Ah, [i]Metroid Fusion[/i]. A well done 2D sequel to [i]Super Metroid[/i]. This game had seen more hype than any other game to hit a Game Boy system. Did it deserve it? Well… lets get to that.
The minute I picked up the game and put it in my GBA, a feeling of nostalgia overcame me. It had everything [i]Super Metroid[/i] had, plus more. I couldn’t get past the fact that I was playing a brand new [i]Metroid[/i] game. I felt like I had warped 10 years into the past.
That night, I played it for 5 straight hours. The only problem was, I beat it in those 5 straight hours. The game was undeniably short. It felt like I had just been teased out of an epic gaming experience. The feeling soon passed, as I started playing again 4 days later. The game boasts 4 separate endings, each of which I’m determined to get.
Now, as far as the game itself. Graphics are excellent. They’ve actually improved on the look of Super Metroid, without making it different, if that makes any sense. The changes are subtle, but there, and they’re good. You see most of the major graphical changes later in the game, with moves such as the Screw Attack, which looks considerably better than it did in Super Metroid. Other than a few new animations to go with Samus’s new found abilities, it’s on-par with its predecessor, and that’s the way it should be. The sound of the game makes great use of the GBA’s otherwise limited sound capabilities. They did a nice job with that.
On to the gameplay. If you haven’t played a 2D [i]Metroid[/i] before, this will all be new to you, and you’ll enjoy it all the way through. If you have played the older [i]Metroid[/i]s, you’ll notice an overall feeling of Linearity throughout the game. You have a Commanding Officer, and discussions through him allow some character development of Samus and her past. I thought that was a nice touch, except for the fact that your CO actually commands you around. It doesn’t have the explore-until-you-find-a-new-door objective, but rather objectives given specifically through the CO. It turns out to be a rather nice system, after you get used to it.
Overall, [i]Metroid Fusion[/i] is a great addition to the [i]Metroid[/i] series of games. Though it was a little short, the game is so enjoyable that most people don’t have a problem playing through it again. Aside from the replay value, it’s an extremely well polished game. I recommend it to anyone who owns a GBA.
