Back to Brinstar

With Kraid and Ridley no more, these stone heads open and allow Samus to proceed

Use the map to retrace your steps to the top left corner of Brinstar. There are two stone heads here that have been closed throughout the game. Defeating Kraid opened one head while defeating Ridley opened the second head. Move through to the lift and descend into Tourian.

Tourian

Drop off the lift and enter the room on the right to save your game. Continue through to the right and drop down the next hall. Proceed back to the left as you avoid or shoot the enemies hovering about the room.

This room before the boss encounter is a great place to stock up on health and ammunition.

The next room is your first encounter with the metroids and the door turns white behind you, keeping you inside. Defeat the metroid by freezing it with your ice beam then finishing it off with your missiles. Metroids are aggressive! If you get close, they'll latch on to your torso and cause damage. Get it off by setting off a bomb. Once it's free, the metroid attempts to attack again so you must freeze it quickly.

Exit to the left and work your way down the next shaft. More metroids appear here. Attempt to battle them one at a time to make the combat much easier. Work your way through the subsequent halls and battle additional metroids. Save your game at the next opportunity. More metroids away through the next sections. Move carefully to avoid taking on more than you can handle. Defeat them with ice and missiles before moving on. Save your game again as you near the final battle in Tourian.

Exit the save game room to the left and take the next opportunity to stock up on health and ammunition. The rings that appear from the ceiling are an excellent recuperating source. Completely fill your health and ammunition then use the save game room again to save your progress and current statistics.

Use your missiles to break apart the shields that block the route to mother brain.

Enter the door on the left to proceed toward mother brain. Avoid the projectiles, if possible, and traverse the platforms moving to the left. Blast apart the spinning shields with your missiles so you can clear a route. Note that the shields stay destroyed even if you leave the room. So you can return to the right and restock up on health and ammunition before proceeding further to mother brain. You could even save your game and keep the shields destroyed.

Boss Battle: Mother Brain

Mother Brain's weak spot: her open eye!

Continue to the left until you find mother brain encased in glass. Utilize the platforms and break apart the glass with your missiles or super missiles. Though you must dodge the smaller projectiles, remember that you can freeze the larger circular enemies with your ice beam. This can buy you a few extra seconds to score successful hits on the boss.

Once the glass has been broken, your primary target becomes mother brain's eye. Mother brain will launch a projectile from her eye. Just before she does, she turns purple. This is your cue to get out of the way. Dodge the projectile by leaping up to the ledge on the upper right portion of the screen. If you successfully dodge her projectile (by not falling into the lava or being struck by any other projectile on screen), then mother brain's eye remains open for a short amount of time. While open, it's vulnerable to attack. Inflict damage by striking mother brain's open eye with missiles and super missiles.

You must quickly work your way up this challenging shaft before time expires.

Defeating mother brain activates a self destruct sequence. You now have just two minutes to get out of Tourian and back to Samus' ship. If you fail, you must reload your last save and defeat mother brain again. Exit her chamber to the left. The shaft looks intimidating with smoke and steam bellowing from the sides. Don't be distracted. The platforms are your priority. Many crumble beneath your feet so you must work quickly before the platform disappears beneath you. Use the larger ledges along the side of the shaft as more stable ground. Continue the ascent into Crateria.