Rocky cave

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The current title is from a guide or other published source.

The rocky cave^[1] is a significant room in Crateria. It made its first appearance in Super Metroid, although chronologically it is first seen in Metroid: Zero Mission.

Description[]

The rocky cave consists of an uneven horizontal tunnel, with a pair of natural rocky shafts extending downward on the left and right sides. The rocky cave is found directly to the left of Samus's Gunship, and proves to be essential in traveling between Crateria's landing site, Tourian's escape shaft, and Brinstar's Corridor No. 1.

During Samus Aran's Zero Mission, the rocky cave is completely uninhabited. It is implied that Samus first passes through here while monologuing during the game's introduction, although this walk would occur when the screen fades to black and therefore is not visually seen. Her first passage through the rocky cave is suggested by the room's right shaft leading directly to the Starting Point of Corridor No. 1, where the screen fades back into view with Samus already in it, marking the start of her mission.

Samus later returns to the rocky cave through the lower left corner while escaping the imminent destruction of Tourian. She ascends the left shaft and has to break several barriers with her Beam to reach the landing site. During this time, a cave-in has occurred in the lower right shaft, with boulders now blocking its passage. After receiving the Fully Powered Suit in Chozodia, Samus can return to the rocky cave to access the ruins of Tourian. She can also break through the aforementioned boulders with a Power Bomb to return to Corridor No. 1.

The rocky cave plays a much greater role during the Raid on Planet Zebes in Super Metroid, and is the first room Samus enters after landing her ship on Zebes. At first, the rocky cave appears desolate, with only a few Sbugs that are spooked by Samus's presence. Starting with only her basic Power Beam, Samus can only access two Blue Doors at first (with one leading quickly to a dead end), but many more paths and doors quickly open up to her as she acquires her Morph Ball, Missiles, and Bombs. After returning to the rocky cave from the ruins of old Tourian and Brinstar, she finds the tunnels swarming with Geemers, Rippers, and Skrees.

Just like in Zero Mission, Samus's escape from the exploding Tourian in Super Metroid brings her through the rocky cave, which is now uninhabited once again. She has the option to detour through the right shaft to rescue the Etecoons and Dachora before returning to the landing site.

Connecting rooms[]

Zero Mission[]

Landing Site (via Blue Door)
"Transport to Tourian" (via Green Hatch)
"Weed-filled hall" (via Blue Door)

Super Metroid[]

Landing Site (via Blue Door)
"Tourian escape shaft" (via Blue Door)
"Crateria Save Station" (via Blue Door)
"Final Missile Bombway" (via Blue Door)
"Pre-Map Flyway" (via Red Hatch)
"Flyway" (via Blue Door)
"Fungal slope" (via Blue Door)

Inhabitants[]

Super Metroid[]

11 Geemers
2 Rippers
17 Sbugs (first visit)
3 Skrees

Official data[]

Metroid: Zero Mission: The Official Nintendo Player's Guide[]

210 CLIMB AND CONQUER (pg. 76): "After you emerge from the shaft, you'll still have a good distance to cover before you're free and clear. Jump onto the planet's natural ledges to reach the surface level, then blast through a series of walls as you run to the right."

276 RETURN TO TOURIAN (pg. 89): "Your item-collecting travels will take you to Tourian next. Run left, blasting barriers as you go, then drop through a long natural shaft and use a Super Missile to break through a green hatch. Continue left to the Tourian elevator."

281 BEGIN AGAIN (pg. 91): "Climb up the rock shaft, move right and detonate a Power Bomb at the reddish boulders. You'll carve a path to Brinstar - where you started your adventure."

Trivia[]

Much like Crateria itself, the rocky cave did not appear in the original Metroid but was included in the Zero Mission remake, strengthening its continuity with Super Metroid.
In Zero Mission, if the Green Hatch just outside the Tourian elevator is opened with a Super Missile during the escape sequence, the hatch will remain green until opened again. Only then will it remain blue.
Although the room itself did not appear in the Super Smash Bros. games, 4-2DASSYUT in the Adventure Mode for Super Smash Bros. Melee was partly modeled after this room.

Gallery[]

References[]

^ Nintendo Power volume 95, pg. 61: "From the start point at the ship in Crateria, go left into the rocky cave then down to the main elevator leading to Brinstar, which is marked by the number one."

