in now-sterilized, man-made familiar locales, we find our hero stripped of her defining characteristics and sense of self.
opposes super metroid’s encouraging game feel with something almost akin to a horror game. you don’t want to continue searching this facility. you want out. to go back to your super days and forget this fusion. danger is always lurking right around the corner. its linearity does away with the extrinsic exploration of yesteryear and forces the player to frantically discover unorthodox pathways and tunnels as samus’ last resort to escape the stale and artificial landscapes that crumble at “her” feet. now you see how it feels to be those Geemers and Kihunters once taken out by the masses within planet zebes. you are the helpless one. powerless in the shadow of your former glory. samus now uses more organic controls to complement her newfound body, creating further distinction between her and her “imposter.”
i find it to be pretty interesting how every game in this series tends to be its own piece yet always feel connected to its companions. they all tie back to their similar atmospheres, exploration and fear obviously but its their executions that each carry their own unprecedented singularities and efficacies. metroid 2: the black sheep that strikes terror via one’s commonly identifiable monotony. super metroid: the crowd-pleaser that invokes its trepidation based off of the unknown. and finally fusion: creating fear centered on what is known. we know our over-powered cold-blooded doppelganger is following us and awaiting our next move. we know monsters like the Nightmare and Ridley are out there. inevitability sweeps up emotion and carries it for as long as it sees fit.
there’s overall a broader focus on creating anxiety and suspicion here, compared to super where those things were more intentional byproducts of how the different areas were designed. fusion senses the player’s discomposure and plays around with it to a shockingly powerful degree. all the more satisfying in its climax where we finally get to strike some mania into our foes. features a story that somewhat subtlety places a critique on the nature of science. our once free alien friends now imprisoned for research along with other past monstrosities. the narrative unfolds cleanly and in just the right amount of doses to not feel too intrusive. the enemy is closer than it seems, but so are our friends.
not sure how i’d rank this one against its siblings but i could say that for all of them, due to their differences as previously mentioned. they work expertly in tandem with one another. this was one of the only nintendo franchises i actually fully enjoyed, hats off to nintendo r&d1. also happy 20th to this game, coincidentally started my playthrough on its release day lol. dread is coming soon….
opposes super metroid’s encouraging game feel with something almost akin to a horror game. you don’t want to continue searching this facility. you want out. to go back to your super days and forget this fusion. danger is always lurking right around the corner. its linearity does away with the extrinsic exploration of yesteryear and forces the player to frantically discover unorthodox pathways and tunnels as samus’ last resort to escape the stale and artificial landscapes that crumble at “her” feet. now you see how it feels to be those Geemers and Kihunters once taken out by the masses within planet zebes. you are the helpless one. powerless in the shadow of your former glory. samus now uses more organic controls to complement her newfound body, creating further distinction between her and her “imposter.”
i find it to be pretty interesting how every game in this series tends to be its own piece yet always feel connected to its companions. they all tie back to their similar atmospheres, exploration and fear obviously but its their executions that each carry their own unprecedented singularities and efficacies. metroid 2: the black sheep that strikes terror via one’s commonly identifiable monotony. super metroid: the crowd-pleaser that invokes its trepidation based off of the unknown. and finally fusion: creating fear centered on what is known. we know our over-powered cold-blooded doppelganger is following us and awaiting our next move. we know monsters like the Nightmare and Ridley are out there. inevitability sweeps up emotion and carries it for as long as it sees fit.
there’s overall a broader focus on creating anxiety and suspicion here, compared to super where those things were more intentional byproducts of how the different areas were designed. fusion senses the player’s discomposure and plays around with it to a shockingly powerful degree. all the more satisfying in its climax where we finally get to strike some mania into our foes. features a story that somewhat subtlety places a critique on the nature of science. our once free alien friends now imprisoned for research along with other past monstrosities. the narrative unfolds cleanly and in just the right amount of doses to not feel too intrusive. the enemy is closer than it seems, but so are our friends.
not sure how i’d rank this one against its siblings but i could say that for all of them, due to their differences as previously mentioned. they work expertly in tandem with one another. this was one of the only nintendo franchises i actually fully enjoyed, hats off to nintendo r&d1. also happy 20th to this game, coincidentally started my playthrough on its release day lol. dread is coming soon….
PREVIOUSLY ON METROID: Samus Aran, galactic hero, nemesis of the evil space pirates, and bounty hunter who to my knowledge has never actually Hunted a Bounty, commits genocide.
this isn't a game theory or another example of a leftist unwilling to read a game in a way that isn't materialistic (i mean. not entirely, anyway...), this is just textually what occurs in Metroid 2. Samus touches down on SR388 and doesn't leave its surface until she's exterminated every single Metroid, except one, a final act of mercy that's immediately dropped off for invasive scientific study.
difficult to approach and often really quite tedious, Metroid 2 is nonetheless a truly remarkable game accurately described by FMTownsParty (https://www.backloggd.com/u/FMTownsParty/review/1831/) as an "art game for the Game Boy", and something of a black sheep in Nintendo's vast catalogue. it's a game I respect immensely even if I will probably never play it again, and its uniqueness stands out all the more for the abject failure of its twin remakes to replicate it, even if they are accomplished works in their own right, and one of my sticking points with Super Metroid, a game I like but cannot bring myself to love, is that it largely excises these more narratively complex elements in favor of something far more traditional. super metroid is an exceedingly fine game, but it doesn't really go for it, y'know?
thankfully, Metroid: Fusion makes up for it's predecessor by going for it harder than few games could ever hope to match.
becoming a new kind of life-form made out of the DNA of the single act of mercy you offered to a species you exterminated only to find yourself hunted by the physical embodiment of that past extermination wearing your face and using your powers is enough of a killer hook to hang an entire game out of but somehow Fusion just keeps going, adding layer upon layer of incisive thematic work interrogating it's central character relentlessly, until it cements itself as (with the possible exception of Majora's Mask) the single most thematically rich, narratively accomplished nintendo game with no input from Shigesato Itoi. every pixel of this game is bursting with resonance and detail and purpose that is near un-rivalled. fusion isn't just the best metroid game, it's one of the best games, period.
i think we've mostly chilled out on decrying Fusion for its linearity, but i wanna highlight what the game's structure does to serve it. the game's loop is simple: you arrive in a sector, adam tells you roughly what you need to do and why, and then you go do that thing, usually with some little hidey-holes you can poke in along the way to get an upgrade. but within this loop, the information you are given and the information that is withheld is pointed. even before the big reveals it's clear just how much the federation is manipulating and lying to you, and as you question your orders more and more, the game widens the scope it offers you, going from your first run in sector 1 being practically on-rails to the sections where the game lets go of the reins entirely, inviting you to find the path forward on your own, which are inevitably the moments where you push up against and bomb your way through the walls of the conspiracy around you. portal wishes it could do this as well.
everything about the storytelling in this game is so incisive, so pointed. the way the game emphasizes the destructive/predatory nature of Samus by making clear that you are not only the reason for the X's existence, by wiping out its natural predators, the Metroids, from the ecosystem, but also for it's spread throughout the station, as the AI reminds you that by opening up other areas, you are letting the X spread into them. the federation and samus' intertwined culpability in this incident is never left in doubt, the very act of playing a Metroid game, of increasing your ability to navigate this space, is toxic and bringing about it's destruction.
this culminates in one of the most remarkable sequences in the game and, indeed, the series, when you trick your way into the restricted zone and discover, inevitably, that the federation is breeding metroids. for "peaceful purposes", they claim. contrary to the game's reputation as constantly talking (Samus has some internal narration but it's genuinely quite sparse, and her actually talking back to the AI at the end is a big moment) this entire sequence, from the reveal to the knife-twisting that is the SA-X showing up to do as Samus does: butcher Metroids, to the final escape, where you drift upwards through an elevator shaft filled with other metroids - your kin, now - it's all done wordlessly, and communicates far more complicated feelings than anything in Super Metroid.
more than Other M could ever conceive, Fusion is about Samus. her destructive and violent past in the prior metroids, and her current status, a tool of the federation that they are preparing to discard once they find multiple, mass-produced SA-Xs they believe they can control. after all, why not? they controlled Samus, at least up to a certain point. the way the game pulls back its tight linear pacing ever so slightly as the story reaches its climax communicates Samus' push for personal autonomy beautifully, which is why I wish the ending was just a little tighter.
don't get me wrong, it's a knockout in many respects. facing the SA-X, the embodiment of what Samus once was, and triumphing over it with the new(ish) powers you've obtained from interfacing and embracing the life forms you destroy is a fantastic final battle, as is the last-minute reprise of being saved by the baby metroid. much-mocked as it is, I actually like the Fusion one far better, because rather than being a straightforwardly paternalistic relationship, the SA-Xs motives are far more obscured. is this the Samus part of it? or is it the X, protecting what could be the last remnant of its existence inside Samus? or is it a bittersweet reclamation and restating of Samus Aran as the one who kills the Metroids? it could be all of them, and that's why I like it. i like metroid when it's not doing gender, frankly. i like it, even more, when Samus Aran is ultimately saved by the funny little animals she saves innocuously around halfway through the game. i think that's why i like samus, ultimately, despite her genocidal tendencies, despite the fact that she is absolutely someone who would take away one of her hands, one of the ways she is able to reach out and embrace the world around her, with a gun. here, at the end, she still has enough good in her to save people.
which brings me to the actual sore point with the ending: Adam. there's a generous read to be made on the game's depiction of Adam for much of it, and I maintain that the game is genuinely critical of him as a person, as the twin reveals of him actively deceiving Samus throughout the adventure and also being the actual mind of Adam Malkovich do much to paint the picture of a kind of shitty military guy that Samus is all too willing to absolve him due to her own guilt. the problem is, of course, the Gender. the "any objections, lady?" shit and Samus' frankly embarrassing "no wait hold on it's fine actually his misogyny is secretly woke come on" is hard to swallow and impossible to muster the enthusiasm to do so after Sakamoto went on to write and direct Metroid: Other M, a fucking dumpster fire with the biggest gender essentialist TERF energy imaginable. Other M's very existence makes it a bit harder to be generous to Fusion in the way that I would like to.
there's so much to like about the end of this game, but there's just a twinge of (ahem) Dread it envokes. from the (genuinely forgotten by me until this most recent playthrough) backpedaling of Samus' revolutionary act against the government by Adam insisting that "someone (in government) will understand" to the aforementioned gender, there are things about it that could be taken in a bad direction. nevertheless, it's hard to hold the mistakes of the future, be they in Other M or, potentially, in Dread, against Fusion too hard. it remains an absolutely singular work that I love dearly, a thematic embarrassment of riches that deserves to stand up and be counted as a true classic.
i didn't even mention how much fun it is to shoot da guys! it's very fun. five stars.
this isn't a game theory or another example of a leftist unwilling to read a game in a way that isn't materialistic (i mean. not entirely, anyway...), this is just textually what occurs in Metroid 2. Samus touches down on SR388 and doesn't leave its surface until she's exterminated every single Metroid, except one, a final act of mercy that's immediately dropped off for invasive scientific study.
