List of rooms in Super Metroid/Norfair

This is a list of rooms in Norfair in Super Metroid. Larger rooms have their own pages and are linked here. Most of these names are unofficial; such names will be highlighted in quotation marks.

Norfair entrance shaft

The "Norfair entrance shaft" is the first room in Norfair in Super Metroid. This room is a long vertical shaft that connects to multiple areas of Norfair, serving a similar purpose to the Main Shaft of "green Brinstar". It is first visited shortly before Samus fights Kraid, as the High Jump Boots are found a few rooms away from here. However, it is possible to skip the boots and reach Kraid without them.

The entire shaft consists of cavernous rock, with multiple ledges and midair platforms. Many of these have small stalactites on their undersides; unlike those of later 3D Metroid games, these are merely scenery and cannot be shot down. The platforms serve as a means for Samus to re-ascend the shaft should she drop or fall down. Many Sovas crawl along these platforms. At the very base of the shaft is a thin floor, which is actually made of Fake Blocks. They can be shot to reveal a secret under-shaft with a single midair platform, an extra Sova and two ledges, leading down to a door. While this can be accessed at any time during Samus's mission, its primary use is as a shortcut back up to the elevator after defeating Crocomire.

Hi-Jump drop

Full view.

SMILE

The "Hi-Jump drop" is a divided room on the lower left of the entrance shaft. The door locks behind Samus when she enters. Initially, it appears to be a dead-end chamber, with an Energy Tank on a pedestal above a floor of unique blocks. If Samus steps onto the floor beside the Energy Tank, one of the blocks will crumble, exposing a short tunnel drop she can fall through in Morph Ball form. This leads underneath a rocky overhang, with steps in the walls leading up a shaft. Normally, Samus will need to collect the Hi-Jump Boots from the next room to climb this shaft; but she can also Wall Jump or Turbo Bomb upwards. Once she has the item, Samus can climb to a higher ledge, where a Missile Tank is placed. Beside this is a destructible wall blockage, which Samus can destroy with a Bomb to expose a short tunnel leading back to where the Energy Tank was, allowing her to leave. There is one Sova in this room.

Hi-Jump room

The "Hi-Jump room" is a room in Norfair. It appears in Super Metroid. A different room that serves the same purpose appears in Metroid and Metroid: Zero Mission. In Super Metroid, the original room has been removed and the Hi-Jump is found elsewhere in Norfair. It can be obtained almost immediately after venturing into Norfair for the first time. The new room is set in a cave with metal architecture, including a lower platform on which the Chozo Statue holding the Hi-Jump sits, and a raised platform where Samus enters. A partially destructible wall divides the two halves. Samus can shoot the upper part of the wall and jump over the other half to get to the High Jump. This room acts as a hidden tutorial for the item, as Samus becomes able to jump over the undestroyed part of the wall with the High Jump's added altitude. Afterwards, there is no reason to revisit this room.

Items • Hi-Jump Boots

Connecting rooms • Hi-Jump drop (Blue Door)

Save Room 1

SMILE

Save Room 1 is the first Save Room in Norfair. It is found at the base of the Norfair entrance shaft and leads directly into the long horizontal path.

Cathedral Entrance

Full view.

SMILE

The "Cathedral Entrance" is a large heated room inhabited by four Sovas and two Dessgeegas. Most of the room is natural, but the floor is a metal walkway propped up by four support pillars. Three of them connect to darker red pillars that act as supports for large rock protrusions, which have ledges in their sides that can be used as platforms. The first rocky structure is present in front of the entrance; the floor can be destroyed with a Bomb to drop into the rest of the room. To get back to the entrance, Samus can climb to the top of the structure and roll through a gap between it and the ceiling, dropping to the door. The door to the next room is on a ledge on the upper right.

Cathedral

Full view.

SMILE

The "Cathedral" is a large chamber similar to the last, also being superheated. It is inhabited by three Gerutas and three Sovas. A shallow lava pool comes up to the base of three large, curved rock structures with outstretched "limbs" as platforms. Between each structure is a drop into the lava, with natural "stairs" leading out of it. Embedded into the base of the third rock structure's left side is a Missile Tank, which is engulfed in lava. Samus can acquire it at any time. While the Gravity Suit will stop her from receiving damage on contact with the lava, she does not need it to acquire the item provided she has enough energy.

Rising Tides

Full view.

SMILE

"Rising Tides" is a horizontal corridor with sweltering heat. Its inhabitants include two Squeepts, five Sovas and four Dragons. When Samus enters the room for the first time, it will quake, and lava will slowly begin to rise from the floor, partially flooding the room. Samus can jump across multiple rocky midair platforms, some of them thin pillars, to safely cross the room. However, the enemies - particularly the Dragons - and the quaking can run the risk of knocking Samus into the lava. Close to the exit, the walls take on a green bubble texture, likely spreading in from the adjacent "Bubble Mountain".

Bubble Mountain

"Bubble Mountain" is an unofficially termed large room of Norfair in Super Metroid. Bubble Mountain is comprised of green bubble-like material in a mountain-like formation, with an elongated protrusion of bubbles from the right wall. A trio of Grapple Points are embedded into the ceiling, to help Samus more easily navigate the room before acquiring the Space Jump. The lower chambers of the room are constructed of purple rocks interlaced with artificial metallic beams and a pair of Koma statues, with a few bubbles seeping down from the ceiling.

This room has seven Doors, the two highest of which are Green Hatches. Therefore, "Bubble Mountain" serves as a junction between rooms of Norfair, including a Save Station, a corridor connecting to the long horizontal path, and another corridor leading to the Speed Booster.

Rooms of a similar material were found in the original Metroid and later in Metroid: Zero Mission.

Save Room 2

SMILE

Save Room 2 is the second Save Room in Norfair. It is found through a high door in Bubble Mountain.

Items • None

Connecting rooms • Bubble Mountain (Blue Door)

Bat Cave

Full view.

