The first news of a new two-dimensional Metroid came in the form of a few seconds of video on a reel shown at E3 2001. The game was roughly 10% complete, and looked pretty unspectacular, partially because it was so early and also because it had originally been a Game Boy Color project. If there’s one thing that Metroid Fusion proves it’s that a generously length for development pays off in huge ways.
Story:
Without giving too much away, it is shortly after the events of Super Metroid. Samus is making her way back to SR388 and is attacked by the parasite X. Losing consciousness and crashing into an asteroid belt, she is saved but near death. The X have taken over much of her body, and the only way to save her is to administer a vaccine created from the DNA of a metroid, which is the natural predator of the parasite. This saves Samus’ life, but the X had already destroyed much of her powerful suit, leaving her much weaker. On the up side, she becomes immune to the X parasite. Soon enough she is sent to investigate some mysterious happenings aboard a space station, and there the action unfolds.
Gameplay:
For those of you who have not had the opportunity to play any of the three past Metroid games, let me explain the basics to the gameplay structure. If you’re familiar with any of the recent Castlevania titles (Symphony of the Night, Circle of the Moon, Harmony of Dissonance) then you can consider the Metroid series to be a sci-fi version of those with guns in replace of the whip and minus the role-playing elements. That description still doesn’t do the gameplay justice, so here’s something more detailed. The physical layout of the game consists of one large world. There are no real levels, and unless plot points in the game prevent it, backtracking to past areas is always possible. To incorporate this there are save points efficiently spread throughout the world, and in Metroid Fusion finding a save point is never a problem; if anything they are too abundant. The game takes place on a space station with all kinds of platforming goodies requiring Samus to maneuver, whether it is carefully jumping across a room, climbing along the ceiling or using the morph ball technique and rolling through tight passages.
Metroid Fusion is driven by a story, which is where the game takes a step in a different direction from past games in the series. Now Samus is required to visit navigation points where she can contact the computer on her own ship, which alerts Samus to enemy activity on the space station and prompts her to investigate problems while also hunting down additional weapons and abilities. In this sense the game becomes reasonably linear, at least compared to the series’ previous overlyended roots. There is never a point in the game where you aren’t aware of the specific area of the ship that you should be at, although thankfully the computer provides minimal clues as to how to get to that location. The smaller subsections to the game’s one world are progressively less linearly structured as Samus is assigned to visit them, so while the game may feel linear, that is only true on the most general sense.
The game is furthered by continually rewarding Samus with new weapons and abilities. Such obtainable goodies, all required by the way, include upgraded missiles, bombs, higher jumps, protection from extreme temperatures, and the Morph Ball (allowing Samus to roll up into a ball), among others. Fans of the series may be interested in knowing that the Spider Ball and Grapple Arm do not return, neither is really missed for reasons other than nostalgia. These abilities are earned two ways. One is by defeating bosses, destroying the Core-X’s shell and then absorbing it. The other is by finding specified data centers which allow Samus to download new abilities developed by the Federation and sent digitally. Upon receiving these new abilities other areas in the world become accessible, with some being required while backtracking to earlier areas and making use of newer abilities can yield items that increase the maximum Missiles, Power Bombs or health that Samus can have. Some of these items will be found easily on your progression through the game while others involve serious hunting.
The story revolves around the X parasite’s infestation of the space station, but it doesn’t change too much about the gameplay. Now when enemies are destroyed X parasites will be released. Samus, with the help of the Metroid vaccination, has the ability to absorb these X. The X just float around, but if Samus doesn’t absorb them they will manifest themselves as another enemy in the same area. Sometimes multiple X will converge to create even more dangerous creatures. Absorbing the parasites will replenish Samus’ missile and power bomb stocks along with her health. For Metroid purists, this whole X thing is really not a big deal as it comes off perfectly naturally and it’s never obtrusive. Only when you’re looking at the franchise’s structure with a microscope will this really have an effect.