difficult to approach and often really quite tedious, Metroid 2 is nonetheless a truly remarkable game accurately described by FMTownsParty (https://www.backloggd.com/u/FMTownsParty/review/1831/) as an "art game for the Game Boy", and something of a black sheep in Nintendo's vast catalogue. it's a game I respect immensely even if I will probably never play it again, and its uniqueness stands out all the more for the abject failure of its twin remakes to replicate it, even if they are accomplished works in their own right, and one of my sticking points with Super Metroid, a game I like but cannot bring myself to love, is that it largely excises these more narratively complex elements in favor of something far more traditional. super metroid is an exceedingly fine game, but it doesn't really go for it, y'know?
thankfully, Metroid: Fusion makes up for it's predecessor by going for it harder than few games could ever hope to match.
becoming a new kind of life-form made out of the DNA of the single act of mercy you offered to a species you exterminated only to find yourself hunted by the physical embodiment of that past extermination wearing your face and using your powers is enough of a killer hook to hang an entire game out of but somehow Fusion just keeps going, adding layer upon layer of incisive thematic work interrogating it's central character relentlessly, until it cements itself as (with the possible exception of Majora's Mask) the single most thematically rich, narratively accomplished nintendo game with no input from Shigesato Itoi. every pixel of this game is bursting with resonance and detail and purpose that is near un-rivalled. fusion isn't just the best metroid game, it's one of the best games, period.
i think we've mostly chilled out on decrying Fusion for its linearity, but i wanna highlight what the game's structure does to serve it. the game's loop is simple: you arrive in a sector, adam tells you roughly what you need to do and why, and then you go do that thing, usually with some little hidey-holes you can poke in along the way to get an upgrade. but within this loop, the information you are given and the information that is withheld is pointed. even before the big reveals it's clear just how much the federation is manipulating and lying to you, and as you question your orders more and more, the game widens the scope it offers you, going from your first run in sector 1 being practically on-rails to the sections where the game lets go of the reins entirely, inviting you to find the path forward on your own, which are inevitably the moments where you push up against and bomb your way through the walls of the conspiracy around you. portal wishes it could do this as well.
everything about the storytelling in this game is so incisive, so pointed. the way the game emphasizes the destructive/predatory nature of Samus by making clear that you are not only the reason for the X's existence, by wiping out its natural predators, the Metroids, from the ecosystem, but also for it's spread throughout the station, as the AI reminds you that by opening up other areas, you are letting the X spread into them. the federation and samus' intertwined culpability in this incident is never left in doubt, the very act of playing a Metroid game, of increasing your ability to navigate this space, is toxic and bringing about it's destruction.
this culminates in one of the most remarkable sequences in the game and, indeed, the series, when you trick your way into the restricted zone and discover, inevitably, that the federation is breeding metroids. for "peaceful purposes", they claim. contrary to the game's reputation as constantly talking (Samus has some internal narration but it's genuinely quite sparse, and her actually talking back to the AI at the end is a big moment) this entire sequence, from the reveal to the knife-twisting that is the SA-X showing up to do as Samus does: butcher Metroids, to the final escape, where you drift upwards through an elevator shaft filled with other metroids - your kin, now - it's all done wordlessly, and communicates far more complicated feelings than anything in Super Metroid.
more than Other M could ever conceive, Fusion is about Samus. her destructive and violent past in the prior metroids, and her current status, a tool of the federation that they are preparing to discard once they find multiple, mass-produced SA-Xs they believe they can control. after all, why not? they controlled Samus, at least up to a certain point. the way the game pulls back its tight linear pacing ever so slightly as the story reaches its climax communicates Samus' push for personal autonomy beautifully, which is why I wish the ending was just a little tighter.
don't get me wrong, it's a knockout in many respects. facing the SA-X, the embodiment of what Samus once was, and triumphing over it with the new(ish) powers you've obtained from interfacing and embracing the life forms you destroy is a fantastic final battle, as is the last-minute reprise of being saved by the baby metroid. much-mocked as it is, I actually like the Fusion one far better, because rather than being a straightforwardly paternalistic relationship, the SA-Xs motives are far more obscured. is this the Samus part of it? or is it the X, protecting what could be the last remnant of its existence inside Samus? or is it a bittersweet reclamation and restating of Samus Aran as the one who kills the Metroids? it could be all of them, and that's why I like it. i like metroid when it's not doing gender, frankly. i like it, even more, when Samus Aran is ultimately saved by the funny little animals she saves innocuously around halfway through the game. i think that's why i like samus, ultimately, despite her genocidal tendencies, despite the fact that she is absolutely someone who would take away one of her hands, one of the ways she is able to reach out and embrace the world around her, with a gun. here, at the end, she still has enough good in her to save people.
which brings me to the actual sore point with the ending: Adam. there's a generous read to be made on the game's depiction of Adam for much of it, and I maintain that the game is genuinely critical of him as a person, as the twin reveals of him actively deceiving Samus throughout the adventure and also being the actual mind of Adam Malkovich do much to paint the picture of a kind of shitty military guy that Samus is all too willing to absolve him due to her own guilt. the problem is, of course, the Gender. the "any objections, lady?" shit and Samus' frankly embarrassing "no wait hold on it's fine actually his misogyny is secretly woke come on" is hard to swallow and impossible to muster the enthusiasm to do so after Sakamoto went on to write and direct Metroid: Other M, a fucking dumpster fire with the biggest gender essentialist TERF energy imaginable. Other M's very existence makes it a bit harder to be generous to Fusion in the way that I would like to.
there's so much to like about the end of this game, but there's just a twinge of (ahem) Dread it envokes. from the (genuinely forgotten by me until this most recent playthrough) backpedaling of Samus' revolutionary act against the government by Adam insisting that "someone (in government) will understand" to the aforementioned gender, there are things about it that could be taken in a bad direction. nevertheless, it's hard to hold the mistakes of the future, be they in Other M or, potentially, in Dread, against Fusion too hard. it remains an absolutely singular work that I love dearly, a thematic embarrassment of riches that deserves to stand up and be counted as a true classic.
i didn't even mention how much fun it is to shoot da guys! it's very fun. five stars.
completely different design philosophy from the one seen in super metroid, but still it feels like not a sequence that does better or worse, but a complementation to metroid 3. it is less aesthetically oppressive but then samus don't have the amount of gadgets you used to have at the end of super metroid - but a virus does have and it is searching you. you don't have that amount of freedom in its level design, too, feeling way more like millimetric calculated segments. what this could be considered a "loss", i find pretty interesting and it is what made the game so special for me: it allows the player to feel full tension while being chased by SA-X and some exits and interconnections are very smartly implemented. the geography logic does less sense than super metroid but still, thinking in-universe, are just a bunch of different habitats in a research facility - by that, it does makes sense. also, i like the bosses! nightmare did live up to his name, probably the most difficult fight in the game but it is so well-made: the hitbox is horrendous but propositally, to make you feel really claustrophobic; as you shoot him, he'll cry until he reveals his gross face. i guess that this boss can say a lot of what metroid fusion search and, to me, accomplishes
Breakneck pacing through linear design cleverly made to feel open, combined with the themes of lost agency and the powers one serves betraying them, which juxtaposes excellently by finally facing off with the pinnacle of power Samus used to be - now a horrific weapon to be feared and avoided. I love how naked it all makes you feel, Samus has her powers literally surgically removed from her body, your superiors withhold upgrades from you and lord complete command of your exploration, the new Fusion Suit follows a very bare, muscular system aesthetic, and that's the point.
Your adversary is the SA-X, a fully suited and booted walking sun, it practically glides through the station like a hot knife through butter - but despite inferior firepower and four layers of Federation protocol to sieve through, you've got the one thing it lacks. Wits.
If I could change one thing, it'd be for the opening act to be far less verbose and slow. If I could change a second thing, it'd be to make power bombs actually useful against bosses.
Your adversary is the SA-X, a fully suited and booted walking sun, it practically glides through the station like a hot knife through butter - but despite inferior firepower and four layers of Federation protocol to sieve through, you've got the one thing it lacks. Wits.
If I could change one thing, it'd be for the opening act to be far less verbose and slow. If I could change a second thing, it'd be to make power bombs actually useful against bosses.
the x parasites look like fruit gummies and i want to eat it
I gotta be honest, this month has not been the best. It's not like IRL events or anything bringing me down but I don't know lately been kind of sad some games I've tried playing weren't fun me. I tried playing Wario Land 3, Earthbound, and Zelda Minish Cap this month and I just dropped them for reasons and I wish I could like them. The next game I had planned to play was Metroid Fusion and I was honestly about to just not bother thinking it be pointless because well I don't really care for the series.
I do enjoy Metroid II and Super Metroid but for some reason with everything else I've tried, I just don't enjoy them. I found the first game to be very not fun even with a guide and I thought Zero Mission was dull and I really didn't like the new stuff they added. There was also Dread which might be one of the biggest buyer's remorse that has happened to me in my life. Last one I had tried was the remake of 2 which I just found too boring to finish. After that I just didn't bother, I have zero interest in the Prime series and I no longer was interested in the franchise. The only reason I even played Fusion was due to it being added to NSO via their awful drip feeding nonsense. Now before I start talking about Fusion I want to get this out of the way. Despite all I just said in this paragraph, I get why people like these games and I'm not gonna act like my opinions are right because god no they aren't. I just wanted to put context for what it was like before I tried Fusion for the first time.
Metroid Fusion tries to do some interesting things for the series. For one this game handles progression a lot differently. It's done in more of a linear way with you being told exactly where to go and are usually following a path to go to. I personally didn't mind it though maybe it's because I don't mind this kind of progression in games like this. I didn't hate it in II either to let you know.
It was nice playing this game and being more used to how it's more like Super though some changes were made like the removal of the run button. The wall jump is also a lot worse now. You can't like wall kick off one wall anymore which sucks but then again I'm not an expert at this series so maybe it wouldn't be too useful even if it was here. The controls work well but I still have no clue how the shine spark move works, I'm doomed to be too stupid. The space jump was a bit finnicky but I got used to it eventually. I also love that you can grab onto ledges, something I'm surprised took this long to be added.
You now get most important upgrades through data rooms or just defeating bosses. This does make defeating bosses feel fun to do since this game likes to make you feel weak in a dangerous location so it's more satisfying to get more tools to use. I really like when you get more beams. I like how missiles also stack with upgrades so now normal and super missiles aren't separate. Also writing this I just realize the grapple beam isn't in this game, odd. I do wish power bombs were more useful because they give you so many to obtain but I could rarely find a use for them.
Now while the game can be fun it does have somethings that I wasn't too big on. This one is on me rather the game but there were like three times I was confused about how to progress only to look up a guide and see there was just one block I forgot to check and I feel like an idiot everytime especially with how dumb I look bombing every single thing for checking stuff. There are parts where you have to avoid being caught by a thing called SA-X which possibly hot take here. I felt like the way I saw youtubers describe this stuff like it's some horror game but I didn't feel that way. I swear there was only 3 or 4 times it ever showed up where it could get you and only one them has you actually running away. I do like how when you do eventually fight it, it's actually really easy to show how strong you've gotten. There was also a boss called the Nightmare and idk if I just suck or something but I struggled with it so badly. I must have not understood how to dodge it better because every other boss was pretty easy.
I was surprised there was a lot of story here, I wouldn't say I felt much from it but it did catch me off guard seeing past games being connected with stuff like the other Metroid types from II including the location of SR388. There were even those funny animals from Super and they even save the day which I won't lie was a cute way to end the game. Samus also likes mentioning this guy named Adam and all my mind was thinking "wait isn't he the guy everyone hates from Other M?" It's not a mindblowing story imo but I do enjoy that they tried adding some here. This was the last game in the timeline for over a decade which was always odd to me as someone who doesn't really look into all the lore and stuff.
