Casual Low% playthrough without glitches or speedrunning strats?
3 years ago
Markichin
He/Him, They/Them
3 years ago

Hey there! I’m interested in trying a Low% playthrough of Super Metroid for the first time. As this is supposed to be primarily a challenge run for me, I don’t care about going fast, so I was wondering if any of the 14% definitions are possible without glitches or speedrunning strats. Personally, I’m fine with infinite bomb jumps or using the wall jump to get to Kraid, but I wouldn’t want the run to depend on the mockball for example. (In this particular case doing the Spore Spawn fight would be completely alright for me!)

This being said, can any of the 14% definitions be done as a casual (yet challenging) playthrough? And if so, which one would be the most beginner-friendly? Or if not, what would be the lowest possible completion percentage for a non-speedrun?

PS: In case this matters, I would be using the Switch Online release on a Switch that was purchased in and is set to Canada.

Pear likes this
California, USA

No matter where you buy your Switch, it uses the NTSC version of the game, which was released in North America and Japan. Even in PAL regions like Europe, the Switch still uses the NTSC version. So far as we know, everything possible on console is possible on the Switch, with the exception of two obscure Major Glitches used in the Low% Glitched categories.

Low% Ice is the easiest 14% category by almost everyone's standards, and it does require a few glitches, but honestly the biggest barriers are going to be the Ridley and Mother Brain fights. You need to finish both with a maximum of 3 e-tanks, and need to survive lengthy boss fights without taking too much damage.

In terms of actual tricks required for the run:

  • Either a Horizontal Bomb Jump over the moat, or a Continuous Wall Jump. Fortunately, either trick has infinite tries. Once runners learn the HBJ it tends to be the more consistent trick, but a CWJ is easier to learn well enough to get it eventually.
  • Mochtroid clip to get to Botwoon. This trick is easy once you learn it.
  • Gravity Jump to enter Lower Norfair. All other applications of the Gravity Jump can be easily replaced with an infinite bomb jump, but this one is basically required. I've heard that you can technically do it with a very tough version of the bomb jump, but I've never even seen it done.
  • Zeb Skip. This will likely take some practice, especially since taking too much damage here will leave you with less than the required health to survive Mother Brain's rainbow beam.

You can find an overview of the Low% categories here: https://wiki.supermetroid.run/14%25

Markichin likes this
Bavaria, Germany

Wow, thats a really a difficult challenge you want to do as a very first run of this game.

As Chabo mentioned, Ridley and Mother Brain gonna be the hardest part. Especially Ridley is very deadly with wrong executed movement and manipulation. You can get hit multiple times in short time and the fight is over, before it even started.

To make it less frustrating, I would recommend to watch some of the top runners doin low% ice and how they manage the fight.

Good luck, mate!

Markichin likes this
Québec

if you want to do glitchless then you want to do 15% which take speedbooster to cross botwoon and also useful for moat and has 10 missiles and 10 super as base and you either choose to go with 15 missiles of 15 super because of the zebetites, i would advise 15 super mainly because of the ridley fight, but you need to be wary about your super use in tourian as you can softlock while 15 missiles you have less chance to softlock but you can still softlock because of your super count, but make the killing of the zebetites easier as you don't have to worry about being sniped

Markichin likes this
Markichin
He/Him, They/Them
3 years ago

Thank you, everybody, for your very helpful replies. I definitely consider adding a few additional items on top of the 14% to make this run feasible while keeping a good challenge. This is in fact not my very first playthrough of Super Metroid; and I learned while trying out the Randomizer that the Zebetites don’t respawn once they are destroyed. This means that there is the slower option of making a few trips between Mother Brain’s room and the recharge station nearby at the very end if I can’t get the clip. Meanwhile, I had a first brief practice session for the Gravity Jump to enter Lower Norfair and it seems doable if I put a little more effort into it. I will definitely have ample time to prepare for this run and your notes will help me without a doubt! Thanks again!

Québec

zebetites because they regenerate need 11 missiles to kill, in a 14% situation you only have 10/10, so you need to clip and not get sniped (the pure min is 9/9 for MB), that's why i talked about low% glitchless which would be 15% speed because of both botwoon and the zebetites (speed for botwoon and an extra ammo pack for the zebetites)

Markichin likes this