GoKawiil1990s Super Metroid FAQ writer hand-justified 17,000 words without software
A retro gaming FAQ author named rs1n manually wrote a lengthy Super Metroid guide in the late 1990s so that every line's right margin ended flush against the text width, without using any justification software. He achieved this simply by carefully choosing words and phrasing as he wrote, avoiding the awkward double-spacing or hyphenation typically seen in monospace text justification.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The story highlights a forgotten craft skill from early internet writing, where authors manually solved formatting problems that modern software still struggles to handle elegantly in fixed-width fonts. It also resonates with anyone in software or UI design who has hand-tweaked text to fit constrained spaces, showing that manual precision sometimes outperforms automated solutions.
- Monospace text justification is technically difficult because spacing can't be evenly distributed like in proportional fonts.
- rs1n hand-crafted a 17,000-word Super Metroid FAQ with perfectly justified right margins using no software tools.
- The anecdote parallels modern UI/UX work where developers manually adjust text to fit fixed-width interface elements.
Super Metroid (SNES) game — The article celebrates a legendary 1990s Super Metroid text guide, hand-justified word by word — and the best way to appreciate it is to play the game itself. Super Metroid remains a landmark of exploration and atmosphere, and having the cartridge on hand makes revisiting those old ASCII walkthroughs even more fun.
See Super Metroid (SNES) game on Amazon → Affiliate link — we may earn a commission on purchases, at no extra cost to you. Product picked by AI based on this article; it is not a tested recommendation.Source: unsung.aresluna.org — Marcin Wichary, 2026-08-30
Published there as: ““I just chose words carefully””
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