Super Metroid's Frequently Asked Questions

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Section One: The Header, I guess
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-0.1 Intro-

(Now easier to read!)

Welcome to the GameFAQ's Super Metroid Message Board Frequently Asked
Questions compilation (or GSMMBFAQ).

As the name says, this page is a compilation of all the qustions asked
on the Frequently Asked Question topic once found on GameFAQ's Super
Metroid message board.

I am Desincarnage, creator of the topic and main question answerer.

If you see mistakes in the questions, I won't correct them cause that's
exactly how the people on GameFAQs formulated them. If you see
mistakes in the answers, however, make sure you let me know on
GameFAQs' message board.

I suck at intros >_>

I would like to thank NotYou, Kejardon, Cloud Strife J, Biscuit Thief
and all the others who formulated good answers while I was absent. I
would also like to thank ShadowZero313 for his hard work. I really
appreciate it guys, without your help, this FAQ wouldn't even be half
of what it is now.

Anyways, on to the FAQ.

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-0.2 Table of Contents-

	0.1 Intro
	0.2 Table of Contents
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	1.1 Gameplay Questions (About the game in general)
	1.2 Sequence Breaking (About doing the game upside down)
	1.3 Specific Runs (About weird ways to do the game)
	1.4 Glitches (About the countless glitches of this game)
	1.5 Other Questions (About various other interesting stuff)
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	2.1 Special Thanks Redone
	2.2 Disclaimer
	2.3 Outro

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Section Two: The Body
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I will make a list of all the questions so you can more easily find
what you are looking for. Note that questions are roughly in the
same order they were posted on the message board.

-1.1 Gameplay Questions

1.1.1. Q: What is the Crystalflash and who do you preform it?

1.1.2. I'm stuck in the room with small monkeys/austrich! What do I
  have to do?

1.1.3. Can I go back and collect any more items in the game if I have
  saved in the last point point in Tourian before fighting the final
  boss?

1.1.4. Where is Kraid/How can I survive Norfair? *spoilers*

1.1.5. How do I escape Ridley's Lair/Lower Norfair?

1.1.6. Where is the Spring Ball?

1.1.7. How can I save the animals before the planet explodes at the
  end and what happens if I do?

1.1.8. Can you kill Ridley at Ceres Station?

1.1.9. Can I escape the bomb torizo pit before the door closes with
  the bombs?

1.1.10. So i just beat Wrecked Ship, got my G-suit, and headed
  straight down to Maridia. But all i got out of it was a lousy Map
  Station! What am i doing wrong? Please god some1 help me out my life
  DEPENDS on this!!!

1.1.11. What is the n00b bridge?

1.1.12. After I hit Phantoon, he shoots several waves of blue
  fireballs across the screen that I can't destroy or dodge, so I take a
  lot of damage. How do I avoid taking this damage?

1.1.13. I've heard I can save some animals at the end of the game
  once the planet blows up. Where are they, and how do I save them? Does
  this change the ending?

1.1.14. I'm stuck in this bridge in Brinstar that has some spikes in
  the ceiling and I can't pass it, and when I go back a metal-door is
  blocking the way, how do I go back or pass the bridge?

1.1.15. I just finished Norfair and I don't know where to go!

1.1.16. What room is that missile tank in Lower Norfair that has that
  glitch where you can't see it with the X-Ray Scope?

1.1.17. What's with the giant turtle in Maridia?

1.1.18. Is it possible to pass the n00b bridge w/o teh dash button?

1.1.19. Does the ice beam add strength to your overall beam? Like
  should I equip it for boss battles?

1.1.20. How do you turn into a ball in mid air then bomb jump without
  falling to the ground first then jumping back up?

1.1.21. Is it possible to get to Planet Zebes in 0:00?

1.1.22. How can I speed up Mother Brain lowering my health? I'm going
  for speed with all 14 tanks.

1.1.23. What are generally regarded as the hardest to get missile
  packs? And how about the most overlooked?

1.1.24. Is there a built-in map in this game, as in Zero Mission or
  Fusion?

1.1.25. How do I get to the main boss in Norfair?

1.1.26. Is there a way to start the game with the hyper beam
  (including game genies)?

1.1.27. Where is the sticky ball, that allows me to go into morph
  ball mode, and then stick to the walls rolling around? I hear its great
  in helping to find secret areas.

1.1.28. (Not regarding Metroid 3) Are you sure? The spider ball in
  Metroid Prime is nothing like what you said. What's the deal?

1.1.29. Where is the Grappling Beam. I've looked for it all over the
  place and still can't seem to find it.

1.1.30. Is it best to start with moonwalk mode on?

1.1.31. What's the fastest way to kill those Golden Space Pirates
  before Ridley? They take too long to kill!

1.1.32. I can't beat Ridley!! I have fought him many times. What am I
  doing wrong? Please help!!

1.1.33. I really suck at bomb jumping. Always have. Any good timing
  tricks?

1.1.34. Does the ice beam add strength to your overall beam? Like
  should I equip it for boss battles?

1.1.35. How do you do that fricking midair horizontal shinespark? I
  can pull off every other kind of shinespark except for a horizontal
  midair one. I can do horizontals on the ground, but whenever I try a
  midair one, it gives me a diagonal shinespark instead.

1.1.36. I fell down one of those sand-traps in maridia, and I'm stuck
  in room that doesn't seem to have an exit. the floor is mostly covered
  in sand (you can't fall through it though) except for the left and
  right corners of the room. above the left side of the room has a morph
  ball maze with a missile tank and the 4th reserve tank. I can't get to
  the items because there is a morph ball tunnel set high in the wall
  above a disapperaing floor. There are no obvious exits to from the
  room. How do I solve my dilemma? What Items am I supposed to have here?

1.1.37. How can i make samus turn into a ball so she could go through
  small holes?

1.1.38. Can I get out of lower Norfair after going past the room
  that fill with lava before the last save station before Ridley?

1.1.39. Q: What's the gold statue in Brinstar for? It looks like it
  has Ridley on the top.

1.1.40. Q: How much do the Varia and Gravity suits reduce damage?

1.1.41. Q: Will the Gravity Suit alone protect you from heat damage?

1.1.42. Q: Do power bombs work on mother brain just like they work on
  Ridley?

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1.1.1. Q: What is the Crystalflash and who do you preform it?

A: The Crystal Flash is a move that allows you to recover full health
when you are in a critical state. To perform it, you must have less
than 41 energy left, empty reserve tanks, at least 10 missiles,
10 super missiles and 11 power bombs. Select the power bombs, morph
into a ball and hold L, R and Down, and then lay a Powerbomb. Hold
fire as well, amd don't release them until you perform the move.
There you go =P

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1.1.2. Q: I'm stuck in the room with small monkeys/austrich! What do I
have to do?

A: Monkeys: These creatures are called Eteecoons. They're here to show
you how to wall jump. To do so, you have to do a spin jump towards a
wall, then, when you're next to it, press the opposite direction and
then immediatly press jump again. It should perform another jump. Keep
going on until you reach the top.
Austrich: This creature is named the Dachola. It's here to show you
how to use a super jump. You need to run at full speed(with the
Speed Booster equipped) then duck. You should be flashing white.
At this moment, you can press jump to fly directly upwards. You can do
this verticaly, horizontaly and diagonaly. To do it diagonaly, you have
to hold L or R before pressing jump. To do it horizontaly, you need to
press forward and jump at the same time.

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1.1.3. Q: Can I go back and collect any more items in the game if I
have saved in the last point point in Tourian before fighting the final
boss?

A: Short/Legit Answer: No, once you save there, you are stuck
permanently and cannot escape Tourian. Long Answer: It is possible if
you wish to cheat using a few Gameshark codes which allow you to start
anywhere you can save.

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1.1.4. Q: Where is Kraid/How can I survive Norfair?

A: Kraid's Lair is hidden behind some super missile blocks just above
the elevator to Norfair. Look to the right and shoot these blocks with
your Super Missiles. Kraid's Lair is inside the blue Monster's mouth.
After you defeat Kraid, you gain access to the Varia Suit, which will
halve your damage and protect you from the excessive heat of Norfair.

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1.1.5. Q: How do I escape Ridley's Lair/Lower Norfair?

A: You can push your luck and dive into the hot lava and go back out
the way you came, which is much more difficult, or you can look for
another exit in the top floor of the fireflea room to the left (it
won't show up on your X-ray scope) to escape.

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1.1.6. Q: Where is the Spring Ball?

