Today's review is likely to be difficult. By difficult I don't mean that I'm about to share an opinion that flies in the face of overwhelming consensus. Just about everyone who has played Super Junkoid has absolutely loved it, and I'm one of them. If you're a Super Metroid fan and have ever been curious about its romhack scene, then treat yourself to one of its finest works immediately. Heaping endless praise is easy, but I want to say something more, something that might even sound meaningful. What makes that difficult is that I'm a very uninspired person. Right at this moment, I'm staring at my daily bowl of 30 cent ramen like it's going to tell me exactly what I want to say. The world I inhabit is 20 square miles of nothing. The only times I ever seem to go anywhere or do anything are in my dreams. Even then, none of them are even a fraction as interesting as what Junko has to deal with every night. Maybe if I rescue a small animal, it'll trap me in a horrific dream world for an eternity too. "Finally! A source of inspiration!" I'd say to myself while trying to fend off abominable soul-sucking mounds of flesh.*
Super Junkoid's atmosphere is unbelievable. Each realm of Junko's nightmare is as mysterious as it is horrifying. The environmental storytelling is some of the best I've ever seen in the genre. There is this one area that... that is... I don't think words can do it justice. Hell, I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to properly describe any part of this game without just spoiling everything. Just know that its world is designed to get under your skin in the worst possible way. It's uncomfortable, harrowing, and dark.
The level-design is amazing. There was not a single point where I felt that there was too much or not enough to explore. Upgrades and new powers are doled out at a consistent pace, making every detour worthwhile. Each area is intelligently connected, so returning to a previous area to pick up anything I missed was never any trouble. The challenge also stays modest throughout. What I thought was a difficulty spike turned out to be me forgetting to explore an entire area. I ended up doing Blood Bethel after Deep Purple. Oops! Probably would've saved myself a few headaches if I did both areas in the intended order. Regardless, seasoned Super Metroid fans won't have any problems, though I'd still recommend picking up the wand upgrades as soon as you're able. The "Ridley" fight is a bit of a resource hog.
Mechanically, there's not a whole lot that separates this conversion from Super Metroid. I suppose the biggest change is that charge-shots and shine-sparks are consumables. It's actually kind of neat not having to dash for a second to build up energy. There don't seem to be a lot of shortcuts that utilize the shine-spark though. Also, instead of a screw-attack, you can double-tap while somersaulting to do an air-dash. Good for rolling through enemies and clearing some gaps. Other more obscure details include Junko jumping higher when she's crouched, which likely won't see more than a couple uses.
I really wish I had something significant to say here, but Super Junkoid is a horror game at its core, and it must be experienced firsthand. You won't put it down until it's over. It's just that damn incredible.
* Apologies for leading you on with an overly wordy paragraph that didn't end up going anywhere. Early on, I felt like I had more that I wanted to say, but this just isn't the game for my usual nonsense.
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