Super Metroid first released in Japan in 1994.
Nintendo launched the game there on March 19, 1994, for the Super Famicom, the Japanese version of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It arrived in North America one month later, on April 18, followed by Europe on July 28.
Super Metroid continued the story of Metroid II: Return of Samus and became the third major entry in the series. Samus returns to Zebes after the Space Pirate Ridley steals the infant Metroid she had taken to the Ceres space colony. The game’s large interconnected world, item-based progression, atmospheric soundtrack, and map system made it a defining SNES release.
The year can be confused with 1993 because development and planning began earlier, while 1996 is too late for the original release. The game was later reissued through services including Nintendo Power, the Wii and Wii U Virtual Consoles, the New Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console, and Nintendo’s Super NES Classic Edition. Those later versions do not change the original Japanese release year.