The game graphically looks nice. I really like the areas at times especially when they go for more then just the typical tech building style. A lot of the sprites look pretty good and sometimes have cool effects on them like when an enemy dies. The bosses are also huge which is also neat. I will say that I was never a fan of Samus' suit design in this game, I'm sorry. The music is actually nice for the atmosphere. It does have some very GBA sounding music at times but I think it fits pretty well with the game. The game for the most part sounds good for voices and sound effects but when I got to Ridley I got freaking jumpscared by how loud his screams were like good lord why were they so loud. I seriously wonder if it would hurt to hear those screams while wearing headphones.
Metroid Fusion was a surprise and a welcome one at that. For a game that I wasn't really looking forward to, it was fun. I'm not the biggest fan or anything but it was nice to play through that whole thing and oh man I must have gotten a good score for items collected...oh I got 48%. Damn I must really be bad, IDK how I missed that many...but anyway it's a fun title and is one of the better GBA games out there. Maybe one day I'll try again and get a better time and %. Though I think for now I'm done with the franchise, at least it ended on a good note for me.
I do enjoy Metroid II and Super Metroid but for some reason with everything else I've tried, I just don't enjoy them. I found the first game to be very not fun even with a guide and I thought Zero Mission was dull and I really didn't like the new stuff they added. There was also Dread which might be one of the biggest buyer's remorse that has happened to me in my life. Last one I had tried was the remake of 2 which I just found too boring to finish. After that I just didn't bother, I have zero interest in the Prime series and I no longer was interested in the franchise. The only reason I even played Fusion was due to it being added to NSO via their awful drip feeding nonsense. Now before I start talking about Fusion I want to get this out of the way. Despite all I just said in this paragraph, I get why people like these games and I'm not gonna act like my opinions are right because god no they aren't. I just wanted to put context for what it was like before I tried Fusion for the first time.
Metroid Fusion tries to do some interesting things for the series. For one this game handles progression a lot differently. It's done in more of a linear way with you being told exactly where to go and are usually following a path to go to. I personally didn't mind it though maybe it's because I don't mind this kind of progression in games like this. I didn't hate it in II either to let you know.
It was nice playing this game and being more used to how it's more like Super though some changes were made like the removal of the run button. The wall jump is also a lot worse now. You can't like wall kick off one wall anymore which sucks but then again I'm not an expert at this series so maybe it wouldn't be too useful even if it was here. The controls work well but I still have no clue how the shine spark move works, I'm doomed to be too stupid. The space jump was a bit finnicky but I got used to it eventually. I also love that you can grab onto ledges, something I'm surprised took this long to be added.
You now get most important upgrades through data rooms or just defeating bosses. This does make defeating bosses feel fun to do since this game likes to make you feel weak in a dangerous location so it's more satisfying to get more tools to use. I really like when you get more beams. I like how missiles also stack with upgrades so now normal and super missiles aren't separate. Also writing this I just realize the grapple beam isn't in this game, odd. I do wish power bombs were more useful because they give you so many to obtain but I could rarely find a use for them.
Now while the game can be fun it does have somethings that I wasn't too big on. This one is on me rather the game but there were like three times I was confused about how to progress only to look up a guide and see there was just one block I forgot to check and I feel like an idiot everytime especially with how dumb I look bombing every single thing for checking stuff. There are parts where you have to avoid being caught by a thing called SA-X which possibly hot take here. I felt like the way I saw youtubers describe this stuff like it's some horror game but I didn't feel that way. I swear there was only 3 or 4 times it ever showed up where it could get you and only one them has you actually running away. I do like how when you do eventually fight it, it's actually really easy to show how strong you've gotten. There was also a boss called the Nightmare and idk if I just suck or something but I struggled with it so badly. I must have not understood how to dodge it better because every other boss was pretty easy.
I was surprised there was a lot of story here, I wouldn't say I felt much from it but it did catch me off guard seeing past games being connected with stuff like the other Metroid types from II including the location of SR388. There were even those funny animals from Super and they even save the day which I won't lie was a cute way to end the game. Samus also likes mentioning this guy named Adam and all my mind was thinking "wait isn't he the guy everyone hates from Other M?" It's not a mindblowing story imo but I do enjoy that they tried adding some here. This was the last game in the timeline for over a decade which was always odd to me as someone who doesn't really look into all the lore and stuff.
The game graphically looks nice. I really like the areas at times especially when they go for more then just the typical tech building style. A lot of the sprites look pretty good and sometimes have cool effects on them like when an enemy dies. The bosses are also huge which is also neat. I will say that I was never a fan of Samus' suit design in this game, I'm sorry. The music is actually nice for the atmosphere. It does have some very GBA sounding music at times but I think it fits pretty well with the game. The game for the most part sounds good for voices and sound effects but when I got to Ridley I got freaking jumpscared by how loud his screams were like good lord why were they so loud. I seriously wonder if it would hurt to hear those screams while wearing headphones.
Metroid Fusion was a surprise and a welcome one at that. For a game that I wasn't really looking forward to, it was fun. I'm not the biggest fan or anything but it was nice to play through that whole thing and oh man I must have gotten a good score for items collected...oh I got 48%. Damn I must really be bad, IDK how I missed that many...but anyway it's a fun title and is one of the better GBA games out there. Maybe one day I'll try again and get a better time and %. Though I think for now I'm done with the franchise, at least it ended on a good note for me.
u know the saying "this isn't remotely good" ? well, this game is remotely good. I respect it a lot for completely 180ing and changing pretty much everything about the metroid formula, I like the scarcity of health drops making it feel like i have to be more careful, I like how we finally get to see what samus talks like, (she uses the word "must" like 6 times in one text box once, it was interesting) and I like how they kept the computer so ingrained and prevalent to the game. All of this is in theory of course. This game was really irritating to me, I didn't really enjoy the progression. I liked the bosses (most of them), I liked the areas, I liked the music, and I loved the art. I just feel this isn't really what I wanted. The SA-X was also kind of a let down for how cool of an idea it was. But the thing that interests me is how cool the themes are. The streamlined-ness and linearity and taking orders from a computer is supposed to be irritating, to contrast with how free the other games were. Samus is supposed to die in 3 hits to a random bee, because it shows that we don't have our armour anymore. Bravo. It's so thematic, it reminds me of dark souls 2. Annoying spider boss, save companion that won't shut up, and the coolest part being the dude that pursues you.
so i wonder what i should play next, metroid dread or metroid prime 2? dread would continue my 2d streak but prime 2 i can emulate and wont have to spend any money on. Plus I found this thing called primehack which gives metroid prime 1,2, and 3 keyboard and mouse controls. I'll give it some thought.
so i wonder what i should play next, metroid dread or metroid prime 2? dread would continue my 2d streak but prime 2 i can emulate and wont have to spend any money on. Plus I found this thing called primehack which gives metroid prime 1,2, and 3 keyboard and mouse controls. I'll give it some thought.
As someone who has never played a Metroid game I have to say…this was actually really gripping.
If you’ve read my hollow knight review…I’ve tried metroidvania’s before and never massively liked them till now. So for me to enjoy the franchise that basically created the term is really really cool and I’m happy I enjoyed it. There are a lot of secrets scattered around everywhere and the boss fights were quite challenging but also really impressive. The story was also pretty interesting.
Overall, this is a metroidvania that I would advise giving a go, especially for those that have Nintendo switch online and feel like they want to try out a Metroid game.
Loads of secrets, challenging boss-fights, and the SaX was brutal
If you’ve read my hollow knight review…I’ve tried metroidvania’s before and never massively liked them till now. So for me to enjoy the franchise that basically created the term is really really cool and I’m happy I enjoyed it. There are a lot of secrets scattered around everywhere and the boss fights were quite challenging but also really impressive. The story was also pretty interesting.
Overall, this is a metroidvania that I would advise giving a go, especially for those that have Nintendo switch online and feel like they want to try out a Metroid game.
Loads of secrets, challenging boss-fights, and the SaX was brutal
Sorry, I'm not a massive Fusion fan. I'm one of those folk who takes issue with the segmented structure, chasing after destination points, and the constant consultation with the commander. I've also got problems with the security clearance upgrades that don't fundamentally add to Samus's abilities, how scattershot some of the mandatory secret entrances are, and how much the level design seems to suffer by the point you fight Nightmare, which I don't really see get brought up as much.
They were overwhelmingly irritating sore spots on my first playthrough, and they gave me pause about the idea of coming back for a second run, but they didn't bother me nearly as much on the Switch. I was able to appreciate the rest of it more. I think Samus's eventual subordination towards "Adam" rounds out the arc that was retroactively introduced in Other M (by worse storytellers) quite nicely. Super Metroid is easily my favourite game in the series, but I can see how Fusion would serve as a more welcoming entry point for new players, and might lead them to go back afterwards. The music often comes off as corny, and soured me to the whole idea of the X Parasite, but seeing how thrillingly that stuff gets paid off in Dread warmed me to it. I never took much stock in the appeal of Metroid's continuity before Dread, but I think it benefits some of the patchier games that surround it.
Since this was my second time through, I took a more casual approach, allowing use of the Switch Online rewind feature whenever I felt like it, which mellowed a lot of the frustration I had last time, but I don't think I really needed it. I think I just hadn't found enough health upgrades on the first go. It's not nearly as rough if you look for them. The segmented structure often means you're locked off from backtracking, though, so you'd better just be thorough on your first time through each location.
Looking forward to Zero Mission, because I liked that far more. I'm just a little worried it might not outshine Fusion quite as much next time.
They were overwhelmingly irritating sore spots on my first playthrough, and they gave me pause about the idea of coming back for a second run, but they didn't bother me nearly as much on the Switch. I was able to appreciate the rest of it more. I think Samus's eventual subordination towards "Adam" rounds out the arc that was retroactively introduced in Other M (by worse storytellers) quite nicely. Super Metroid is easily my favourite game in the series, but I can see how Fusion would serve as a more welcoming entry point for new players, and might lead them to go back afterwards. The music often comes off as corny, and soured me to the whole idea of the X Parasite, but seeing how thrillingly that stuff gets paid off in Dread warmed me to it. I never took much stock in the appeal of Metroid's continuity before Dread, but I think it benefits some of the patchier games that surround it.
Since this was my second time through, I took a more casual approach, allowing use of the Switch Online rewind feature whenever I felt like it, which mellowed a lot of the frustration I had last time, but I don't think I really needed it. I think I just hadn't found enough health upgrades on the first go. It's not nearly as rough if you look for them. The segmented structure often means you're locked off from backtracking, though, so you'd better just be thorough on your first time through each location.
Looking forward to Zero Mission, because I liked that far more. I'm just a little worried it might not outshine Fusion quite as much next time.
Love the fact that Ridley in this game sounds like he sucked up a gallon of helium and got kicked square in the nuts
While I’d still give a slight edge to Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow for the award of ‘best Metroidvania on the Gameboy Advance’, Metroid Fusion is an extremely close second.
