Metroid is one of Nintendo’s most successful and long-running franchises, and Samus Aran is one of Nintendo’s most memorable and flat-out cool characters. So, it’s a bit of a tall order for a humble gamer like myself to truly capture the sheer awesomeness and deft skill that comes with a game like Zero Mission.
In its day, Metroid for the NES was a hell of a thing that had young gamers gathering in their grade-school cafeterias to discuss the latest harrowing encounter with one of the game’s bosses. While it was in no way epic like its successors, it still captured the imaginations of a generation of gamers, especially in that famous ending scene in which Samus removes her helmet to display her long, blonde hair.
So, four games later, Nintendo decided to head back to its roots and hurl the original Metroid into the 21st century. Nintendo has managed to put forth what I would call the best Metroid yet by taking all they’ve learned since Metroid, adding the impressive capabilities of the GBA, and improving on a few features
Conceptually speaking, Zero Mission is nothing really new. This is the third game of the five to occur on the planet Zebes, and with its 32-bit presentation, there is a lot in common with Super Metroid. Metroid (NES) was, all told, a fairly repetitive game, consisting of unnervingly similar horizontal and vertical caverns, without much logical reason.
So, what’s new, different and exciting? Why should we care about a re-make of an old game? Well, there is now a map screen, which makes the navigation of Zebes’ interior less a chore and more of a brilliant gaming experience. There are also a couple of new suit upgrades that make gameplay very interesting, as well as a few new interactions between the items. For instance, there is now a power grip attachment that allows Samus to grab onto ledges and pull herself up. The high-jump upgrade now integrates the spring ball capability, allowing Samus to hop around in morphing ball form. Finally, the speed booster can now be used in ball form – simply activate the speed booster, press down to store energy, drop into ball form, and off you go.
In a break from Metroid tradition, the story is now far more central. Whereas the story in previous games was told mainly at the beginning and end, with some brief in-engine occurrences to help the story along, Zero Mission’s story is told through cut scenes peppered throughout the game. You have cut scenes hinting at Mother Brain’s existence, before each boss, and in a couple of other areas. While some may say this is a blasphemous departure from the series’ concept that Samus is a lone, silent warrior in the middle of a planet whose denizens are all out to kill her, I think it’s actually an improvement. They aren’t at all invasive, they’re entertaining, and they look good.
Looking good is exactly what this game does. While Fusion was sharp, Zero Mission is a work of art. It is quite possibly the best-looking GBA game on the market today, everything smacks of quality: smooth, detailed animations, gorgeously realized backdrops, positively mammoth bosses (Kraid is as big and scary as he was in Super Metroid), and nary a sign of slowdown, even with huge amounts of action happening on screen.
The audio is no slouch either. While you’ve got your basic sounds for jumping, damage, explosions and gunshots, the action is accompanied by fantastic remixes of old songs from Metroid, as well as a couple of new tunes. The aural aspect of the game is good even coming from that one small, tinny speaker, and is absolutely fantastic coming from headphones.
It’s generally a mistake to compare remakes to their origins; luckily, we have a GBA benchmark: Metroid Fusion. The biggest gripe gamers had about Fusion was its ridiculous linearity. Samus’ computer would essentially tell you exactly where to go. Conceptually speaking, Metroid is SUPPOSED to be sprawling, intimidating, and directionless – it conveys the sense of Samus’ aloneness on this alien world – even though she was ostensibly raised on Zebes by the Chozo (according to Metroid lore).
However, the openness of Metroid II or Super Metroid could be intimidating, especially to young gamers. Zero Mission gets around this very deftly – throughout her mission, Samus comes across Chozo statues that, when activated, point towards Samus’ next objective – be it another Chozo statue, a suit upgrade, or boss. But, unlike Fusion, these statues don’t tell you what you’re doing or how you’re supposed to get there. The result is a game that is accessible to all types of players – weaker players can simply follow the waypoints and beat the game, while players who are looking for more of a challenge can explore off the beaten path and find 100% of the missile, super missile, or power bomb upgrades, which can be more of a challenge than it seems.
Zero Mission, like any Metroid game, can be beaten in roughly four hours, or less than two if you really rush, with different endings based on completion time and number of items found. Metroid only had three bosses: Kraid, Ridley, and the Mother Brain which is far too small a number for today’s games, so Nintendo added a whole new area (which I won’t spoil) at the end, which contains one of the most innovative elements in the series since Fusion’s SA-X.
If the game is too short for you, you can also unlock the original version of Metroid (you know, if you haven’t already done that whole Fusion-Prime connection trick and played it on your GCN), which is good for another few hours of fun.
It seems that Nintendo can do no wrong when it comes to Metroid. Fusion was good, but Zero Mission manages to top it, offering a few hours of heady obsession, and a new insight into Samus’ character. A treat for the senses with fantastic gameplay, a rather strong story, given the nature of the series, and plenty of alien-blasting action, it’s going to be tough to find a better GBA game in 2004.
