Emergency Order! Review all games!

...I'm on it!

Metroid Zero Mission came out for the Gameboy Advanced in an era long past. An era where Metroid was a series taken seriously by Nintendo. But this game did something that I've genuinely never seen before. It is an updated version of the very first Metroid game, but actually serves to replace the first game canonically. As in, the NES Metroid is now only mostly canon. Anyway, this game is really what really got me into the Metroid series. But without further adieu, we've got a mission to start!

Graphics: 8/10

The graphics for this game are fantastic! Like one would expect from the GBA, the sprites look great! They all have varying amounts of detail to them. From the tiny Geemer, to Samus herself, to even bigger guys. There is a fantastic amount of detail! Although obviously the bigger the enemy the higher detail they have. But seeing the tiny spikes on Geemers; along with the little legs (tentacles?)those Rippers have wiggling about. And Samus both with and without the power suit look amazing as well. That just blew me away! The Bosses all look threatening, but I can't help but stare at them in this game.
One thing that takes away from all this is this; similar to an old RPG, you'll find slightly stronger recolors of enemies. Which is a sign of laziness if you ask me.

The backgrounds and stages themselves are a slightly different tale. If you pay enough attention the floors and ceilings look mostly the same. Again, with only color differences. The backgrounds also suffer from this. Although areas like Crateria and Chozodia all had a spectacular amount of detail and attention put into them. They had a lot of work put into level design and backgrounds. At least a lot more than the rest of Zebes' caverns...Overall, none of the background and levels look particularly bad. It's just a lot of reusing a select few constantly.

Sound: 9/10

This game sports some fantastic remixes. Along with...Vocals? Most areas will be a more refined version of what the NES and SNES gave us. Although there are a few areas which have chant vocals to them. It reminds me of the Magmoor Caverns from Metroid Prime. It's those kind of vocals. It's a nice touch to the areas you find them in. Although if you play for long enough sessions you might get tired of them. But with or without them; the music is simply amazing! I enjoyed all the music this game has to offer.

The sound effects aren't that bad either. There aren't too many however. Shooting plays a little "pew" noise, a charged shot does a lower version of that sound effect also. Bombs and missiles share the same explosion sound. While super bombs and super missiles have their own effects as well. Aside from those, the only other effects you'll hear are Bosses roaring, and Samus grunting when hit. On one hand, the game is kind of lacking in sound effects. But on the other hand, it doesn't need many to begin with. What it has
worked fine. And you'll be busy focusing on the music too much to care also.

Addictiveness: 7/10

This game is pretty darn addictive! I almost needed to be surgically removed from this game. It's definitely a game you'll need a guide for at least once. But once you get on a roll you'll want to keep playing forever! The puzzles are just so satisfying. And as you get power ups you'll start feeling like the awesome space warrior Samus is! And that feeling alone can keep you interested. It's something I definitely haven't felt in other games until now anyway.

There are also multiple "endings" (More on this in the Depth section). And that is also a good reason to want to play this a few times over.

Depth: 9/10

There is a LOT of depth in this game. But this is Metroid. If you don't expect much depth then you must have never played or heard of it before. Anyway, the depth. The story itself isn't THAT deep. Honestly, the speedrunners can beat this game in about an hour. (And a few endings you only get through completing it in under 2 hours)
However, there are TONS of hidden items. There are some that are easy to find, and others that you'd need to do some serious breaks in logic (and some luck) to get. There are tons of missile tanks, super missile tanks, super bombs, energy tanks, and upgrades to find. And the already huge world you can explore has a ton of these. Both very well hidden, and in the open. And once you get certain power ups you'll need to do some serious backtracking in order to get quite a few items in previous areas which would have been impossible without. Needless to say; there's almost no way you could 100% this game without some help.
Another thing worth noting is the multiple endings to this game. They aren't really endings because the story ends the same way no matter what. But the picture you see at the very end does change. The pictures change depending on your clear time and your percent of items found.

Story: 4/10

Metroid has a somewhat rich story. But this game isn't as story driven as others. Basically, it goes like this.
This is Samus' first mission. Or at least the first documented one. The mission? Eliminate Mother Brain and destroy all Metroids on planet Zebes! This used to be Samus's homeworld though. And to arrive to see it completely in ruins is a shock! It seems the Space Pirates are at work once again. Now get in there and start shooting! And help yourself to any upgrades the Chozo left for you. (As nice as they are, you think with their knowledge of Samus coming back they'd also know about the Space Pirates...)

It's an interesting story, sure. But it's almost all explained in any depth in the manual, or in materials outside the game. In the game all you get are little hints of 5 second flashbacks. In the game the story isn't explicitly told. But it's enough to keep you interested and to keep going.

Difficulty: 7/10

This game has a good sense of difficulty. It slowly gets harder and harder. But at the same time, you'll be looking for power ups and ways around or through each challenge. It makes solving each of them really satisfying. It gets a bit infuriating; but if you don't give up you'll be rewarded nicely. There's quite a bit of backtracking, and getting lost too. It adds to the difficulty a lot. But this seems to be another staple of the Metroid series.
Fighting enemies isn't too difficult. I think overall I had trouble with only two or three bosses in the game. The bosses can easily tear into you. But if you have a ton of missiles. You can just spam away with them and be done within seconds. And that REALLY takes the edge away from the big and threatening looking bosses. They may be bigger than you, but they die better than you too.

The controls are tight and responsive. Like the GBA itself. The controls are simple, tight, and responsive. I really liked how easy the controls were for such a difficult game. There's even a guide to what controls do what in the start menu! Talk about convenient. Although I doubt you would ever need to consult it a second time.



To sum it up. This is a very pleasantly difficult game. If you're a longtime Metroid fan, want to get into Metroid, or maybe you just with Samus wasn't so horrible in Smash Bros. This is a game for you! It's a good game for veterans and newbies alike. Although this is a game that takes some actual effort to get through. Nothing TOO bad. But it will NOT hold your hand the whole time.

Overall: 8/10