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Metroid: Zero Mission Review - GBA

I think Nintendo has now realised just how much they stuffed up by not having a Metroid game in the last generation of consoles. But, as they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder, and by the time Metroid Prime was released - 8 years after Super Metroid was released for SNES - our hearts were very fond indeed. So to help out all those fans who tuned into the Metroid Universe for the first time, Nintendo has created Metroid: Zero Mission, a snazzy retelling of Samus' first adventure for GBA.

Now, it's crucial to note the word 'retelling'. This is not the original Metroid from the NES with updated graphics. The developers took the essence of that landmark game - some rooms, characters, weapons, and injected it with all whole lot of super cool stuff. They borrowed abilities from other games in the series, and basically reworked the entire game. For the better, I might add.

Players take control of Samus in her most basic form. She has one energy tank, an unlimited rapid fire shot, and a single jump. Luckily, barely 30 seconds into the game you pick up your first upgrade, the morph ball, a staple of the Metroid series. It allows you to roll up into a ball and squeeze through small gaps. As you work your way through the game, you'll pick up weapons like the charge beam, the ice beam, missiles and super missiles (be sure to collect missile expansions), and bombs. Bombs are particularly handy if you are stuck at what seems to be a dead end - litter the floor (and walls, if you're clever) with them and more often then not, an opening will appear. A common occurrence in the game is a door or crack that you can't get past. Be sure to remember it, for as you get more and more powerful you'll need to come back and pick up all the extras hidden behind these doors.

Many Metroid purists felt that the other GBA game, Metroid Fusion, was too linear than it should have been. Zero Mission improves on it slightly, but you still get an indication as to where you go next. Samus' old friends the Chozo help you out this time, by highlighting the point on the map you should head towards. They also heal your health, a nice bonus. The most important parts of the story are told through cut-scenes, which add to the atmosphere of the game. I won't spoil any of it here, as it is more enjoyable to behold without any prior knowledge.

MINOR SPOILER ALERT!! Now, one of the more serious changes from the original is that the game doesn't end where the first did. No, once you've fled the lair of Mother Brain and escaped into space, you'll discover there is a good part more of the story to be told. And believe me when I say it is a shocking plot twist. But don't expect me to reveal it here - I didn't even tell you what were in the cut-scenes! Also, it has the most emotional ending I've seen in a Metroid game. Beautiful. Just be prepared for something completely different to any other Metroid ... (continued next page)