It’s true that this is a more linear, story-based affair, but it still employs a winding structure with plenty of secrets and things to find. In fact, I don’t think the linearity is this game’s biggest drawback. I found that they lean a tad too hard into using invisible blocks as a main funnel for progression. Get ready to use that morph ball bomb.
But that’s really my only complaint, as this is a buttery smooth and beautiful game with excellent pacing and tight controls. It’s challenging but not overly frustrating, easy to navigate without being simplistic, and atmospheric & creepy without being a retread of what came before. A perfect mobile entry that would have been considered one of the greatest SNES titles ever had it been released on that platform, and that should likewise be considered one of the best games on the GBA.
It also gave me an even greater appreciation for Metroid Dread, which is very much a sequel and follow-up to this game, expanding and improving on ideas introduced here without forgetting what made this one work.
It’s true that this is a more linear, story-based affair, but it still employs a winding structure with plenty of secrets and things to find. In fact, I don’t think the linearity is this game’s biggest drawback. I found that they lean a tad too hard into using invisible blocks as a main funnel for progression. Get ready to use that morph ball bomb.
But that’s really my only complaint, as this is a buttery smooth and beautiful game with excellent pacing and tight controls. It’s challenging but not overly frustrating, easy to navigate without being simplistic, and atmospheric & creepy without being a retread of what came before. A perfect mobile entry that would have been considered one of the greatest SNES titles ever had it been released on that platform, and that should likewise be considered one of the best games on the GBA.
It also gave me an even greater appreciation for Metroid Dread, which is very much a sequel and follow-up to this game, expanding and improving on ideas introduced here without forgetting what made this one work.
This game is a blast to go through, always go-go-go. I did find the puzzles easy (didn’t get stumped even once), the navigation really straightforward and the combat challenging but I scraped by on my first try most times. Just the right amount to require my full focus and attention but not my perseverance and determination, if that makes sense. Also, it’s a game I’ve played countless times as a teen, so I kinda always had a hunch on what to do, and I remembered some boss-fights clear as day, so take with a pinch of salt. Game is still tight.
anyone who critiques this game by saying it's "too linear" is a fake gamer
The X parasites look so tasty do you think samus pops them in her mouth like fruit gushers
I recently started the Metroid series from scratch for one reason: to play Metroid Fusion. I had always been intrigued by this game, thinking it looked a bit different from the rest of the series, but I just never had a chance to actually play it until recently. After finishing up Zero Mission, Samus Returns, and Super Metroid I was all ready to finally give this game a whirl.
Sadly, I did not enjoy Metroid Fusion. I don't feel it was a bad game, but in my opinion, it is the weakest game in there 2D series. My main issue with it was that it relied too heavily on the mechanic of blasting random walls to find the path forward. This mechanic has always been my least favorite aspect of the series, but at least in Samus Returns and Super Metroid you gained abilities that helped make things less obtuse (aeon scan in SR, X-Ray Visor in SM). I swear that half of my play time in Fusion was spent shooting/bombing random wall and floor tiles in hopes of finding the path forward. The mechanic really only exists to pad out the play time and I feel it is the game's biggest downfall.
Another issue I had with Fusion is that the "world" you explore is far less interesting than the ones in the previous games. In Fusion you find yourself in a science research station, which I liked the idea of, but felt that it lacked the mystery and intrigue of exploring a foreign planet. The different sectors of the research station varied from one another slightly, but they were nowhere near as varied as the areas found in other games in the series. (On a side note, this is supposed to be a research station where regular scientists work, right? But the areas are clearly designed to be maneuvered by someone with abilities akin to Samus... so am I to believe that scientists are space jumping around just to get to the breakroom?)
I also really disliked most of the bosses in Fusion. I will admit that they were more varied and interesting than most of the bosses from the earlier games, but I found their movement and attack patterns to be generally cheap and annoying (I'm looking at you, Nightmare). Each boss felt like more a test of endurance than skill as each boss required an absolute ton of damage to take them down, and each hit by them resulted in a huge loss of health to Samus. The save points for some of these bosses were placed infuriatingly far away too, which further added to my frustration. There were even a few times that I almost gave up on the game entirely because of these battles. I managed to get through them all in the end, but they were my least favorite boss battles in the entire series.
(One bonus complaint: after acquiring the final upgrade I was locked out of exploring the research station for some reason (you get locked in any Navigation room you enter, forcing you to progress to the final boss). I had planned on going back to get some missed upgrades before attempting the final boss, but I couldn't. Very strange game design for this style of game, if you ask me.)
Now that I have the negatives out of the way I suppose I should mention a few things I liked about the game. First, I really liked how much story there was in Fusion. Prior games in the series had just a few tidbits of a story here and there but Fusion's story is fully fleshed out and quite interesting. It ties in nicely to prior games in the series and also connects to the story in Metroid Dread too. The story was definitely Fusion's strongest aspect. Additionally, the game looked great. The sprite design was good and was well animated. The world design overall was less interesting than previous games, but it still looked fantastic.
Overall, I was quite disappointed by Metroid Fusion. The world was less interesting the previous entries in the series and exploring it was hampered immensely by the need to bomb/shoot hidden blocks just to progress with the story. I found the bosses to be the most annoying of the series, with a few of them almost making me give up on the game entirely. Fusion isn't necessarily a bad game, but I do consider it to be the worst game in this fantastic series.
Sadly, I did not enjoy Metroid Fusion. I don't feel it was a bad game, but in my opinion, it is the weakest game in there 2D series. My main issue with it was that it relied too heavily on the mechanic of blasting random walls to find the path forward. This mechanic has always been my least favorite aspect of the series, but at least in Samus Returns and Super Metroid you gained abilities that helped make things less obtuse (aeon scan in SR, X-Ray Visor in SM). I swear that half of my play time in Fusion was spent shooting/bombing random wall and floor tiles in hopes of finding the path forward. The mechanic really only exists to pad out the play time and I feel it is the game's biggest downfall.
Another issue I had with Fusion is that the "world" you explore is far less interesting than the ones in the previous games. In Fusion you find yourself in a science research station, which I liked the idea of, but felt that it lacked the mystery and intrigue of exploring a foreign planet. The different sectors of the research station varied from one another slightly, but they were nowhere near as varied as the areas found in other games in the series. (On a side note, this is supposed to be a research station where regular scientists work, right? But the areas are clearly designed to be maneuvered by someone with abilities akin to Samus... so am I to believe that scientists are space jumping around just to get to the breakroom?)
I also really disliked most of the bosses in Fusion. I will admit that they were more varied and interesting than most of the bosses from the earlier games, but I found their movement and attack patterns to be generally cheap and annoying (I'm looking at you, Nightmare). Each boss felt like more a test of endurance than skill as each boss required an absolute ton of damage to take them down, and each hit by them resulted in a huge loss of health to Samus. The save points for some of these bosses were placed infuriatingly far away too, which further added to my frustration. There were even a few times that I almost gave up on the game entirely because of these battles. I managed to get through them all in the end, but they were my least favorite boss battles in the entire series.
(One bonus complaint: after acquiring the final upgrade I was locked out of exploring the research station for some reason (you get locked in any Navigation room you enter, forcing you to progress to the final boss). I had planned on going back to get some missed upgrades before attempting the final boss, but I couldn't. Very strange game design for this style of game, if you ask me.)
Now that I have the negatives out of the way I suppose I should mention a few things I liked about the game. First, I really liked how much story there was in Fusion. Prior games in the series had just a few tidbits of a story here and there but Fusion's story is fully fleshed out and quite interesting. It ties in nicely to prior games in the series and also connects to the story in Metroid Dread too. The story was definitely Fusion's strongest aspect. Additionally, the game looked great. The sprite design was good and was well animated. The world design overall was less interesting than previous games, but it still looked fantastic.
Overall, I was quite disappointed by Metroid Fusion. The world was less interesting the previous entries in the series and exploring it was hampered immensely by the need to bomb/shoot hidden blocks just to progress with the story. I found the bosses to be the most annoying of the series, with a few of them almost making me give up on the game entirely. Fusion isn't necessarily a bad game, but I do consider it to be the worst game in this fantastic series.
the discomfort zone got too comfortable so we made the comfort zone discomfortable. samus: meet samus
where super dove uncritically into the power fantasy that metroid II (the game with a literal Genocide Counter in the UI) unmasked and deflated, this feels like it's turning it inward against you personally. Your body, Your likeness, and Your autonomy hijacked; Your celebratory past tense role as (repeated) casual annihilationist to reckon with and cower from
it operates as something of a Super Negative Image Metroid: an inversion right down to the uncomfortable, choking grip of the direction. all that clammy ADAMsplaining, those sequestered zones, the redline urgency; everything's dialed perfectly into the exact same channel with uniform intent. even the woozy alien psychedelia's been spirited away in favour of clinical, detached interiors and astroturfed xerox biomes with some of the most appropriately sterile Oops No Backlight lighting on the GBA
and no, it obviously doesn't accomplish the same things as its predecessors, but it's not attempting to. this is a game about lack of control, and altering the format would be akin to breaking the spinal column that holds it upright. fusion's big successes (the pacing, brevity, tonal and thematic consonance, and delicate curation of tension and challenge) are the result of its structural changes. being shunted around a tiny sarcophagus isn't a flaw, it's the entire premise. duh
even without all that though it's impossible for me not to love a game with nightmare, the Profaned Baja Blast Suit, AQA's sunken banger, shots like this, and those absolutely psychotic ridley screams
quite possibly the best SA-X heavy fusion since the sultry sounds of steely dan
where super dove uncritically into the power fantasy that metroid II (the game with a literal Genocide Counter in the UI) unmasked and deflated, this feels like it's turning it inward against you personally. Your body, Your likeness, and Your autonomy hijacked; Your celebratory past tense role as (repeated) casual annihilationist to reckon with and cower from
it operates as something of a Super Negative Image Metroid: an inversion right down to the uncomfortable, choking grip of the direction. all that clammy ADAMsplaining, those sequestered zones, the redline urgency; everything's dialed perfectly into the exact same channel with uniform intent. even the woozy alien psychedelia's been spirited away in favour of clinical, detached interiors and astroturfed xerox biomes with some of the most appropriately sterile Oops No Backlight lighting on the GBA
and no, it obviously doesn't accomplish the same things as its predecessors, but it's not attempting to. this is a game about lack of control, and altering the format would be akin to breaking the spinal column that holds it upright. fusion's big successes (the pacing, brevity, tonal and thematic consonance, and delicate curation of tension and challenge) are the result of its structural changes. being shunted around a tiny sarcophagus isn't a flaw, it's the entire premise. duh
even without all that though it's impossible for me not to love a game with nightmare, the Profaned Baja Blast Suit, AQA's sunken banger, shots like this, and those absolutely psychotic ridley screams
quite possibly the best SA-X heavy fusion since the sultry sounds of steely dan
it's kinda like half-life (1998) for girls who have a fixation on gross little GBA pixel art
All of the mainline Metroid games are about self improvement and overcoming your environment in some form or another, but Fusion is the first to directly tie that into its theme in a meaningful way. Stripped bare of all abilities, you play a Samus robbed of agency, as the game literalizes its structural shift of closed off mini-missions into a story of reclaiming autonomy. You're unprotected and bare, unable to take hits as you used to, and enemies reform right before you eyes. Your worst enemy is a version of Samus who has the strength you once did. A relentless Metroid hunter (not like you yourself were in Metroid 2) coming after the final metroid, Samus herself.
