Metroid Fusion: A masterclass in suspense (GBA)
One of my chosen games to replay over the recent festive period was Metroid Fusion on the Game Boy Advance.
As far as I remember, it received some criticism when it came out for its more linear structure as compared to other titles in the series. But I have always loved this game, and I'll tell you why.
As it's more than 15 years old, hopefully you'll have played it but if not - there may be some spoilers ahead.
To set the scene, the opening minutes of the game see our protagonist Samus Aran attacked by a parasitic life form known as 'X'.
The organism infects her, as well as her power suit, but doctors manage to save her life with a vaccine using cells procured from the last infant Metroid from SR388 (the planet on which Metroid II was set).
As part of her treatment, doctors had to surgically remove much of Samus' suit - so bye bye weapons, upgrades and health tanks. Like your typical Metroid game, we're starting from scratch here.
Samus then heads to the Biologic Space Labs (B.S.L), where her infected suit pieces were also sent, but upon arrival it appears there is something wrong.
Creatures infected by the X parasite are running amok and it's up to Samus to sort things out.
Here's where the game differs from a lot of others in the series - your on board computer will feed you instructions and directions after every goal you complete.
It will literally place a marker on your map to show you where you need to head next - granted, that map might be blank and need filling in by doing some some exploration first, but you rarely if ever feel totally lost.
I can understand that might be a gripe for some players who prefer to figure such things out on their own, but I really didn't mind it.
I like to look at Metroid Fusion almost as a standalone experience and when judging it on its own, it has so much enjoyment to offer.
The adventure is confined to different sections of the B.S.L station. You've got a main hub, for want of a better word, with elevators to several self contained habitats which each have their own characteristics, enemies and dangers.
Everything looks lovely and the different sections of the station have plenty to see. Both Samus and her enemies are very nicely animated too.
What I like about a lot of the environments in this game is the slight feeling of claustrophobia which games like Bioshock pulled off so well - you're stuck on this space station until the mission is complete, like it or not.
That brings me on to the next thing I really liked about Fusion - the atmosphere.
I don't remember having played any other GBA games which accomplished such a sense of dread and tension as this one.
The main reason for this sensation was (last chance spoiler alert!) the SA-X: a cold, murderous mutation of the X parasite combined with Samus' removed armor - pictured here on the left and below.
Any encounters with it before you regain most of your upgrades quickly turn into frantic dashes for safety as it attempts to chase you down and kill you.
The idea that this creature could turn up anywhere at any time was terrifying. Fortunately it doesn't turn up just anywhere, but those encounters are tense indeed.
Fusion has great music and sounds too, many parts of which help to increase the suspense even more with foreboding tracks.
The bosses are pretty epic and generally keep you on your toes, though playing it through again felt a little easier than I remembered it being last time.
Maybe the panic I felt the first time round has worn off a little, or maybe I just got a bit better at handling them.
It's not a massively long game, but there are plenty of secrets and collectibles for those who want to wander off the beaten track.
Controls are slick and responsive, which you'd expect from a 2D Metroid game. All upgrades and weapons are pretty neatly mapped to your GBA's buttons and can be accessed quickly and easily when needed.
This might not be the huge open Metroid game some people were hoping for - but I still think it is one adventure that is definitely worth undertaking.
Have you played Metroid Fusion? What did you think? Let me know below!
As far as I remember, it received some criticism when it came out for its more linear structure as compared to other titles in the series. But I have always loved this game, and I'll tell you why.
As it's more than 15 years old, hopefully you'll have played it but if not - there may be some spoilers ahead.
To set the scene, the opening minutes of the game see our protagonist Samus Aran attacked by a parasitic life form known as 'X'.
The organism infects her, as well as her power suit, but doctors manage to save her life with a vaccine using cells procured from the last infant Metroid from SR388 (the planet on which Metroid II was set).
As part of her treatment, doctors had to surgically remove much of Samus' suit - so bye bye weapons, upgrades and health tanks. Like your typical Metroid game, we're starting from scratch here.
Creatures infected by the X parasite are running amok and it's up to Samus to sort things out.
Here's where the game differs from a lot of others in the series - your on board computer will feed you instructions and directions after every goal you complete.
It will literally place a marker on your map to show you where you need to head next - granted, that map might be blank and need filling in by doing some some exploration first, but you rarely if ever feel totally lost.
I can understand that might be a gripe for some players who prefer to figure such things out on their own, but I really didn't mind it.
I like to look at Metroid Fusion almost as a standalone experience and when judging it on its own, it has so much enjoyment to offer.
The adventure is confined to different sections of the B.S.L station. You've got a main hub, for want of a better word, with elevators to several self contained habitats which each have their own characteristics, enemies and dangers.
What I like about a lot of the environments in this game is the slight feeling of claustrophobia which games like Bioshock pulled off so well - you're stuck on this space station until the mission is complete, like it or not.
That brings me on to the next thing I really liked about Fusion - the atmosphere.
I don't remember having played any other GBA games which accomplished such a sense of dread and tension as this one.
The main reason for this sensation was (last chance spoiler alert!) the SA-X: a cold, murderous mutation of the X parasite combined with Samus' removed armor - pictured here on the left and below.
You learn fairly early on that this thing is roaming the space station and it is pretty much unstoppable.
It has all of Samus' lost abilities and can end you in a few shots.
The idea that this creature could turn up anywhere at any time was terrifying. Fortunately it doesn't turn up just anywhere, but those encounters are tense indeed.
Fusion has great music and sounds too, many parts of which help to increase the suspense even more with foreboding tracks.
The bosses are pretty epic and generally keep you on your toes, though playing it through again felt a little easier than I remembered it being last time.
Maybe the panic I felt the first time round has worn off a little, or maybe I just got a bit better at handling them.
It's not a massively long game, but there are plenty of secrets and collectibles for those who want to wander off the beaten track.
Controls are slick and responsive, which you'd expect from a 2D Metroid game. All upgrades and weapons are pretty neatly mapped to your GBA's buttons and can be accessed quickly and easily when needed.
This might not be the huge open Metroid game some people were hoping for - but I still think it is one adventure that is definitely worth undertaking.
Have you played Metroid Fusion? What did you think? Let me know below!
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