When comparing Metroid vs Knightmare (AKA Majou Densetsu), the Slant community recommends Metroid for most people. In the question“What are the best and the most revolutionary games of all time?” Metroid is ranked 14th while Knightmare (AKA Majou Densetsu) is ranked 51st. The most important reason people chose Metroid is:
Metroid paved the way for using not only sound and graphics, but level design as an element of atmosphere in games. Its deep, dark, winding tunnels with cleverly hidden passages and non-linear gameplay, together with its foreboding soundtrack and sound effects create a desolate feeling of loneliness akin to the cinematography of the film "Alien".
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Atmospheric sound and graphics
Metroid paved the way for using not only sound and graphics, but level design as an element of atmosphere in games. Its deep, dark, winding tunnels with cleverly hidden passages and non-linear gameplay, together with its foreboding soundtrack and sound effects create a desolate feeling of loneliness akin to the cinematography of the film "Alien".
Pro Created a new sub-genre (Metroidvania)
Because of their atmospheric design and non-linear gameplay, Metroid and Castlevania have forged their own sub-genre, original enough to bear their names - Metroidvania.
Pro Encouraged speed running
Metroid's innovation doesn't stop there - Metroid was one of the first games to not only cater to, but encourage speed running, a concept ultimately popularized by one of its sequels, Super Metroid.
Pro Challenged players' assumptions
Metroid uses this mechanic to go step further - upon being completed in under a certain amount of time, it breaks players assumptions and defies gender stereotypes in revealing that the hero they've been playing as is actually a heroine.
Pro Tunes from Miki Higashino
Just like in Gradius, all tunes used in this game were composed by Miki Higashino. She was a teenager at the time and was working for Konami part-time, everyday, after school.
Pro Amazing graphics for the 80's
1986 was the same year that the original Legend of Zelda and Super Mario Bros: The Lost levels came out. The textures in Knightmare look substantially better than the relatively blocky textures in the Zelda and Mario games of its time.
Pro One of the first games to have a 'bird's eye view' angle
Considered technically challenging back in 1986, Knightmare offered a top-down (bird's eye) view. This made a lot of sense, especially for vertically scrolling games such as this one.
Cons
Con You have to play in one sitting
No saves, passwords, or retries if you get a game over.