Data
Guides and strategies
Media
Weapons and items
The mazes and passageways of SR388 slowly direct Samus toward her ultimate goal of hunting down and destroying the Metroids.
Along the way, you'll find a motherload of items, including beam weapons, missiles and enhancements for Samus' power suit - all left behind by the ancient Chozo.
Each item's location is detailed in the walkthrough due to the game's linear progression. See below for an overview of all the power-ups available in the game. Keep in mind that Samus can't have more than one beam weapon in her arsenal at any time.
Missile Tanks
Missiles are found throughout SR388. Each one adds ten missiles to Samus' maximum payload. You'll need to use missiles to inflict critical damage on Metroids. All up the game offers 22 missiles pods to be found, giving you a maximum of 250 missiles (you start with an initial payload of 30).
Energy Tanks
Each one grants Samus an extra 100 energy units above her current maximum health level - definitely worth picking up. You can find up to five extra energy tanks.
Bomb
Once you've found this, press B while the Morphing Ball is active to lay a bomb. You can use these bombs to destroy nearby enemies or break open certain blocks hidden around the environment.
Ice Beam
The Ice Beam can freeze any enemy upon contact. While an enemy's frozen you can safely jump atop them without taking any damage. If you fire again at an enemy while they're frozen they'll explode. You'll need the Ice Beam near the end of the game to successfully destroy any free-floating standard Metroids.
Spider Ball
This special technique allows Samus to crawl around the floors, ceilings and walls of SR388. While in Morphing Ball mode press down to activate the Spider Ball, you can then freely crawl around the terrain by holding left or right. Be careful to avoid enemies as they'll knock Samus off walls and ceilings.
Wave Beam
The Wave Beam gives Samus a rapid-firing beam that emits small energy balls travelling in a wavy pattern across the screen. This weapon greatly enhances accuracy against smaller targets.
High Jump Boots
These allow Samus to jump more than twice her normal jumping height.
Spring Ball
Samus can jump while in Morphing Ball mode with this equipped.
Varia Suit
The Varia Suit greatly enhances Samus' power suit, introducing the bulky shoulder design that became her instantly-recognisable image for the rest of the series. Damage inflicted by enemies will also considerably drop.
Space Jump
When Samus somersault jumps through the air, continually press A to jump higher with the correct timing. This way you can effectively fly through the air and climb to greater heights.
Spazer Laser Beam
This weapon fires three wide angle beams simultaneously. Similar to the Wave Beam, the Spazer also greatly enhances accuracy to strike enemies easily.
Plasma Beam
The Plasma Beam fires a single large bolt capable of passing through solid walls, ceilings and floors. The strongest beam weapon of the game, not even contact with a target will stop the beam from going on its way.
Screw Attack
When Samus jumps through the air and performs a somersault jump, she'll charge up energy around her body with this device. Any enemies coming in contact won't survive.