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One of the biggest trends
in video games lately seems to be dredging up old franchises and
breathing new life into them. Dormant franchises as old as Spy
Hunter and Sinistar and as recent as Mortal Kombat have suddenly
reemerged on current systems, with mixed results. Easily the most
dramatic of these resurrections is that of the Metroid series. Last
appearing in 1994’s Super Metroid for Super Nintendo, Samus Aran has
largely been missing in action (with the exception of appearances in
the Super Smash Bros. games), until Nintendo, by popular demand,
released two separate Metroid games on the same day. Garnering most
of the attention is the GameCube blockbuster Metroid Prime, which
has been met with some apprehension by hardcore fans, due to that
game’s conversion from side-scroller to first person shooter.
Seeming almost developed in response to this criticism, Nintendo
also released Metroid Fusion for the Game Boy Advance, a more
traditional sequel to Super Metroid. After playing through the game,
I can’t think of more of a compliment to give to the game than one
that the designers gave to it in the opening credits: Metroid 4.
Yes, everything that made the Metroid series great is present in
Metroid Fusion. There’s the exploration, the world that opens up
slowly as you discover new items, the giant, intimidating boss
monsters, it’s all here. If you’ve never played a Metroid game
before, other than doing all I can to urge you to correct that
deficiency in your video gaming resume, think of it as similar to
the more recent Castlevania games, only with blasters and missiles
instead of whips and holy water.
One thing that sets Metroid Fusion apart from its predecessors is a
clearly stated and well-developed storyline, including, for the
first time, occasional monologues by Samus herself. The basic
premise is that, on a mission following the second defeat of Mother
Brain at the end of Super Metroid, Samus encounters a virus called
the X, which is extremely deadly, and has the ability to take on the
form of any living being it infests. After having to remove most of
her suit surgically in order to stop the infection (hence the funky
new blue threads she flaunts in this game), Samus returns to the
space station to exterminate the X. Unfortunately, Samus is far from
being at full power, but the X, having infected her suit, have taken
on the form of Samus herself, with all of her former abilities, and
is looking to take Samus out of the picture.
Another new feature present in Metroid fusion is the mission system
that moves the story along and clearly delineates the general area
you should be progressing to. Since this does curtail the sense of
exploration, it may cause some hardcore Metroid fans to bristle a
bit, but I find that it helps to keep the game moving. One of my
biggest complaints I had about older Metroid games was having to
wander around aimlessly until you stumbled upon the area you were
supposed to go to next, and this mission system eliminates that
annoyance. It should be said that some missions, particularly later
ones, don’t necessarily follow the clear-cut formula, which helps to
keep the player guessing despite the mission system.
These two changes aside, though, the gameplay is classic Metroid,
shrunk down to fit in your pocket. The game really feels like any
other Metroid game, which is easily the best compliment one could
give the game. The control has even been tightened up to make the
gameplay more effortless and allow the player to concentrate more on
the game itself. Super Metroid often required accessing a clunky
interface in order to switch equipment, as well as pressing the
Select button to switch from the regular blaster to missiles and
power bombs. Metroid Fusion manages to solve both of these problems.
First of all, all equipment gains are cumulative; the ice beam, the
only item that could throw a monkey wrench into this solution, is
applied to missiles instead of the blaster, removing any need to
turn it off. As for the Select issue, secondary weapons (essentially
just missiles and power bombs) are activated by holding down the R
button, eliminating wasted missiles and lost health due to having
the wrong weapon equipped. Otherwise, all the classic control
remains the same, so anyone who’s ever played a Metroid game before
(and likely those who haven’t) should be able to jump right in with
no learning curve.
Graphically, Metroid Fusion looks as one would expect for a Game Boy
Advance game. Backgrounds and characters are well-defined and
colorful, and while some enemies can occasionally blend in with the
scenery, especially in low light, most of the graphics are generally
easy to see. Even in areas that are supposed to be dark, instead of
actually making the backgrounds dark and therefore impossible to
see, they wisely decided to just put a spotlight around Samus and
make outlying areas dark. Furthermore, the game features no
noticeable slowdown or any other graphical glitches that I noticed.
Sound is also well-done, though quite subtle. Most of the background
music is rather muted and low-key, as it was in the original Metroid
games, to emphasize Samus’ solitude and the creepiness of the space
station. Some of the old riffs, most notably the tones that play
when Samus begins a life, are present in all their glory as well.
There is also some well-placed speech, and while the in-game text is
not spoken, it is well used as computer announcements like counting
down the time to station self-destruction, which really adds to the
atmosphere of the game.
Overall, Metroid Fusion is one of the best Game Boy Advance games
currently available, and definitely the best action game
specifically designed for the GBA. While the length may leave you
wanting more (the game can be completed in under five hours of game
time, and significantly less than that once you know where all the
secret passages are), this game is easily enough to scratch the
Metroid itch for even the staunchest of Metroid purists. For only
$30, Metroid Fusion is a definite bargain for any GBA owner, and a
definite must-buy. Eight years is a long time for a sequel, but
Metroid Fusion is well worth the wait.
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