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Metroid Fusion Review
Chris Leyton
18/11/2002
Metroid fans have had to wait eight years for a new title, and along come two! We check out the GBA adventure and find it's all good...
Along with Mario and Zelda, the Metroid games are some of the best-loved series in Nintendoâs back-catalogue. The appearance of Super Metroid back in 1994 on the SNES propelled Samus Aran to the lofty status alongside Mario and Link, never before had we seen such an epic title with so many compelling features; the weapons, the bosses, the puzzles and exploration, the music⦠All in all Super Metroid was one of the finest titles ever created in the 16-bit era, so you can understand why weâre falling over ourselves with the new GBA title.
As with many of their 16-bit back catalogue, Nintendo could have simply ported Super Metroid and we would have lapped it up, but oh no, in a move that hopefully suggests Nintendo have got more original titles in the pipeline, theyâve released a brand-spanking new adventure for us to play.
Although there is a strong back-story to the Metroid series, Metroid Fusion represents the first game to feature such heavy story integration. Beginning with a selection of excellent cut-scenes detailing Samus latest adventure, the game is set immediately after the events of Super Metroid. Having eliminated the Metroid threat on Planet SR388, a strange parasite known as Parasite X emerges to take over the planet and all of its dead inhabitants. Unfortunately for Samus, the parasite attacked her whilst she was trying to escape, penetrating her suit and invading her central nervous system. To save her life, Samus suit had to be disassembled, hence the new suit, however the parasite is still in her, and so she sets off to discover who is behind the parasite by returning to SR388.
Perhaps the only niggle that you can level at Metroid Fusion, is that the focus on strong story telling reduces the exploration aspect, an area that the Metroid series is virtually unrivalled in. Because you find yourself rushing through the game, experienced gamers will have this licked in under six hours, however the Metroid games reward replay and once again this doesnât disappoint.
When youâre actually playing the game youâll soon forget about minor faults, as like its predecessor, Metroid Fusion is as near to perfect as you could have wished for; accurate and responsive controls, good visuals and the trademark musical score results in the best action game on the GBA, period!
If youâve played Super Metroid youâll settle in immediately, but notice something bizarrely different. Because Samus begins the new adventure with a new suit, youâll not have access to many of her abilities or skills, but as you begin to progress through the adventure youâll re-learn the various signature skills, such as the morph-ball (allowing Samus to roll in a ball to access secret areas and drop mines behind her), and the ability to use increasingly more powerful weapons. The new suit also brings a selection of new abilities to Samus repertoire, after performing a death-defying leap Samus can now grab hold of ledges and pull herself back up or vault off them; she can also climb ledges and shoot at the same time, sheâs never looked so good!
Although itâs a relatively short game, youâll encounter some difficulties when you encounter the various opponents on Planet SR388. Because the main threat is a parasite, youâll soon find yourself up against a variety of foes, including recently deceased scientists to some intense fights against your mirror image, add in some very memorable boss encounters and youâve got a GBA title of great magnitude.
Although the game is based entirely in a Science Laboratory, it turns out that the facility was creating various planetary biospheres, resulting in a great deal of variety between the missions. The traditional platform clichés are evident, so youâll encounter fire, ice and water levels, but more importantly they task the player with a wide range of gaming skills, some focussing on action, others on platforms and jumping; this range and the pace of the game ensures that Metroid Fusion never grows tired.
If youâre lucky enough to own a GameCube and eventually Metroid Prime, you can hook up the GameBoy Advance to it to uncover a selection of cool goodies. Completing Metroid Fusion, will allow you to open up the original NES title Metroid to play on your TV, whilst completing Prime allows you to use Samus new suit in the GameCube adventure. Those who were sceptical about the whole GBA-GC connectivity had better begin to think again!
