Metroid Fusion originally launched on the Game Boy Advance in 2002. This was a big day for fans of the series as they had to go through a whole generation without a game on the N64. Metroid Prime was released on the same day but for the GameCube instead.
It would have been great if Nintendo had mirrored this dual release date surprise again for Metroid Fusion and Metroid Prime Remastered. The positive takeaway here though is that they are both available on Switch and fans should be overjoyed because they both hold up amazingly well. Metroid Prime Remastered has received plenty of praise already, but now it is time for Metroid Fusion to get a boost.
1 The Pixel Art
The GBA had one of the best pixel engines that Nintendo ever produced. It’s a big reason why GBA and SNES games often stand the test of time graphically. They are solid looking and Metroid Fusion is a prime example as one of the best looking on the handheld console.
The most striking thing about the graphics is the colors. It’s as if Nintendo wanted to make the game 3D but canceled plans in the end. They sort of look like how the visuals for Metal Gear Acid 2 on PSP turned out, although that game did get 3D support.
2 Different Biomes
The areas in the game are so diverse which is one of the things that most games in the Metroid series have in common. Players will start in what looks to be a common space station but will eventually wind up in caves, jungles, lava-invested dungeons, and so on.
The biomes rival those of other games in the series, so there’s not much new for fans to gawk at. The diversity stands out more thanks to the pixel graphics though to once again hammer that point home. The environments in Metroid Fusion are not going to bore players, that is for sure.
3 Samus’ New Suit
Samus has had the same suit, up to this point in the series, since the original game hit the NES in North America back in 1987. It’s an iconic suit just like Mario’s overalls. Link from the Legend of Zelda series is a little different. He wears green tunics most of the time, but they at least change consistently from game to game.
That’s why it’s finally great to see Samus get a new suit in Metroid Fusion. It’s weird too as is the whole game’s structure around sentient parasites that can infect and transform things on the fly. It’s a unique entry on many levels, that’s for sure.
4 The Guiding System
Metroid Prime Remastered added a guidance system that will pop on if players seem to be lost. It takes a while to kick in though which is a shame because that addition was probably borrowed from Metroid Fusion which still does it better. Players will come across a navigation room alongside traditional safe rooms such as the save room and the recharge stations.
Plugging into computers will reveal where Samus has to go next. It only gives a general idea, so players still have to stay on top of backtracking. The classic Metroidvania thing to do is take notes and the Switch helps a lot with that since it can take photos.
5 New Enemies
The enemies and bosses in the other 2D Metroid games are classic. The same is true for the 3D ones, but it is nice to get treated to something new for a change. The enemies in Metroid Fusion go well beyond wild. The parasites infesting this station will form into oddball creatures and sometimes they will just present themselves as amoeba-like floating cells.
One of the cooler early enemies are these humanoid goo zombies that could presumably be the corpses of lost scientists reanimated. The way in which they blast apart is brutal, especially for an E for Everyone pixel game. Imagining what they would look like in a bigger-budgeted horror game is hard to think about. Overall, the event variety gets two big thumbs up.
6 The Other Samus
There is another enemy in Metroid Fusion that is creative but it deserves a bigger shoutout. SA-X is what the navigation AI calls it but this enemy is essentially a parasite clone of Samus. It is using her classic Varia Suit armor to hunt the player throughout the game.
It operates a lot like the Mr. X or Nemesis encounters in the Resident Evil games. The best thing to do is run away from SA-X if it appears. It adds some good tension to the game, which probably helped to inspire the deadly E.M.M.I. robots found in Metroid Dread.
7 The Controls
Metroid Fusion, overall, feels fantastic to play. The controls are perfectly fit for the Switch although they were also good on the GBA. This game and the GBA entry, Metroid Zero Mission, are two of the best 2D games in the Metroid series, which is high praise indeed.
Metroid Fusion added a lot of good new elements from Super Metroid such as ladders and footholds. This made getting up walls a lot easier. It is obviously a Metroidvania through and through which means it is fun to explore, find secrets, and blast enemies into oblivion.
Metroid Fusion is available now via Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack.