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*Copyright (c) 1990, Elken Osher. All rights reserved unless waived as
set forth herein. This document is presented to all gamers with the
compliments of the author. It may be copied and distributed freely by
any means and without charge, and such copying and distribution is hereby
encouraged; however, if copied for purposes of distribution, it must be
reproduced in whole and not in part. Under no circumstances may this
document nor any portion thereof be sold or otherwise commercially
distributed, nor may it be reproduced in whole or part for any use in
which sale, advertisement, or other mercantile purpose is contemplated.
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THE HIDDEN ZONES OF "METROID"
Less adventurous and inquisitive players of Nintendo's popular game
"Metroid" usually race headlong through the Metroid planet, Zebes, in
their quest to destroy the the evil Mother Brain. In so doing they often
overlook what may very well be the game's most intriguing and difficult
challenge: not the destruction of the Mother Brain, but the exploration
of the daunting "hidden zones" of planet Zebes. Several sizable portions
of this mysterious planet are cleverly and completely concealed from
view. Unless a player already knows something of these zones and of the
peculiar method which must be employed to enter them, it is unlikely that
he or she would ever discover them. Within the game itself, there is a
total lack of any clues or hints which might lead one to infer the
existence of these hidden zones and of the specialized technique for
accessing them. This is rather unusual for a Nintendo cardtridge game.
What is also remarkable is the fact that Metroid contains a truly vast
amount of such "undocumented" territory. In fact, it contains more of
such "unofficial areas" than any other Nintendo game: as much as 35% of
the playing area in Metroid may be undocumented.
If you want to find out more about these mysterious regions, you'll get
no help at all from the literature which came bundled with your
gamepack--it contains no mention of the hidden zones. Nor are they at
all described in the illustrated section devoted to Metroid in "The
Official Nintendo Game Players Guide." One or two brief items have
appeared in another Nintendo publication--"Nintendo Power" magazine--but
these did little more than call readers' attention to the existence of an
uncharted world in Hideout #2 and indicate a single point of entry. To
the best of my knowledge, no further description of this particular area
nor of the several other hidden areas has appeared in any issue of any
other game-players' magazine (at least not in the United States). Nor,
for that matter, has a complete diagram or map of Metroid ever been
published.
In order to enter any one of the hidden zones of Metroid, the more hardy
and intrepid player (that is YOU, of course) must employ the so-called
"wall-door" controller technique. This special technique enables you to
climb right through a seemingly "hard" ceiling or descend through an
apparently solid floor. It does require a bit of practice and patience
to master. In order to perform the "wall-door" technique, follow these
directions:
Page 2
STEP 1: Fire your gun at a door so that it opens. Do not go through
the open door, but do enter the doorway just far enough so that your
gun and a small portion of your arm go through. When the door closes
it will close around you; let it do so.
STEP 2: Now here's the tricky part. Using the controller pad (or
joystick if using the "NES Advantage" or similar device), alternately
press the "up" and "down" buttons (or alternately move the joystick
between the extreme "up" and "down" positions) in a continuous, rapid
sequence. If done correctly, your on-screen character, Samus, will
literally climb upwards while he is encased in solid wall. (Be very,
VERY careful, however, when pressing the "down" button or using the
joystick in the "down" position: if you maintain pressure too long on
the controller in the "down" position, Samus will roll up into a
ball. If he does so while encased in a wall, he cannot again stand
up or recover and may become hopelessly trapped. You may then have
to reset or restart the game.)
STEP 3: When Samus reaches the top of the screen (don't let him
climb entirely off the screen), let go of the controller pad or
joystick. Now, repeatedly press the "A" button (the button that
makes him jump). Result: as you press, the scene will--if you are in
the right place--scroll progressively downwards and Samus will, bit
by bit, be carried downwards on the screen along with the ceiling.
(If you have a "turbo" feature on your controller, turn it on and
maintain continuous pressure on the "A" button to automate this
process.) At the same time, a portion of an entirely new--perhaps
hidden--room may begin to appear at the top of the screen. You can
continue to scroll the scene downwards only until Samus reaches the
middle of the screen; in order to scroll more of the scene downwards
you must repeat Steps 2 and 3. When you have scrolled enough of the
new scene onto your screen, you can have Samus enter the scene by
stepping out of the wall which encases him. Samus can do this in
either of two ways: A) He may continue to climb higher and higher
into the new scene until he ultimately reaches a door in the wall, or
B) He may walk out of the wall anywhere. You can have Samus do the
latter only if he is not completely encased by the wall--that is,
some portion of Samus' body must be free of the wall. (You can
adjust the degree to which Samus is encased in the wall in Step 1 by
ensuring that as little as possible of Samus' body disappears into
the doorway of the door that is to enclose him.) Please note also
that in some scenes, Samus' enemies can attack him even though he is
encased in the wall. In such situations, he is entirely defenseless
unless he can use his gun against them--which he can do if it is free
of the encasing wall.
