Super Metroid Director Recalls Intense Crunch and Stinking Nap Room During Development

The development of Nintendo's 1994 Super NES classic, Super Metroid, is widely celebrated for producing one of the greatest games of all time. However, the intense reality behind its intricate world design and alien atmosphere involved grueling conditions for the team. In an interview originally featured in the July 2009 issue of Retro Gamer magazine and later highlighted in subsequent publications, director Yoshio Sakamoto detailed the extreme crunch that characterized the final stretch of the project.

During the last six months of development, Sakamoto stated that he lost track of where he lived while Nintendo was still operating out of its former headquarters in Higashiyama. The building transformed into a boarding house for the team, with Sakamoto noting that he could not remember going home at all. Between ten and fifteen staff members remained in the office through the night, forcing employees to take turns sleeping in an uncleaned nap room. According to Sakamoto, the space eventually grew so foul that staff from another area of the building woke them up to report that the room smelled like a zoo, while a room freshener only worsened the odor.

The intense overtime drew criticism from Nintendo legend and section chief Gunpei Yokoi, who grew increasingly angry as the team missed deadlines and worked excessive hours. Sakamoto recalled Yokoi questioning whether they were trying to produce a work of art. Despite his initial frustration over the missed objectives and crazy hours, Yokoi eventually grew deeply fond of the final product, frequently telling third-party developers to play Super Metroid when comparing action games.