Metroid: Zero Mission

Metroid: Zero Mission

Game Boy Advance - USA - 1st edition.

Developer Nintendo Publisher Nintendo Published 2004-02-09 Platforms Game Boy Advance Genres Exploration, Metroidvania, Platformer, Platform shooter, Shooter Themes Adventure, Science Fiction, Suspense Series Metroid Distribution Commercial

Metroid: Zero Mission is an action adventure platform run and gun (Metroidvania) developed and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance on 2004-02-09. It is a remake of the original NES game using an engine closer to that of Super Metroid rather than the original.

Personal

Own?	No.
Won?	Yes. Normal difficulty. Time of 2:48:63 with 67% completion.
Finished	2006-09-14.

I began this game, initially not knowing it was a remake of the first Metroid. Having a pretty good grasp of the original, I found it pretty easy to progress, but really enjoyed all the added extras. Some of them even made me jump because I thought I knew what was going to happen, but something different occurred.

I recommend this game as the entry point to the Metroid series. It solves a lot of the problems of the original game and improves upon it nicely without changing too much.

Review

8	7	8	6	7

Best Version: Game Boy Advance

— This section contains spoilers! —

Good

• The more-fleshed out story, full-screen graphics, larger sprites, updated music, background art, etc. really make the game more attractive.
• The game's map and navigation system takes away a lot of the aimless wandering found in the original while still keeping the allure.
• The new area adds extra game play, and was a nice addition for those of us who have already beaten the original.
• Kenji Yamamoto and Minako Hamano did a great job updating Hirokazu Tanaka's original soundtrack.
• After you beat the game, you unlock the original 8-bit game as well!
• You can actually save your game, rather than deal with an obnoxious password system.

Bad

• Some of the difficulties of the original game remain, so, if you don't know where to look to find the Varia or a couple of the energy tanks, you may still miss them and find the game too difficult.
• While the game also contains the original 8-bit Metroid game, the Game Boy Advance resolution isn't large enough to display the game full screen, so it is obnoxiously squished.
• Interestingly, when you're given hints on where to go next, the game is surprisingly short, even with the added content.
• I think the box art is kind of lame.

Ugly

• Nothing.

Media

Box Art

• 

  The American box art shows Samus in her original power suit. While I like the style of the art and the logo graphic, I don't understand what's happening with the gun. Is this supposed to be the charge beam still discharging from the cannon after firing?

• 

  Great art style with a silhouette of suitless Samus in the background, but this kind of looks like a hybrid of the power suit and varia suit. Still, I prefer it over the American art.

Documentation

• 

  Manual - Australia.

• 

  Manual - Europe.

• 

  Manual - Japan - Digital.

• 

  Manual - USA.

• 

  Nintendo Player's Guide.

• 

  Player's guide cover art.

Videos

Review - Game Maker's Toolkit.

Review - Boss Keys.

Longplay - 100% items, hard mode, best ending.

Play Online

Game Boy Advance (Europe) Game Boy Advance (Japan) Game Boy Advance (USA)

Representation

Strong female character?	Pass	Samus is a powerful playable character.
Bechdel test?	Fail	No females ever speak to each other.
Strong person of color character?	Fail	The only human character is white.
Queer character?	Fail	There are no queer characters.

Titles

Language	Native	Transliteration	Translation
English	Metroid: Zero Mission
Japanese	メトロイド　ゼロミッション	Metoroido Zero Misshon	Metroid: Zero Mission

Links