Claim: Metroid II takes place before Super Metroid.

Super Metroid is a 2D side-scrolling action-adventure video game developed and published by Nintendo and released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1994 . It is a third game in the Metroid series . The story takes place after the events of the 1991 Game Boy game , Metroid II : Return of Samus . The player takes on the role of an intergalactic bounty hunter Samus Aran as she travels to planet Zebes in an attempt to retrieve an infant Metroid stolen by the Space Pirate leader Ridley .   Super Metroid was directed and written by Yoshio Sakamoto , and produced by Makoto Kano , with Gunpei Yokoi serving as general manager . It was developed over the course of two years , with a year prior to gain approval for the inital idea , as the developers wanted to make a good action game , and to set the stage for Samus 's reappearance . The gameplay focuses on exploration , with the player searching for power-ups that are used to reach previously inaccessible areas . It features new concepts to the series , such as the inventory screen , an automapping facility , and the ability to fire in all directions .   Super Metroid received acclaim from critics , who praised its atmosphere , gameplay , music and graphics . It is often described as one of the best video games of all time . While the game did not sell well in Japan , it fared better in North America , and had shipped 1.42 million copies worldwide by late 2003 . Super Metroid became popular among players for speedrunning , and its gameplay and design influenced other games . The game , along with Konami 's Castlevania : Symphony of the Night , also popularized the Metroidvania genre . The game was followed by the 2002 release of Metroid Fusion and Metroid Prime , ending the series ' eight-year hiatus . Since 2007 , Super Metroid has been released for the Virtual Console service on the Wii , the Wii U , and the New Nintendo 3DS .