Review
Release Date: 11.19.2002
Platform:
Game Boy AdvanceDeveloper:
Nintendo Co., Ltd.Publisher:
Nintendo of America, Inc.Reviewed by
Christian Kontul on 4.3.2003
| Review Rating: 10/10 | User Rating: 8.36/10 |
Metroid Fusion is Super Metroid done better.
Give that a minute to sink in.
…
Up to speed yet? It’s a tough idea to wrap your mind around, especially when more than a few people think Nintendo’s 1994 masterpiece is the finest game they’ve been lucky enough to play. If you’re one such person, it’ll likely be that much more difficult to believe.
But you should believe it. Metroid Fusion takes the already fantastic adventure formula of its predecessor and tweaks it to perfection. Gone are the hours of downtime spent searching for a secret passage. They’re replaced by a streamlined, story-driven adventure that still exhibits the combination of shooting and exploration elements that gamers have come to know and love. Yes, Metroid Fusion is more linear than Super Metroid, but only because it gives the player an idea of what they’re supposed to do and where they’re supposed to go. How a person chooses to go about doing this is left entirely up to them. Each level, though sectioned off from all others in one way or another, is open enough to warrant investigation even if it isn’t terribly large in size. Also, in spite of its fairly straightforward progression, Metroid Fusion manages to engross the player, thanks to an outstanding plot and nearly unparalleled atmosphere.
In a first for the series, Metroid Fusion tells a narrative that slowly unfolds through scenes spread throughout the game. It picks up the action right after Super Metroid, with Samus Aran back on the surface of planet SR388 where she destroyed Mother Brain’s attempts at making a comeback. With a group of biological analysts, the heroine stumbles upon a new species that comes to be known as the X parasite. Samus gets attacked by one of the creatures, but nothing immediately comes from the incident. Not until she is returning to the crew’s space station via her ship does Samus lose consciousness and collide with an asteroid. She’s rushed to a medical facility, where doctors discover that the X has almost completely subordinated her body. After all hope seems lost, someone creates a vaccine – made from the cells of the alien being, a Metroid. Samus recovers, but her body suffers massive damage at the hands of the parasites. She’s no longer capable of executing abilities she learned on SR388, not to mention her suit has been completely destroyed. The Galactic Federation gives Samus a spiffy new outfit and immediately sends the bounty hunter back to the space station because a bizarre explosion has cut off all contact. At only 5% of her capabilities, it’s up to Samus to navigate the labyrinthine passages of the station to get to the bottom of this new mystery.
Metroid Fusion capitalizes on the series’ lush history, something that no previous installment in the series has done. For diehards, several events will put a smile on your face as familiar scenarios and characters make their appearances in some way or another. The story, also, is fantastically fascinating and eerie. Metroid Fusion definitely borrows some ideas from movies and other games, but the title creates a spooky mood that’s so convincing it’s almost palpable. Some moments will have you cringing in anxiety or jumping out of your chair in astonishment. That’s not something that can be said of many 2D games, period, let alone a portable one; Metroid Fusion delivers such an experience.
If you’re new to videogames or you haven’t tried Metroid before, don’t be intimidated. You don’t have to have a Bachelor’s Degree in Bounty Hunting to appreciate Metroid Fusion. As Samus Aran, the first real female protagonist in gaming, the player navigates a massive environment broken up into smaller sections. As the heroine progress, she earns new weapons and moves that allow her to access previously unavailable parts of the map. Most of the enjoyment comes from going over every environment with a fine-toothed comb, all the while searching for hidden corridors and concealed zones that contain power-ups and shortcuts to different places. Along the way, you’ll meet up with a variety of hostile alien species that have Samus’s worst interests at heart, not to mention massive boss characters who throw back to the classic pattern-recognizing, challenging monsters from the days of yore. Yum.
Metroid Fusion pulls this all off with a level of polish that is rarely seen in a videogame. Samus can run, jump, turn into a ball, fire a blaster, shoot missiles, drop bombs, and, for the first time, cling to ledges and climb ridged walls or ceilings, just to name a few things. The learning curve is ideal, too, so anyone who picks up Fusion with no experience at all won’t feel overwhelmed. The game introduces concepts at a steady pace, so as to familiarize the player and make them think about all the ways they can be used. Control is super tight, which is to be expected considering the amount of time and experience Nintendo has had with Metroid. It still shouldn’t be taken for granted, though, and deserves mentioning.
So do the music and sound, which do an exceptional job of setting the tone. Some of the tracks have been featured in older games, but most of Metroid Fusion’s soundtrack is original. A majority of the songs fit more into the realm of mood music than memorable compositions, and they do their duty marvelously. The aural effects aren’t typically things you’d notice as being superb, but they give Fusion that little nudge into the instant classic realm. Whether it’s the sound of boots on a hard metal floor or a massive creature shrieking, the sounds will have you convinced of your surroundings.
The visuals meet the unusually high standards set by the rest of Metroid Fusion. There isn’t any flashy rotation or morphing going on; rather, the game takes advantage of the Game Boy Advance hardware in subtle ways. Sprites are detailed, attractive, and impeccably animated, while backgrounds feature complimentary parallax and a nice range of colors. It may not be the prettiest game on Nintendo’s handheld, but Metroid Fusion is an undeniably attractive adventure that will certainly have gamers imagining the possibilities of a true next-generation 2D installment.
There’s very little to complain about. Sometimes, when Samus fires too many missiles against a large boss that shrieks, the framerate can drop a tiny bit. Other than that, you’re not going to find much. The Mission-based structure is not a hindrance, regardless of what some nostalgically driven people might say. As realistic as wandering around for hours in the pit of an alien world might seem, it’s definitely not fun. Being able to roam around and take your time, without having to spend long periods looking for that one obscure bomb spot does a lot to make Metroid Fusion a more agreeable, accessible title. It not only continues the tradition of excellence imposed by its forerunners, it sets a new paradigm for all games. This is a game that can’t be missed.