SMILE

The "Bat Cave" is a short shaft found through a door on the upper right side of Bubble Mountain. It retains that room's extreme heat and green bubble-like material. Initially, it appears to be a small chamber with three Skrees hanging from the ceiling, a shallow pool of lava and four pairs of large glass bubbles that can be stood on as platforms. Shooting at the ceiling in between the Skrees reveals a hidden shaft above, leading to a higher chamber. An Air Hole that spawns Gamets is to the left, and a door to the right. This leads to the Speed Booster.

Speed Booster Hall

Full view.

SMILE

The "Speed Booster Hall" is a room in Norfair. It appears in Super Metroid. This room is one of the longest corridors in Norfair, and is on an incline. It is set within a large cave isolated from the nearby environments with green bubble-like material, although said material has grown over the room near its entrance and exit. The room is superheated and with an initially shallow pool of lava near the base of the path. The ceiling is lined with spikes close to the end as well. Along the ground are numerous pits with false floors above them. To safely cross over these pits, the Dash button must be used. Three of the pits have Gerutas in them, which are released once Samus runs over the Pit Blocks in the fake floors.

At the very end of the room is a door to the Speed Booster's chamber. As soon as the item is collected, the lava in that room and this one begins to rise. Samus must quickly use her new power-up to run back through this room at top speed, before the lava engulfs the corridor. On further visits, the lava remains at its raised level.

In speedrunning, the downward slopes are short enough that it is considered an ideal place to practice arm pumping. It can even be used once the Speed Booster is acquired to further increase Samus's speed.

Speed Booster room

SMILE

The Speed Booster room is a small Item Room in the upper right corner of Norfair. While most of the room is of artificial construction, some of the nearby green bubble-like material has either seeped in, or the architecture was built on top of it. A Chozo Statue holding the Speed Booster sits on a raised platform against the right wall. Once the item is collected, the lava in this room and the previous one begins to rise. This forces Samus to use the Speed Booster to escape before the lava engulfs her.

Items • None

Connecting rooms • Speed Booster Hall (Blue Door)

Green Bubbles Missile Room

Full view.

SMILE

The "Green Bubbles Missile Room" is a superheated corridor. It can be accessed through a door on the upper left of Bubble Mountain after the Grapple Beam is collected, or by freezing a Waver in Bubble Mountain and using it as a platform. A pair of bubble pillars stand in a shallow pool of lava; the leftmost pillar has a Missile Tank on it. There is one Geruta in this room. By shooting into the wall on the left, Samus will uncover a Morph Ball tunnel, and shooting down produces a shutter that will lift her in ball form up to the tunnel, which leads to a door behind the wall.

Reserve Tank room

Missile Tank.

Full view.

SMILE

The "Reserve Tank room" is a superheated, dead-end corridor. It can be accessed through the "Green Bubbles Missile Room". It has unique red, rocky terrain as compared to other regions of Norfair, with almost every block tile having two "teeth" each. The floor is filled with lava, with only five platforms above it providing safe passage across the pool. Notably, these resemble platforms in Norfair from the original Metroid. At the very end of the corridor is an Item Sphere with Norfair's only Reserve Tank on a ledge. The leftmost "ball" platform can be shot to reveal a Missile Tank. Three Dragons inhabit the lava, and as Samus is crossing the room three Sovas drop from the ceiling onto the round platforms, and crawl along it more quickly than they do on platforms in other rooms.

Items • Reserve Tank • Missile Tank

Connecting rooms • Green Bubbles Missile Room (Blue Door)

Upper Norfair Farming Room

Full view.

SMILE

The Upper Norfair Farming Room is a room between Bubble Mountain and the long path leading to the entrance shaft. It is divided into two halves. The upper half features a gap between two long ledges, with a single midair platform in the middle and a line of Fake Blocks at the base of the gap. Shooting these drops Samus to the lower half, where a slightly wider midair platform sits above a shallow pool of lava. The floor tiles here are artificial, containing eight Koma heads. Gamets spawn indefinitely from a corner of the lava, giving Samus an opportunity to "farm" energy/ammo, hence the room's name. A blue shutter blocks a door on the lower left, which leads towards Crocomire. Samus cannot get through it without the Wave Beam.

Long horizontal path

The long horizontal path is a room in Norfair. It appears in Super Metroid, in which it acts as a shortcut from "Bubble Mountain" to the "Norfair entrance shaft". The long horizontal path is a long tunnel in Norfair that has a cave-in of Boost Blocks near the center of the room, meaning that the Speed Booster is required to go through this room. There are many Beetoms within this room, making it a very good place to farm for Power Bombs.

This room is only meant as a shortcut from "Bubble Mountain" to the entry shaft of Norfair after attaining the Speed Booster. It is impossible to go through this room to first access "Bubble Mountain", since the Speed Booster is beyond said room, but it is a very fast passage through to each side of Norfair. There is a Save Station through a Blue Door on the left, and another Blue Door leading to a room next to "Bubble Mountain" on the right.

The long horizontal path is seen in the second set of gameplay clips in the Super Metroid attract mode.

Ice Beam Gate Room

The "Ice Beam Gate Room" is a room in Norfair. It appears in Super Metroid. This room is found immediately to the left of the entrance shaft of Norfair. It can only be accessed once Super Missiles have been obtained, as the door to it is a Green Hatch. It appears as a long corridor of metal scaffolding built over a natural cave. There is a thin tunnel above the room lined with pipes, through which a single Sova crawls. Above this tunnel is a short shaft, inaccessible from below, with three floors of Pit Blocks that crumble upon impact, and lead back into the main room. Under the floor is a short drop into an untouched, cavernous passageway with a single midair platform. This is populated with more enemies.

A pair of shutters along the main path closes when Samus approaches, preventing her from continuing on unless she has the Speed Booster to run past them. Beyond the second shutter is a door to the next shaft, which leads to the Ice Beam. The floor here has a pair of Boost Blocks; and under this a Power Bomb Block. Once Samus collects the Ice Beam from a nearby room, she can drop into the above shaft to get into the ceiling tunnel, and roll to the right end of it, where a Pit Block will drop her back into the room. Later, Samus can use a Power Bomb to destroy the block and drop into the lower passage; which is one of two paths leading toward Crocomire.

