This game simply cannot be topped when it comes to 2D adventure games and platformers.
Story
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I'll start this with a brief summary of the story. Samus first fought the Metroids on Zebes on her first mission, and defeated the Space Pirate leader, Mother Brain. She then went to SR388 to eradicate the Metroid species for good. When she killed the Queen, she took the exit back to the surface as an egg hatched. Out came a Metroid hatchling, which then followed Samus like a confused child. Samus turned the Metroid over to the Ceres Space Colony for research. The scientists researched the young Metroids, and learned that the Metroids could be used for the good of society. It hadn't been long before she was called back there via distress signal. She returned to the Space Colony's research laboratory and found dead and bleeding bodies on the floor, with the Metroid holding tank busted open. In a few rooms after that, Samus finds the Metroid hatchling in its glass case, soon realizing that Ridley is actually holding the container. You fight Ridley, and he soon leaves, setting off an alarm. You must escape before the Space Colony explodes. When you leave, you follow Ridley to Planet Zebes, where his plans are to rebuild Tourian and clone the Metroids, and recreate Mother Brain. He would finish what he started, and Samus would stop him - simply for that little Metroid. Too bad that little Metroid has a gruesome fate... Story: 9.5/10
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Graphics
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While nowadays it might not be much, the graphics for this game were amazing for its time. While most SNES games had a 16-bit cartridge, this game sports a 24-bit cartridge, allowing even more color for sprites. However, despite that even 24-bit is inferior to sprite capabilities today, this game has beautiful animations that may even surpass the likes of Zero Mission. Great examples of these beautiful animations are when Samus leaves Morph Ball back into crouching mode, and when Crocomire's skin melts off. The scenery of the game is what many people would call old-school today, but the backgrounds are very detailed. Graphics: 8/10
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Gameplay
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It's safe to say that Super Metroid set the standard for future Metroid games in terms of how the game works; explore different reaches of the planet, find items, then use those items to find bosses and beat them to get another item. However, later Metroid games also cut out a few features that could have been well contributing factors to why Super Metroid is such a great game. Here, I'm mainly eyeing the ability to customize yourself. When you obtain an item, you had a choice whether or not to use it. And you could negate the item's function by going to Samus's suit's anatomy and clicking the item. This feature opened a wide selection of opportunities to set your own difficulty and challenges. Why not fight Ridley with the Varia Suit switched off? Perhaps attempt to venture through Maridia without the Gravity Suit, or try to get to the Wrecked Ship without the Grappling Beam? All of these challenges were open for you to set for yourself. In addition to that, the boss battles in the game are very creative and sometimes even difficult. Ridley? A pushover? Maybe in other games, but he packs a hell of a punch and can take major damage before he decides to give up in this game. As for the different sectors, the game just has an amazing level design, and this game takes the whole "find things in places unthinkable" staple to Metroid games to a whole new level. The Speed Booster, for example, is very well hidden. Kraid's Lair is hell to locate. And getting to the Spring Ball without Space Jump will take some platforming prowess. Gameplay: 10/10
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Sound
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Definitely not the game's strong point, though still great. The music is classic-ish, but still can place that unnerving chill down your spine when you're exploring areas such as Maridia, or give you a sense that the big boss is near, such as in Lower Norfair. Brinstar Vegetation has a nice, upbeat and fast-paced theme to it, while Brinstar Construction has a slow, depressing theme. Upper Norfair's theme is simply the occasional hum of a bass chorus, but it does give a feeling of danger. The boss battle themes were decent, and even introduced the song that would become Ridley's theme within eight years. Boss battles such as Spore Spawn and Botwoon have a slow-paced piano theme with an ominous feel to it, and the theme that plays when you fight Kraid, Crocomire, and Phantoon is fast-paced and really gets the adrenaline flowing. Sound: 7.5/10
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Length/Replay Value
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Let me just say, this game takes quite a long time to beat until you memorize the maps entirely. As said, some items that are crucial to your progression in the game are very well-hidden; if you don't know where to look, it might take you a while. Note: The following is an example of how long it might take. My first run-through of the game was ten hours long, because I didn't know Crocomire came directly after the Power Bombs. But then I memorized the maps. I ran through the game one more time, and it only took two hours. As for replay value, there's a whole crapload here. Once you beat Mother Brain and escape Tourian to your ship and escape, there might be an urge to see if you can beat that time. If you're a speed-running-type person, this game is an absolute must-have. The game itself isn't very linear; if you manage to get Super Missiles early, then you can skip the Charge Beam. If you master Bomb jumping, there's no need for the Grapple Beam. That's just one less item to collect. Even then, you can try again to see if you can do better. There's now even an entire community of people who master this kind of stuff, and they have been playing the game for since it came out. So, Length/Replay Value: 9.5/10
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Fun Factor
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Whether you may think this game is fun or not is entirely based on your gaming taste. If you don't like having the ability to choose your own path to an extent, or if you don't like enormous and heavy atmospheres that require exploring, then you might not find this game very fun. However, if any of those are among your favorite qualities in a video game, or you're not bothered with them, then the chances of having fun are much, much higher. This game offers the ability to customize your own challenges, choose your own path, and take your time; there's absolutely no need to rush (except when escaping Tourian :P) and this allows you to get used to the layouts of the different sectors so you can obtain items or expansions you may have missed. Fun Factor: 10/10
Overall Score: 10/10, perfect. This game simply cannot be beaten by any other in its genre even if it tried. While as of now it is looked down upon for having "cruddy graphics", this game set the bar for 2D platforming adventure titles and may it be remembered as just that, then some.