Metroid Fusion (Game Boy Advance) Third Opinion Review

When fans of the franchise think back on Metroid Fusion, they're most likely thinking about one thing: SA-X. This time around, Samus' adventure takes her to a desolate, broken down space station. The environment feels more alien than ever, trading the organic landscapes and feel of Zebes and SR388 for a colder, manmade atmosphere that feels almost apocalyptic. Flickering lights and chilling sound design add a feeling of paranoia that are only amplified by Samus' relentless hunter, SA-X.

Throughout her journey, Samus will be followed by and occasionally need to flee from a parasitic version of herself whose only intent is to kill her. Tensions rise as players are forced to scramble for safety, since any altercation with SA-X will most likely lead in death. The horror doesn't end there; SA-X is capable of following Samus throughout multiple rooms before it finally decides to give in and hunt elsewhere.

The feeling of being chased is one Fusion absolutely excels at. Hearing SA-X enter a room and begin its search is heart pounding, with every second needing to be used thoughtfully and carefully to properly escape its grasp.

Another new element of Fusion is its heavy focus on story and character. Samus has frequent conversations with an AI that highlights the loneliness of the space station. Along with numerous internal monologues, Samus comes off as a very introspective character carrying a lot of pain. It's a surprisingly mature angle for a Nintendo game, but it's a very thought provoking and well done one.

Fusion marks the first time Samus interacts and speaks with another character on screen, but it thankfully never feels unnatural. A new fan might even think that the series was always story heavy, given how smooth the character interactions flow in and out of gameplay.

While the heavier emphasis on story is a nice addition, it does unfortunately force Metroid Fusion to be more linear than any other 2D entry in the franchise. By giving the story a bigger centre of attention, sequence breaking is no longer as possible as it once was. Branching paths remain, but they mostly just lead to power-ups instead of fleshed out areas.

It's not a terrible loss, as Fusion is still plenty capable of holding its own, and there are more than enough secrets to satiate fans, but the lack of sequence breaking only serves to hurt the overall quality of the adventure. Fortunately, the gameplay is tighter than ever, expanding on Super Metroid's fast paced run and gun platforming.

Going hand in hand with the polished gameplay is the difficulty. Metroid Fusion manages to balance itself perfectly between too easy and too hard. Bosses offer just enough challenge where they are rarely ever frustrating, but still feel rewarding to beat. SA-X, itself, never feels like an impossibility, either. It chases Samus from start to finish, but the feeling of hopelessness can always be fought back with clever thinking. Running away and surviving is beyond satisfying, and never feels like a chore.

It's text heavy and a bit too linear, but at the end of the day, Metroid Fusion a blood pumping instalment in the franchise that tests the waters for new ideas and, for the most part, succeeds.