A: The Spring ball is in Maridia. You can get the Spring Ball once you
have the grapple beam and preferably the space jump. Make your way to
the right past the Falling Quicksand Rooms which you arrive at the
bottom if you were to take the long-vertical transport tube up and down
Maridia. You will arrive in a room with a single crumble-grapple block.
Use your grapple beam on that block to latch on and wait for it to
crumble. Up there is the pathway to the spring ball, and once you get
into the room with the huge mace-like monster, drop a power bomb
immediately so he can clear the way to the spring ball for you.

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1.1.7. Q: How can I save the animals before the planet explodes at the
end and what happens if I do?

A: Go back towards the area where you fought the bomb torizo at the
beginning of the game and then drop a power bomb in that room to free
them. If you manage to escape, you'll see a small speak escape off the
screen before Zebes explodes.

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1.1.8. Q: Can you kill Ridley at Ceres Station?

A: No. You can however, shoot him over and over again until he drops
the Metroid and flies off with it to cause the Station to explode, or
you can get below 30 health, and he'll still escape with the Metroid.
Either way, he survives.

---

1.1.9. Q: Can I escape the bomb torizo pit before the door closes with
the bombs?

A: No. The door just closes way too soon. Ultima4701 tried doing it
with his hacking skills and made it possible, but normally, or even
with glitches, it is impossible.

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1.1.10. Q: So i just beat Wrecked Ship, got my G-suit, and headed
straight down to Maridia. But all i got out of it was a lousy Map
Station! What am i doing wrong? Please god some1 help me out my life
DEPENDS on this!!!

A: Get your ass to Brinstar Depths pronto, go to the glass-tube room (2
rooms to the left of the Norfair Elevator/entrance to Kraid's Lair, and
lay a POWER BOMB. the second you move after the bomb detonates, the
whole tube will shatter, leaving you in the REAL Maridia. head down to
save, or up to continue on.

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1.1.11. Q: What is the n00b bridge?

A: There's a room in Brinstar between the large pink room and the long
red shaft that has a series of crumbling blocks that must be traversed.
As long as you know there's a dash button and are physically able to
press it, then this room shouldn't be a problem.

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1.1.12. Q: After I hit Phantoon, he shoots several waves of blue
fireballs across the screen that I can't destroy or dodge, so I take a
lot of damage. How do I avoid taking this damage?

A: A little-known trick is that charging up your Charge Beam and
performing a Spin Jump will grant you powers similar to the Screw
Attack for the duration of your spin. By charging your beam and doing a
Spin Jump as Phantoon's fireballs pass over you, you'll avoid getting
hit.

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1.1.13. Q: I've heard I can save some animals at the end of the game
once the planet blows up. Where are they, and how do I save them? Does
this change the ending?

A: You heard correct. You must find a way to get into the room where
you first got the bombs from Fighting the Torizo in Crateria. You can
blow open the right wall with your hyper beam to let them escape to the
right. If you do indeed let them go, you'll notice a small speck going
off from the planet before it explodes in space, nothing else happens,
you still get your time and percentage at the end.

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1.1.14. Q: I'm stuck in this bridge in Brinstar that has some spikes in
the ceiling and I can't pass it, and when I go back a metal-door is
blocking the way, how do I go back or pass the bridge?

A: You can use the run button. The default is B.

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1.1.15. Q: I just finished Norfair and I don't know where to go!

A: If you're really sure you got everything you can get in Norfair,
then it's time for you to go to the Wrecked Ship. To go there, you have
to go back to your ship and go the the area to the right of it.

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1.1.16. Q: What room is that missile tank in Lower Norfair that has
that glitch where you can't see it with the X-Ray Scope?

A: It's not really a glitch, the game has been set that way. There also
are some similar places in Maridia. To get to the room you're talking
about, you first need to find that non-heated room in Lower Norfair
where there are head in the wall that shoots fireballs at you, as well
as rocks rolling down the hills. Get to the top of that room and go
left. Get to the top of that other room and head right. You should walk
through the wall and end up in another room.(I don't know if it's
entirely accurate, I haven't played in a while. Anyway, if you can't
find the room, explore that area. I know it's at the top of a room and
that it's through a right wall.)

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1.1.17. Q: What's with the giant turtle in Maridia?

A: Jump on the giant turtle, he will rocket you into the air. Jump up
and grapple on a block and reach the energy tank. Also, fall down on
the right side of the wall and Power Bomb, and you will reveal the most
commonly missed missile tank!

---

1.1.18. Q: Is it possible to pass the n00b bridge w/o teh dash button?

A: Also, for the n00b bridge, it is possible to get past it on PAL
version only. Blocks crumble a tiny bit slower in the PAL version, thus
making it possible to pass the n00b bridge in morph ball form. It is
nothing but a matter of luck though.

---

1.1.19. Q: Does the ice beam add strength to your overall beam? Like
should I equip it for boss battles?

A: The Ice Beam adds a slight but noticeable amount of damage to your
beam. This change can be observed better in the fight against Phantoon:
If you shoot him with a charged Spazer/Wave shot or a Missile, he'll
begin flying across the room. That's when you have the chance to hit
him 3 times in a row. But if you shoot him with a charged
Spazer/Wave/Ice or a Super Missile, he'll start spitting waves of blue
fireballs. I do not have the exact values, but I do know that the Ice
Beam adds a very slight amount of damage, yet it is enough to make
Phantoon's pattern change.

---

1.1.20. Q: How do you turn into a ball in mid air then bomb jump
without falling to the ground first then jumping back up?

A: It's all about timing. You have to jump and turn into a ball as fast
as you can. Then, you have to wait the right moment to drop a bomb
while you are still going up. You'll then reach the peak of your jump
and fall back. If you did it right, the explosion will send you back up
a little bit. The distance of the bomb compared to the peak of your
jump should be roughly equal to the distance of a bomb jump

---

1.1.21. Q: Is it possible to get to Planet Zebes in 0:00?

A: The only way to reach Zebes with a 0:00 counter is to use a cheating
device such as a Game Genie, Gameshark or Pro Action Replay. Note that
I strongly discourage you from using such devices as they will not
enhance your abilities. They'll just show you are a loser.

---

1.1.22. Q: How can I speed up Mother Brain lowering my health? I'm
going for speed with all 14 tanks.

A: If you want Mother Brain to lower your health faster, I suggest
that, when Mother Brain's head is still on the ground, you repeatedly
run right into it. Your energy will drop at an insane rate. Just stop
when you have 3 tanks left and just don't get hit at all. You can keep
more tanks if you know you can't fight her without being hit. Just be
careful that your amount of energy does not drop under 3 full tanks.
You could also keep between 8 and 10 tanks and remove the Varia when
Mother Brain is about to fire her laser.

---

1.1.23. Q: What are generally regarded as the hardest to get missile
packs? And how about the most overlooked?

A: There's a ton. Two I find annoying or hard to find would be the one
in Norfair with the tower of crumbling blocks and the one in Maridia in
the wall with the turtle.

A satisfied reader adds: "Mind if I point out another that I think is
pretty difficult to find: The missile pack in the "second" large
superheated room in Norfair (En route to the Speed Booster)
 - There's no on-map indicator, it's hidden at the bottom of an
innocuous-looking lava pool, and it's in an early area where one
might be reluctant to risk boiling alive in lava at such an early
stage. That one was the pack that kept me at 99% for quite a few
playthroughs, I only found it by dumb luck."

---

1.1.24. Q: Is there a built-in map in this game, as in Zero Mission or
Fusion?

A: Yes, there is. Just press the Start button and you'll see it.

---

1.1.25. Q: How do I get to the main boss in Norfair?

A: To even be able to reach its area, you first need the Space Jump,
which can be obtained from the main boss in Maridia. Then, go to
Norfair. The access to Ridley's lair is a room filled with lava, with
heads sticking out the walls that shoots blue fireballs at you. Space
jump up to the platform and go down the elevator. Explore this new area
and you should find the boss rather easily.

---

1.1.26. Q: Is there a way to start the game with the hyper beam
(including game genies)?

A: The only way to start with the Hyper Beam is to use cheat codes,
which I won't provide here because there's already plenty of those on
the net.

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1.1.27. Q: Where is the sticky ball, that allows me to go into morph
ball mode, and then stick to the walls rolling around? I hear its great
in helping to find secret areas.

A: There is no such thing as a sticky ball in Super Metroid. You're
confusing with Metroid II: The Return of Samus on Game Boy, or with
Metroid Prime. And this item is called the Spider Ball.

