If you're familiar with speed running sites like Speed Demos Archive, you may have heard of terms such as 100% or Low% runs. These basically entail what all you can collect in your run. For instance, a Metroid 100% run has you collecting every upgrade, missile tank, and energy tank in the game, while a Low% run would mean completing the game as fast as possible regardless of what items you pick up. While I'm not a speed runner by any means, I decided to take Low% a step further; how far can I get with the absolute bare minimum amount of items collected?
With that I recently set out on what I call the Metroid Minimalist Run. The goal was to see how far I could get while only collecting the Morph Ball, Bombs, and the first Missile Tank. While I haven't completed the game yet, I did manage to get all the way to Tourian without glitches (without the Ice Beam the Metroids will downright murder you). While I am stepping away from the game for now, I did put up what I have done on YouTube. Feel free to enjoy this run of insanity.