Metroid is one of the most mysterious and least understandable franchises in gaming history. Unlike most Nintendo titles, Metroid’s timeline is completely foggy. You’re always using the same Samus Aran, but when do her bounty hunting adventures actually take place? Nintendo has taken their award-winning Metroid formula and answered the question the way it should be answered in Metroid: Zero Mission. Metroid: Zero Mission is actually a remake of the original NES Metroid game made in the late 80’s. While the game is a remake, it definitely isn’t a port. Nintendo has taken the Chozo of Metroid Prime and put them into Zero Mission to thicken the plot a bit, and with that, they’ve added a lot more depth into the actual story and game. Take the greatness of the original NES Metroid, the new elements of Metroid Prime, a few elements in Super Metroid, the nonstop action in Metroid Fusion, and you’ll have what’s possibly the best Metroid game so far. Metroid: Zero Mission begins with Samus Aran traveling the universe in her starship until she suddenly went off course and landed in what was once her home – Planet Zebes. Her mission? Exterminate all Metroid organisms and defeat the mechanical life form, Mother Brain. To do this, Samus has to venture deep into the depths of Zebes and explore places like Brinstar, Norfair, Crateria, Kraid, Ridley, and quite a few secret areas located in the ruins of the Chozo. During exploration, Samus will find necessary upgrades to her Power Suit that can enhance her abilities and give her superiority over every evil being in Planet Zebes. Among some of the upgrades she’ll find are the Morph Ball – which Samus can use to transform into a ball to reach places in which the average human can’t fit in, the Ice Beam – the first of many upgrades to Samus’ Arm Cannon, and Missiles – an essential add-on to Samus’ Arm Cannon. The more gadgets attached to Samus’ Power Suit, the better her chances are at survival and eventually accomplishing her mission. The gameplay in Metroid games have always remained the same, and it’s always been very simple to handle. You take the roll of Samus to find as many upgrades to your Power Suit as you can. Along the way, Samus will have to use her newly found abilities to take out new enemies and bring down certain bosses that get in her way of reaching her goals. The deeper you get into the game, the harder the puzzles and combat get, so Samus can find Energy Tanks – which add to Samus’ maximum health. Being a side-scrolling action game, you can expect Samus to hop at high-elevated areas with ease and destroy surroundings with a simple shot out of her cannon. The directional pad allows Samus to roam left to right along the game screen, the A button allows her to jump – you’ll eventually find upgrades that add to her jumping ability, the B button allows Samus to fire, and the left and right shoulder buttons are there to activate Samus’ missile supply. When both buttons are held for three seconds, the Game Boy will enter Sleep Mode – another way of pausing but refrains from using up any battery life. Gamers will find the play control superb, though they probably won’t find the overall gameplay the same way. The Metroid series has had some means of backtracking – whether it was to get an unobtainable item or whether it was vital to the game’s completion. While the backtracking can get tedious and awfully repetitive, Metroid veterans will come to expect it and go through it easily since Zero Mission, after all, is a remake of the original Metroid game. The game’s visuals are very well done and look a lot like Super Metroid and a bit better than Metroid Fusion. The sceneries are so good that they’ll make it seem like you’re playing a new Metroid rather than just a remake. The visual detail into Samus’ suit is great, the enemies look the way you’d expect, and Samus’ surroundings on Zebes are all that you’d expect things to look like. The game should serve no means of negativity to gamers – then again, this is no Golden Sun or Superstar Saga. The game’s sound is also very well done. Everything from Samus’ Arm Cannon to the screams of her enemies sound awfully realistic on the Game Boy Advance, and the game’s soundtrack features many of the classic Metroid tunes heard in the past and just a few more. The game definitely shows that Nintendo worked hard with their sound team to pull off the terrific sound that can be heard in Zero Mission, and it all gets even better when you plug in some headphones. Metroid: Zero Mission is a terrific remake of the NES Classic, and it features a major plot twist in the story that makes the Metroid timeline fit in place. The extra parts in the game are definitely terrific and definitely brings new life to the classic. But even with the edited and added ending(s), the game is awfully short and it’s quite surprising to see the game end so fast. The game has eight different endings to unlock, and that can definitely add to the game’s replay value. Also after completing the game once, you can unlock the original NES Metroid though it’ll probably serve no use since you own a highly updated version of the exact same game. Either way, Metroid: Zero Mission is a game with great gameplay, graphics – even better on the Game Boy Player, sound, and the game can definitely be a golden part of your GBA Library.
When Metroid was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in 1986 it became one of the greatest games ever made. Metroid brought together 2D Platforming and Action and Adventure and Sci-Fi altogether and that... Read Full Review
Metroid Zero Mission is a remake of the classic NES game, Metroid. And overall, they did an excellent job on recreating the original Metroid. They have added many things to make it seem like an entirely new game. Anyone ... Read Full Review
