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Metroid: Zero Mission
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Graphics & Sound:
Following the success of both Metroid Prime and Metroid Fusion, Nintendo has decided to go back and retell the tale of Samus' first adventure in order to better tie it in with other games in the series. However, it wouldn't be right to call Metroid: Zero Mission a remake of the original NES version of the game. Though the basic premise of the game is the same and you do tread familiar ground, Zero Mission is a much more fleshed out version of the original. Zero Mission shares many of its graphical roots with Fusion, Samus' other GBA adventure. This, of course, is a very good thing since Fusion still remains one of the best looking games on the system. A few visual departures are taken which manage to kick things up a notch. Overall, levels come off as much sharper and a little bigger. This gives everything a vibrant look that is easy on the eyes. As with other Metroid games, graphics also play a big part in the gameplay itself by subtly hinting at areas that can be blown apart with missiles or bombs that lead to new paths and upgrades. As someone who has played the original NES game to death, one of the real rewards was having the opportunity to see areas re-imagined and redone in the game's new graphical style (the fact that it is on a more powerful system doesn't hurt either). This feeling carries over into the sound department, which features a score of remixed tunes from the original game, as well as one or two new tracks. |
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Gameplay:
Metroid: Zero Mission stars Samus Aran, intergalactic bounty hunter, in a retelling of her first mission to the planet Zebes. Her mission is simple; destroy all metroids, life forms with the ability to siphon energy from whatever they attach to. The game's story, which was nonexistent in the original, has been fleshed out via comic book style panels that pop up between certain parts in the game. While the story certainly isn't the deepest, it still helps to tailor the game into Prime much better than the original. The end result is a game that feels much more refined. Nowhere is this demonstrated better than in the later part of the game. Not to give anything away, but the game doesn't end with the death of Mother Brain. In my mind, the Metroid series has always felt like its own unique genre that few games outside of the newer Castlevania games have tried to emulate. Not really a side-scroller, at least not in the traditional sense, Metroid gives you a certain level of freedom in how you choose to go about your mission. You can rush through to the end and try to complete the game in a short amount of time, or meticulously search through all of the game's twisting catacombs in search of that elusive perfect completion percentage. This is the exact feeling I had the first time I played Metroid and the same feeling I had when playing Metroid: Zero Mission. Yet, at the same time, a few aspects of Zero Mission felt a little too stifling. While not as bad as Fusion, which literally led you by the hand through the entire mission, Zero Mission still points you in the right direction and gives you a place to work towards. Exploration plays a much greater part this time around and there are a few areas that take some simple thinking skills to navigate successfully, but the free form feeling still seems lost at times. Anyone looking for better proof needs only to complete the game once, which unlocks a pixel-perfect version of the NES version.
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Difficulty:
If Metroid: Zero Mission has one fault, it is that it is too easy. Whereas most Metroid games have offered a nice challenge, Zero Mission feels watered down at times, even when compared to the original. Aside from the simple navigation system the game gives you, which includes an automap that details where things are hidden in rooms, like missiles and energy tanks, bosses never really pose much of a threat. For example, the fight with Ridley, who has always been one of the more challenging mid-bosses, can easily be dispatched. Skill and timing have been replaced with a clumsy flurry of missiles. Among other things, completing the game unlocks a Hard difficulty setting, which makes enemies a little stronger and reduces the number of health and missile power-ups you receive.
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Game Mechanics:
Not to knock either Fusion or Prime, but there is a certain satisfaction to be gained from getting the opportunity to once again play around in Samus' original gear. Sure the Fusion and Phazon Suits are great at what they do, but running around in the old school duds is pretty great in its own right. Not to get to poetic, but walking one screen to the left and picking up the Morph Ball is like slipping on that ratty, hole filled pair of jeans you have had for years. This sense of familiarity carries on for the first few screens until you get to the first Chozo statue -- then you realize its a whole new ballgame. All of the original Metroid power-ups, from the Ice and Wave Beams (which can now be equipped at the same time) to the Varia Suit and Space Jump boots are back and joined by a collection of abilities from more recent games. Super Missiles and Bombs make their way over, as does the Speed Boost, Plasma Beam and Gravity Suit. Samus also retains many of her traits from Fusion, such as the ability to shoot while kneeling and climbing. They may not sound like the flashiest of abilities, but once you go back and play the NES version, you quickly learn to appreciate them. At the risk of sounding like that old guy on the porch who keeps yelling about how things used to be, I found it interesting how simple things like a map and navigation systems help to reduce the playing time of games like this. By all means, Zero Mission is a much longer game than the NES version, but it can be completed in about 3 - 5 hours depending on how many times you die, get lost or what completion percentage you are going for. I really cannot fault the game, or its designers, for this since it seems to be the direction the franchise is headed in and because they have certainly helped to make the game feel like a rewarding experience that you will play over and over again. Highly Recommended. |
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-Starscream, GameVortex Communications AKA Ricky Tucker |
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