Much has been said about this game being far more linear than all the others, and it's true, but I think also slightly overstated. Yes, the maps are both compulsory and come with objective markers, but you stray very far from them into massive hidden areas and entire pathways pretty often. It's less consistently linear and more as if the game starts hyper linear, but becomes more and more like a proper Metroid game as Samus becomes more like herself. The stripped down protagonist, more relentless enemies, and closed off areas leads to the most claustrophobic and dangerous moment to moment gameplay yet. No longer can you comfortably tank all incoming damage, as even normal enemies can kill you pretty quickly if you're not careful, let alone bosses. You're vulnerable to both heat and cold, and the freezing weapon is forced to be tied to an expendable resource instead of your normal weapon. There's nothing quite as satisfying in the other Metroid games as getting the varia suit so the fucking freezing X blobs can't hurt you anymore.
I only really have one big issue with this game. Every Metroid game has overly cryptic hidden secrets, but this feels like the only one where solving those hidden bits are actually necessary to progress sometimes. The sequence after beating Nightmare is the worst at this, sticking you into a maze extending across sections with multiple seeming dead ends and arbitrary progression paths. Speaking of which, Nightmare itself kinda sucks too. It's easy enough to forgive when literally every other boss here more or less surpasses any of the other ones in any Metroid game though.
Much has been said about this game being far more linear than all the others, and it's true, but I think also slightly overstated. Yes, the maps are both compulsory and come with objective markers, but you stray very far from them into massive hidden areas and entire pathways pretty often. It's less consistently linear and more as if the game starts hyper linear, but becomes more and more like a proper Metroid game as Samus becomes more like herself. The stripped down protagonist, more relentless enemies, and closed off areas leads to the most claustrophobic and dangerous moment to moment gameplay yet. No longer can you comfortably tank all incoming damage, as even normal enemies can kill you pretty quickly if you're not careful, let alone bosses. You're vulnerable to both heat and cold, and the freezing weapon is forced to be tied to an expendable resource instead of your normal weapon. There's nothing quite as satisfying in the other Metroid games as getting the varia suit so the fucking freezing X blobs can't hurt you anymore.
I only really have one big issue with this game. Every Metroid game has overly cryptic hidden secrets, but this feels like the only one where solving those hidden bits are actually necessary to progress sometimes. The sequence after beating Nightmare is the worst at this, sticking you into a maze extending across sections with multiple seeming dead ends and arbitrary progression paths. Speaking of which, Nightmare itself kinda sucks too. It's easy enough to forgive when literally every other boss here more or less surpasses any of the other ones in any Metroid game though.
In-Game Time - 4 Hours 27 Minutes
Real Time - 9 Hours 50 Minutes
Completion Percentage - 48%
In my Metroid II review I opined that Metroid II -> Metroid Fusion felt like an under-discussed evolution in the same vein of Metroid -> Super Metroid, a parallel track of game design with a heavier focus on linearity, a somewhat more "horror" atmosphere and more of a theme of hunting a monstrous species (Metroids/X-Parasites) vs. stopping the Space Pirates like Metroid/Super Metroid. What surprised me when playing Metroid Fusion is just how much this feels like a direct follow-up to Metroid II despite following directly after Super Metroid on the timeline! In the same way that Super starts by showing the cold, silent remains of the end of Metroid 1 to build mood and indicate moving on, the first boss you fight in Metroid Fusion is a mutated form of a hidden boss in Metroid II, followed by a literal recreation of SR388 (the planet from Metroid II). And while Super Metroid showed the eeriness of entering an empty space Samus had ruined through, Fusion uses Metroid II to amp up the threat of the X-Parasites. Remember those creatures from the last handheld game? Where here they are but SWOLE and dealing tons of damage to show just how dangerous they are. And, of course, the X-Parasites are an explicit result of Samus' actions in Metroid II.
Beyond the opening, though, Metroid Fusion takes even more from Metroid II, such as a more linear approach compared to the very widely open-ended Super Metroid, the aforementioned theme of hunting, but even in smaller stuff. One I didn't think of before is how Metroid Fusion actually has the same "Kill the same boss you're hunting down the entire game" structure as Metroid II, but does it in a way that feels like a much better and more subtle way. Because you fight the Core-X after every boss! The only exception, the B.O.X. robot, gets a fight with the Core-X later. This keeps up the same theme of hunting down the same enemy, but makes each fight much more distinct since the "same" part is only at the end. Where Metroid II had a constant tracking counter that went down as you opened up each area, the X-Parasites are an unknown quantity that only infects the ship and propagates further as Samus opens up each area, even directly causing new issues. It's quite a fascinating evolution!
The series' evolution is neat and all, but how about the game's quality itself? Well I am happy to report I found it hiiiiighly impressive! The controls for Fusion feel incredibly tight, although Super's controls were already good enough I find it more of a twist rather than a flatout improvement. Where Super tended to be a bit more slow and methodical, Fusion uses what are mostly highly responsive controls to put together a much more fast paced affair that also allows more precision platforming. The only part that felt off was the wall/ceiling grip: I quite like what they add to the game but I found them at times a touch unreliable, although I did enjoy them for the most part. Being on the GBA also means we didn't have the truly ideal setup of shoulder buttons for aiming, but missiles/Power Bombs being on a dedicated toggle button is soooooooooooo much smoother and you get used enough to the up/down movement with aiming. The snappy ledge jump was a nice addition to the platforming.
Combat in general has been improved from Super Metroid, with bosses who have more complex patterns or interesting weaknesses. I can see the argument that something special is lost here at the same time, Fusion has quite a few more bosses than Super and so some don't stick out as hard + Super had some special attention to fights like Draygon with his special kill mechanic, but I'm not so sure I agree with that as there's good mechanical variety between all of them and most of them have good build up. The SA-X fight is obviously one of the highlights, but the Nightmare fight is built up especially well earlier in the game with this wonderful atmosphere in the background, the battle itself has this really spooky and memorable, horror-ish vibe to it and it mechanically is very fun, twisting how it works from the start to the end to keep the battle fresh the entire time. It's also difficult in a way few 2D Metroid bosses were and in a very fun way, I am pretty sure I died to it more than any boss in Dread. It's very memorable and competes with the much later Dread for my favorite 2D Metroid boss fight (I still need to finish more 3D Metroids, so don't want to state the entire series!). I'd overall say the bosses are much improved from Super Metroid, even if you'll get some mediocre ones like the B.O.X. Robot which was a bit annoyingly simple for me.
Much has been made of Fusion's linearity given the most popular of Metroid games, Super Metroid, is extremely non-linear. This is a real graw in some people's jaw, but I didn't have any problem with it for a few reasons. First, Metroid has not always been a strictly non-linear affair, and with how much this game feels like a direct sequel to Metroid II (which is also super linear) it feels appropriate for it to be more linear. Secondly, I dislike the idea that Metroid has to be held in a tiny box of Super Metroid-style non-linear gameplay, both in the sense of not allowing linear experiences and not allowing other non-linear forms. And thirdly, the game itself plays with the linearity in some fun ways to weave together story and gameplay!
The story of Fusion, while maybe having some nuance lost in translation, is pretty fun (especially for a GBA era platformer not in the Mega Man Zero series) and messes around with the player's expectations, while melding that with the story itself. Samus herself isn't really too pleased to have an overseer, for example, but the biggest way the game does so is how the game gets progressively less linear as Samus herself wrests control away from Adam and begins questioning the apparently straightforward mission. The only way to beat the game is to go on your own for a lengthy segment without any guidance as the guidance is lessened over the entire game, until you get to the big surprise climax, and the environments are constantly changing to keep the experience fresh nonetheless. There's also plenty of little secrets to find and the map system has been improved from the last game to let you know if you've gotten an item! So I don't have an issue with it and if anything I find it very nice how well the game's linearness is folded into an in-story reason, that kind of player-character connectivity people will go on about in various games.
This game also nails the extras of it like soundtrack and art style. I love the very colorful look to the game that not only makes it feel alien to Super or Return of Samus but also just stands out environmentally in the process. It feels like a saturated candy kinda color, intentionally garish in spots, and I just love that. The spritework is quite lovingly detailed for the GBA with a lot of wild creature designs that are pretty well defined along with solid animations (Nightmare in the background of the lab, the slime scientist combos all come to mind). And while the soundtrack might not hit GOAT Level Super Metroid status it has plenty of bangers: The Nightmare Boss Theme is obviously one of the highlights, I'd even say the main one, but stuff like the Serris Boss Theme, the SA-X theme when approaching WILL make you tremble and when you get caught it is adrenaline pumping. I'll take this time to note that the SA-X felt like an effective scare monster: The AI may be very primitive, but you will get ROASTED when you do get caught, and it is truly more the buildup that is frightening in this game. The first time you encounter the SA-X is brilliantly designed so that you will almost certainly get somewhere safe via bombing before it enters...and then get to see it from below, waiting to see if it will realize you're there and attack. Or at least that's how it was for me. The soundtrack has this 80s/90s sci fi undercurrent to the soundtrack, which makes perfect sense given the 2002 release date, and harkens back to Metroid's Alien-inspired roots wonderfully. Although this game is more a tribute to The Thing, but I digress.
I can think of a few criticisms for the game, probably the most prominent being the very few truly new power-ups you get in the game. If I recall this game has some of the least "new" power-ups in it and you can really feel that, especially because the Grapple Beam was removed as it definitely could have led to some fun platforming segments. Imagine an SA-X chase over a grapple beam area! As I mentioned, the down-diagonal style of angle can be awkward without the Super Metroid shoulder buttons. The fact the game locks you out from backtracking after a certain point, and not really with clear warning, is a serious kerfluffle for 100% completion (which I didn't do but is very common!) and feels unnecessary. Sure you can go post-game to collect stuff but it feels like there surely was some fix for it.
While I think it falls just under Super Metroid (and roughly equal to Metroid Dread) for me, Super feels more fresh and I find the way it balances the open nature with signposting along with the environmental storytelling more impressive, Metroid Fusion is nonetheless one of the top games I've played and a top end (action) platformer. Atmospherically horrifying, aesthetically pleasing, challenging yet fair bosses and a strong mixing together of gameplay and story, it stands near the apex of both its genre and the Game Boy Advance. Go try it out, trust me: It isn't a big time commitment despite the game having plenty of content, it is an interesting place of gaming history and it is just plain fun.
Real Time - 9 Hours 50 Minutes
Completion Percentage - 48%
In my Metroid II review I opined that Metroid II -> Metroid Fusion felt like an under-discussed evolution in the same vein of Metroid -> Super Metroid, a parallel track of game design with a heavier focus on linearity, a somewhat more "horror" atmosphere and more of a theme of hunting a monstrous species (Metroids/X-Parasites) vs. stopping the Space Pirates like Metroid/Super Metroid. What surprised me when playing Metroid Fusion is just how much this feels like a direct follow-up to Metroid II despite following directly after Super Metroid on the timeline! In the same way that Super starts by showing the cold, silent remains of the end of Metroid 1 to build mood and indicate moving on, the first boss you fight in Metroid Fusion is a mutated form of a hidden boss in Metroid II, followed by a literal recreation of SR388 (the planet from Metroid II). And while Super Metroid showed the eeriness of entering an empty space Samus had ruined through, Fusion uses Metroid II to amp up the threat of the X-Parasites. Remember those creatures from the last handheld game? Where here they are but SWOLE and dealing tons of damage to show just how dangerous they are. And, of course, the X-Parasites are an explicit result of Samus' actions in Metroid II.
