Metroid: 5 Open Source Clones Compared
MiniMetroid is the one entry here that's an actual playable original fan game rather than a preservation project, with its own scope changes: no Ice Beam, Wave Beam or Screw Attack, and missiles instead power up the beam to break colored gates. The rest — the NES source mirror and the two disassemblies — are technical projects aimed at reproducing or documenting the original NES binary rather than offering a distinct game, with Metroid for MMC3 specifically reorganizing the code onto a different memory controller as a base for future mods.
Comparison table
Availability
- Status
- Playable
- Platforms
- NES
- Play in browser
- No
- Mobile
- No
Project health
- Development status
- Halted
- Last updated
- 2y ago
- Stars
- 95
- Contributors
- 2
Compatibility
- Requires original assets
- NoReorganized and rewritten disassembly for MMC3; does not assemble to identical original binary but runs identically.
Availability
- Status
- Playable
- Platforms
- NES
- Play in browser
- No
- Mobile
- No
Project health
- Development status
- Halted
- Last updated
- 2y ago
- Stars
- 31
- Contributors
- 1
Compatibility
- Requires original assets
- YesDisassembly of NES Metroid; requires original ROM to verify assembled output via md5sum.
Availability
- Status
- Playable
- Platforms
- NES
- Play in browser
- No
- Mobile
- No
Project health
- Development status
- Halted
- Last updated
- 10y ago
- Stars
- 6
- Contributors
- 2
Compatibility
- Requires original assets
- YesThis is source code documentation; requires original NES Metroid ROM.
Availability
- Status
- Playable
- Platforms
- Web
- Play in browser
- Mobile
- No
Project health
- Development status
- Halted
- Last updated
- 3y ago
- Stars
- 2
- Contributors
- 1
Compatibility
- Requires original assets
- NoThis is an original Metroid-inspired game with its own assets and no dependency on original game data.
Availability
- Status
- Playable
- Platforms
- TI calculator
- Play in browser
- No
- Mobile
- No
Project health
- Development status
- Not tracked
- Last updated
- Not tracked
- Stars
- Not tracked
- Contributors
- Not tracked
Compatibility
- Requires original assets
- —
| Title | Metroid for MMC3 | Metroid Disassembly | Metroid | MiniMetroid | Metroid 68K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Status | Playable | Playable | Playable | Playable | Playable |
| Platforms | NES | NES | NES | Web | TI calculator |
| Play in browser | No | No | No | No | |
| Mobile | No | No | No | No | No |
| Project health | |||||
| Development status | Halted | Halted | Halted | Halted | Not tracked |
| Last updated | 2y ago | 2y ago | 10y ago | 3y ago | Not tracked |
| Stars | 95 | 31 | 6 | 2 | Not tracked |
| Contributors | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | Not tracked |
| Compatibility | |||||
| Requires original assets | NoReorganized and rewritten disassembly for MMC3; does not assemble to identical original binary but runs identically. | YesDisassembly of NES Metroid; requires original ROM to verify assembled output via md5sum. | YesThis is source code documentation; requires original NES Metroid ROM. | NoThis is an original Metroid-inspired game with its own assets and no dependency on original game data. | — |
| Preview | | |
Frequently asked questions
Are the Metroid clones on this page open source?
Yes — every clone catalogued here is an open-source project. Availability, license, and development-status details for each one are listed in the comparison table above.
Do I need to own the original Metroid to play these clones?
Metroid for MMC3 and MiniMetroid run standalone, no original files needed; Metroid Disassembly and Metroid require original game assets to play.
Can I play any of these Metroid clones directly in a browser?
Yes — MiniMetroid has a browser-playable build linked in the comparison table above, no install required.
See the full write-up for each clone, or go back to Metroid.