---

1.1.28. Q: (Not regarding Metroid 3) Are you sure? The spider ball in
Metroid Prime is nothing like what you said. What's the deal?

A: The Spider Ball in Metroid Prime has been altered to work in a 3d
enviroment, kind of like the space jump.

---

1.1.29. Q: Where is the Grappling Beam? I've looked for it all over the
place and still can't seem to find it.

A: To get the Ice Beam you first must beat Crocomire: he's some kind of
ugly red monster that you have to push back into some lava. But to get
to him, you must first get either the Power Bombs OR the Wave Beam. I
cannot tell you the path using the Wave Beam (can't play =P) so I'll
tell you how to get there using the Power Bombs. From the Norfair
elevator, drop down a little bit and enter the first door to your left.
You'll have to run past closing gates: this is the way to the Ice Beam.
Make sure you have the Speed Booster. As you run, you'll eventually get
stopped by a hole you have dug into the ground because of your speed,
just in front of the door. That's where you drop a Power Bomb. Enter
the tunnel, kill the ennemies and enter the door. Drop down the small
shaft (watch out for pirates) and open the door in the floor. Go right
from here and you should reach a room with a Super Missile door in the
floor. Open it and face Crocomire. After you have beat him, explore the
area to his left and you'll get the Grappling beam =)
-Dang! That is one long explanation for where to find the grapple beam!
:)

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1.1.30. Q: Is it best to start with moonwalk mode on?

A: I suggest you don't. Being able to turn around while still charging
is primordial against bosses if you run out of missiles and Super
missiles. The moonwalk prevents you from doing that.

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1.1.31. Q: What's the fastest way to kill those Golden Space Pirates
before Ridley? They take too long to kill!

A: Smokey said: "get between the two of them and make sure the screen
isn't showing one of the golden pirates. Take one at a time. Wait for
them to attack you, don't start shooting at them like crazy, wait until
they throw the kick at you and become yellow. Dodge it with a simple
jump, aim back and shoot some super missiles or charged plasma shots."

---

1.1.32. Q: I can't beat Ridley!! I have fought him many times. What am
I doing wrong? Please help!!

A: Just use the Screw Attack to avoid most of his attacks (except his
tail) and keep pumping Super Missiles, Missiles and charged Plasma
Beams into him. That should do the work.

---

1.1.33. Q: I really suck at bomb jumping. Always have. Any good timing
tricks?

A: NeoNamek said: "I have my good days and my bad days on bomb jumping.
I can only do the vertical flavor, but the trick I use is to watch
where I laid my previous bomb, and when Samus falls toward it, to place
another bomb just above it. The hard part is getting started,
especially if you don't have the High Jump Boots, because you have to
change into ball form so quickly that you might not get a chance to set
your first bomb before your jump peaks. And then, if you're like me and
learned bomb jumping without the High Jump Boots, they will screw you
over when you try to do bomb jumps with them."

---

1.1.34. Q: Does the ice beam add strength to your overall beam? Like
should I equip it for boss battles?

A: Aearis said: "A: It does, but only by a very small amount. The only
time this would prove to be useful, is as aforementioned, during a boss
fight."

---

1.1.35. Q: How do you do that fricking midair horizontal shinespark? I
can pull off every other kind of shinespark except for a horizontal
midair one. I can do horizontals on the ground, but whenever I try a
midair one, it gives me a diagonal shinespark instead.

A: smokeYxMCpot said: "it's actually quite simple. First off all,
charge your speed booster at full speed and press 'down' to trigger the
'super jump' mode. Now do a normal spin jump, and while in mid-air,
press 'up' (to activate the super jump position) now just press
'forward' and the 'jump' button."

---

1.1.36. Q: I fell down one of those sand-traps in maridia, and I'm
stuck in room that doesn't seem to have an exit. the floor is mostly
covered in sand (you can't fall through it though) except for the left
and right corners of the room. above the left side of the room has a
morph ball maze with a missile tank and the 4th reserve tank. I can't
get to the items because there is a morph ball tunnel set high in the
wall above a disapperaing floor. There are no obvious exits to from the
room. How do I solve my dilemma? What Items am I supposed to have here?

A: These are the Maridian alcoves. You can exit the rooms by falling
through sand either at the far right or far left part of the
quicksands, depending on which alcove you are in. The items there are
usualy meant to be caught after you have found the Space Jump, but it
is possible to get them without it. It requires you to walljump and
morph into a ball as fast as possible so you are completly morphed at
the peak of your jump. Hold right and you should go in the passage. Of
course, it is much easier to perform with the Space Jump. Added later
--> Now that I think about it, it would be a lot easier with the Spring
Ball. But this feature also normaly requires the Space Jump, so... I
explained it with the Space Jump because, honestly, I never found the
Spring Ball to be that useful and, usualy, I completly forget about it.

---

1.1.37. Q: Stupid question: How can i make samus turn into a ball so
she could go through small holes?

A: Short answer: Once you have obtained the Morph Ball, simply tap down
twice on the D-pad.

Slightly longer answer: To obtain the Morph ball, head left from your
ship, down the old Tourian Escape Shaft, right through the next room,
down the elevator and to your left. Easy. =D

---

1.1.38. Q: Can I get out of lower Norfair after going past the room
that fill with lava before the last save station before Ridley?

A: BiscuitThief says:  "Why yes, yes you can. From the save room,
go up to the room where the two doors are. Go through the one on the
right, then climb to the top of the room. Don't worry about the blue
door, because the wall to the left of the door is fake.
Simply follow this secret passage to exit Lower Norfair.

Or you could try going backwards through the lava, but that's
hella hard."

---

1.1.39. Q: What's the gold statue in Brinstar for? It looks like it
has Ridley on the top.

A: This statue is the key to opening the last area of the game.
Everytime you beat a boss, the gem corresponding to it on the statue
is shattered and part of it turns gray. When all the bosses have been
defeated, every gem will be shattered and the statue will turn
completly gray.
It will then reveal the path to the last area of the game: Tourian.

---

1.1.40. Q: How much do the Varia and Gravity suits reduce damage?

A: I'm not certain, but after a quick verification, it seems that the
Varia cuts the damage in half, while the Gravity suit cuts the damage
to a quarter. However, these reductions doesn't add up together, as
the damage reduction of the Varia seems negated when the Gravity suit
is active.
Of course, exception to that is Mother Brain's Mind Laser.

---

1.1.41. Q: Will the Gravity Suit alone protect you from heat damage?

A: Yes, the Gravity alone provides heat protection and negates all
damage from regular lava. As it seems, the Gravity Suit makes the Varia
completely obsolete, with the exception of Mother Brain's Mind Laser.

---

1.1.42. Q: Do power bombs work on mother brain just like they work on
Ridley?

A: Power Bombs don't do damage to Mother Brain, but they do stall some
of her attacks. I know for a fact they stall the brain laser, and there
might be some others.

---

-1.2 Sequence Breaking

1.2.1. Is there a list of sequence breaks or a site devoted to
  sequence breaking for super metroid? m2k2 only has 2 speed runs (100%
  and NBMB), and samus.co.uk has hardly anything before zero mission...

1.2.2. How much time does mockballing to get the first super missiles
  save compared to fighting Spore Spawn?

1.2.3. I want to skip the ice beam to save time but I know 2 places
  that I need it. Going up the brown room in Brinstar, and freezing the
  metroids in Tourian. Are there ways to get around both of these so I
  can skip the ice beam?

1.2.4. Is there any way to get the hyper beam before mother brain? I
  have a game genie if it is required.

1.2.5. How do I get the Power Bombs before the ice beam?

1.2.6. How do I obtain the wave beam early?

1.2.7. How do I get the ice beam early?

1.2.8. How do I get the spring ball early?

---

1.2.1. Q: n00b question- is there a list of sequence breaks or a site
devoted to sequence breaking for super metroid? m2k2 only has 2 speed
runs (100% and NBMB), and samus.co.uk has hardly anything before zero
mission...

A: I can't give you a list of all the sequence breaking as it is too
large and I got too little time, but I can tell you that with good Wall
Jump or Bomb Jump skills, you can get almost anythin at any time you
wish. Also, just ask Smokey or Agrias for a ZMV. That will solve any
sequence breaking questions.

---

1.2.2. Q: How much time does mockballing to get the first super
missiles save compared to fighting Spore Spawn?

A: Skipping Spore Spawn, while I do not know the exact amount of time,
can easily shave off up to 5 minutes to your time.

