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Eris is a atmospheric masterpeice hack of #SuperMetroid - Most hacks do a fine job of delivering a new experience to Super Metroid, but call this one "The Doctor" because it has enough heart to make two. So much polish on every room to make them all unique. It can be a little confusing to memorize the map, as the biomes are spread out in such a way you could be going into one from, another, back into the same one again. it makes sense in a world building way but I definitely needed a map - thank you maptroid.unrest.io - And I think if you want to beat the game in under 10 hours on your first playthough, one is required.

Speaking of which, the Biomes are all great, feel real to the world and again, have been polished nicely to the point where you really do feel like you're discovering a lost world that is on it's last breath due to automation and the creatures that came before. Some creepy and unsettling concepts were conveyed just by exploring the world and getting what you need to complete it. Which is the perfect way to do so for a Metroid game.

Great layout, unreal graphics and sound. Its only flaw is that progression can be difficult to find/figure out and it's pretty hard. It's so good that any Metroid fan should play it, some might just be wise to use save states.

So I've played this game a handful of times, just finishing another play today, and decided I wanted to do a review of it, especially since this hack has only a couple to its credit. Eris took me a while to get to since I had to find it pre-patched as my own attempts would repeatedly result in failure, so I'm not sure which I'm playing, but I THINK it's the 2012 version. So anyway, on to the review!

MAP: So this is what can make a big deal to me in a Super Metroid game: the map we're playing. Don't get me wrong, I play a number of Super Metroid hacks, but I really like when a hack goes out of its way to make it feel like a totally new experience with the map, and this one really did. As mentioned in another review on here, there is no multiple maps to download for multiple areas; it's all one huge map together. However, the environments are all varied, and VERY wildly, at that. There's the desolate Eris Station, the watery caverns just below it, the icy mountains to the east of it, and a number of different Chozo ruins surrounding it, and much more. Each environment looks like the developers REALLY used the game's toolset to its fullest, and Planet Eris looks like someplace FAR removed from Zebes. All in all, I quite enjoy how big the world feels in spite of what just looking at the map itself would show.

GAMEPLAY: Eris plays like standard Super Metroid, though there are a few changes to the gameplay that set it apart. For one thing, several of the items are either changed or curiously absent. There is no Screw Attack, just a new item called Evasion that works similarly but is only for allowing you to spin past enemies and obstacles without taking damage. It can be difficult to get used to, however, but some practice may alleviate that. The X-Ray Scope no longer exists, so you're going to have to get used to bombing around to see where to go. The Reserve Tanks are gone, but that merely translates to 400 extra energy you don't get to lug around. However, that leads into the next point...this game is REALLY difficult! The biggest reason for this is because there is only ONE armor upgrade, and you don't get it until you're about 80% of the way through the game. As a result, Samus will only be wearing the basic Power Suit and will take full damage from everything, resulting in a game over very quickly if you're not careful. There's also a LOT of underwater gameplay in this hack, which can be a bit of an annoyance if you don't like moving slowly due to lack of an upgrade. One enhanced feature of gameplay though is allowing Samus to keep her momentum when running if she jumps and lands on a surface uninterrupted. This makes speedboosting and shinesparking significantly easier for some of the puzzles required for items....which you will need to work for since the other side of the difficulty is that missile packs give +2 while super missile and power bomb packs only give +1 to your maximum. Thankfully, none of the puzzles to get items are too frustrating.