You can also, in the right places, use the "wall-door" technique to
descend through a floor. The procedure is exactly the same as that
described in Steps 1 through 3 above, with one significant difference: in
Step 3, when Samus climbs to the top of the screen, continue climbing
until he entirely disappears from the screen. Then (as before)
repeatedly press the "A" button. This time the scene will scroll not
downwards, but upwards for a distance of about half a screen's length.
By the time it stops, Samus may or may not have reappeared at the bottom
of the screen. If he has not reappeared at the bottom of your screen,
don't panic--just repeat the "up-down" controller technique to have him
climb a bit more. It takes patience and practice, and you will probably
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"lose" Samus more than once. If this happens, the usual reason is that
you have allowed Samus to roll into a ball and he is trapped, or you are
in a place where up-down scrolling of the screen is not permitted by the
program.
Now that you know how to perform the "wall-door" technique, when and
where should you employ it? The "wall-door" technique cannot be used
just anywhere; its use is permitted only in certain scenes. But the only
way to know with certainty whether a given door will permit climbing or
not is to try it. Since each side of a door is contained in a different
scene of the game, you must try both sides of a door. Most doors do not
permit the use of the "wall-door" technique, but some do. And your use
of the technique on certain of these doors will lead you to one of the
hidden areas of the game.
But before you go off to explore one or more of the hidden areas, there
is another important thing you should know: THE DOORS IN THE HIDDEN AREAS
ARE VERY DANGEROUS! They are not dangerous in the sense that some
terrible enemy may happen to lurk behind them. The principal peril of
the hidden areas derives from the fact that some of the doors lead off
into nowhere. Having gone through such a door, Samus may disappear from
the screen, but--surprisingly, and much to your dismay--the scene does
not change nor show you where he has gone, although if you are lucky you
may still be able to hear the sound of his footsteps. In such cases it
is sometimes possible to rescue and restore Samus to the screen, by
walking and jumping him around offscreen in just the right manner while
listening carefully to the sound of his footsteps. Again, there are other
apparently normal doors which become "one-way" once you have gone through
them, so that you will be permitted to enter a new room or scene only to
be trapped there forever (or until you reset the game).
None of the doors in the normal, "documented" game areas ever behave in
this unpredictable manner. Unlike the normal zones, navigation through
the mysterious hidden areas of Planet Zebes is usually difficult,
sometimes frustrating--and it is always quite dangerous to Samus' health.
Needless to say, these added hazards make exploration and mapping of the
hidden areas more challenging. But consider: the possibility of falling
off into the void did not deter Sir Edmund Hillary from climbing Mt.
Everest (and unlike your astronaut-friend, Samus, he had no reset button
to push in case of emergency). If you are easily deterred and easily
frustrated by such difficulties then you really have no business in
exploring the hidden areas of Planet Zebes, have you? (Nor, for that
matter, should you be reading this.)
Now that you have some idea of the navigational perils that await you--
and assuming that you are made of the "right stuff"--you are ready to
head out into the hinterlands of Planet Zebes to investigate the hidden
areas. There are three large hidden zones that I know of. As far as I
have been able to determine, each hidden area is entirely separate from
the others. Here are directions to them:
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HIDDEN AREA--HIDEOUT #1:
-----------------------
From the elevator landing in Hideout #1: Enter the very first door on
your right; proceed right as far as you can, go through another door: you
will then be at the bottom of a long vertical shaft. You can use the
"wall-door" technique on the door that you just passed through (it will
now be on your left), or you can attempt to climb up to the top of the
long shaft by jumping from one free-standing block to the next. Either
way, make your way to the top of this vertical shaft. (I haven't mapped
this area out for you, but there are at least ten additional floors
hidden above the ceiling at this point!)
HIDDEN AREA--BRINSTAR:
---------------------
First, a word of warning: Exploring this hidden area is devilishly
difficult--more difficult, perhaps, than anything you've ever
encountered in any Nintendo game. But if you are truly a person who
doesn't give up easily, then give it a try.
From the "start" area: Proceed to the right as far as you can, going
through three doors. You will be at the bottom of a very long vertical
blue shaft. Ascend half way up the shaft: enter the door which appears on
the right hand side of the shaft. Proceed to the right, through a sort
of tube (its the only way you can go), through another door: you will be
in the middle of a long vertical yellow shaft. Go down to the bottom of
this shaft. There will be a door on the right side. Do NOT go through
this door, but use your "wall-door" technique on it to go downwards, so
that you DESCEND through the floor of the shaft.
As you continue to descend, you will pass, in succession, several "dead-
end" shaft chambers. Do NOT enter any of these chambers, for they have
no doors nor exits and you will become hopelessly trapped within them!
Continue with your descent until you come to a platform-type room with a
red door on the left (requires missiles to open) and a blue door on the
right. Enter this room--you've arrived!
As I said earlier, of all the hidden areas in Metroid this one is the
most challenging. Though possible it is extremely difficult to enter
this platform room; perfect mastery of the "wall-door" technique is
required, or else you'll wind up trapped below the platform or off the
screen. I haven't gotten very far in my exploration of this hidden
area--perhaps you will do better. If you do succeed (which is doubtful)
be sure to make a careful map of the area; then bestow a favor upon your
other, less fortunate or intrepid colleagues by uploading it along with
an account of your exploits. Good luck (you'll need plenty of it)!