---

1.2.3. Q: I want to skip the ice beam to save time but I know 2 places
that I need it. Going up the brown room in Brinstar, and freezing the
metroids in Tourian. Are there ways to get around both of these so I
can skip the ice beam?

A: You could skip the ice beam by walljumping up the shaft and by
killing the Metroids with 3 power bombs. But I wouldn't recommend it.
It is much faster to ascend the shaft using the Ice Beam. It is also
much faster to kill the Metroids by quickly freezing them and
destroying them with a Super Missile. In overall, if you want a good
idea of the tricks you can try to improve your time on a speed run,
check out other smokey's and Ultima's speed runs. I don't know the URLs
though...

---

1.2.4. Q: Is there any way to get the hyper beam before mother brain? I
have a game genie if it is required.

A: There is a way legitmately that Kejardon found to get the Hyper and
fight Mother brain a second time with the Hyper Beam, but still, you
can't go anywhere with it. I remember that good old glitch medley ZMV
he recorded, it was hilarious ;) However, the only other way to get the
hyper beam is as you say, with a game genie or PAR code.

---

1.2.5. Q: How do I get the Power Bombs before the ice beam?

A: You can either: 1) Wall jump up the Brinstar shaft, which takes time
OR
2) Obtain the wave beam early and then just open a gate in Norfair and
obtain the pack before Crocomire.

---

1.2.6. Q: How do I obtain the wave beam early?

A: Simply wall jump the wall before the door. But in order to do that,
you will land on spikes and then have to wall jump up.

---

1.2.7. Q: How do I get the ice beam early?

A: Mockball left through the closing gates.

---

1.2.8. Q: How do I get the spring ball early?

A: In the room in Maridia, with the quick sand and the breakable
grapple block, break the grapple block. With careful jumping, you are
able to jump up into the hole created. You will now be in the large
shaft. Wall jump up and try to avoid the flys, then just proceed like
normal. If you can't avoid the flys, wall jump up and then lay a power
bomb at the top. This trick doesn't really save any time, it's just
cool.

---

-1.3 Specific Runs

1.3.1. What's a NBMB?

1.3.2. What's PB #66?

1.3.3. What makes Powerbomb 66 easier to get on a PAL version of the
  game?

1.3.4. Beating the game in 39 Minutes?! How do you guys do it?

1.3.5. Regarding the NBMB Run:
  Of the 27% yet to be collected in this incredibly ingenious run,
  a) How much of it DIRECTLY requires the harming of a Boss or mini-boss
  (such as the Tank just to the left of Crocomire, or the Plasma Beam
  that requires you to beat Draygon), and
  b) How much of it INDIRECTLY requires an ITEM received from harming a
  boss (such as the missile tank in Maridia that requires a vertical
  shinespark, which is impossible in Maridia without the grav suit), and
  finally
  c) What percent is possible if one were to beat PHANTOON, and collect
  the GRAV SUIT, yet fight no other bosses/mini-bosses? Cuz it seems like
  the one thing stopping you from getting all the items in (b), is the
  lack of a grav suit, mainly in Wrecked Ship, Maridia, and LN.

1.3.6. My fastest speed run is currently 50 minutes. The only glitch
  I am really using is the mockball to skip Spore Spawn.
  How can I improve?

1.3.7. A while back there was talk about a reverse boss run. My
  question is, is it possible? I am pretty sure it would be possible to
  beat Ridley, but I can't seem to figure a way to get to Draygon without
  the gravity suit.

1.3.8. What is the optimal amount of missiles to get in order to be
  able to do a pure speed run?

1.3.9. How many people here get speed run times below 50 minutes, or
  100% runs in the low hour range? Are there hundreds of people, or maybe
  just a few dozen really hard core guys that are always on this site?

1.3.10. Q: I saw that somebody asked if the game clock stops when you
  paused the game and the answer was yes, but does that include AFTER you
  press start but whille you can still move?

1.3.11. Q: What are some different ways I can run through the game?

1.3.12. Q: What's the absolute minimum number of missiles required to
  beat the game?

---

1.3.1. Q: What's a NBMB?

A: NBMB stands for No boss/Mini-boss, which is a popular Super Metroid
challenge. It consists of getting as many items as you can without
defeating any bosses expect Ridley in the Space Station and the bomb
Torizo. THIS RUN IS NOT MEANT TO BEAT THE GAME. It requires a large
amount of skills and uses advanced techniques such as the Crystal Flash
and the underwater wall-jump, as well as a few glitches. The highest
percentage that can be achieve so far is 73%

---

1.3.2. Q: What's PB #66?

A: The PB #66 stands for Power Bomb #66, which is the 66th item in the
original order of the NBMB run. It's located in the sand alcoves in
Maridia, in the right room that you have to fall through a sandfall to
access. It is so dreaded because of the insane amount of luck and skill
it requires to get: try to get it without the Gravity suit, you'll know
why.

---

1.3.3. Q: What makes Powerbomb 66 easier to get on a PAL version of the
game?

A: On the PAL version of the game, the underwater walljump without the
Gravity suit is about 1 frame higher than on NTSC. That frame alone is
why it is so much easier to perform on PAL.

---

1.3.4. Q: Beating the game in 39 Minutes?! How do you guys do it?

A: I don't know... But you can check Smokey's FAQ for useful tips on
the pure speed run. Learn to Walljump and Sequence-break quickly is my
best advice.

---

1.3.5. Q: Regarding the NBMB Run:
Of the 27% yet to be collected in this incredibly ingenious run,
a) How much of it DIRECTLY requires the harming of a Boss or mini-boss
(such as the Tank just to the left of Crocomire, or the Plasma Beam
that requires you to beat Draygon), and
b) How much of it INDIRECTLY requires an ITEM received from harming a
boss (such as the missile tank in Maridia that requires a vertical
shinespark, which is impossible in Maridia without the grav suit), and
finally
c) What percent is possible if one were to beat PHANTOON, and collect
the GRAV SUIT, yet fight no other bosses/mini-bosses? Cuz it seems like
the one thing stopping you from getting all the items in (b), is the
lack of a grav suit, mainly in Wrecked Ship, Maridia, and LN.

A: -a) As far as I know, in the area to the left of Crocomire, there is
a Power Bomb, a Missile and the Grappling beam(3). Then, there is an
Energy tank and the Varia suit that requires you to beat Kraid(5). In
the Wrecked Ship, you need to beat Phantoon to get two Super Missile
upgrades, an Energy tank and the Gravity suit(9). In Maridia, there is
an Energy tank, a Missile upgrade, the Plasma beam and the Space jump
that are innaccessible until you kill both Botwoon and Draygon
(13).Finally, there is the Energy tank right after Ridley(14).
-b) no one knows, DOOODOOODOOO!
-c), just take 100% and remove the items behind Crocomire, Kraid,
Botwoon and Draygon. That makes a 90% run.

---

1.3.6. Q: My fastest speed run is currently 50 minutes. The only glitch
I am really using is the mockball to skip Spore Spawn. How can I
improve?

A: Practice. You can't get enough practice. Try to improve your
walljump, try to shinespark at the right places, try to kill bosses
faster. Also, planifying the fastest route to kill all bosses and get
to Mother Brain would allow you to optimize your time.

---

1.3.7. Q: A while back there was talk about a reverse boss run. My
question is, is it possible? I am pretty sure it would be possible to
beat Ridley, but I can't seem to figure a way to get to Draygon without
the gravity suit.

A: Kejardon said: "Reverse boss is fully possible. Lower Norfair is a
royal pain, but with pre-planned crystal flashes and as much equipment
as you can bring, you can make it. Picking up the Screw Attack via the
Green Gate glitch will make it significantly easier.Climbing the
mountain before Draygon is already well-known and infamous. You can use
the frozen enemy glitch to reach Botwoon. You can mid-air morph through
the energy tank path in the next room to skip the speed blocks. A few
frozen mochtroids will get you to Draygon's front door.The real trick
is getting out of Draygon's lair after you kill him. There are a
variety of ways, though I haven't kept up on them much.The way I found
(Incredibly hard): Do a crystal flash, then let him grab you. Quickly
break out of his grasp. You'll have a one-shot super jump available, so
you'll have to be careful not to set it off early on accident. Beat up
Draygon till he's almost dead. Head to the far left of the room, then
wait till he's about to swoop from the right. At the correct time and
position, you can do a super jump up-right and kill Draygon, land on
the exit, and have a blue suit. Use the blue suit in the next room to
escape from the pit.Haven't tested this (and I may not remember it 100%
correctly), but I heard that there's a somewhat easier way:Beat him up
till he's almost dead, then let him grab you. When he's near the top-
right, break out of his grasp (it's a set number of buttonpresses, I
think it's 100 but I'm not sure) and land on the platform. Then, at the
correct time and position, use a Wave SBA (charge up the beam with a
powerbomb), then quickly crystal flash. You want to kill him with the
Wave shot while in the Crystal flash. If you do it right, you'll get a
one-shot super jump. Use it in the next room to escape from the pit."