Beyond the opening, though, Metroid Fusion takes even more from Metroid II, such as a more linear approach compared to the very widely open-ended Super Metroid, the aforementioned theme of hunting, but even in smaller stuff. One I didn't think of before is how Metroid Fusion actually has the same "Kill the same boss you're hunting down the entire game" structure as Metroid II, but does it in a way that feels like a much better and more subtle way. Because you fight the Core-X after every boss! The only exception, the B.O.X. robot, gets a fight with the Core-X later. This keeps up the same theme of hunting down the same enemy, but makes each fight much more distinct since the "same" part is only at the end. Where Metroid II had a constant tracking counter that went down as you opened up each area, the X-Parasites are an unknown quantity that only infects the ship and propagates further as Samus opens up each area, even directly causing new issues. It's quite a fascinating evolution!
The series' evolution is neat and all, but how about the game's quality itself? Well I am happy to report I found it hiiiiighly impressive! The controls for Fusion feel incredibly tight, although Super's controls were already good enough I find it more of a twist rather than a flatout improvement. Where Super tended to be a bit more slow and methodical, Fusion uses what are mostly highly responsive controls to put together a much more fast paced affair that also allows more precision platforming. The only part that felt off was the wall/ceiling grip: I quite like what they add to the game but I found them at times a touch unreliable, although I did enjoy them for the most part. Being on the GBA also means we didn't have the truly ideal setup of shoulder buttons for aiming, but missiles/Power Bombs being on a dedicated toggle button is soooooooooooo much smoother and you get used enough to the up/down movement with aiming. The snappy ledge jump was a nice addition to the platforming.
Combat in general has been improved from Super Metroid, with bosses who have more complex patterns or interesting weaknesses. I can see the argument that something special is lost here at the same time, Fusion has quite a few more bosses than Super and so some don't stick out as hard + Super had some special attention to fights like Draygon with his special kill mechanic, but I'm not so sure I agree with that as there's good mechanical variety between all of them and most of them have good build up. The SA-X fight is obviously one of the highlights, but the Nightmare fight is built up especially well earlier in the game with this wonderful atmosphere in the background, the battle itself has this really spooky and memorable, horror-ish vibe to it and it mechanically is very fun, twisting how it works from the start to the end to keep the battle fresh the entire time. It's also difficult in a way few 2D Metroid bosses were and in a very fun way, I am pretty sure I died to it more than any boss in Dread. It's very memorable and competes with the much later Dread for my favorite 2D Metroid boss fight (I still need to finish more 3D Metroids, so don't want to state the entire series!). I'd overall say the bosses are much improved from Super Metroid, even if you'll get some mediocre ones like the B.O.X. Robot which was a bit annoyingly simple for me.
Much has been made of Fusion's linearity given the most popular of Metroid games, Super Metroid, is extremely non-linear. This is a real graw in some people's jaw, but I didn't have any problem with it for a few reasons. First, Metroid has not always been a strictly non-linear affair, and with how much this game feels like a direct sequel to Metroid II (which is also super linear) it feels appropriate for it to be more linear. Secondly, I dislike the idea that Metroid has to be held in a tiny box of Super Metroid-style non-linear gameplay, both in the sense of not allowing linear experiences and not allowing other non-linear forms. And thirdly, the game itself plays with the linearity in some fun ways to weave together story and gameplay!
The story of Fusion, while maybe having some nuance lost in translation, is pretty fun (especially for a GBA era platformer not in the Mega Man Zero series) and messes around with the player's expectations, while melding that with the story itself. Samus herself isn't really too pleased to have an overseer, for example, but the biggest way the game does so is how the game gets progressively less linear as Samus herself wrests control away from Adam and begins questioning the apparently straightforward mission. The only way to beat the game is to go on your own for a lengthy segment without any guidance as the guidance is lessened over the entire game, until you get to the big surprise climax, and the environments are constantly changing to keep the experience fresh nonetheless. There's also plenty of little secrets to find and the map system has been improved from the last game to let you know if you've gotten an item! So I don't have an issue with it and if anything I find it very nice how well the game's linearness is folded into an in-story reason, that kind of player-character connectivity people will go on about in various games.
This game also nails the extras of it like soundtrack and art style. I love the very colorful look to the game that not only makes it feel alien to Super or Return of Samus but also just stands out environmentally in the process. It feels like a saturated candy kinda color, intentionally garish in spots, and I just love that. The spritework is quite lovingly detailed for the GBA with a lot of wild creature designs that are pretty well defined along with solid animations (Nightmare in the background of the lab, the slime scientist combos all come to mind). And while the soundtrack might not hit GOAT Level Super Metroid status it has plenty of bangers: The Nightmare Boss Theme is obviously one of the highlights, I'd even say the main one, but stuff like the Serris Boss Theme, the SA-X theme when approaching WILL make you tremble and when you get caught it is adrenaline pumping. I'll take this time to note that the SA-X felt like an effective scare monster: The AI may be very primitive, but you will get ROASTED when you do get caught, and it is truly more the buildup that is frightening in this game. The first time you encounter the SA-X is brilliantly designed so that you will almost certainly get somewhere safe via bombing before it enters...and then get to see it from below, waiting to see if it will realize you're there and attack. Or at least that's how it was for me. The soundtrack has this 80s/90s sci fi undercurrent to the soundtrack, which makes perfect sense given the 2002 release date, and harkens back to Metroid's Alien-inspired roots wonderfully. Although this game is more a tribute to The Thing, but I digress.
I can think of a few criticisms for the game, probably the most prominent being the very few truly new power-ups you get in the game. If I recall this game has some of the least "new" power-ups in it and you can really feel that, especially because the Grapple Beam was removed as it definitely could have led to some fun platforming segments. Imagine an SA-X chase over a grapple beam area! As I mentioned, the down-diagonal style of angle can be awkward without the Super Metroid shoulder buttons. The fact the game locks you out from backtracking after a certain point, and not really with clear warning, is a serious kerfluffle for 100% completion (which I didn't do but is very common!) and feels unnecessary. Sure you can go post-game to collect stuff but it feels like there surely was some fix for it.
While I think it falls just under Super Metroid (and roughly equal to Metroid Dread) for me, Super feels more fresh and I find the way it balances the open nature with signposting along with the environmental storytelling more impressive, Metroid Fusion is nonetheless one of the top games I've played and a top end (action) platformer. Atmospherically horrifying, aesthetically pleasing, challenging yet fair bosses and a strong mixing together of gameplay and story, it stands near the apex of both its genre and the Game Boy Advance. Go try it out, trust me: It isn't a big time commitment despite the game having plenty of content, it is an interesting place of gaming history and it is just plain fun.
whoever finished super metroid and thought "you know what this needed? being separated into missions, being more linear and having a narrator", let's meet up over some coffee. i'd like to pick your brain with a big hammer
Although I was aware of Metroid: Other M being the one main entry in the franchise that people straight-up hate, I didn't know just how polarizing Metroid Fusion was within the fanbase until I beat Super Metroid last month. Because it didn't have the highly influential and acclaimed status of its predecessor, I got very curious to see what it was about Metroid Fusion that made a sort of black sheep within the series, and seeing people compare it to a horror game only made me more eager to give the game a go. Even with my somewhat positive expectations going into it, I really wasn't expecting to love Metroid Fusion as much as I did, and while it does deviate from the formula in a number of areas and even straight up misses the mark in others, I'd still consider this to be my favorite Metroid game by far. Whenever I'd see people criticize Metroid Fusion, there's a good chance that they'd throw the word "linearity" around a lot (even if you could argue that the other Metroid games were technically linear to begin with), and while it is easily the most straightforward game in the series so far, I'd say that this choice worked for what the game was trying to accomplish.
Metroid Fusion adopts an almost mission-based approach to its levels rather than having you explore an open-ended area at your own pace, but since this game also has a much stronger emphasis on its narrative, these two elements ended up meshing together in a very interesting way. The shift towards forcing Samus Aran to take orders not only works in having some of the plot's events feel more unsettling, but it also makes for an integral part of her character arc with how she tries to make sense of this enigmatic mission, and the game ends up having some genuinely compelling things to say about what it means to be human and our own relationship with technology. Samus herself felt the best to control here, as her movement speed felt significantly faster and snappier, and the levels themselves actually favored her vertical jumps over her horizontal ones, which made platforming significantly less frustrating here than it did in both the original Metroid and in Super Metroid. Even with the increased dialogue, character interactions, and cutscenes in the form of gorgeous sprite art, the sense of isolation and powerlessness was much more prevalent here in Metroid Fusion, as the enemies and environments got significantly creepier in both their designs and uses of environmental storytelling, and the lack of control that you have over your objectives and even what powerups you get access to made me feel genuinely anxious to see what new monstrosity will try to attack me whenever I got access to a new door or path. I also really liked the use of the X parasites in terms of both gameplay and narrative, as having them replace the usual random health and ammo pickups made refilling them much more consistent and reliable (as well as making for some interesting platforming challenges by having an X turn from one enemy into another), and having the game lean towards body horror by having these highly intelligent parasites not only take over the body of its host, but also alter its genetic makeup was both fascinating and unnerving. The integration of the SA-X was a stroke of genius to me, as the moments were you had to hide and run away from this overpowered killing machine were some of the most tense scenes in the entire series.
As much as I loved Metroid Fusion, I will not act like it's a perfect game, as it featured some questionable design choices while also retaining old ones that I wasn't a fan of to begin with. For some reason, you have to defeat a Core-X after every single boss fight, and while the fight itself isn't difficult (especially towards the late game), this gets old after the second boss and only feels more unnecessary as the game progresses. Speaking of which, I liked how much faster and more chaotic the boss fights were, but the bosses often had hitboxes that were almost as big as the rooms where the battles took place, and that made avoiding them and trying to get to their weak spot boil down to luck rather than strategic positioning, and it made the fights against Nightmare and Ridley especially annoying. Thankfully, Metroid Fusion has much less backtracking than the other Metroid games I've played, but it still retained a lot of the cryptic "blow up a random block" progression that felt outdated by the time Super Metroid came out, and the lack of an X-Ray Scope made that issue just that much more annoying to deal with. Even with these flaws, I still had an absolute blast with Metroid Fusion, and while I do want to play the other 2D Metroid games by eventually giving Metroid: Samus Returns and Metroid Dread a go, I want to play through the Metroid Prime trilogy first and see what they're all about.
