How to Get Started Playing Super Metroid / Link to the Past Crossover Randomizer.

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I've purchased and enjoyed classic consoles like the Super Nintendo Classic and replayed some of the beloved games from my childhood. After redoing a game once, I'm good for a while, and am left hoping for some way to make it more interesting once the nostalgia wears off.

One way to make classic games more interesting was to watch speed runs. I've been a fan of watching speed running classic games, like Super Metroid, for some time now. Recently, I noticed many runners starting to participate in randomizer races and was immediately fascinated. The dynamic is different than typical speed-running which focuses on runners mastering mostly repetitive strategies and precise execution. Admittedly, that is still quite entertaining, however, randomizers add a new dimension where you have to think through game logic in order progress. It also adds an element where your regular Joe can play the game and enjoy a new twist every time without spending countless hours mastering particular "strats".

Two of my all-time favorite Super Nintendo games are "Super Metroid" and "Zelda: A Link to the Past". You can find randomizer races between well-known speed runners and even some lesser-known speed runners on youtube. Check out this video if you'd like to be introduced to SMZ3 randomizer races or would just like enjoy such a race (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESXak2eAFLo). I avoid live streams because I can't tolerate the insipid drivel that oozes through the comment feed. It's not all insufferable, but enough that I quit watching the stream 15 minutes in.

Anyways, I began to look into how I could play one of these randomizers myself. Web searches weren't particularly helpful and I struggled to find anything online laying it all out for me. In this post, I hope to make all the information and resources available to anyone else out there wanting to find a new way to love classic games.

Step-by-step process to obtain a Super Metroid / Link to the Past (SMZ3) Randomizer ROM.

*** Update - May 2019: The randomizer generator webpage no longer asks for the ROMs and you may be able to skip those steps to obtain the combo randomized ROM. Meaning, you merely need to navigate to that webpage (step 2) to generate the ROM. Let me know in the comments, if this is not the case.

The first thing you will want to be aware of is the website that hosts the SMZ3 communities, and resources associated with playing the randomizers. SMZ3
  1. You will need to obtain the ROMS for A Link to The Past (ALTTP) and Super Metroid. Before you click any links, please be aware that many websites where you can download ROMs can be sketchy. Be sure you have internet security software and do not click on anything else. The links I provided shouldn't give you any issues, but always err on the side of caution. Also, please note that these ROMs are special "hacked" or altered ROMs that enable randomization.
  2. Navigate to the randomizer generator webpage.
  3. Now that you have obtained the needed ROMs, provide the webpage with these files and the click "generate ROM".
    1. You can adjust various settings, as I am sure you noticed. You don't need to adjust anything to generate the randomizer ROM, however.
  4. Click "Save ROM"
  5. If you are new to randomizers, I highly suggest that you also, click "Save Spoiler" before you leave the webpage because they can be a bit tricky to get through your first few times. I had to do 10 or so before I was comfortable not having a spoiler to guide me when I got stuck.
  6. If you do not already, you will need to obtain an SNES emulator in order to actually play the game. These can be easily obtained doing a web search. Don't use ZSNES, as this will not work with the randomzier ROM. I have a Raspberry Pi emulation station and the emulator that comes with that works. Emulators are available for all major OS's.
There are some tricks and abilities you may need to be familiar with in order to complete some seeds (a specific randomized arrangement of items). Some are harder than others. You may also want to watch a few runs, such as the YouTube link I included, to help orient yourself on how to begin and where to go. The SMZ3 randomizer website also has links and resources that can provide essential information, such as, where doors that provide movement between games are located.

If you have any additional questions about getting started or how to complete a randomizer seed, feel free to ask me questions at this link.

Comments

  1. UnknownJuly 10, 2020 at 10:31 AM

    I have the correct files to run this rom but I cannot get the website to generate the rom. I am missing something?

    Thank you

    ReplyDelete

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