GENRE
	Action-Adventure
	DEVELOPER
	Nintendo R&D1
	PUBLISHER
	Nintendo
	NUMBER OF PLAYERS
	1
	CONNECTIVITY
	No
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Samus is back. After Super Metroid was released gamers went almost a decade without any further Metroid games. Now within one and a half years three different Metroid games have been released on two different platforms. It's more than any Metroid fan could hope for.

Metroid: Zero Mission takes us back to the series’ roots, and places you in a retelling of the original Metroid's story. But this is more than just a graphical upgrade, believe me. Both old and new gameplay elements combine to make some of the most exhilarating action in the Metroid series thus far. There are new areas to explore and new enemies to be fought, as well as a whole new section of game past what you once thought was "The End." This is what the original Metroid should have been.

visuals

Metroid: Zero Mission has the best graphics of any action game on the GBA, hands down. From the detailed character designs to the illustrious backgrounds, the graphics of Zero Mission are unbeatable. Versions of Kraid and Ridley look as good as ever, and the model for Samus is much better than the "hunchback" version that appeared in Metroid Fusion.

One of the toughest things about the original Metroid was that every room looked the same, and was impossible to navigate. Thankfully with Zero Mission, the unique backgrounds really help you get a feel of exactly where you are.

Playing the game over and over will allow you to unlock high quality art galleries of an increasingly scantily clad Samus Aran, depending on how well you beat the game. Throughout the game you’ll also see many high quality images like this in the form of cut-scenes. While there is little dialogue, the short scenes do a fantastic job of setting the atmosphere of the game as well as explaining Samus' origin story.

audio

Awesome. The sound and music is perfect in Zero Mission -- there are remixes of all of the best themes of Metroid, as well as fantastic new scores that perfectly suit the intended atmosphere. Sounds seem ripped directly from the rest of the series, but that's fine by me, as it suits the game just as perfectly.

gameplay

In Zero Mission you should expect to experience the same gameplay you've come to know and love in the Metroid series, and then some. All of the essentials are here including missiles, jumping, shooting, big bosses, tons of power-ups and energy tanks, and a planet-size labyrinth.

While Zero Mission is based on the original Metroid and even sports a very similar map, the layout of particular rooms have been changed a little in order to make the game a little more linear. At any point there is really only one place you can go to, and after you achieve an objective, you are bound to soon run into a Chozo statue which will point you to your next one by highlighting it on your map. In a way, this makes the game extremely easy as it can be completed on your first try in roughly 4 to 5 hours. However, if you play the game enough you can see it was done this way on purpose. The object here is to complete the game as fast as you possibly can, getting as many items as you can, trying to beat your own score each time.

For a little variety, the game has three difficulty levels, easy, medium, and hard. By beating the game in various ways, you unlock more features such as image galleries and even the original Metroid. Another extra challenge is attempting to beat the game with less than 15% of the total items, which results in the best image gallery.

Besides the slight easiness and linearity of the main game, there isn’t much to complain about. There is an added bonus to this game in that the game actually has further story after you escape from Zebes, and the gameplay goes in a direction never explored in the Metroid series. I don't want to spoil it for you, but I will say that you go into the territory of stealth gameplay.

multiplayer

While there is no actual multiplayer, you can link up with Metroid Fusion in order to unlock some extra features in Zero Mission.

overall

Zero Mission is really a perfect Metroid game in almost every element, except for one little downfall: You guessed it, it’s just a little too short and easy. For gamers who like to play against themselves and beat their best time, you'll love it, but it will turn off many gamers who are looking for a long, perplexing game. While the rest of the Metroid series isn't really any longer, they don't go the same extent of guiding you by the hand and telling you whether or not an item is hidden in any given room as they do in Zero Mission if at all. If you’re a Metroid fan though, you can't afford to not have this game. If you're not familiar with the series however, Zero Mission is definitely the best Metroid currently available.

9.0/10