FUN: All in all, it's a challenging new Super Metroid game, and given it's supposed to tie in to Super since Eris is supposed to be a sister-station to Ceres, it could almost be a decent sequel. It can be a little difficult to figure out where to go without a map on hand, but those are available online to find if necessary. It can be frustrating to play sometimes since enemies WILL beat you to a pulp easily and frequently, but if that's your idea of fun, then you'll like this. I will say though...for being something of an unofficial sequel to Super, it feels like a missed opportunity for one reason: I have NO idea what's going on here! Clearly Eris Station was studying something on this planet, but what? Why? And what happened to cause it to be in the state it's in when Samus arrived? Did they find something they shouldn't have? Did they re-enact the dwarves of LOTR and "dug too deep"? I have no clue, and I wish there were more story logs added to give SOMETHING of a backstory for what we're seeing. It is kinda fun to imagine what the environments could be based on what we're seeing, but there's nothing to answer what any of the places in-game mean or have to do with anything other than Samus goes there. There is ONE log entry found late in the game, on the brink of finishing the game, so by that point, one wonders why they even bothered with it.

MY RATING: 8.0/10 All in all, this is a challenging Super Metroid game, and it's fun but can be a bit frustrating at times if you're not carefully managing your energy. The best part of the game is the level design as the developer(s) went out of their way to REALLY create a brand new world here, and their skill with that shows. It's sadly a bit of a lackluster effort since there's no exposition for what's going on, which is sad, but admittedly not VITAL for a Super hack. A great job through and through, but be warned that you've got your work cut out for you if you want to try!

Absolutely LOVED this hack! The level design is amazing, especially the use of modified color schemes and tiles. Having only a single submap was a neat idea too, makes for an interesting style of secret searching.

In this hack, everything is mixed and matched in really cool ways. Boss order especially. Some sequence breaking is possible, but only really in the sense of getting things before you absolutely need them. Mostly skill and searching are rewarded with excessive power, making things that required extreme care laughable.

This is especially true in expansions. There is no large first expansion, so each missile is worth 2 and each SM/PB is worth 1. So finding secrets is huge to having enough ammo.

This hack also has a massive bonus compared to many: NO HELL RUNS! WOOOOOOO!

There are a couple points that sucked, namely silver doors, but most of the key points give hints so you don't have to be a secrets god to finish.

This review is on Eris 2012, but I will mention some differences between the original version and the 2012 version.

Eris provides a very strong playing experience in a small package. The entire hack fits on one submap, but it still manages to be bigger than you think. It is definitely a more challenging hack, as enemies will take you out very quickly. This being the case, the hack requires the player to exercise a bit more patience than most hacks. The difficulty will most likely be a major turn off for anyone but the above average player. You will need to be good at this game to get the most out of it.

For those advanced players, there is a lot to be gained from this hack. It has good challenge and a lot to explore. Because the hack is no larger than one submap and is very well connected, backtracking is a requirement that does not take much time. This allows the player to quickly get places and check out potential paths. This helps the hack feel fast moving and constantly fresh as players keep collecting more items.

There are some bits that are tricky though. One of the major downsides to the hack is one pathway in particular. Now, this path does have a hint of sorts, but it is something pretty much everyone will miss. That makes it great for hiding an item, not for a required path. On top of that, in that same room, there is another somewhat obscure thing required of the player, which again is given a hint, but the hint also leaves a lot to be desired.

PROS

• Good exploration
• Provides hints at points where player might be confused
• Fetch quest can be done during the normal exploring to collect items
• Larger than it seems, but very well connected and easy to get around

CONS

• Very challenging for non-advanced players
• Palettes and tiling might be an issue to some

Eris 2012 is a hack I do recommend, and overall I would say it improves on the first version. However, some of the stated missions of this revision fall short. One of DMantra's stated missions was to make the hack easier. However, I found the 2012 version to do the exact opposite. In the original, you could collect an item that made some very tough early bosses much easier. In the 2012 version, you can't get that item until much later. Again with the Super Missiles, this becomes an issue. The original version gave you 10 the first time you get them, the 2012 version gives you 3. So in the end, the 2012 version ends up being harder.

One thing the 2012 version will help first time Eris players is direction. Some gates and the aforementioned hints in the scenery help give the player some direction. It also adds a brand new little area that pays some homage to the Alien series. If you are good at Super Metroid hacks, this one should be on your list of hacks to play. But again, if you have trouble with some other hacks, this one may be too difficult right now.