One thing that is absolutely masterfully done in Metroid Fusion is the pacing. There are never huge chunks of crazy action or long bouts of exploration, unless those are being actively searched out. Instead the game switches back and forth very naturally which provides an extremely engaging experience. Upon reaching a new area you’ll explore for a while, hunt down a new item and suddenly you’ll be interested in using that item to find new areas. Then after some more exploration a boss is reached providing some heavy action, and then Samus will have to make her way back to a navigation point to receive orders from Adam. Usually some other section of the station is in trouble and requires Samus’ ‘immediate’ attention. Trust in one thing, this game will have you hooked. Just as you might be thinking about putting it down the game throws some other highly tantalizing possibility at you, and you’ll find the time flying by. If Metroid Fusion had to have a motto it’d be “time flies when you’re having fun” and fun will be found in excess with this title. More on the game’s length later.
Let’s see about some of the game’s finer details. The game controls wonderfully, as all the moves all are intuitively done and very responsively. Jumping might be a little awkward at the very start of the game, but it’s mastered very quickly, and made even easier with later abilities. Another really cool component is the SA-X, Samus’ clone. The X parasites are imitating Samus and have her strongest abilities, while the real Samus is rather helpless for most of the game comparatively. This introduces the need to run like hell, find cover and subsequently cower in fear until the SA-X gives up on the chase. These moments are honestly some of the most nerve-wracking ones in gaming history, and add a tiny bit of survival horror to the tale. For once in the series the big bad bounty hunter isn’t at the top of the food chain, and tension does arise.
Graphics:
There’s no use beating around the bush, this game is beautiful. First of all there are highly varied environments each with tons of different textures, enemies, backgrounds, etc. You name it, and the game throws a ton at you. It all adds up to a really expansive world that truly feels alive. Along with this, throughout the game various events will change some of the structures and some enemies will evolve and leave skin behind. There are just tons of cool touches that make the space station come to life. Also, there are some really neat lighting effects that appropriately shade Samus and enemies as they move in and out of the light sources. Along with that, water effects are also nicely done, with added benefit of having splashes when Samus runs through puddles.
Characters are superbly animated. You couldn’t ask for more frames for the different movements. Bosses are big, bad, and fast, and it’s all pulled off wonderfully. In at least one specific boss battle you may encounter some slowdown but it’s not much and doesn’t harm the experience in any way. Then there are the cut scenes which are wonder high resolution drawings that depict various parts of the story. It’s too bad most of them aren’t animated, but at the same time it wouldn’t make difference. One problem associated with these cut scenes, and anything related to the story for that matter, is that they cannot be skipped, ever. This is perfectly fine for the first run through, but you’ll want to skip to the action upon repeating the adventure.
Sound / Music:
Brilliant. The music may not be entirely well suited for listening outside of playing the game, but there are some classic tunes to be found within, and it’s all perfectly suited to the eerie and lonely areas that Samus explores. I kind of wish the main theme song were used somewhere other than the title screen, but the in-game themes work wonderfully too. Some of it is quite catchy but its main purpose is to create the game’s atmosphere and it accomplishes that with flying colors. Sound effects are really neat, and again perfectly suited for the game’s atmosphere. From the echoing sound of Samus’ feet hitting the cold steel floors during a run to the bursting of an alien lifeform at contact with her Wave Beam. Don’t even mention the heavy sound of the SA-X’s footsteps, which are distinctly different than those of Samus herself, while creating tension with their deliberate clanking down hallways.
Replay Value:
I have to say that not many games on the GBA have had the kind of addicting fun that pulled me straight back into the adventurecompletion, but Metroid Fusion has that. I played it straight through in a relatively short time period, and then immediately started again. Heck, not many games for any platform have ever had that pull. Anyway, that pull is pretty important considering the game can be beaten in 7-10 hours real time on the first run through. In addition there are literally tons of energy tanks, and increased stocks in missiles and power bombs to find. Unless you really go out of your way to go back and use newly acquired abilities to find secrets, the game will likely be beaten with 40-50% of the secrets. Upon beating the game you can go continue that saved game and hunt around for the rest, and this is honestly insanely addicting and rewarding. It’s just a blast to discover new areas and to make Samus even more powerful, and that’s really not an exaggeration.
Closing Thoughts:
Quite bluntly, Metroid Fusion is the most outright fun to be found on the Game Boy Advance since Advance Wars, excluding a little-known game that Nintendo only released in Japan that I absolutely love. Fusion just oozes cool, and feels so familiar and yet fresh that it’s a godsend for both fans and novices to the series. To sum it all up, Metroid Fusion is to GBA players what the Everlasting Gobstopper was to Veruca Salt of Willy Wonka fame: the ultimate wish come true.