Metroid Fusion adopts an almost mission-based approach to its levels rather than having you explore an open-ended area at your own pace, but since this game also has a much stronger emphasis on its narrative, these two elements ended up meshing together in a very interesting way. The shift towards forcing Samus Aran to take orders not only works in having some of the plot's events feel more unsettling, but it also makes for an integral part of her character arc with how she tries to make sense of this enigmatic mission, and the game ends up having some genuinely compelling things to say about what it means to be human and our own relationship with technology. Samus herself felt the best to control here, as her movement speed felt significantly faster and snappier, and the levels themselves actually favored her vertical jumps over her horizontal ones, which made platforming significantly less frustrating here than it did in both the original Metroid and in Super Metroid. Even with the increased dialogue, character interactions, and cutscenes in the form of gorgeous sprite art, the sense of isolation and powerlessness was much more prevalent here in Metroid Fusion, as the enemies and environments got significantly creepier in both their designs and uses of environmental storytelling, and the lack of control that you have over your objectives and even what powerups you get access to made me feel genuinely anxious to see what new monstrosity will try to attack me whenever I got access to a new door or path. I also really liked the use of the X parasites in terms of both gameplay and narrative, as having them replace the usual random health and ammo pickups made refilling them much more consistent and reliable (as well as making for some interesting platforming challenges by having an X turn from one enemy into another), and having the game lean towards body horror by having these highly intelligent parasites not only take over the body of its host, but also alter its genetic makeup was both fascinating and unnerving. The integration of the SA-X was a stroke of genius to me, as the moments were you had to hide and run away from this overpowered killing machine were some of the most tense scenes in the entire series.
As much as I loved Metroid Fusion, I will not act like it's a perfect game, as it featured some questionable design choices while also retaining old ones that I wasn't a fan of to begin with. For some reason, you have to defeat a Core-X after every single boss fight, and while the fight itself isn't difficult (especially towards the late game), this gets old after the second boss and only feels more unnecessary as the game progresses. Speaking of which, I liked how much faster and more chaotic the boss fights were, but the bosses often had hitboxes that were almost as big as the rooms where the battles took place, and that made avoiding them and trying to get to their weak spot boil down to luck rather than strategic positioning, and it made the fights against Nightmare and Ridley especially annoying. Thankfully, Metroid Fusion has much less backtracking than the other Metroid games I've played, but it still retained a lot of the cryptic "blow up a random block" progression that felt outdated by the time Super Metroid came out, and the lack of an X-Ray Scope made that issue just that much more annoying to deal with. Even with these flaws, I still had an absolute blast with Metroid Fusion, and while I do want to play the other 2D Metroid games by eventually giving Metroid: Samus Returns and Metroid Dread a go, I want to play through the Metroid Prime trilogy first and see what they're all about.
probably my favorite story in a metroid game. loved the SA-X mechanic and am amazed that it was implemented so well in a gba game.
Childhood is thinking Fusion is the best Metroid because a YouTuber said it was scary once
Adulthood is thinking Fusion is the best Metroid for like twenty different simultaneous reasons
Adulthood is thinking Fusion is the best Metroid for like twenty different simultaneous reasons
So, I lost power 5 days ago. I found solace in using my old, AA battery-powered GBA to replay Metroid: Zero Mission and Fusion to pass the time. In the dead of night, with a light source illuminating my screen just enough to play, the SA-X probably could've killed me in real life at any moment. That may or may not have been a better fate than not having wifi in current year, but whatever.
My opinion remains mostly unchanged from my original review, but there was a moment that shook the foundation of the pillar that I hold this game upon. As I neared the end, I saved the game to return to it later, and when I reached the file select screen, a sense of déjà vu washed over me. My current playthrough may have been near-identical to my previous one. That's the major fault that comes with making a highly linear Metroid game. There's very little room for deviation off the beaten path. You don't really get to go secret hunting in Fusion until the very end, and you could argue that it finally becomes more Metroid-like after that point. The problem with letting you loose at the very end means that all your exploration is effectively "cleanup", exploration for the sake of it, and cleanup is a lot less fun than gathering stuff along the way in preparation for the next big encounter (of which you don't know where/when it'll happen).
I can see why people aren't the biggest fans of this game, and while it definitely loses a bit of its luster upon a replay, I still really love Fusion. It's not my absolute favorite in the franchise (Super is extremely hard to top, for good reason), but I enjoy the direction they take the franchise in with this game. I hope people who shill for the Nintendo Switch Online: Expansion Pak enjoy playing this game. And like poetry, the power finally came back on after I had finished the game. See you next mission.
My opinion remains mostly unchanged from my original review, but there was a moment that shook the foundation of the pillar that I hold this game upon. As I neared the end, I saved the game to return to it later, and when I reached the file select screen, a sense of déjà vu washed over me. My current playthrough may have been near-identical to my previous one. That's the major fault that comes with making a highly linear Metroid game. There's very little room for deviation off the beaten path. You don't really get to go secret hunting in Fusion until the very end, and you could argue that it finally becomes more Metroid-like after that point. The problem with letting you loose at the very end means that all your exploration is effectively "cleanup", exploration for the sake of it, and cleanup is a lot less fun than gathering stuff along the way in preparation for the next big encounter (of which you don't know where/when it'll happen).
I can see why people aren't the biggest fans of this game, and while it definitely loses a bit of its luster upon a replay, I still really love Fusion. It's not my absolute favorite in the franchise (Super is extremely hard to top, for good reason), but I enjoy the direction they take the franchise in with this game. I hope people who shill for the Nintendo Switch Online: Expansion Pak enjoy playing this game. And like poetry, the power finally came back on after I had finished the game. See you next mission.
Started with this game to get into Metroidvania. Turns out this is one of the least Metroidvania-ie Metroids. Oops
I "get" why Metroid Fusion is the way it is. Moreso than Zero Mission, it's a search-action game designed specifically around handheld gaming, and more specifically the Game Boy Advance's hardware limitations. Locations are broken up into more clearly defined pieces to facilitate playing in short bursts, and the whole adventure is so brightly lit and colorful that it almost seems cartoonish, a necessity to overcome the poor visibility of GBA's screen.
Unfortunately, these design limitations result in a Metroid that I ultimately find pretty so-so and conceptually uninteresting.
Gone is any real sense of ambience or solitude, or piecing together the story through environmental details or feeling truly lost in a hostile environment. You now have an AI companion yammering at you, telling you where to go and what to do. A divisive feature to be sure, one that I unfortunately come down on the side of disliking. I also just don't find the visual design of this game to be appealing. The brighter color pallet is garish and it loses a lot of the ambience of past Metroid games as a result.
Gameplay is fine. I guess. I mostly found it to be pretty unremarkable outside of SA-X's Nemesis-like presence. Probably the strongest part of the game. Having SA-X smash through a wall like a murderous Kool-Aide Man is exciting and breathes a lot of life into a game that otherwise feels so lackluster. None of the bosses, puzzles, or upgrades particularly stuck with me, it failed to engage me at almost every step of the way and as a result a lot of my memory has been washed save for a few set pieces.
A shame too that this remained the most current Metroid in the overall series timeline until Dread, which shares some similarities but is a vastly better game in almost every way. It also doesn't help that I played Zero Mission before this, which does such a great job at showing what the series can do on the GBA, being so tight in its design and accomplishing so much more without compromising on the elements that make Metroid work. With that setting the bar, it's hard not to find Fusion underwhelming.
Unfortunately, these design limitations result in a Metroid that I ultimately find pretty so-so and conceptually uninteresting.
Gone is any real sense of ambience or solitude, or piecing together the story through environmental details or feeling truly lost in a hostile environment. You now have an AI companion yammering at you, telling you where to go and what to do. A divisive feature to be sure, one that I unfortunately come down on the side of disliking. I also just don't find the visual design of this game to be appealing. The brighter color pallet is garish and it loses a lot of the ambience of past Metroid games as a result.
Gameplay is fine. I guess. I mostly found it to be pretty unremarkable outside of SA-X's Nemesis-like presence. Probably the strongest part of the game. Having SA-X smash through a wall like a murderous Kool-Aide Man is exciting and breathes a lot of life into a game that otherwise feels so lackluster. None of the bosses, puzzles, or upgrades particularly stuck with me, it failed to engage me at almost every step of the way and as a result a lot of my memory has been washed save for a few set pieces.
A shame too that this remained the most current Metroid in the overall series timeline until Dread, which shares some similarities but is a vastly better game in almost every way. It also doesn't help that I played Zero Mission before this, which does such a great job at showing what the series can do on the GBA, being so tight in its design and accomplishing so much more without compromising on the elements that make Metroid work. With that setting the bar, it's hard not to find Fusion underwhelming.
Metroid Fusion is kind of a strange case for a Metroid game. Not only does it make Metroid a much more linear experience, but it's more cinematic and tries even harder than ever to make you feel alone and scared. How does it do that? By becoming the hunted, of course.
Fusion, as I mentioned above, is a lot more linear of an experience, opting to alter and even remove a lot of your freedom both in movement and exploration. Most items you'll find will simply be off the beaten path, which certainly doesn't feel as gratifying to find them.
The game makes up for this in a lot of strange ways for Metroid games. It's got a stronger emphasis on combat, often forcing a lot more encounters than previous entries in the series. You'd think that'd be weak compensation considering what the appeal of a Metroid game is, right? I disagree, I found the focus on combat a fun change of pace, and the fighting while simple, is very entertaining and satisfying.
Samus feels great to control in this game, the small additions they made to her kit make it a lot of fun to traverse the different environments. While you do lose out on a lot more on the fly movement, you can still breeze through most areas with quick speed and precision, excluding a few slow climbing sections.
The music is mostly environmental ambience to amplify the setting and feeling of being alone. Rest assured, there's plenty of great tracks that hold up to the standard of Metroid's legacy, especially Super. Each area for the most part has a great track to fit the theming, with one exception.
The strongest point of this game is atmosphere, and the setting. Right away, Fusion makes it clear to you that the setting you're in is pretty abandoned. It's also very good at making you feel uncomfortable, not enough for you to shut off the game, but you become a lot more weary on continuing, and that's taking advantage of the setting they went for.
Upgrades in this installment are also interesting, I won't be going in-depth on any of them. But there's some newcomers here that'll be interesting, and others you'll forget exist. In-turn, the sound design here is impeccable. Everything has this nice, classic GBA crisp to it, and everything you do has a sound effect that feels powerful, very strong impacts. There's also a lot of sounds that are unsettling, sort of taking a more horror-like approach with the sound philosophy which continues to play to the strengths of the setting and circumstances.
Metroid Fusion is absolutely different, but it's by no means bad. If you're looking to play a Metroid game that's a bit scarier than what you're used to, and has some interesting new design choices and has a more involved story, definitely give it a shot. You can get it on GBA of course, and Nintendo 3DS and Wii U eshop.
Fusion, as I mentioned above, is a lot more linear of an experience, opting to alter and even remove a lot of your freedom both in movement and exploration. Most items you'll find will simply be off the beaten path, which certainly doesn't feel as gratifying to find them.
The game makes up for this in a lot of strange ways for Metroid games. It's got a stronger emphasis on combat, often forcing a lot more encounters than previous entries in the series. You'd think that'd be weak compensation considering what the appeal of a Metroid game is, right? I disagree, I found the focus on combat a fun change of pace, and the fighting while simple, is very entertaining and satisfying.
Samus feels great to control in this game, the small additions they made to her kit make it a lot of fun to traverse the different environments. While you do lose out on a lot more on the fly movement, you can still breeze through most areas with quick speed and precision, excluding a few slow climbing sections.
The music is mostly environmental ambience to amplify the setting and feeling of being alone. Rest assured, there's plenty of great tracks that hold up to the standard of Metroid's legacy, especially Super. Each area for the most part has a great track to fit the theming, with one exception.
The strongest point of this game is atmosphere, and the setting. Right away, Fusion makes it clear to you that the setting you're in is pretty abandoned. It's also very good at making you feel uncomfortable, not enough for you to shut off the game, but you become a lot more weary on continuing, and that's taking advantage of the setting they went for.