---

1.3.8. Q: What is the optimal amount of missiles to get in order to be
able to do a pure speed run?

A: While I can't tell you the exact amount of upgrades you need, I can
suggest you get only the items that are almost directly on your route;
do not deviate just to get a Super Missle or a Power Bomb. Also, most
speed runs are done with percantages that ranges between 30% and 40%.
About 30-50 missiles, 10-15 super missiles and 5 powerbombs should be
more than enough to quickly get rid of those bosses. Also, while it is
debatable, I think getting the Plasma Beam will help you kill those
bosses and annoying ennemies a lot faster, largely making up for the
time you take to get it.

---

1.3.9. Q: How many people here get speed run times below 50 minutes, or
100% runs in the low hour range? Are there hundreds of people, or maybe
just a few dozen really hard core guys that are always on this site?

A: The majority of people here who do a speed run, get around the 1:30-
2:30 range for 100%, give or take. For example, take marshmallow's
guide. It is the best guide for a 100%, assuming no glitches. Doing
things like abusing Crystal Flashes, mockballing (especially for Ice
Beam and Supers, along with first reserve), and the Kraid quick
kill....etc. If you ask everyone their any% times however, it varies.
Personally, I'm slow, so I get 1:20 for any%. And that's using glitches
(in my defense, I did bother to get spazer and wave). Of course, there
are people like Kejardon, who can glitch their way down to MB's
chamber, and fly out the other side of the planet, and Red Scarlet, who
can just move her thumbs fast enough to do cool stuff. Of course, it
all depends on how much practice you have (and the quality of your
computer, emulator people).

---

1.3.10. Q: I saw that somebody asked if the game clock stops when you
paused the game and the answer was yes, but does that include AFTER you
press start but whille you can still move? I guess what im asking is if
i got very good at playing through as much of the game as possible while
the game is entering the pause screen could I, in theory greatly reduce
my time by playing while the game is entering the pause screen?

A: No, the times would be *exactly* the same.

---

1.3.11. Q: What are some different ways I can run through the game?

A: 100% run
Pure speed % run
14/15% run
No Beam run
No Boss-Mini-Boss run
And no glitch run are runs you can try.

---

1.3.12. Q: What's the absolute minimum number of missiles required to
beat the game?....as a follow up whats the minimum percentage of items
someone has ever gotten? i'm trying to beat the game with minimum %...
i'm not trying for best time anymore

A: 5 missiles is minimum, and 14% with heavy glitching for lowest
completion. 15% doesn't require glitches, just being damn good.

---

-1.4 Glitches

1.4.1. How do I perform the Green Gate Glitch?

1.4.2. How do I do the reset glitch?

1.4.3. What are the space/time beam and the murder beam?

1.4.4. How can I get out of Draygon's room without the Gravity Suit?

1.4.5. How do I perform the Mockball?

1.4.6. How do you use the murder beam to save time against Mother
  Brain?

1.4.7. What's this Green Chozo?

1.4.8. While reading the NBMB guide, I noticed that the author
referred to using Crystal Flashes to help glitch the game. My question
is, How exactly does this glitch the game??

1.4.9. How do I perform the Murder Beam?

1.4.10. What colour is the murder beam surposed to go?

1.4.11. Okay, I have a question for ya. I have watched the 0:58 100%
  speedrun and there after Smokey gets across the room with the lone
  missile on a pedestal and water all around it, with grappling blocks in
  the ceiling (you know the room that you go through when going from
  crateria to wrecked ship) he starts to run. He runs through the door
  and then does one of those energy-consuming superflights (sorry if i
  don't know the "official" name, I'm new to the scene) across the entire
  "room" to the other door. I simply cannot get this to work. The problem
  isn't that I don't know how to perform the move, it's just that there
  isn't enough room to turbodash. Is this a specific trick, or does it
  have something to do with the fact that I am playing a European
  version?

1.4.12. I have Super Metroid for the console, and I'm trying to do
  the reset glitch. The thing is, Brickroad's version of the glitch
  doesn't work; it just freezes when I do it, and I do it exactly as he
  says to. I want to know where to do this because it won't work where
  you said to do it either, is this my cartridge or the way I'm doing it?

1.4.13. I remember that good old glitch medley ZMV he recorded, it
  was hilarious ;) Q: Where can I find this ZMV? :)

1.4.14. could i get an in depth explanation of the time/space beam..
  things like.. if done too many times on the cart.. could it mess it up?
  How does the spark occur?

1.4.15. Do you think that Crocomires room was supposed to have more
  in it than just him... hence the crumbling blocks by the door.. the
  fact that you can do the space/time glitch in this (what seems to me)
  small room for this glitch.. or any other peculiarities?

1.4.16. I really suck at bomb jumping. Always have. Any good timing
  tricks?

1.4.17. How do you do the "travel through the ceiling" glitch?
  Something to do with freezing an enemy near the ceiling and standing on
  it...?

1.4.18. How do I get the blue suit?

1.4.19. What is 'Spike jumping'? / What is that trick I see people
  use to move very fast after sustaining damage from a creature, or
  spikes during their speed runs?

1.4.20. How do I perform these spike jumps?

1.4.21. I've heard about using the Crystal Flash to do a Super Jump.
  When you say Super Jump, do you mean Shine Spark? And how is it
  performed?

1.4.22. When complex graphics cause the game to slow down
  (such as when Kraid is coming out of the ground, or when murder
  beaming Mother Brain), does the internal clock also slow down,
  or is it seperate?

1.4.23. Q: How do you preform the glitch that allows you to jump
  insanely high by taking off the Grav. suit?

1.4.24. Q: How do you use the Murder Beam without
  a) the game freezing and b) the Reset Glitch happening again?

1.4.25. Q: Is the "mockball" hard to do/accomplish?

---

1.4.1. Q: How do I perform the Green Gate Glitch?

A: The gate in question must have the green light on the left side. You
must be on the right. Select your Super Missiles. Run towards the gate
while holding either the aim diagonally up button or up and left at the
same time, and a few tiles (two or three) before you hit the gate, TAP
the jump button. As you hit the gate, fire a Super Missile, and the
door should open.

---

1.4.2. Q: How do I do the reset glitch?

A: If you are doing this on console, then just check Brickroad's Glitch
FAQ. If you are doing this on emu, then follow these steps: Equip the
Spazer and the Plasma beams by placing the cursor on the Speed booster
and pressing left and [selection button] at the same time. I suggest
you set both buttons on the same key, it'll make it easier. Then, when
this is done, unequip the Wave beam or your game'll crash. Now, to
perform it, you need to go in that big oustide room in Crateria, to the
right of your ship and just before the entrance to the Wrecked ship.
You need to be on the left side. Walk right into the water, then, when
you reach the bottom, turn left, walk next to the little wall and fire
at the breakable block that leads to a missile pack(if it's still
there). Now that's you've done this, jump back up to the left door and
fire a Super missle on it. the top of the creen should go all glitchy.
Now, walk in the door and voilà! The missile pack on the pillar should
be back, confirming that you've done the glitch right.

---

1.4.3. Q: What are the space/time beam and the murder beam?

A: The space/time beam is named so because of the reset glitch, where
you have to be at a certain place to go back in time, or something
similar. It consists of charge,ice, spazer and plasma beams altogether.

---

1.4.4. Q: How can I get out of Draygon's room without the Gravity Suit?

A: 1) You can use a Super Jump to kill Draygon right at the time he
passes over the platform to the upper right. It requires mad timing and
most likely the use of savestates to time it perfectly. When you do it
right, you can use the blue suit glitch to get out of the eye-door
room.
2) You can time a Crystal Flash on so Draygon catches you when you're
doing it. This will give you a Super Jump you can use to get on the
ledge. From there, you have to use a Wave beam Combo (see a Moves FAQ
to know how to perform it) and do another Crystal Flash so that the
Wave combo kills Draygon just as you're Crystal Flashing. It will give
you another Super jump you can use to get out of the second room.
3) This method is basicaly the same as the above, except that you can
let Draygon catch you and get you up to the ledge. You have to shake
off his grasp just as you're above the ledge. This method can rack you
a fair amount of damage.