Under normal circumstances, the Speed Booster is required to bypass the shutters and get to the Ice Beam. However, with the Mockball technique, Samus can quickly morph and roll past both shutters, allowing her to collect the Ice Beam before the Speed Booster.

Ice Beam Lava Room

Full view.

SMILE.

The "Ice Beam Lava Room" is a short, artificial passage inhabited by Trippers. It is superheated, consisting of a natural floor and metallic architecture. Two platforms constructed from blocks and pipes are built into the floor, with each door on a ledge; these are on the surface of a pool of lava. Samus can use these platforms and three Trippers flying back and forth between platforms to cross the room safely.

Ice Beam snake shaft

Full view.

SMILE.

The "Ice Beam snake shaft" is another superheated room, and gets its name from the zig-zagging nature of the artificially constructed shaft in it. Multiple ledges in this shaft, inhabited by four Funes, lead to a door at the top, in front of which is a false floor. Samus can shoot it to drop into a thin second shaft, with multiple block outcroppings on the right. She must weave into these in Morph Ball form to eventually find a gap leading into a square chamber. In this chamber is a door to the Ice Beam's room. Three Sovas emerge from this tunnel. Once the item is collected, Samus can return to this room and exit through the door at the top.

Ice Beam room

The "Ice Beam Gate Room" is a room in Norfair. It appears in Super Metroid. A different room that serves the same purpose appears in Metroid and Metroid: Zero Mission, also in Norfair. In Super Metroid, a new room on the upper left of Norfair has the Ice Beam, and the original room is no longer accessible. Under normal circumstances, Samus now needs the Varia Suit and Speed Booster to access the Ice Beam, but the latter can be skipped with the Mockball technique. It is a much smaller, dead-end chamber, insulated from the extreme heat present in adjacent rooms. The background is a noticeably purple cave wall. As with the original room, the Ice Beam is contained in an Item Sphere in the hands of a Chozo Statue, this time seated against the right wall.

Items • Ice Beam

Connecting rooms • Ice Beam snake shaft (Blue Door)

Ice Beam Tutorial Room

Full view.

SMILE.

The "Ice Beam Tutorial Room" is a superheated corridor that connects the upper half of the snake shaft to the Gate Room. As the name implies, it provides a hidden tutorial for the Ice Beam since it must be used to safely cross the room, with is filled with lava. A thin structure is present in the center of the room, with a thin gap between two converging walls. To get to it, Samus must use her Ice Beam to freeze three Boyons when they jump above the lava's surface, and then use them as platforms. The last one jumps to the height of the tunnel, allowing Samus to roll into it. A Ripper II is on the other side of the structure. Samus can freeze this creature and jump off of it to reach the exit.

Norfair Map Station

SMILE.

The "Norfair Map Station" is the only Map Station in Norfair. It can be accessed through the entrance shaft after the Power Bomb is acquired. Notably, the map reveals much of upper Norfair, but none of lower Norfair apart from Ridley's room. Therefore, Samus must chart a path to it manually.

Items • None

Connecting rooms • Norfair entrance shaft (Blue Door)

Crumble Shaft

Full view.

SMILE.

The "Crumble Shaft" is a superheated vertical shaft on the western side of Norfair. The shaft is lined with multiple midair platforms that collapse after Samus steps onto them. Six Sovas crawl along several of them, apparently light enough not to make the blocks crumble. A Missile Tank is embedded into the upper left wall; to reach it, Samus must shoot the wall and carefully jump across to it; alternatively, the Wall Jump or Space Jump can help.

Pirate-infested corridor

The "Pirate-infested corridor" is a room of Norfair. It appears in Super Metroid. This is a large room in the depths of Norfair that consists of a very long, sloped pathway on the left, and a tall vertical shaft on the right. Like much of Norfair, the room is cavernous, superheated and unsafe without the Varia Suit enabled. It can be reached from any of three entrances in the area, with the right entrance being the fastest.

The long pathway on the right is formed from a steep slope. Along it are numerous enemies, specifically Zebesians and Multiviolas, as well as several obstructions. Samus can easily dispatch the enemies and the blocks by running until her Speed Booster activates, and maintaining her top speed. By doing so, she will continue running over a bridge of Pit Blocks (above a floor lined with spikes) until she breaches a wall on the right side, arriving in the vertical shaft.

In the vertical shaft are multiple ledges and midair platforms formed out of rock, with short sets of steps leading to a Green Hatch in the floor. Through here is the room where Samus confronts Crocomire. Notably, the top of the vertical shaft is near identical to an unused room in Norfair, which is not accessible ingame but can be seen using the game's unofficial level editor, SMILE.

Save Room 3

SMILE

Save Room 3 is the third Save Room in Norfair. It is found through a door in the shaft portion of the Pirate-infested corridor, and is most useful for saving progress before the fight with Crocomire.

Items • None

Connecting rooms • Pirate-infested corridor (Blue Door)

Croc's pit

Croc's pit, also known as Croc's cave, is a room in Super Metroid where Samus Aran battles Crocomire, the Mini-Boss of Norfair. Croc's pit is a long, straight tunnel composed of reddish-purple rock. Small red bushes can be seen growing sparsely. Scalding-hot lava runs throughout the pit, rising and falling in steady Lava Tides; this room is one of the first places where Samus can encounter this hazard. On the right side of Croc's pit, a flimsy bridge crosses over a pool of lava, while Grapple Points line the ceiling. On the left side of Croc's pit, another smaller pool of lava is blocked off by a wall covered with spikes.

Samus enters Croc's pit by dropping through a vertical Green Hatch, which then locks her inside the room. The ensuing battle between Samus and Crocomire is a tug-of-war, where Crocomire attempts to push Samus left into the spiked wall while Samus attempts to push Crocomire right towards the flimsy bridge. The bridge cannot support Crocomire's weight and collapses underneath it, dropping the creature into the lava that melts away its skin.