Upgrades in this installment are also interesting, I won't be going in-depth on any of them. But there's some newcomers here that'll be interesting, and others you'll forget exist. In-turn, the sound design here is impeccable. Everything has this nice, classic GBA crisp to it, and everything you do has a sound effect that feels powerful, very strong impacts. There's also a lot of sounds that are unsettling, sort of taking a more horror-like approach with the sound philosophy which continues to play to the strengths of the setting and circumstances.
Metroid Fusion is absolutely different, but it's by no means bad. If you're looking to play a Metroid game that's a bit scarier than what you're used to, and has some interesting new design choices and has a more involved story, definitely give it a shot. You can get it on GBA of course, and Nintendo 3DS and Wii U eshop.
Was a wee little kid when I played this but I honestly think this game has shaped me and my preferences into what it is today.
One of the few Metroid games I've played, has some bullshit but man is it fun. Love the atmosphere too, it's not scary but it does a hell of a job considering how limited the GBA sound card is.
Starting to think metroid might be one of my favourite series and fusion is easily one of the best. This game is absolutely fantastic and has aged wonderfully, hard to believe it is 21 years old now, I first played it on a gba emulator for ios back in like 2014 and while I enjoyed it, I kept getting stuck and eventually got bored of it. I may have missed out but all these years later i’m such a sucker for a great metroidvania that I think I can truly appreciate it more.
The most impressive thing about fusion, aside from the astounding use of the game boy advance’s limiting hardware, is the atmosphere, the tone and the sense of looming dread. Fusion totally nails the isolated feeling that Metroid is known and loved for and has absolutely brilliant sprite art and pulsing ambient audio to compliment it wonderfully. While developed mechanically in games like Metroid Dread, the presence of the SA-X stalking through the facility fills the game with an undeniable suspense. Granted, most interactions with it are highly scripted events, but many of fusion’s best moments are and yet, they don’t feel that much like they are, since they often happen at times where I was feeling most at ease. Knowing that the SA-X can murder you in seconds and there’s no way you can possibly put up a fight until you regain all of your abilities makes every moment your paths cross with it that much more spine tingling. I love it as an antagonist so much and the idea of a parasite copying samus’ dna and replicating her at full stength is just so cool, not to mention you find out that there are multiple of them. There’s a real sense that only you are capable of stopping this thing, the stakes are high and even the ai ‘Adam’, your one ally through it all, proves to be misguided & unstustworthy. That is, before Samus is able to awaken Adam’s consciousness - that of Samus’ former commander and the ai’s namesake who sacrificed himself to save samus’ life.
Metroid and most games of its kind don’t tend to delve too deep into story since they are very gameplay heavy and put faith in mechanical interactions & player discovery. But fusion finds a wonderful blend between both of these things as well as its own neatly packaged narrative about stopping the X and the last of the metroids at the source. On the whole i’d be willing to say Samus is one of, if not my number one favourite protagonist, she’s quiet and resolved but a lot of her character traits are inferred rather than strictly told, dread does this particularly strongly through its masterful animation and brilliantly intimate cutscenes. In fusion, we see her log her thoughts as she recovers her abilities and eliminates threats throughout the different sectors of the BSL. Through her entries we can see a more vulnerable, anxious and perhaps even nostalgic side of her. Samus is a badass supersoldier but she’s also clearly very smart and emotionally driven and her final interaction with Adam shows that she is more than just a puppet, she knows what is the right thing to do and will do it without hesitation, even if it kills her.
As I touched on, fusion is a game fundamentally based around being told where to go and going there. In some ways its more linear than most games of its kind, but what appears to be a straight shot from one target to the next can actually be anything but, since the game is designed so well as to keep you exploring and finding your path through waves of obstacles and unexpected surprises that can completely alter your intended route. Exploration may not be as open as many games in its genre, but its there in spades and the BSL is chock full of secrets that I kept stumbling on, its just done in a way that keeps the game driving forward. Just generally exploring, navigating narrow corridors, weaving across platforms and tunnels all feels great too, since the controls and movement of samus are pretty much spot on, feeling like a faster and snappier update from super metroid. Every upgrade has its place and the order of which you get them surprised me somewhat, since it wasn’t always what I was expecting or hoping for but i’d have to make do. Simultaneously i’d be chomping at the bit to make use of my new ability or new areas that I unlocked, but i’d also still feel restricted in some ways, the staggered collection of each one felt so intentional and perfectly paced, which is a really hard thing to do. Daniel Smith (ori and the will of the wisps) once spoke about how hard it is to make metroidvania games because changing how just one thing works can change the entire dynamic of the game, so having multiple abilities across a full interconnected map takes a lot of time and thoughtfulness in its design, which I think fusion totally nails.
Fusion isn’t a long or hugely complex game with tons of content but it is never, ever boring or tedious. It is pure, delicately paced action and puzzle solving with more than a hint of fear. The immaculate ‘vibe’ or overall desolate feel of the BSL facility wouldn’t be nearly as strong were it not for fusion’s amazing bosses and threatening foreshadowing from the very start of the game. Coming from super metroid, Ridley is meant to be dead, but a frozen copy of him sits idly in the main deck just a few screens from where your ship docks at the very beginning. The boss fights themselves also totally slap, helped out by a spot on difficulty curve. The bosses, while relatively simple in design, compliment fusion’s snappy movement, making every hit you take and every one you dish out feel satisfying. I particularly like how cinematic they can get considering its a gba game and I love the grotesque nature of some its designs, especially the moment when the SA-X’s form mutates during the final confrontation.
My only minor issues are that the music isn’t really much more than background noise (something sadly pretty common in metroid, except for prime) though it does exacerbate the isolated vibe quite well and the game could serve to be a little longer. I used to hate having to bomb random walls and stuff to find a path and yeah, it happens maybe too often in fusion but man, I dunno what it is exactly that changed but I just think it ain’t so bad anymore, maybe I just adapted! Overall I was super positively surprised by how much I loved this one, its filled with unique and memorable instances like when the facility goes into meltdown and you only have 6 minutes to move across the whole station and find the cause and when the power goes out in the middle of an elevator ride and you have to bomb your way out of the elevator shaft and find a new path in the darkness. Also love it when you save the animals and when the SA-X destroys the lab with the metroids and the neo-ridley fight goes so hard and the final battle against the omega metroid and…fuck…yeah, this is really, really good stuff.
The most impressive thing about fusion, aside from the astounding use of the game boy advance’s limiting hardware, is the atmosphere, the tone and the sense of looming dread. Fusion totally nails the isolated feeling that Metroid is known and loved for and has absolutely brilliant sprite art and pulsing ambient audio to compliment it wonderfully. While developed mechanically in games like Metroid Dread, the presence of the SA-X stalking through the facility fills the game with an undeniable suspense. Granted, most interactions with it are highly scripted events, but many of fusion’s best moments are and yet, they don’t feel that much like they are, since they often happen at times where I was feeling most at ease. Knowing that the SA-X can murder you in seconds and there’s no way you can possibly put up a fight until you regain all of your abilities makes every moment your paths cross with it that much more spine tingling. I love it as an antagonist so much and the idea of a parasite copying samus’ dna and replicating her at full stength is just so cool, not to mention you find out that there are multiple of them. There’s a real sense that only you are capable of stopping this thing, the stakes are high and even the ai ‘Adam’, your one ally through it all, proves to be misguided & unstustworthy. That is, before Samus is able to awaken Adam’s consciousness - that of Samus’ former commander and the ai’s namesake who sacrificed himself to save samus’ life.
Metroid and most games of its kind don’t tend to delve too deep into story since they are very gameplay heavy and put faith in mechanical interactions & player discovery. But fusion finds a wonderful blend between both of these things as well as its own neatly packaged narrative about stopping the X and the last of the metroids at the source. On the whole i’d be willing to say Samus is one of, if not my number one favourite protagonist, she’s quiet and resolved but a lot of her character traits are inferred rather than strictly told, dread does this particularly strongly through its masterful animation and brilliantly intimate cutscenes. In fusion, we see her log her thoughts as she recovers her abilities and eliminates threats throughout the different sectors of the BSL. Through her entries we can see a more vulnerable, anxious and perhaps even nostalgic side of her. Samus is a badass supersoldier but she’s also clearly very smart and emotionally driven and her final interaction with Adam shows that she is more than just a puppet, she knows what is the right thing to do and will do it without hesitation, even if it kills her.
As I touched on, fusion is a game fundamentally based around being told where to go and going there. In some ways its more linear than most games of its kind, but what appears to be a straight shot from one target to the next can actually be anything but, since the game is designed so well as to keep you exploring and finding your path through waves of obstacles and unexpected surprises that can completely alter your intended route. Exploration may not be as open as many games in its genre, but its there in spades and the BSL is chock full of secrets that I kept stumbling on, its just done in a way that keeps the game driving forward. Just generally exploring, navigating narrow corridors, weaving across platforms and tunnels all feels great too, since the controls and movement of samus are pretty much spot on, feeling like a faster and snappier update from super metroid. Every upgrade has its place and the order of which you get them surprised me somewhat, since it wasn’t always what I was expecting or hoping for but i’d have to make do. Simultaneously i’d be chomping at the bit to make use of my new ability or new areas that I unlocked, but i’d also still feel restricted in some ways, the staggered collection of each one felt so intentional and perfectly paced, which is a really hard thing to do. Daniel Smith (ori and the will of the wisps) once spoke about how hard it is to make metroidvania games because changing how just one thing works can change the entire dynamic of the game, so having multiple abilities across a full interconnected map takes a lot of time and thoughtfulness in its design, which I think fusion totally nails.
Fusion isn’t a long or hugely complex game with tons of content but it is never, ever boring or tedious. It is pure, delicately paced action and puzzle solving with more than a hint of fear. The immaculate ‘vibe’ or overall desolate feel of the BSL facility wouldn’t be nearly as strong were it not for fusion’s amazing bosses and threatening foreshadowing from the very start of the game. Coming from super metroid, Ridley is meant to be dead, but a frozen copy of him sits idly in the main deck just a few screens from where your ship docks at the very beginning. The boss fights themselves also totally slap, helped out by a spot on difficulty curve. The bosses, while relatively simple in design, compliment fusion’s snappy movement, making every hit you take and every one you dish out feel satisfying. I particularly like how cinematic they can get considering its a gba game and I love the grotesque nature of some its designs, especially the moment when the SA-X’s form mutates during the final confrontation.
My only minor issues are that the music isn’t really much more than background noise (something sadly pretty common in metroid, except for prime) though it does exacerbate the isolated vibe quite well and the game could serve to be a little longer. I used to hate having to bomb random walls and stuff to find a path and yeah, it happens maybe too often in fusion but man, I dunno what it is exactly that changed but I just think it ain’t so bad anymore, maybe I just adapted! Overall I was super positively surprised by how much I loved this one, its filled with unique and memorable instances like when the facility goes into meltdown and you only have 6 minutes to move across the whole station and find the cause and when the power goes out in the middle of an elevator ride and you have to bomb your way out of the elevator shaft and find a new path in the darkness. Also love it when you save the animals and when the SA-X destroys the lab with the metroids and the neo-ridley fight goes so hard and the final battle against the omega metroid and…fuck…yeah, this is really, really good stuff.