---

1.4.5. Q: How do I perform the Mockball?

A: Hold the dash button and head left or right (for the purpose of this
answer, I will be assuming you're heading right). Pull off a spin jump,
and hold jump through the whole process. Continue holding right. At the
peak of your jump, press down. You do not need to hold right for now.
Just before you hit the ground, press down again and roll your thumb to
the right. If you did it correctly, you will morph as you hit the
ground and maintain your speed. If you bounce, try again.

---

1.4.6. Q: How do you use the murder beam to save time against Mother
Brain?

A: To do the murder beam, simply charge your normal beam (I have
Charge, Wave, Plasma, and Ice equipped before charging up), hit start,
and then swap the Plasma with the Spazer. Then go over to the boot
attachments (Speed Booster, etc) and hit left + A at the same time to
try to equip all 5 beams at once. Once they are all equipped, shoot the
charged murder beam at Mother Brain's motionless head (before the body
starts coming out from the floor)." this will be like a slowmo MB
fight. AFAIK, the murder beam is useful at this part for speed runs. It
actually cuts off around 1 minute of the MB fight. (at the time when
you get the Hyper beam, MB will simply die).

---

1.4.7. Q: What's this Green Chozo?

A: The Green Chozo was supposedly located in a room to the right of
Crocomires. Supposedly you were to mockball right, jump, hit the wall
at a certain angle, and pass through the wall and enter a hidden room
with a green chozo. Well, it's a hoax.

---

1.4.8. Q: While reading the NBMB guide, I noticed that the author
referred to using Crystal Flashes to help glitch the game. My question
is, How exactly does this glitch the game??

A: It would help if you mentionned what glitch you are talking about.
Having some knowledge in NBMB, I'll assume it's the glitch to get Spore
Spawn's Super Missiles. You're supposed to do a Crystal Flash while in
that little tunnel that is normaly used as an exit out of the rooms
after Spore Spawn. You could get in easily, if it wasn't for that Super
Missile block placed at the right end of it. The glitch consists of
doing a Crystal Flash in that tunnel. What will it do? Well, after the
move is complete, the Crystal Flash programation reset Samus to a
crouching position. It will result in Samus standing crouched in the
tunnel, with her head in the ceiling. That makes you able to fire a
Super Missile at that block, clearing the path and allowing you to get
the Super Missile pack without killing Spore Spawn.

---

1.4.9. Q: How do I perform the Murder Beam?

A: I'm not totaly certain about this one, but I'll try to answer to the </pre><pre id="faqspan-2">
best of my knowledge. You must first know that the Murder Beam can only
be performed from the right. It must be shot to the left. Shooting it
to the right will simply freeze the game. To perform it, you first need
to charge your beam. After it's all charged up, press Start and equip
ALL beams at once, including Ice, Spazer and Plasma. Once this feat is
done, unpause and keep pressing the Fire button. Then, release it and
it should work. Note that the murder beam is not really useful in many
situations. I know it's used against Ridley and Mother Brain to save
time, but do not try it on Spore Spawn: it will constantly it its
shell, even if it hits the center when its open, and you won't be able
to damage it afterwards.

---

1.4.10. Q: What colour is the murder beam surposed to go?

A: It depends on where you're located. I can't really tell you what
colors there are cause I don't know myself. But I can tell you that it
won't shoot if you face right. You HAVE to fire it to the left, or else
it will freeze. You HAVE to charge the beam before equipping all the
beams at once. And, finally, you should know that the murder Beam is
not a beam it itself. What it does is set a damage point to a fix
location: Every ennemy that passes on this area with sustain damage.
And it'll remain until you leave the screen.

---

1.4.11. Q: Okay, I have a question for ya. I have watched the 0:58 100%
speedrun and there after Smokey gets across the room with the lone
missile on a pedestal and water all around it, with grappling blocks in
the ceiling (you know the room that you go through when going from
crateria to wrecked ship) he starts to run. He runs through the door
and then does one of those energy-consuming superflights (sorry if i
don't know the "official" name, I'm new to the scene) across the entire
"room" to the other door. I simply cannot get this to work. The problem
isn't that I don't know how to perform the move, it's just that there
isn't enough room to turbodash. Is this a specific trick, or does it
have something to do with the fact that I am playing a European
version?

A: The answer is simple. There is a minor glitch that let's you reach
top speed with less ground. You need to start walking a little bit
before pressing the run button. It's sort of an head start.

---

1.4.12. Q: I have Super Metroid for the console, and I'm trying to do
the reset glitch. The thing is, Brickroad's version of the glitch
doesn't work; it just freezes when I do it, and I do it exactly as he
says to. I want to know where to do this because it won't work where
you said to do it either, is this my cartridge or the way I'm doing it?

A: I hate to say that, but I can't really help you here because I have
no experience whatsoever regarding the console version of the game. All
I can say is to make sure you are at the bottom of the OLD TOURIAN
ESCAPE SHAFT, the one you go to at the very begining of the game. Also,
make sure you equip the Ice Beam and remove the Wave Beam. If this room
doesn't work, I suggest you try it at the room just above that one.
There is a small platform just over the door to the old Mother Brain
room, you know, the platform that prevents you from falling all the way
to the bottom of the shaft. Well, on that platform, place a bomb. A
block will crumble and reveal a passage leading to a PowerBomb door (or
at least that's what it was if you already opened it). Try to do the
reset glitch in that room. If nothing works, well, I'm sorry but I
can't do anything for you.

---

1.4.13. I remember that good old glitch medley ZMV he recorded, it was
hilarious ;) Q: Where can I find this ZMV? :)

A: Aye, that I do not know. I don't bookmark every single zmv link I
see on this board. I just download it then delete it. You should ask
Kejardon for that. He's the one who made the movie.

---

1.4.14. Q: could i get an in depth explanation of the time/space beam..
things like.. if done too many times on the cart.. could it mess it up?
How does the spark occur?

A: I don't know much about the game's mechanics so I can't really tell
you much about the Space/time beam. All I know is that by using it, it
fills a huge number of tiles in the room you are standing in with odd
graphics. If the room isn't large enough to contain them all, the game
crashes. That's why you need to do the reset glitch in big rooms.
That's pretty much everything I know.

---

1.4.15. Q: Do you think that Crocomires room was supposed to have more
in it than just him... hence the crumbling blocks by the door.. the
fact that you can do the space/time glitch in this (what seems to me)
small room for this glitch.. or any other peculiarities

A: Kejardon said: "Crocamire shares one unique characteristic with only
one other room. It's 8 x 1 screens. For some reason, that alone causes
glitches in the rooms. The other room is to the right of the first save
in Norfair, with speed blocks and leeches.

As for getting past the boss statues, there is a way (in theory). You'd
have to travel through 1/2 the planet while outside of the screen.

I spent some time exploring from outside of the screen, but eventually
I gave up; the contents off screen are too hard to predict and get
around."

---

1.4.16. Q: I really suck at bomb jumping. Always have. Any good timing
tricks?

A: NeoNamek said: "I have my good days and my bad days on bomb jumping.
I can only do the vertical flavor, but the trick I use is to watch
where I laid my previous bomb, and when Samus falls toward it, to place
another bomb just above it. The hard part is getting started,
especially if you don't have the High Jump Boots, because you have to
change into ball form so quickly that you might not get a chance to set
your first bomb before your jump peaks.

And then, if you're like me and learned bomb jumping without the High
Jump Boots, they will screw you over when you try to do bomb jumps with
them."

---

1.4.17. Q: How do you do the "travel through the ceiling" glitch?
Something to do with freezing an enemy near the ceiling and standing on
it...?

A: Kejardon said: "Pick your version. :P

Jump-through-ceiling glitch: This is most often done with a Mochtroid
just before Botwoon. If a frozen enemy is positioned perfectly, you can
use them to break through a 1-block ceiling. Freeze the enemy in the
correct spot, then get as close to it as you can, facing it. Jump
straight up, aim down, and right when Samus hits her head on the
ceiling, press towards the frozen enemy. Samus should wind up crouching
on the frozen enemy with her head in the roof. Simply jump again, and
if it's in the right spot, Samus will go through the roof.Samus needs
to stand 28 pixels above the ground on the frozen enemy with a 3 block
gap between the ground and the roof. If there's a higher/lower passage
you wish to break through, just adjust that by 16 pixels per block.The
Mochtroid mentioned above is very easy to use, since you can easily get
it in the perfect position to break through the roof. Simply roll into
a ball, lure it all the way to the bottom right, then unmorph
(crouching) and freeze it. It will be the perfect height for breaking
through the above ceiling.

