Metroid: 6 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
- —
- Platforms
- —
- Play in browser
- No
- Mobile
- No
Project health
- Development status
- Active
- Last updated
- today
- Stars
- 12
- Contributors
- 1
Compatibility
- Requires original assets
- Yes
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 Recompilation | Metroid | MiniMetroid | Metroid 68K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Status | Playable | Playable | — | Playable | Playable | Playable |
| Platforms | NES | NES | — | NES | Web | TI calculator |
| Play in browser | No | No | No | No | No | |
| Mobile | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Project health | ||||||
| Development status | Halted | Halted | Active | Halted | Halted | Not tracked |
| Last updated | 2y ago | 2y ago | today | 10y ago | 3y ago | Not tracked |
| Stars | 95 | 31 | 12 | 6 | 2 | Not tracked |
| Contributors | 2 | 1 | 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. | Yes | 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, Metroid Recompilation, 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.
Which Metroid clone is the most actively maintained?
Metroid Recompilation is currently under active development, based on recent commit activity. See the "Development status" row above for every clone's current status.
See the full write-up for each clone, or go back to Metroid.