Conveniently enough, my randomizer that picks the next game series on my backlog to marathon happened to pick the "Metroid" series just before the release of "Metroid Dread." I went in a bit of a weird order with the series, but you'll see as I post my reviews on here. Prior to playing this game, the only "Metroid" game I ever beat was the original "Metroid Prime," which I won't be replaying for the marathon but just know that I love that game. However, while I played the "Prime" sub-series a fair bit in my youth, I never really grew up on the 2D side of "Metroid," so I was excited to jump into the first game in the series...or rather, it's 2004 remake "Metroid: Zero Mission." Enough people recommended that I go with the remake over the original, and I'm very glad I did, because what a game this is.
"Metroid: Zero Mission" remakes the original NES "Metroid" adventure, but keeps the spirit of the game intact fantastically. The visual design is excellent, especially for a Game Boy Advance game, and the controls are incredibly smooth, making for a better experience than the original game. The combat also feels excellent, being accessible but nevertheless challenging, and the boss fights are action-packed and exciting. The level design is big and very puzzle-focused, but still mostly easy to figure out once you get the hang of things. Furthermore, this remake offers a bevy of new content that makes it even more compelling than the original game, and it may as well be the most essential way to experience the original game.
The only negative I can really say about the game is that some of the backtracking can be frustrating to deal with at points. This is especially apparent if this is your first "Metroid" game, as it can take you a bit to understand that this is one of the biggest parts of the series. I would like to give this another play in the future to see if it's as bad after playing the rest of the series and understanding that portion of it.
Overall, "Metroid: Zero Mission" is a stellar 2D adventure that may as well be the most essential way to play the original "Metroid." It offers a bevy of new content for original players, and the gameplay is so smooth and fun that it feels so much nicer to play, no matter if you took on the original NES adventure. This is the kind of game that begs for repeat playthroughs, and I'm definitely interested in giving it another chance at some point. If you haven't given it that first chance yet, definitely do so.
Final rating: 9 out of 10 "Awesome"