After the battle, Crocomire swims through the lava (leaving a trail of bubbles) to the left side of the pit, where its skeletal remains break through the spiked wall before collapsing into a pile of bones. Its skull remains in Croc's pit for the remainder of the mission. With the spiked wall destroyed, Samus can exit the room through a Blue Door on the left. It is necessary to go through Croc's pit to travel deeper into the lower reaches of Norfair, where the Grappling Beam can be acquired.

Farming cavern

Full view.

SMILE

The "farming cavern" is a large cave that can be accessed after Crocomire's defeat. It is not superheated. Two upper ledges separate the lower part of the room, which can be scaled using a suspensor platform on the right. A Tripper flies back and forth above the ceiling, providing an opportunity to use the Grapple Beam to swing across to the left ledge, which leads into a room with a Power Bomb Tank. However, a well-timed running jump (with the Hi-Jump Boots) from the lower right is enough to reach the ledge. At the base of the cavern is a stone Air Hole that spawns three Gamets at a time; these can be shot as they emerge to restore Samus's energy and ammunition, hence the room's name. A door in the ground leads on to the Grapple Beam.

Save Room 4

SMILE

Save Room 4 is the fourth Save Room in Norfair. This is found immediately after Crocomire's pit, and can be used to save after the fight with the creature.

Items • None

Connecting rooms • Farming cavern (Blue Door)

Crocomire's reliquary

SMILE

"Crocomire's reliquary" is a small, superheated chamber accessible through a door on the upper left ledge in the farming cavern. It is superheated. The sole Power Bomb Tank in Norfair sits on a pedestal in between two Koma statues. This is situated on a metal walkway held up by two girders in the background. Multiple indestructible stalactites hang from the ceiling.

Items • Power Bomb Tank

Connecting rooms • Farming cavern (Blue Door)

Norfair's edge

Full view.

SMILE

"Norfair's edge" is a long vertical shaft. After an initial ledge on the left wall, there is a long drop before a group of midair platforms and wall-mounted ledges, on which a group of four Violas crawls. One ledge on the right wall leads into the hilly path, and a door below continues the trek to the Grapple Beam.

Hilly path

Full view.

SMILE

The "hilly path" is a long horizontal corridor with a curving floor, hence the name. Lava Tides rise and fall in this room, making it dangerous for Samus to stand in the grooves between "hills" for long. At the end of the passageway is a rocky overhang, with a Morph Ball-sized gap between it and the floor. Through here is a smaller chamber with three stalactites on the ceiling and seven pillars, four of which are topped with spikes. The other three can be safely jumped across to a ledge on the right wall, which contains a Missile Tank. Two Metarees inhabit the "hilly" portion, and Gamets spawn in groups of five from the lava in the pillar portion.

Notably, when all of Norfair is viewed on a map, this room is directly adjacent to the Acid Statue Room in lower Norfair.

Items • Missile Tank

Connecting rooms • Norfair's edge (Blue Door)

Norfair Jump Room

The "Norfair Jump Room" is a massive room in Norfair. It appears in Super Metroid. This is one of the lowest rooms in Norfair, and potentially the lowest of upper Norfair. Despite this, it is not superheated, making it safe for Samus without her Power Suit (this is most relevant on a Low Percent Run). The room is divided into a humongous, wide vertical chamber and a more cramped passageway, into which the room is entered.

The former portion is filled with obstructions on the floor. A large wall to the left is made of Boost Blocks, with a thin gap between it and the floor. Behind this is an upwards ramp built out of a tilted stone column. It gives way to the massive main chamber, which is partly filled with scalding-hot lava. Five midair platforms and four suspensor platforms are on the surface of the lava, with an incline on the side of the lava pool giving Samus a means of escape if she falls in.

Samus's destination is a high ledge on the upper left wall of the chamber. To reach it, she must clear the obstructions near the entrance with a Power Bomb, eliminate any enemies in her way and then run to the right, then left until her Speed Booster activates. Once she reaches the end of the ramp, Samus must make a long jump to the left to reach the ledge. Behind the door is the Grappling Beam.

Grappling shaft

Full view.

SMILE

The "grappling shaft" is a vertical shaft of artificial construction. A Chozo Statue is seated to the left, holding the Grappling Beam in its hands. Once Samus collects it, she can ascend the room via notches in the wall above the statue to reach a pair of Grapple Points in the ceiling. She can use these to swing to a door on the upper right.

Pond A

Full view.

SMILE

"Pond A" is a short corridor with a small basin of water. Three Grapple Points are embedded into the ceiling, giving Samus a way to cross them. However, the gap is short enough that she can also jump across it without grappling. If Samus falls into the water, a natural staircase on the left will help her climb out.

Fune shaft

Full view.

SMILE

The "Fune shaft" is a short vertical shaft. Three Funes are present here, and fire their projectiles at Samus as she ascends. She can do that using wall ledges and two midair platforms. Once she reaches the second platform, Samus must jump straight up and grapple to two points in the ceiling, then swing to a door on the upper right.

Pond B

Full view.

SMILE

"Pond B" is another corridor like the previous pond. However, it is larger and contains two large pools of water. An Air Hole that spawns five Gamets at once is at the bottom of the first pool. Like the previous pond, natural stairs allow Samus to escape either pool if she falls in. After grappling to the other side, Samus can open a green Shutter in her way with a Super Missile to return to Norfair's edge.

Crocomire Escape

Full view.

SMILE

"Crocomire Escape" is a large superheated cavern that connects the shaft portion of the Pirate-infested corridor to the lower Norfair entrance shaft. As its name implies, it is commonly visited when leaving Crocomire's region of Norfair after defeating the boss. This room is inhabited by one Dragon and one Dessgeega each. A shallow pool of lava exists at the bottom of the room.

Two large rock structures are positioned in midair near the right with ledges, which Samus can use to climb them. She can swing across several Grapple Points on the ceiling to cross to a ledge on the other side. Should Samus lose her grip and fall below, she can try to land on one of several midair platforms above the surface of the lava. On the other side of the room is a Missile Tank on a pedestal and a green Shutter, which Samus must shoot with a Super Missile to open it and access the entrance shaft.

