 Available in A4 (£7.99) or A3 (£10.99)Description
The Beginning of Metroid
Released for the NES in the late 1980s, Metroid introduced players to bounty hunter Samus Aran and a new kind of Nintendo adventure built around exploration, combat and discovery. Her mission takes her deep into the fortress world of Zebes, where the Space Pirates are attempting to exploit the mysterious Metroid creatures as weapons. Samus must explore the planet, locate hidden upgrades, defeat the Space Pirate forces and ultimately destroy Mother Brain. What made the game particularly distinctive was that Zebes wasn’t simply a series of linear stages. Players were encouraged to explore its interconnected areas, discover hidden passages and return to previously inaccessible locations after gaining new abilities.
That combination of exploration and progression would become the foundation of the 2D Metroid series.
Exploring Planet Zebes
The original Metroid creates an atmosphere that is remarkably different from many other NES games of its era. Samus begins her journey with relatively limited abilities and gradually becomes more powerful by discovering upgrades hidden throughout Zebes. The Morph Ball allows her to access passages that would otherwise be impossible to reach, while weapons and suit upgrades open up further sections of the planet.
Brinstar, Norfair and the other areas of Zebes are interconnected by corridors, elevators and hidden routes. Without the conveniences of a modern map system, players had to learn the environment for themselves, remembering locations and working out where newly acquired abilities could be put to use.
This sense of isolation and discovery became one of Metroid’s defining characteristics.
Samus Aran’s First Adventure
Metroid was the first game to introduce Samus Aran, who would go on to become one of Nintendo’s most recognisable characters. Her journey takes her from the surface of Zebes deep into the Space Pirate fortress, where she must face enemies and bosses including Kraid, Ridley and eventually Mother Brain. Along the way, she can acquire powerful upgrades including the Ice Beam, Varia Suit, Screw Attack and additional missile capacity.
The game therefore constantly gives the player a reason to explore further. A new ability isn’t simply another power-up; it can completely change where Samus can go and how she approaches the world around her.
A Defining NES Adventure
The original Metroid established the formula that would define the series for decades: an interconnected world, exploration, hidden upgrades, increasingly powerful abilities and a mysterious science-fiction setting. Nintendo describes the original game as the beginning of the 2D Metroid storyline, which would continue through Metroid II: Return of Samus and Super Metroid before eventually reaching later games including Metroid Dread.
For retro gamers, the original NES game is therefore much more than simply the first entry in a famous franchise. It is where Samus, the Metroids, Zebes, the Space Pirates and the exploration-focused gameplay that became synonymous with the series all began.
Design & Style
This poster uses a gameplay screenshot from the original NES version of Metroid as its main image, preserving the distinctive 8-bit appearance of Samus’s first adventure.
- Authentic Metroid NES gameplay screenshot used as the main image
- Original 8-bit presentation showcasing Samus exploring the hostile world of Zebes
- Metroid title positioned above the gameplay image
- Developer, publisher, genre and launch platform information displayed in the top-right
- Six colour swatches sampled directly from the gameplay screenshot positioned in the top-left
- Short description of the game and its original release year positioned beneath the main image
- Original NES platform branding incorporated at the bottom
- Clean gallery-style layout designed to make an authentic gameplay moment work as modern gaming wall art
If you prefer the original artwork rather than an in-game moment, the Metroid NES Key Art Poster is also available. The two designs offer different ways of celebrating the same classic adventure and can work particularly well as a matching pair.
The design also leads naturally into the next chapter of Samus’s story with the Metroid II: Return of Samus Poster, making it easy to start building a collection around the early 2D Metroid games.
Print Details
- Available in A4 – 210 × 297mm
- Available in A3 – 297 × 420mm
- Printed on 240gsm Premium Gloss Photo Paper
- High-quality colour reproduction
- Designed for easy framing and display
- Ideal for gaming rooms, bedrooms, offices and retro gaming collections
Shipping
- Free UK shipping
- International shipping available
- Carefully packaged to help ensure your poster arrives in excellent condition
Perfect For
- Metroid fans
- Nintendo NES collectors
- Retro gaming enthusiasts
- Samus Aran fans
- Classic Nintendo collectors
- 2D Metroid fans
- Fans of 8-bit gaming
- Gaming rooms and retro displays
- Anyone who remembers exploring planet Zebes on the original NES
25% OFF WHEN YOU BUY 2+ POSTERS – DISCOUNT APPLIED AUTOMATICALLY
Add two or more posters to your order and the 25% discount is applied automatically at checkout.
This gameplay design can be paired with the Metroid 1–3 Gameplay Poster Bundle, which brings together gameplay designs from the original Metroid, Metroid II: Return of Samus and Super Metroid.
