted that the game "certainly does [Metroid] justice". Their only criticism was that the game's size felt smaller, and the magazine concluded its review by claiming, "Overall, no one should be disappointed with this incredible game."GamesRadar was pleased with the game's "phenomenal" soundtrack, complimenting it as "one of the best videogame scores of all time".

The former British video game publication Super Play, which had three editors review the game, also enjoyed it. The magazine's Zy Nicholson noted that the game was better than his favorite game, Mega Man X, describing Super Metroid as "more of an experience than a game". Comparing the game to the 1986 film Aliens, Nicholson felt that the game was best experienced when played in the dark with the volume turned up. He found the game so compulsive that he was tempted to play "without eating or sleeping". The publication's Tony Mott named the game's atmosphere its best aspect, calling the game a mix of Turrican (1990), Aliens, Exile (1989), and Nodes of Yesod (1985). Appreciating the game's controls, Mott applauded Nintendo's ability to create a refined gameplay. He concluded his review by calling Super Metroid "undoubtedly the best game I've played this year so far", predicting that anyone who plays the game would be "playing a game destined for classic status". The third reviewer, James Leach, agreed with Nicholson and Mott that Super Metroid was what Mega Man X should have been. Concluding his review, Leach wrote that Super Metroid contained everything he looked for in a video game: "playability, hidden tricks, powerful weapons and steamingly evil baddies". After summarizing the reviews, the magazine's verdict was, "We all love this game. Super Metroid is absolutely marvelous and you should own it."

IGN called Super Metroid's Virtual Console version a "must-own", commenting that although the game was released nine months after the Wii launched, they felt that it was worth the wait. For players who have never played Super Metroid, IGN claims that they owe themselves as gamers to "finally find out about what you've been missing all these years". In his review for GameSpot, Frank Provo found it "absolutely astonishing that Nintendo let 13 years go by before making Super Metroid readily available again", but considered the most important thing was that players "can now play this masterpiece without having to track down the original Super Nintendo Entertainment System cartridge or fumble with legally questionable emulators". Despite admitting that the Virtual Console version was essentially "nothing more than a no-frills, emulated version of a 13-year-old SNES game" that was no longer cutting-edge, he was still pleased with it and reiterated his belief that Super Metroid is "one of the best 2D action adventure games ever produced".

Super Metroid has had a lasting effect on the video game industry. Starting with 1997's Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, the Castlevania series of video games borrows the backtracking and weapon upgrading elements from Super Metroid, leading to the term "Metroidvania". Because Super Metroid gave players awards based on how long it took them to complete the game, it has become a popular choice for speedruns, a style of play in which the player intends to complete the game as quickly as possible for the purpose of competition.

Awards and accolades

Super Metroid received several awards and honors. Electronic Gaming Monthly named it Game of the Month for May 1994, gave it an Editors' Choice award, awarded it as the Best Action Game of 1994, and named it the Best Game of All Time in 2003. In IGN's yearly Top 100 Games of All Time lists, Super Metroid was ranked 3rd (2003), 10th (2005), 4th (2006), and 7th (2007).GamePro listed Super Metroid as one of the 15 Retro Games for the Wii You Must Play.Super Metroid was placed 1st on GamesRadar's list of the Best Super Nintendo Games of All Time, beating out Chrono Trigger (2nd) and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (3rd).Super Metroid was also named the best Super Nintendo game of all time by ScrewAttack, beating out The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (2nd) and Final Fantasy VI (3rd).Classic Game Room's CGR Undertow series named Super Metroid the best Super NES game of all time as well, beating out The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (2nd) and Super Mario World (3rd).Nintendo Power named Super Metroid the best game in the Metroid series, beating out Metroid Prime (2nd) and Metroid: Zero Mission (3rd).