Famicom Mini original Metroid on GBA in Japanese version. Labyrinthine, oppressive, one of a kind. Without a guide it's chaos, but the atmosphere remains magnetic.
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Category
Compilation1 player7+
Description
GBA version of Metroid released on Famicom Disk System, published by Nintendo in Japan in August 2004. Samus Aran explores planet Zebes in her power suit to neutralize Metroids and defeat Mother Brain. Non-linear exploration of interconnected corridors, progressive ability acquisition - Morph Ball, bombs, missiles and improved speed. Six different endings based on completion time. Twenty-third number in the Famicom Mini series.
Famicom Mini 23 - Metroid review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
MAX
Music
★★★★★
"Legendary"
3/5
Story
★★★★★
"Solid"
This reissue takes up the version released on magnetic media in Japan, whose dressing differs from the one known elsewhere: a start-up screen specific to the peripheral, interstitial loading screens, and a save system replacing long strings of characters with named files. Those interface differences are preserved as they stood.
Signed by Hirokazu Tanaka, the music of Metroid trades melody for atmosphere, making dread and solitude its true themes. Anxious electronic pads and heavy silences weave an oppressive science-fiction climate. This visionary sonic approach redefined what game music could be.
Gameplay
"Excellent"
Fun
"Pleasant"
Addictiveness
"Engaging"
Difficulty
"Balanced"
Lifespan
"Average"
Technical info
💾2,3 MB📅10/08/2004
Published by Nintendo
Famicom Mini 23 - Metroid (GBA) price, value & rarity
Complete: box, manual and disc/cart very clean. Lightly handled.
Q1 damagedQ6 completeQ10 new
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Collector interest
GBA reissue of the original Metroid in the Disk System Edition of the Famicom Mini collection, a sub-series with a shorter print run. The founding act of one of Nintendo's great sagas, the 1986 Disk System game established the non-linear maze exploration that would define the so-called metroidvania genre. Its presentation reproduces the disk's dress, a marker of this sought sub-line. Its collecting interest rests on this relative rarity of the Disk System Edition and on the status of a matrix of an entire video-game genre.
Is Famicom Mini 23 - Metroid still worth playing in 2026?
A GBA reissue of the original Metroid, this Famicom Mini brings back the founding title of nonlinear exploration, where Samus Aran walks Zebes' maze like corridors, gaining abilities that open new passages. The pioneering structure, the mood of isolation and the freedom of progression defined an entire genre. The lack of a map and the austerity make the adventure tough, faithful to 1986. For an exploration fan, someone curious about the metroidvania roots or a collector, the title keeps a capital historical importance and a gripping atmosphere.