If you have the X-Ray scope, there's an alternate method that's easier
with most enemies. Preselect the X-Ray scope. Freeze the enemy in mid-
air, so Samus will stand 19-25 pixels above the ground (assuming 3
blocks, again). Jump on it with the aim down - right trick. Once you're
on it, morph into a ball and demorph (this allows you to use the X-Ray
scope, a force-kneal will disable it). Turn the X-Ray scope on.
Simultaneously turn and release the X-Ray scope button - this will
force Samus into a standing state. If you're in the correct pixel range
(19-25), Samus will be able to jump through the ceiling.

There seems to be yet another way to do this, as well. I've only now
gotten around to testing it. Again, get a frozen enemy, and jump on it,
no special aim-down tricks. This time, you just need to crouch, 13
pixels above the ground (If you have the high jump boots, you can go
anywhere from 11 to 13 pixels) (Again, for 3 blocks, adjust as
necessary). When you're in the correct position, just jump.

You can also combine this with the X-Ray force stand: Find a two-block
high gap with a single block ceiling (Very rare; I first did this with
the power-bomb statue in Lower Norfair). Get into it and crouch. Use
the X-Ray force stand, then jump, press aim-down, then press forward.
If done correctly, Samus should be 3 pixels lower, the perfect position
to simply jump straight out the roof. While it uses fewer items, it
still isn't really practical, seeing the utter lack of 2-block high
gaps with a single block ceiling you'd want to break through. Perhaps
if you misplaced a power bomb while leaving Lower Norfair and didn't
have any more handy..."

---

1.4.18. Q: How do I get the blue suit?

A: Goldendigitalmaster said: "A: When fighting draygon, fight it untill
it's belly has turned dark red. Then go to to the left or right side of
the screen and run to the other side and preserve your shine when you
get it. Jump and diagonally super jump into the head of draygon. If
you're lucky, you should wear a blue shine. The next time you speed
boost or super jump, you'll lose the blue shine. When you get the blue
suit, you also get one free shine to use whenever you want. After
you've used it, it dissapears." Specifications: First of all, you have
to use the Quick Charge glitch to even be able to charge a Super Jump.
Second, pressing the run button cancels the glitch, as well a ducking
and doing a straight jump or stopping over quicksand. Lastly, while the
glitch is active, you have the full effects of Speed Boosting without
actually running. That means you are almost invincible, can kill most
ennemies on contact and can break speed blocks and bombables block by
simply touching them.

---

1.4.19. Q: What is 'Spike jumping'? / What is that trick I see people
use to move very fast after sustaining damage from a creature, or
spikes during their speed runs?

A: Aearis said: "Spike jumping is merely a simple manipulation of the
game's physics. By taking advantage of the momentary high speed Samus
achieves after taking damage, most noticably from spikes, Samus can
send herself careening backwards at a good speed, and clear room-length
distances quickly."

---

1.4.20. Q: How do I perform these spike jumps?

A: Aearis said: "Performing them is tricky to learn, but easy and
useful once you know how. First off, you can only move backwards during
a spike jump, so common sense tells you to be facing the opposite
direction you want to go. Now, for actually doing the jump. While
HOLDING the jump button, immediately tap left or right (the opposite
way Samus is facing) the moment Samus makes her "Uh!" sound from taking
damage. Spike jumps can be done off of anything that moves her upon
impact, such as creatures, ceiling/ground spikes, or falling debris
during escape sequences. Spike jumping really shines when it comes to
getting through "Crowded" rooms, such as the room to the left of where
the three walljumping creatures teach Samus the walljump, or any other
room that would take a lot of short jumps - and a lot of time to get
through."

---

1.4.21. Q: I've heard about using the Crystal Flash to do a Super Jump.
When you say Super Jump, do you mean Shine Spark? And how is it
performed?

A: As far as I know, you can only perform this feat while fighting
Draygon. You have to make him grab you right when you are doing a
Crystal Flash. Doing so will cancel the move in an unusual way, giving
you a free Super Jump (I'm from the middle school, I won't use
Shinespark =P) . Please don't ask me why it does that. I know nothing
of the game's coding. Kej would be the one who could explain it but
alas he seems pretty much absent nowadays. Kejardon adds: You can also
do it with Mother Brain's final attack. Though it's tricky to pull it
off correctly without simply getting killed. jman2050 recently figured
out exactly why this glitch works: The crystal flash uses a byte to
keep track of what frame of animation it's on. This same byte is also
used to keep track of how much time you have until you can't super jump
anymore. Simply because it isn't 0, the game thinks you can super jump.
Because Draygon or Mother Brain break you out during the Crystal Flash,
the byte isn't reset like it's supposed to be at the end. And since you
didn't charge for a super jump, the game won't know to lower the byte
each frame.

---

1.4.22. Q: When complex graphics cause the game to slow down
(such as when Kraid is coming out of the ground, or when murder
beaming Mother Brain), does the internal clock also slow down,
or is it seperate?

A: Kejardon says: "The internal clock... if you're talking about the
game clock (the one that keeps track of your time and is shown at
the end), it's slowed down at the same rate. If you're talking about
the processor, no. And obviously, the sound keeps going at
normal speed."

---

1.4.23. Q: How do you preform the glitch that allows you to jump
insanely high by taking off the Grav. suit?

A: Press the pause button, and just before the screen goes completly
black, perform a spin jump. On the pause menu, go to your inventory
and remove the Gravity Suit. Unpause, hold the jump button and watch
yourself fly up. Note that this glitch can only be performed underwater
or in regular lava (The one that doesn't damage you when you have both
the Varia and Gravity Suit).

---

1.4.24. Q: How do you use the Murder Beam without
a) the game freezing and b) the Reset Glitch happening again?

A: Murder Beam:
1) You must have all beams
2) Face left
3) Charge the charge beam
4) Pause and go to the item menu
5) Turn on all beams except Plasma
6) Highlight the boot extension next to Plasma, so that pushing left
will highlight Plasma
7) Push left and A at the same time. If none of your beams are grayed
out and it says VAR next to Plasma, it worked. If it didn't work, go
back to step 5.
8) Un-pause and hold the button to keep your beam charged
9) Release the button
10) Turn off either Spazer or Plasma before firing again,
or the game will freeze

---

1.4.25. Q: Is the "mockball" hard to do/accomplish? I've played
super metroid since i was a little kid but i never knew about this
mockball until i went on gamefaqs.com.

A: It can be frustrating, but, like most glitches, get easier with
practice. Also, some people find it easier in different directions.
A good place to brush up on your mockball skills is that room on the
right of the bottom of the shaft when you first enter Brinstar. It's
kinda bumpy, so it can help with slightly different heights.
Remember to hold the jump button if you are practicing.

---

-1.5 Other Questions

1.5.1. How do I make a ZMV work?

1.5.2. Who is the dead man in front of the door leader to Kraid's
  room?

1.5.3. Where is Mt.Doom?

1.5.4. Help! My game doesn't save the data! It always erases when I
  first start up my SNES. I just bought Super Metroid.

1.5.5. Why is the giant Metroid trying to kill Samus then comes in
  and saves her?

1.5.6. What are the differences between NTSC and PAL?

1.5.7. Can you see Samus naked in this game?

1.5.8. Can you give me the cheat code for ****?

1.5.9. Is this game worth 30$ at EBGames?

1.5.10. Why do no newbies(not NooBs) use this topic?

1.5.11. Why do people use FAQs their first play through.

1.5.12. Okay, I know what Mt. Doom, the noob tube, and the noob
  (n00b?) bridge are. What's the Guantlet?

1.5.13. Is there a numerical value that can be assigned to the
  damage dealt by each beam, missiles, and super missiles? And a
  corresponding numerical value for how much damage each boss can take?

1.5.14 Q: Is there any other way to do the Shinespark?

---

1.5.1. Q: How do I make a ZMV work?

A: First, make sure that the main name of the file is named the same as
the ROM. Ex: Metroid3.srm and Metroid3.zmv. Also make sure that both
these files are in the same folder. Then, open your ROM with ZSNES and
press ESC. Go into the MISC menu and chose MOVIE OPN. Finally, chose
the number of the movie you want to play. The extension names
corresponds to the number of the movie: .zmv is number 0, .zm1 is
number 1, .zm2 is number 2 and so on.