Norfair fork

Full view.

SMILE

The "Norfair fork" is a secretly forking, superheated shaft that exists in the middle of Norfair. The initial shaft is almost entirely made of red cave rock, with some green bubble material seeping into the ceiling from the Bubble Mountain, the adjacent room. There are two doors into the Grapple Crossing in this shaft, in case Samus falls to the floor in that room. While she is climbing the shaft, she will be attacked by the room's inhabitants, three Multiviolas and four Alcoons, two of which spawn together. Later, while leaving Lower Norfair, Samus passes through the secret hallway in this room, which consists of elaborate stone architecture. Pit Blocks near the entrance to this hall prevent Samus from entering Lower Norfair the opposite way. There are no enemies in the hall, only a group of Koma heads and two walls that Samus can Screw Attack through. At the end of the path is a narrow tunnel through which Samus can drop back into the fork shaft.

Grapple Crossing

The Grapple Crossing is a room in Norfair, seen in Super Metroid. The Grapple Crossing is a large volcanic cavern with few artificial structures; although there is no lava present, it does have extreme heat that makes it dangerous to navigate without the Varia Suit.

There are two main areas of the Grapple Crossing, divided by a large rock column and a Shutter. The first section is populated by Funes, and Samus Aran must cross by jumping between four suspensor platforms that move up and down. The second section features Grapple Points over a large bed of metallic spikes (with a few Pit Blocks to fall through); while it is possible to cross this area before defeating Crocomire, it is strongly recommended to have acquired the Grappling Beam first to make it easier.

If Samus fails to cross the suspensor platforms or Grapple Points, she falls down to a lower area of the room. She must exit through a Blue Door on the left and try again by reentering the room through the upper left door. Successfully traversing the Grapple Crossing leads to a small room containing the Wave Beam.

Wave Beam room

SMILE

The Wave Beam room is a small Item Room in a superheated cave with partial construction. A Chozo Statue sits on a raised platform on the right side, holding the Wave Beam.

Items • Wave Beam

Connecting rooms • Grapple Crossing (Blue Door)

Red Zebesian shaft

Full view.

SMILE

The "Red Zebesian shaft" is a non-heated vertical, mostly natural shaft with four metal midair platforms and ledges each. It provides one of two paths towards Crocomire, and later lower Norfair. As the name implies, it is inhabited by three Red Zebesians and four Silver Geemers.

Dragon tunnel

Full view.

SMILE

The "Dragon tunnel" is a superheated passageway that leads towards Crocomire and lower Norfair in opposite directions. The room is partly flooded with lava; to cross, Samus can run across four metal platforms. In between these are two Dragons, and Gamets that spawn indefinitely from the lava.

Energy Charge A

SMILE

"Energy Charge A" is the first of two Energy Charge stations in Norfair. It is located between Crocomire's region and a long corridor a few rooms away from the entrance to lower Norfair.

Spike death tunnel

Full view.

SMILE

The "spike death tunnel" is a superheated passageway. The floor is lined with spikes, which are themselves submerged in lava. To safely cross the room, Samus must carefully grapple over the lava with Grapple Points on the ceiling, taking care to avoid three Yapping Maws also in the lava. If Samus is not careful, they can pull her down into the lava, causing harm.

Purple Shaft

Full view.

SMILE

The "Purple Shaft" is, as the name implies, a purple-colored, superheated undershaft. No enemies are present here, only multiple wall ledges and three midair platforms with a dripping green fluid underneath them.

Purple Farming Room

SMILE

The "Purple Farming Room" is a superheated small chamber off the side of the previous shaft. It contains a glass fissure, from which five Gamets emerge at a time. They can be killed repeatedly to replenish Samus's energy and ammo.

Items • None

Connecting rooms • Purple Shaft (Blue Door)

Magdollite Tunnel

Full view.

SMILE

The "Magdollite Tunnel" is a superheated, lava-filled cavern. It is inhabited by two Magdollites and two Multiviolas. Multiple flat-topped rock platforms can be used to cross the room safely.

Viola shaft

Full view.

SMILE

The "Viola shaft" is a large vertical shaft with pointy ledges and small midair platforms, each of which is patrolled by a Viola. A flat ledge on the left wall contains a hidden tunnel, accessible both ways, to an alcove with a shutter and an alternate exit/entrance. If Samus has the Wave Beam, she can open it from the back (the front is to the door). While most of the room is natural cave rock, the floor at the bottom is made of a purple constructed material, hinting toward its proximity to Ridley's region of Norfair.

Volcanic cavern

Full view.

SMILE

The "volcanic cavern" is a superheated corridor that leads into a shaft. As soon as Samus enters this room, it begins to quake, with rubble bursting from the floor, and the lava slowly rising. Samus must quickly escape to the top of the shaft (hidden behind a wall tunnel) and exit, avoiding six Funes along the way.

Spiky Platforms Tunnel

Full view.

SMILE

The "Spiky Platforms Tunnel" is a superheated corridor over lava. A Tripper flies back and forth across the lava, and Samus can stand on it to cross. Ceiling pillars with spikes at their ends are in Samus's way; she can best avoid them by morphing while on the Tripper. In the center of the room is a group of flat pillars with spiky ones in between them, and a shutter that extends and retracts from the ceiling at regular intervals. This risks knocking Samus into the lava. On the other side is another Tripper and more ceiling spikes; this Tripper is unable to support Samus's weight and will steadily drop into the lava as it nears the exit ledge.

Lava Dive Room

The "Lava Dive Room" is a large submerged room in Norfair. It appears in Super Metroid, and it serves as the entrance to Lower Norfair. This is a massive chamber that consists of natural cave rock with small spikes, forming a large basin filled with lava. A massive rock formation hangs over the basin, with a narrow gap between it and the ceiling. However, this gap is too narrow for even the Morph Ball to pass through. A structure is built into the left side of the basin, including three support beams, one of which is lined with spikes, holding up a large statue of Ridley's open mouth. This can be entered to access a door to the elevator to Lower Norfair, where Ridley awaits Samus's arrival.

