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GBA

North America

Metroid Fusion

by Jonathan Metts - November 19, 2002, 10:27 pm EST

9

It looks and plays like Super Metroid, but is Fusion as good? The answer awaits.

As the true, direct sequel to Super Metroid, the long-awaited Metroid Fusion has a lot to live up to. For the most part, it succeeds with ease. There is plenty of tight gameplay and intriguing plot here to satisfy any Metroid junkie, yet the game is accessible enough for anyone hyped up about Metroid Prime and merely curious about Fusion.

Practically all of the changes made in Metroid Fusion result in a better game. First and foremost, the story takes center-stage like never before in this series. Fusion’s introduction sequence alone has more text narrative than all previous Metroid games combined. For the first time, Samus converses with another character throughout the game, and she provides occasional monologues to add further insight to events as they unfold. New players will probably think the story is cool and just move on, but veteran players will likely be nothing less than shocked at how greatly this new emphasis on plot affects the game.

In addition to dialogues and monologues, Metroid Fusion uses several cut-scenes and scripted events to convey its storyline. The most effective and intense moments in the entire game are the cat-and-mouse encounters with the SA-X entity; for the first time, the best tactic for Samus is to hide and/or run away like mad.

The new emphasis on storytelling also carries great repercussions for the game design and pacing, and the results are both positive and negative. For one thing, there’s never a question of what to do next, which has become somewhat of a trademark for this series. Your ship’s computer, Adam, will almost always tell you where to go next and how to get there (at least in general). These “missions” are mostly focused on gaining upgrades and abilities for Samus, but a few others are more varied and provide a nice change of pace. However, a handful of the missions are timed, and still others will vastly and permanently change the map layout due to damage from enemies, etc. Long-time Metroid fans probably won’t be pleased to see that an area they couldn’t reach at first, but then were able to access with an upgrade, has now been closed off again, perhaps for good. Although it’s very cool to see the space station collapse into utter disrepair towards the end of the game, certainly there is a degree of exploratory freedom lost when you can’t even keep up with which rooms are accessible and which have been blocked off. It’s also hard to explore freely when Adam is rushing you all over the place in search of the next ability. Even worse is when you finally get what you need to open up a nagging passageway earlier in the game, but you go back to find that the damn computer has sealed off the path. All this would be fine if there were a nice, clearly defined period towards the end of the game in which you could explore freely and grab up all the missed goodies, but that does not seem to be the case. The final portion of the game is the most linear and frantic of all.

In terms of its core gameplay mechanics, Fusion is surprisingly close to previous Metroid games. Samus jumps and shoots with ease, and her missiles are more convenient and useful than ever. A couple of new moves, including the ability to grab ledges and climb on ladders, are minor but likable additions that basically streamline the jumping mechanics. The replacement of regular enemies with X-virus imitations has little bearing on the gameplay, except that nearly every boss has two forms. In fact, perhaps one of the most disappointing aspects in all of Metroid Fusion is that Samus doesn’t really play differently than before, despite her vastly different biological makeup. The trademark Metroid ability of energy-absorption never comes into play, since all of the enemies are just X replications. You would think that, in a series marked by its focus on power-ups, a fundamental change in the main character would lead to some cool new upgrades. Unfortunately, Metroid Fusion contains exactly one upgrade that has never been seen before, and it has nothing to do with Samus being fused with Metroid DNA. In fact, it’s not even a very cool upgrade compared to the other classic ones.

This is certainly one of the best-looking and best-sounding GBA games on the market. Fusion mostly avoids fancy sprite tricks, instead focusing on fluid animation and detailed artwork. It’s a veritable masterpiece of hand-drawn 2D graphics. The sound is just as impressive, with beautifully composed remixes and original songs that all stick to the atmospheric style Metroid is known for. The sound effects are also excellent, with different ones for every weapon and for every enemy and boss. Make sure you plug in the headphones and crank up the volume when you meet up with the SA-X in a dark corridor. The intensity hangs thick in the air, and sound is a huge part of that effect.

Finally, the game’s brevity must be addressed. Metroid Fusion is actually decently long for a GBA title, but it is a markedly shorter experience than Super Metroid, despite having a comparably sized world to explore. The computer is constantly pushing you on towards the next upgrade or goal, and whether you love or hate that design choice, it does serve to compress the amount of time needed to beat Metroid Fusion. There is certainly quite a lot of secret stuff to hunt down, but without an X-Ray Scope or very many chances to leisurely explore, you’re not likely to find much of it, even if you consciously attempt to do so.

In spite of a few big differences that arguably detract from what makes the series what it is, Metroid Fusion is incredibly fun and, more often than not, creepy and intense. Mechanically, it is very much in the spirit of Super Metroid, probably too much so. In terms of design, the environments are still fascinating and fun to explore, but the story-driven pacing doesn’t give many opportunities to just wander around on your own. If you’ve always wished Metroid games would give more direction and linearity, you’ll be delighted with Fusion all-around. If you’re more a traditional Metroid player and prefer to find things on your own, you’ll probably see Fusion as an interesting but brief side-story to the series. It’s worth buying either way; this is undoubtedly one of the best GBA games yet, and for anyone even remotely caught up in the Metroid mythos, Fusion is a bold and exciting new chapter into a hallowed Nintendo franchise.

Score

Graphics Sound Control Gameplay Lastability Final
9.5 9.5 10 9 7 9
Graphics
9.5

Amazing animation and beautiful hand-drawn sprites and backgrounds bring Metroid to life on GBA. The only flaw is a few areas where the game just looks too dark; the Nocturnal sector is a great idea, but on the GBA screen, it’s not very practical.

Sound
9.5

Gripping music and spot-on sound effects everywhere. The remixes of classic Metroid tunes fit perfectly, and the new music is just as good. The loading music that plays when continuing a saved game has a weird pause that sounds totally out of place.

Control
10

It’s Metroid, and it’s perfect. The new climbing and ledge-grabbing moves feel great, and the control layout works beautifully on the GBA. Wall jumps are slightly harder to pull off, but since that move still isn’t even documented, and it’s certainly not required anywhere in the game, I’m not complaining.

Gameplay
9

Here’s a tough one. Metroid Fusion plays as fluidly as anyone could hope for. The design is much different than in past games, and not all changes are for the better. Exploration has taken a back seat to narration and urgency, and although the result is exciting and compelling in its own right, Metroid fans will be disappointed to some degree.

Lastability
7

This is a short game, period. The map is plenty big enough, but you hardly ever get a decent chance to explore it. You can still play through many times and find cool stuff that you never saw before, and of course, there are minor rewards for beating the game in record time. Replay value gets a boost from the convoluted yet intriguing plot, which easily warrants experiencing twice or more.

Final
9

On the merits of its level design, controls, graphics, and sound, Metroid Fusion is simply a great game and one of the best purchases you can make for your GBA. However, major changes to the pacing and a lack of real innovation (in terms of upgrades and mechanics) will matter to hardcore Metroid fans.

Summary

Pros
  • Classic jumping and shooting mechanics
  • Flawless control
  • Gorgeous visuals and audio
  • Great enemy design
  • Very cool storyline
Cons
  • Few chances to explore previous areas
  • Not enough new abilities
  • Too short
Review Page 2: Conclusion

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Metroid Fusion Box Art

Genre Adventure
Developer Nintendo
Players1

Worldwide Releases

na: Metroid Fusion
Release Nov 17, 2002
PublisherNintendo
RatingEveryone
jpn: Metroid Fusion
Release Feb 14, 2003
PublisherNintendo
eu: Metroid Fusion
Release Nov 22, 2002
PublisherNintendo

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