• Mostly linear structure (linear ability upgrade and area progression besides the x-ray visor and the grapple beam, can collect most of the 12 chozo artifacts in any order however most of them are only accessible in the late game, optional sidetracking and backtracking for e-tanks/missiles/bombs) - less so with sequence breaking but it's unintended here

• Frequent save points which also heal you (one slot per game), Reset and copy the file for multiple slots

• Rotatable and zoomable 3D map on the map screen (The Divide, Star Wars: Dark Forces 2), Enemy radar, Named rooms on the map screen, A room/sub area is marked as visited as soon as you enter it, Missile doors (and other special beam doors) aren't marked unless you are viewing the room/sub area it's in, Some walls within rooms aren't shown and upgrade items also aren't shown (Super Metroid showed item clues as dots in rooms), The map screen doesn't show cardinal directions and there's no visor compass - can only find out about them from elevator rooms and only indirectly (you'd have to take the elevator and memorize the other room to know, also the areas aren't positioned logically on the world map screen but instead side by side), Can't add your own notes/markers to the map - several ability and key gates early on which can't be opened until much later here

• Map stations that reveal most of the current area when found

• No teleporters and few connecting elevators between some areas

• ​Scanning mechanic (highlights points of interest while it's active and the "crosshair" is covering them (crucial ones are colored red) - later used in Deus Ex: HR, lets you find and read snippets of lore and gives some insight into what the pirates are thinking and doing - similar to System Shock and Bionic Commando, everything scanned is stored in a log book, can scan certain points to disable defensive turrets - similar to hacking in System Shock)

• Optional hint system (text tutorial messages here and there (doesn't pause gameplay but is a bit too obvious at times), sub objective markers on the map - these show the goal room but not the route to it)

• Various sequence breaking possibilities (bomb jump over the arboretum runic gate - unintended and fixed in later versions, advanced dashing/side jumping for early space jump and faster boost ball (have to let go of the buttons in a specific order to go further, unintended and was mostly fixed in later versions of the game), early power bomb at phendrana's edge, etc.; more with glitches)

• Some new enemies are added to previous areas when you backtrack through them and some new music as well​

• Some good puzzles (magnet rail tower in the phazon mines, timing puzzles with bomb locks, some parts are designed for a double bomb jump) and platforming puzzles using the ball form

• Bosses are more like Zelda bosses in that they tend to make you use your newly gained abilities and have a minor puzzle aspect to them

• Some neutral creatures (stone toad, glider), No friendly creatures

• Environmental gameplay effects (water draining and purifying, collapsing towers, rooms suddenly becoming dark requiring the thermal visor, raise the roof of a cave at one point, etc), Can release some metroids on the space pirates at one point

• Three endings ("bad"=less than 75% completion, good=75% or more, "best"=100%)

• Bomb jumping more than twice is different than in Super Metroid (have to lay one, wait until you fall back down then tap at a certain rhythm to cancel the cooldown that would prevent you from doing it like in Super) - seems you also can't do it as consistently since in some spots you won't go straight up and can't do it infinitely

• Can't grab onto nor climb ledges (Fusion), Can't do a charge/cluster bomb attack (Super), Can't run however the ball is faster here and you can gain a boost for it, No wall jumping, Can't stand on frozen enemies without sliding off, Using missiles on regular doors doesn't work, No shinespark

• Several invisible walls where it looks like you can stand/jump​

• No full control config

• Can't skip cutscenes until you beat the game once

• Enemies keep dropping items which you already have a full stock of (ammo stations only refill missiles and power bomb drops are somewhat uncommon - ammo capacity for power bombs is also very limited)

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Playthrough - Video Review - Mini Review (see notes for version differences)

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Influenced by: Probably Deus Ex and/or System Shock 2, possibly Strife, Powerslave/Exhumed, Turok or Half-Life, possibly Dark Forces II or The Divide or ES2: Daggerfall (map system)

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Influenced: Probably Supraland, possibly Batman: Arkham Asylum, Control, Journey to the Savage Planet, Geist, Prey 2006 (magnetic wall/ceiling paths)