Genuinely a pretty incredible portable-ization of the Metroid formula. It never crossed my mind that this game would feel so linear and mission based, but the story really pulls everything together in a super interesting way, which is something I haven't been able to say about a Metroid game really. Sure, the atmosphere and aesthetics are usually on full blast with this series, but this really brings the entire thing to a full on space epic, with character motivations, backstories, and plot. Plot! In a tiny GBA cartridge meant to be played on a handheld without a fucking backlight! The game is also just gorgeous. Nintendo did their absolute damnest to make the colors and art direction of each area pop, and feel unique. The conceit that this entire station was a galactic nature preserve is such a fascinating concept, and the infestation of the X parasites leads to some genuinely incredible and horrifying enemy design. It's also the snappiest set of controls the series has had yet. Something as simple as grabbing onto ledges became instantly gamechanging, with traversal and discovery finding new avenues and still feeling fresh after 4 games. The upgrades themselves feel much more organic with their depiction in this game, and pacing of upgrades is especially excellent. Previous games felt a little bit like each weapon or method of movement was put on full blast before moving to the next, at least if you always sought out the items at your earliest convenience, which I would always do. Oddly enough, having less player freedom (which I usually advocate against), completely turns this system on its head.

Is it better than the series bastion of creative inspiration and quality, Super Metroid? No, probably not. That game still has the absolute best all around presentation of this formula, which is rare for an entry that basically cements the formula itself. The fact that it was Nintendo's first real go with all of these ideas, and the fact that it ended up being the crown jewel of the Super Nintendo puts it pretty solidly above Fusion for me. Fusion is still a triumphant effort though, and one I definitely see myself returning to.

Maybe my favorite game of this entire generation. I was a little too young to see a lot of the flaws that this game very proudly wears on its sleeve upon my initial playthrough, but its been a few years, and my love for this game is still so, so strong. Something that sprung out at my that I wasn't really expecting was that Zebes still felt so familiar to me. These areas are immaculately constructed to balance that need for fun gameplay and a need to feel immersed in an alien world. The shattered nature of the map in comparison to the original is so striking. Some areas bend and twist into each other, while some have these simple, yet still interconnected maps that shoot you back out just where you forgot you might've needed to go. The creature design is also on another level. Nintendo has always hit that shit out of the park, but this is truly an A+ job on that front alone. One off helpful creatures like the Shinespark bird and the Walljump things are obvious standouts, but even the robot that completely organically destroys part of the level to help lead you to a collectible, and the turtle with its babies still stick out perfectly in my mind. Ridley and Kraid went from Kindergartener sketch to full fledged pulpy space monsters, and the Mother-Brain encounter with the return of the baby Metroid is one of the greatest pieces of wordless storytelling in any video game. This is a piece of media that just perfectly understands environmental storytelling, and I love that so much. The waterlogged pirate ship makes for an awesome setpiece, and their unrelenting search for Samus and the Metroid makes the mission seem all the more palpable and important. I touched on this earlier, but the fact that this map loops back into itself in so many legitimately helpful ways was groundbreaking. The original felt like a lot of areas with nearly identical aesthetics and art direction, just filtered through one of those boxes of four crayons you'd get in preschool. The power of the SNES gave Nintendo the ability to go hog-wild with different feels for each of the areas, with everything brought together by that familiar metallic sheen of the Chozo, omnipresent and inescapable.

I feel as if I'm kind of beginning to rant about why this game is so spectacular, and you've probably heard it all before anyway. Play the damn thing.