---

1.5.2. Q: Who is the dead man in front of the door leader to Kraid's
room?

A: Basically, it's a little something the programmers put in to make
people like us speculate and break our brains thinking about who the
hell this guy might be. There are many speculations about his identity.
Recently, I think it's been commonly accepted that he is Armstrong
Houston from Nintendo Power's old Metroid comics, but some people even
deny his existence. However, it is certain that it is another bounty
hunter. If it's the case, then he must have been a really poor one,
seeing he's obviously been killed by the Eye Door and taking into
account that there is an energy/missle recharge room just above his
head. His identity is not and probably never will be confirmed.

---

1.5.3. Q: Where is Mt.Doom?

A:Okay, this one might actually be a little hard to explain. First of
all, you must know that Mt.Doom can only be called such in a NMBM run,
a No-Suit run or a reverse boss run. In other words, it's only when you
don't have the Gravity suit. Mt.Doom is located in Maridia. It's in the
big room with grappling block on the ceiling and balloon ennemies that
explodes when you fire at them. To the far right of this room is a wall
with a platform and a door atop. This wall is Mt.Doom. It's been called
so because the only way to climb it without the Gravity suit and the
Grappling beam is the freeze a crab (or more, accordingly to more
recent methods) over and over again as you stand on it and it raises
you little bit by little bit until you can spin-jump to the platform.
It's a difficult feat to perform.

---

1.5.4. Q: Help! My game doesn't save the data! It always erases when I
first start up my SNES. I just bought Super Metroid.

A: Most likely it is your battery that needs replacing inside. Go to
your local Radio Shack or specialized electronics stores (most likely
camera and watch battery stores) or use ebay to get another battery.
You'll need to know how to do a little soldering to do so.OR: You could
play Super Metroid without saving for a challenge (just leave your SNES
on at night, but this ticks off time on the game's internal clock so
you most likely won't get the best ending since you need to beat the
game under 3 hours for it). Although this can be frustrating if you've
never played any metroid before, then I would suggest you replace the
battery.
OR: You could make a legal backup copy *cough*ROM*cough* since you are
entitled to it. I don't know anyone that still dumps SNES cartridges to
their PCs anymore, but such hardware may be still on the black market.
I will not take any repsonsibility for your actions/consequences if you
choose this option.

---

1.5.5. Q: Why is the giant Metroid trying to kill Samus then comes in
and saves her?

A: Because, according to the story in Metroid 2: The return of Samus,
that Metroid found on SR-388 thinks that Samus is her mother. Now that
Mother Brain captured it and exposed it to a large amount of Gamma
rays, it has grown bigger and more agressive and thus attacked Samus
without a second thought. Only when she was about to die did it realise
who she was, so it backed off. Finally, it realised that Mother Brain
had been using it for evil, so it came in and saved Samus.

---

1.5.6. Q: What are the differences between NTSC and PAL?

A: Crumbling rocks disapear at a slower rate (you can get across the
n00b bridge in morph ball without running if you're lucky). Also, When
fighting Phantoon, you can morph into a ball and go into a corner in
order to dodge his circles of fireballs.Additionaly, during the escape
sequence, if you use the glitch to Shinespark through the shaft, it may
either send you flying all the way to the ceiling or it may end right
in the first platform. Finally, if you're doing a NBMB run, the Power
Bomb #66 is a lot easier to get.

---

1.5.7. Q: Can you see Samus naked in this game?

A: No you can't. Well, not entirely. If you beat the game in under
three hours, you can see Samus in a bikini. Also, I think someone made
a JUSTIN BAILEY hack for Super Metroid, which allows you to play as
Samus in bikini. Finally, if you really want to see Samus naked, just
go find some pr0n. =P

---

1.5.8. Q: Can you give me the cheat code for ****?

A: No. There are enough cheat codes pages everywhere on the net. Just
look a bit and you'll find tons.

---

1.5.9. Q: Is this game worth 30$ at EBGames?

A: I can't really be accurate about that one. I hardly ever go to any
video game store. Besides, I live in Canada, so the currency isn't the
same. But if I have to give you an answer, I'd say you could get this
game for cheaper if you buy it from an individual, using Ebay or
anything else. But even at 30$, I think it's still a good price for a
game of this quality. Anything over that would be a bit overpriced, but
personaly, I'd still pay =P To put it simply, 30$ is okay =P

---

1.5.10. Q: Why do no newbies(not NooBs) use this topic?

A: Most people (and especially non-hardcore gamers) are eager and
impatient fools that despites searching for something, they want to
have it right away. They see game forums as places to ask their
questions and not as a source of information in itself. This attitude
can be resumed by the following word: lazyness.

---

1.5.11. Q: Why do people use FAQs their first play through.

A: The answer varies, there is a multitude of reasons.

---

1.5.12. Q: Okay, I know what Mt. Doom, the noob tube, and the noob
(n00b?) bridge are. What's the Guantlet?

A: The Gauntlet is the area to the left of your ship in Crateria. You
wall/bomb jump up the left wall and lay a power bomb to reveal the door
to the Gauntlet. -To further Biscuit's explanation, the gauntlet has
the rising lava, and is the 2 corridors, counting the chozo room.--
Notyou

---

1.5.13. Q: Is there a numerical value that can be assigned to the
damage dealt by each beam, missiles, and super missiles? And a
corresponding numerical value for how much damage each boss can take?

A: Kejardon says: "Each weapon has a specific damage value, but
different enemies may take more or less damage from the weapon.
For example, Ridley takes 2x normal damage from super missiles.
This isn't very common though, so generally the values are fine.
Note: Enemies normally take 2x the listed damage. 'Resistant' enemies
simply take 1x.

0. Normal beam : 10
1. Wave beam : 25
2. Ice beam : 15
3. Ice/Wave beam : 30
4. Spazer beam : 20
5. Wave/Spazer beam : 35
6. Ice/Spazer beam : 30
7. Wave/Ice/Spazer beam : 50
8. Plasma beam : 75
9. Wave/Plasma beam / Speed Echoes : 125 / 2,048
10. Ice/Plasma beam : 100
11. Wave/Ice/Plasma beam : 150
12. Missiles : 50
13. Super Missiles : 150
14. Bombs / Space/Time Beam : 30 / 45 per 1/3 of second
15. Power Bombs : 100, can hit twice
16. Speed Running : 250 a frame
17. Super Jump : 75 a frame
18. Screw Attack : 1,000 a frame
19. ALL Charge beams / Hyper Beam / Special Beams / Murder Beam :
    3x beam combo / 500 / 150 (45 for ice) / 100
20. Psuedo Screw Attack : 100"

---

1.5.14. Q: Is there any other way to do the Shinespark?
I can't do it reliably, even with a controller than isn't old...

A: No, there is not. The only way to reliably perform the Shinespark
is to crouch while you run at boost speed, then do a non-spinning jump.
You can also do it diagonaly by holding one of the two should buttons
before jumping, and you can do it horizontaly by pressing forward just
after jumping. Don't release forward when you crouch to charge the
Shinespark, or else you will just stop.

---

---
Section Three: The footer
---

-2.1 Special Thanks Redone

I would, again, like to thank everyone who helped keeping the topic up,
would it be by answering the questions, asking them or simply bumping
it. This includes but it not limited to Kejardon, Cloud Strife J,
BiscuitThief, smokeYxMcpot, NotYou and ShadowZero313. Thanks guys.
Alot.

---

-2.2 Disclaimer

Okay, this FAQ is a work of collectivity. So many people participated
that I cannot give proper credit to everyone. Therefore, I want to
mention that I do not demand credit for the FAQ itself. Even though I
have answered most of the questions, a lot of them have been answered
by others. And even if I correctly quoted some of them, I couldn't keep
up with everything and quote everyone. So if you recognize one of your
answers and notice that you aren't correctly quoted, please don't sue
me and just swallow it up. It's not like you're going to lose money
anyways.

Also, I want to remind you that even if it is a work of collectivity,
according that GameFAQ's regulation, you cannot take this work for
yourself nor can you link directly to it. That'd be stealing. And
stealing is bad.

---

-2.3 Outro

Please do not e-mail me about this FAQ. If you see errors, repeated
questions or if you have a question that is not answered in the FAQ,
please visit the "Questions here, please!" topic on GameFAQ's message
boards. I (we?) will be happy to access to your request.

---Desincarnage---