HIDDEN AREA--HIDEOUT #2:
-----------------------
There are three different entry points in this Hideout through which you
may enter the vast, hidden area which lies above it. In your
explorations, refer to the map below. Each numbered square represents a
room; the number itself corresponds to one of the forty different room
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illustrations which are depicted below the map. Blank regions on the map
or squares without numbers indicate areas that are as yet unexplored.
(The illustrations were created using only characters of the extended
ASCII set.)
A) To get to the leftmost entry point: From the elevator landing (room
#1), proceed along the route of rooms as indicated by the following
sequence:
1-D-2-L-3-3-4-5-5-5-6-3-U-14-20
(This simple code means: From room #1, go down to room #2, then left
through rooms #3,3,4,5,5,5,6,3, then up through room #14 to get to
room #20. To go from the last room #3 to room #14 you'll need to
use the "wall-door" technique.)
B) To get to the rightmost entry point: From the elevator landing
(room #1), proceed along the route of rooms as indicated by the
following sequence:
1-D-2-R-10-11-11-12-13-U-14-21
(Use the "wall-door" technique to go from room #13 through room #14
to reach room #21.)
C) To get to the central entry point: From the elevator landing (room
#1), proceed along the route of rooms as indicated by the following
sequence:
(You'll need to use the "wall-door" technique twice here: first, to
go up from room #20 through room #14 and above, and second, to go up
from room #3 through rooms #14,20. When going up from room #20 to
room #14, it is very important to first jump over to the right-hand
side of the screen: then use the "wall-door" technique on the door
on the right, NOT the door on the left. If you study the
illustrations of these rooms carefully, you'll see why: the "wall-
door" technique works only where there is actually a wall; it will
not, however, permit you to climb upwards through a floor and then
on into thin air.)
Some further explanation of the directions for entry point "C" is in
order. You may be wondering why the route to the central entry point of
Hideout #2 is so circuitous (which it is, quite literally). This is yet
another of the mysteries of Metroid. The explanation is apparently this:
a screen which ordinarily permits only a horizontal transition to the
next screen may permit you to enter and leave it in vertical-scrolling
mode--if you can manage somehow to enter it while already in vertical-
scrolling mode. For example, some rooms whose ceilings ordinarily bar
any attempt at vertical motion will permit it if you manage to enter the
room--or even a neighboring room--by going up through the floor from a
room beneath.
Page 6
This is exactly what is happening in the case of the central entry
point--it must be approached while in vertical-scrolling mode, and you
can do this only if you approach it by coming up through the floor of a
neighboring room. Since the game is somewhat devious in this respect,
you must be rather wily as you go about exploring it.
If you are not successful in your attempts to enter a hidden area by one
means, try approaching it from a different route or direction. And
always, keep a record not only of the rooms you discover but of the route
you used in approaching them.
As you may see from the map, in the "documented" or "normal" area of
Hideout #2 there are 84 rooms, while there are (at least) 145 rooms in
the hidden area. And without doubt, there are many more rooms waiting to
be discovered. This represents a great amount of "undocumented area"
indeed, and if we are correct in taking this as a representative example
it suggests how much hidden area may also yet be discovered in Hideout #1
and in Brinstar.
Which brings us to ponder what is doubtless the greatest Metroid mystery
of all: Why do these hidden areas exist? Where do they lead? Do they
conceal some great secret? I have not yet reached the end of any one of
these areas, but their exploration is so diabolically difficult a task
that one must, at least occasionally, suspect some impish or wicked
purpose on the part of the programmers--or perhaps they had no purpose
at all.
But the creation of these areas is evidently not some mere fluke, not
some aberration of the program, but a deliberate act of design. For
deep within the hidden areas, one may occasionally see specially-drawn
scenes which appear nowhere else in Metroid. Just what ultimate goal or
end is behind it all? To date, the game counselors at Nintendo of
America know virtually knothing about Metroid's hidden areas--they
evidently haven't been briefed by the folks in Japan who wrote the
program.
So, my fellow gamesters and loyal Metroid aficionados, it is up to us.
Let us broadcast an appeal to the clever designers and programmers of
Metroid, and ask that they enlighten these dark spots on Planet Zebes
forthwith and dispel the mystery. If any of the programmers who wrote
Metroid in Japan happen to read this, will one be good enough to send a
reply? Please tell us all about the hidden areas of Metroid--and tell
us, furthermore, if there is an easier way to explore these forbidding
regions!
(Users of other bulletin boards--especially in Japan--please copy.)
--Elken Osher
71301,1255
24 May 1990.
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MAP OF HIDEOUT #2, INCLUDING HIDDEN AREA
----------------------------------------
[Note: the area enclosed by the double line represents the extent of
Hideout #2 shown in the "The Official Nintendo Game Players Guide." All
else is "undocumented" (hidden) area. The map shown is probably not
complete and more may yet remain to be discovered.]
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ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE ROOMS IN HIDEOUT #2
----------------------------------------