Rooms on Zebes
Brinstar	Corridor No. 1 • "Fake Block shaft" • "Overhang corridor" • Blue-tinted shaft • "Long Beam corridor" Corridor No. 2 • Entrance to Tourian • Gold-colored shaft • Corridor No. 5 • "Transport to Norfair" Corridor No. 3 • Corridor-connecting room • "Varia Suit corridor" • "Brinstar end shaft" "Bomb access corridor" • "Brinstar Bomb room" • Corridor No. 4 Kraid Elevator • "Hidden tank shaft" Corridor No. 1 • "Fake Block shaft" • "Overhang corridor" "Green Brinstar Main Shaft‏" • "Dachora's room" • "Pink shaft" • "Spore Spawn Room" "Super Missile drop" • "Early Supers Room" • "Jungle slope" • "n00b bridge" "Red Tower" • "Transport to Norfair" • "Mini-Kraid's room" • "Kraid's room access" • Kraid's room "Kraid's reliquary" • "Red Tower Elevator Room" • "Alpha Power Bomb Room" "Red Brinstar Fireflea Room" • "X-Ray Scope room" • "Jungle trap" • Hell
Norfair	Brinstar-to-Norfair elevator shaft • "Western lava-filled path" • "Transport to Crateria" "Missile Tank tunnel" • "Norfair main corridor" • Blue-bubble shaft • "Ice Beam access corridor" "Ice Beam room" • "Long bubble shaft" • Norfair's upper-right path • "Heated Missile corridor" "Norfair's gauntlet" • "Hi-Jump access corridor" • "Hi-Jump room" • "Superheated runway" "Brutal path" • "East green bubble shaft" • "Screw Attack corridor" • "Three rock corridor" "Twin hill corridor‏‎" • "Precarious path" • "Fire-Sea Room" • "West green bubble shaft" Hopping-Mad Corridor • "Dual tank chamber" • "Vine-infested passage‏‎" "Single-block-wide bridge" • "Wave Beam access corridor" • Path of Destruction "Kiru Giru larva hall‏‎" • "Path of vines‏" • "Kiru Giru's room" • Ridley Elevator "Broken Statue room" • Lava-filled passage "Norfair entrance shaft" • "Hi-Jump room" • "Bubble Mountain" • "Speed Booster Hall" Long horizontal path • "Ice Beam Gate Room" • Pirate-infested corridor • Croc's pit "Norfair Jump Room" • Grapple Crossing • "Lava Dive Room"
Kraid's Lair	"Kraid entrance shaft" • "Barisute pit" • "Caged Sidehopper hall" • "Apex launcher shaft" "Kraid's highest corridor" • "Zeela-infested shaft" • "Chozo machine hall" • "Acid Worm's room" "Acidic concourse" • Bottomless Pond • "Mini-Kraid's room" • "Ball launcher speedway" "Acid-filled runway" • "Kraid's gauntlet" • "Kraid's slope" • "Kraid's room access" Kraid's room • "Kraid's reliquary" • "Block column shaft" • "Acid fall" "Corrosive pool"
Ridley's Lair	Eerie Cave • "Cocoon cavern" • Imago's hideout • "Hall of pillars" • Artificial Passage "Path over lava" • "Shaft of doom" • "Ridley's maze" • Zebbo Nest • "Ridley's rightmost shaft" "Chain reaction chamber" • "Ridley's runway" • Middle corridor • Multiviola Nest • "Gambit shaft" "Ridley's room access" • Ridley's room • "Ridley's reliquary" • "Ridley's shortcut" Lava room • "Acid Statue Room" • Golden Torizo's chamber • Lava Lake • Ridley's room • "Lower Norfair Fireflea Room"
Tourian	"Tourian entrance shaft" • "Tourian lava passage" • "Tourian ledged shaft" • Triple-tiered room "Rinka hall" • Zebesian Command Center • "Tourian escape shaft" "Tourian entrance shaft" • "Big Metroid's room" • Zebesian Command Center
Crateria	"Crateria's undershaft" • Flooded cavern • "Chozo Ruins main cavern" • Water-filled hole "Statuary shaft" • "Chozo reliquary" • "Crateria Chozo Ruins entrance" Landing Site • "Crateria tube" • Rocky cave • "Weed-filled hall" • "Transport to Brinstar" • "Wrecked Ship entrance" Landing Site • Rocky cave • "Tourian escape shaft" • Zebesian Command Center "Pre-Map Flyway" • "Crateria Map Station" • "Torizo's chamber" • "Crateria Missile cache" "Crateria's undershaft" • "Crateria tube" • "Interior Lake" • Flooded cavern • "Old Tourian launchpad" "Crateria Chozo Ruins entrance" • "The Gauntlet" • "Statues Hallway" • Mysterious Statue Chamber
Wrecked Ship	"Wrecked Ship entrance" • "Wrecked Ship Main Shaft" • Phantoon's chamber • Top corridor "Walking Chozo chamber"
Maridia	"Glass Tunnel" • "Maridia Main Shaft" • "Mount Death" • "Tatori's room" • "Aqueduct" "Botwoon's chamber" • "Shaktool Chamber" • Draygon's chamber • "Plasma Spark Room" • "Plasma Chamber"
Chozodia	"Mother Ship landing site" • "Mother Ship entrance" • "Mother Ship's first chamber" • "Tripwire corridor" Escape-ship bay • "Hangar Shaft" • "Cracked surface shaft" • Laser room Ship's large glass tube • "Chozodia's fork" • "Pitfall" • "Zebesian pit" • "Chacmool room" "Chozo Shaft East" • "Chozo inner temple" • Flooded chamber • Top of the ruins "Chozodia lava pool" • Probe-packed corridor • "Mother Ship armory" • Ship's last chamber
Other rooms	Metroid: Brinstar • Kraid's Lair • Norfair • Ridley's Lair • Tourian Metroid: Zero Mission: Brinstar • Norfair • Crateria • Chozodia • Kraid • Ridley • Tourian Super Metroid: Crateria • Brinstar • Norfair • Wrecked Ship • Maridia • Tourian

[1] Nintendo Power volume 95, pg. 61: "From the start point at the ship in Crateria, go left into the rocky cave then down to the main elevator leading to Brinstar, which is marked by the number one."

[1]