Samus must enter the lava and jump up to the Ridley statue to be able to exit and enter Lower Norfair. Her only obstacles are the spikes and a group of Namihe, which she can either kill or freeze. Under normal circumstances, safe passage through the Lava Dive Room requires the Gravity Suit, which protects Samus from lava and allows free movement in it, and the Space Jump to ascend in the basin. However, there are numerous Sequence Breaking techniques that speedrunners have used to reach the exit without one of, or either of these upgrades. This includes running in from the previous shaft and Shinesparking from the bottom of the basin, manipulation of the game's water physics to jump higher in the Varia or Power Suit, recoiling off of a Namihe's projectile, Wall Jumping, or a combination of these.

Transport to Lower Norfair

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"Transport to Lower Norfair" is the elevator room to lower Norfair. It is superheated. The most notable feature, aside from the elevator platform, is a pair of massive "claws" formed from cave rock above the elevator.

Save Room 5

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Save Room 5 is the fifth Save Room. It is next to the elevator to Lower Norfair, and is the last Save Station before the Golden Torizo battle.

Items • None

Connecting rooms • Transport to Lower Norfair (Blue Door)

Lava room

The lava room is the first room visited in Ridley's Lair in Super Metroid. In Metroid and Metroid: Zero Mission, the Eerie Cave fills the same role as the lava room. The lava room is the location of an Elevator connecting to upper Norfair. This makes the lava room the main entrance and exit of Ridley's Lair, and is therefore the room where Norfair Ancient Ruins Area is played for the first time.

Like much of Ridley's Lair, the lava room consists of ancient ruins constructed from crumbling bricks and columns. Extreme heat is also present in this volcanic cavern, where scalding-hot lava rises and falls with the tide. The right side of the room is uninhabited ruins, but the left side is home to Dragons living in the lava. Several blocks frequently shoot out blasts of fiery attacks, making it dangerous to traverse even with the Space Jump.

Acid Statue Room

The "Acid Statue Room" is a room in Lower Norfair. It appears in Super Metroid. This room is a large shaft found immediately to the left in the depths of Norfair, after the elevator corridor. Ruins of the Chozo civilization are present here, consisting of a large basin that is filled with scalding-hot lava. The room's name comes from speedrunners, referring to the lava, which is called "hydrochloric acid" in the Japanese strategy guide for Super Metroid. A wall on the left, made of Power Bomb Blocks, hides an upright Chozo Statue with its hand outstretched. Samus must Space Jump over the lava and destroy the wall, then morph into the statue's hand.

When she does, the hand lowers and clenches around the Morph Ball, and the statue's eye lights up. Suddenly, the room shakes and the lava drains almost entirely from the basin. When this is done, the statue's hand loosens its grip on Samus before dropping her, allowing Samus to fall into the now empty basin. There is a small hole at the bottom of it, which Samus can fall through to enter a narrow passage blocked by ornate bricks. A Power Bomb will remove these, allowing Samus to continue into corridor with platforms over pockets of lava. Several Holtz and a Magdollite inhabit this part of the room. At the end of the corridor is the exit, into the Golden Torizo's chamber.

Interestingly, the Chozo Statue will not activate unless Samus has the Space Jump, meaning a glitch will have to be performed on the other side of the room leading to the Screw Attack in order to access it.

Golden Torizo's chamber

The Golden Torizo's chamber is a room in Norfair where the Golden Torizo is fought. It appears only in Super Metroid. Much like the rest of Ridley's Lair in Super Metroid, the Golden Torizo's chamber appears to be ancient temple ruins, full of crumbling architecture constructed with pillars and bricks, and decorated with gargoyle-like statues resembling Chozo heads. The stalactites of volcanic caverns are visible in the background.

Samus Aran enters the Golden Torizo's chamber through what initially appears to be a much smaller room containing a single Missile Tank. However, the floor will crumble away when Samus steps on it, dropping her into the main chamber below. The Golden Torizo then drops down from a hidden chamber above the Metal Door, initiating the battle. The Metal Door is unlocked once the Golden Torizo is defeated, allowing Samus to enter the next room.

Screw Attack Room

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The "Screw Attack Room" is a vertical shaft following the Golden Torizo's chamber. A Chozo Statue is in immediate view, holding the Screw Attack in its hands. Once collected, Samus can use it to break through two ceilings as she ascended, which consist of Fake Blocks. Alternatively, if she runs in from the adjacent chamber, she can Shinespark upwards. It is also possible to acquire the Screw Attack from the other way around by using the Green Gate Glitch in the next room, skipping the Golden Torizo as a result.

Energy Charge B

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Energy Charge B is the second and final Energy Charge room in Norfair. It can be accessed through a door on the center right wall of the Screw Attack Room, conveniently after the Golden Torizo battle.

Items • None

Connecting rooms • Screw Attack Room (Blue Door)

Fast Ripper Room

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The "Fast Ripper Room" is a superheated corridor, partially filled with scalding-hot lava. Six Ripper IIs zoom back and forth across the room at an increased speed, hence the name. This is Samus's first chance to use her new Screw Attack against enemies, as it is the only way to kill the Ripper IIs without damage. While her Space Jump allows her to jump across the corridor, there are stonework platforms in the lava that Samus can drop to if necessary. The last of these platforms ends on solid ground, with a green Shutter up ahead that Samus can open using a Super Missile. This can be opened with a glitch from the other side, allowing the Screw Attack to be collected without fighting the Golden Torizo.

Fast Pillars Setup Room

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The "Fast Pillars Setup Room" is a superheated vertical shaft. It is divided into two halves: an upper, longer shaft with ornate architecture, two Chozo busts at the top of either wall, a single midair platform and metal scaffolding as the floor. This can be destroyed with a Power Bomb to reveal the lower part of the room, a small chamber with less construction and more natural cave rock. The lower part is inhabited by two Violas, and the upper by three Yellow Space Pirates.

Pillar Room

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The "Pillar Room" is a superheated corridor. Multiple tall stone pillars are present in the center of the room, with notable fractures. These fractures can be destroyed with the Screw Attack to clear a path forward for Samus. These pillars give way to stonework near the right side. When Samus enters this room, an earthquake begins to occur and scalding-hot lava starts to rise from the floor. Samus must quickly Space Jump and Screw Attack through the pillars to get to the other end. As she is doing so, two swarms of eight Puromi will fly in an arc toward Samus; if she keeps jumping they should pass her by.

Worst Room

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The "Worst Room" is very tall and superheated vertical shaft. It gets its name from speedrunners, who have had difficulty ascending the shaft when skipping the Hi-Jump Boots and Space Jump due to the pixel-perfect and frame-perfect timing required. Said ascension (with Wall Jumping) is made especially difficult by the high number of enemies (five Namihe and six Yellow Space Pirates), with the latter jumping back and forth between walls.

The first part of the shaft has only one platform near the bottom, with spikes on its underside; the lack of platforms is likely to encourage use of the Space Jump and Screw Attack, the latter able to penetrate the ceiling. In the second part of the shaft, there are two midair platforms and four curved wall ledges with spikes underneath them. The shaft ends at the top with a door on the right, and another faux ceiling that conceals a higher door and a midair platform. This door leads into the "Mickey Mouse Room".

Mickey Mouse Room

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The "Mickey Mouse Room" is a combination of a corridor and vertical shaft, both superheated. When Samus enters the top of the shaft, the center of the floor can be shot to reveal a gap through which she can drop. Laying a Bomb in the bottom left corner opens up a tunnel to the left. This takes Samus into a hidden chamber in the shape of Mickey Mouse's head, hence the room's name. A Missile Tank is present here on a pedestal between two Koma heads. Once collected, Samus can leave the way she came. She must take care not to roll too further right in the tunnel, as a Pit Block is there and it drops her down the shaft. Seven Multiviolas and five Dessgeegas inhabit the lower levels of the shaft and corridor. The exit is locked until five of the enemies are killed.

Lava Lake

The Lava Lake is a room near the lowest point of Norfair in Super Metroid, close to the chamber where Ridley is fought. The room is composed primarily of jagged cave rock, but it also houses structural ruins of Chozo origin. When Samus enters the Lava Lake for the first time, an earthquake will occur. Scalding-hot lava begins to rise from the ground, and Samus is forced to quickly ascend the room to avoid being engulfed in it. Ascension is achieved by a combination of the Screw Attack and Space Jump, as well as use of midair platforms. If Samus returns to this room later from the other entrance, it will remain filled to the brim with magma apart from the highest platform, making it very risky to attempt to go back through the other door.

Red Kihunter Shaft

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The "Red Kihunter Shaft" is a long vertical shaft near the bottom of Norfair. Its name originates from the three red Kihunters that inhabit the shaft. When entered, it appears to be a small, superheated chamber. However, by shooting into the floor, Samus will expose a hole she can drop into, bringing her into the rest of the shaft. This is populated with stonework of likely Chozo origin, including multiple statues, toppled columns on a bias, and rocky ledges. At the base of the room is a tunnel obstructed by three solid rectangular blocks. Samus can blow these away with a Power Bomb to reveal a tunnel going into the right wall. This ends against a Koma statue in a hidden alcove. Samus can lay another Power Bomb to clear it and three other Koma heads, and open the Yellow Hatch below, which leads on to Ridley himself.

Save Room 6

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Save Room 6 is the sixth and final Save Room in Norfair. It is the last Save Room before the fight with Ridley.

Items • None

Connecting rooms • Red Kihunter Shaft (Blue Door)

Wasteland

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The "Wasteland" is a superheated corridor with an undershaft in Norfair. The first part is a small chamber with a bird-like statue (possibly a Chozo) in the middle of the floor, which Samus lands on when she enters. Flames shoot up at regular intervals on both sides of the statue, guarding two pairs of spikes and two alcoves in the walls. The leftmost alcove has a Bomb Block concealing a hidden tunnel to the left, leading into the rest of the room. Here, four Dessgeegas will attack Samus. A group of three statues is on the far left, with three busts on the ceiling; the leftmost of these points to the statue in the center of the floor, which is missing its head.

By laying a Bomb at the base of the left wall, Samus can access a hidden alcove with a Power Bomb Tank. Using a Power Bomb obliterates the center statue and reveals the shaft underneath. Here, Samus can navigate downward using alcoves lined with spikes. Kzan platforms rise and fall below her; she can stand on them as they lower and then step into the alcove they stop at, until Samus reaches the door below. The final Kzan stops just above a pool of scalding-hot lava.

Monitor hall

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The "monitor hall" is a superheated hallway near Ridley's domain. As the name implies, its most notable feature are seven unique monitor screens hanging from the ceiling, although nothing is on display. Two Silver Space Pirates are stationed in this room, and must be killed in order to proceed.

Holtz hall

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The "Holtz hall" is another heated corridor with a floor of scalding-hot lava. Six Holtz are present here, in addition to Zebbos that spawn from three Air Holes. This gives Samus one of several opportunities to refill her energy and ammunition before she confronts Ridley. Three "faces" of bejeweled red eyes and sharp teeth are built into the ceiling; unlike that of "Mini-Kraid's room" in Super Metroid, the teeth cannot harm Samus if she touches them.

Ridley's room access

"Ridley's room access" is a room in Norfair. It appears in Super Metroid. A different room that serves the same purpose appears in Metroid and Metroid: Zero Mission. In Super Metroid, Ridley's room access more closely resembles its original appearance in Metroid, although it is not the same room due to Ridley's new location in a lower half of Norfair. It retains certain aesthetics of the room from Metroid, including the silver pillar platforms and the lava, now scalding-hot lava that rises and falls. Ruined Chozo statuary can be seen in the background. Unlike its previous two appearances, this room is superheated.

As with Metroid, the pillars are crawling with Violas, and numerous Geegas spawn from different points in the lava. Therefore, Samus must be careful in navigating the room to conserve as much energy and ammo as possible for the fight with Ridley ahead. The pillar platform that is closest to the door, as well as the ledges and ceiling in front of it, are covered in the spiky material of a Gadora blocking the door. This material remains even as the Gadora is killed. After Ridley is defeated, Samus leaves lower Norfair through this room, and there is little reason to revisit it.

Ridley's room

Ridley's room is the room where Ridley is battled in his lair. In Super Metroid, Ridley's chamber has aspects of both the original Metroid room and the later Zero Mission room. It retains the aesthetics of the room from Metroid, including the silver pipes and the creature-like decorations on the ceiling. It also has the greater vertical height of the Zero Mission room, as well as the pillars and ruins in the background. Additionally, several gargoyle-like statues resembling Chozo heads are situated near the top of the room.

When Samus first enters Ridley's chamber, the room appears dark and empty, only for Ridley to emerge from the shadows in the same manner as he did in the Ceres Space Colony. As Ridley roars and the battle begins, the chamber's background fully lights up as an earthquake floods the bottom of the room with scalding-hot lava that will damage even the Gravity Suit. The lava level rises and falls slightly throughout the battle. Upon Ridley's death, the chamber shakes again and the lava seeps away.

With Ridley finally killed, Samus can enter the adjacent room to the left. Unfortunately, she discovers that she is too late to rescue the baby, with its broken Metroid capsule left behind. However, like Metroid and Zero Mission, this adjacent room still holds an Energy Tank.

Ridley's reliquary

Ridley's reliquary is a room in Norfair. It appears in Super Metroid. In Super Metroid, Ridley's room has been reconstructed in a deeper area of Norfair, with the original no longer accessible. It is now a simple square room with red and golden tile, and two Chozo heads on the ceiling. Samus comes here after defeating Ridley, only to find the baby's broken capsule on the floor, with the Metroid itself nowhere to be found. Samus can shoot the block underneath the door to collect an Energy Tank before leaving.

Items • Energy Tank

Connecting rooms • Ridley's room (Blue Door)

Lower Norfair Fireflea Room

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The "Lower Norfair Fireflea Room" is a massive shaft in Lower Norfair. It appears in Super Metroid. This is one of the largest rooms in Norfair, if not the entire game. Unlike much of the surrounding areas, it is not superheated, meaning it would be safe for Samus to stay in without the Varia Suit. The most significant feature is the presence of a massive rock formation resembling a creature's open mouth. A green orb embedded into the cave rock serves as its "eye", while stalactites and stalagmites in the "maw" opening serve as the "teeth". A bed of spikes is found directly under the creature's maw. Aside from a metal walkway below the door and within the open "creature", this room is almost entirely composed of natural cave.

Entering the creature's maw (blocked by a Fune), Samus will find a large cavern kept lit by five Firefleas. There is an unmissable outstretched "arm" from the right wall, also carved out of cave rock and having three curled talons. Killing any of the Firefleas causes the light to diminish before the room is plunged into complete darkness if they are all eliminated. The floor here is lined with a bed of spikes, making safe traversal impossible. A pair of midair platforms above the spikes provides refuge, with the second of these containing an Energy Tank.

Above the "creature's" head is a zig-zagging shaft of three pointed ledges with an angle, each of which has a falling boulder. These will begin to roll down when Samus approaches, and will cause damage if she does not jump over them. Once at the top of the shaft, there are two exits: a door to the right, which is a dead end from that way, and another door to the left through a false wall. This false wall cannot be detected with the X-Ray Scope, which may lead to confusion in some players who might end up returning to the only other exit out of Lower Norfair, which would require navigating the Lava Lake after it is flooded with scalding-hot lava. It is possible that the wall was originally transparent, before Firefleas were added late in development. As a consequence, the wall appears to be impenetrable.

Demolitions cache

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The "demolitions cache" is a small superheated room near the upper right corner of Norfair. Despite being near upper Norfair, it is considered part of Lower Norfair, as evidenced by the Norfair Ancient Ruins Area theme playing in it. This chamber is tightly constricted by two pillars with Koma heads on top; to the right of them is a Power Bomb Tank, and scalding-hot lava. To get it, Samus must enter the cache from the top door. She can lay a Bomb atop the right Koma to destroy it. The rest of the pillar underneath is made of Pit Blocks, which crumbles as soon as Samus touches them, and allow her to collect the Tank. She can destroy the other pillar in the same way to leave through the left exit.

Spring Ball maze

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The "Spring Ball maze" is a superheated room of two elongated hallways. The lowest, which is the first to be entered, is shorter and has a bumpy floor with two spike pits, and a hanging stalactite. This gives way to a set of three artificial ledges above, leading to an exit on the left and the higher hallway on the right. Four Alcoons confront Samus as she makes her way through the maze room. At the end of this is a metal pedestal with a Missile Tank in plain sight. Once collected, by laying a Power Bomb, Samus can obliterates parts of the right wall, exposing a high pipe that the Morph Ball can enter. Samus can then navigate a hidden maze in the wall of metal blocks, until she drops through Pit Blocks beside a pillar embedded into rock. A Power Bomb destroys the bottom part of the pillar, allowing Samus to reach the alternate door to the demolitions cache.

Three Musketeers' Room

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The "Three Musketeers' Room" is a large room with three sections and three Kihunters, hence the name. The three parts are a leftward corridor, a vertical shaft and a small alcove. Along the corridor are several hurdles, two of which have Koma heads on top, which shoot up flames one after the other. Samus must carefully dodge these, as well as scalding-hot lava that rises and falls from the floor constantly. The Kihunters inhabit the shaft, which can be ascended using wall ledges. On the first ledge, if Samus detonates a Power Bomb, she will expose a hidden tunnel in the ledge taking her to the alcove. Here, a Missile Tank is placed on a pedestal between two raised pillars held up by multiple supports. Standing on either pillar causes it to crumble.