566: Metroid: Zero Mission

[JaySevenZero]

Here's where you can contribute your thoughts and opinions for Metroid: Zero Mission for potential inclusion in the forthcoming podcast.

A friendly reminder that where the feedback for the podcast is concerned, we love it - but keeping it brief is appreciated. We do want to include a breadth of opinions where appropriate, but no-one wants a discussion podcast that’s mostly reading out essays. Better to save yourself time and cut to the chase if you can.

[Buskalilly]

Zero Mission was the first Metroid game I played to completion, on an original model GBA over the course of a summer vacation trip to visit family in Cornwall. It was my introduction to metroidvania as a concept, to this cool sci-fi side of Nintendo with an atmospheric musical tone.

It isn't quite Super Metroid on the GBA, but its bloody close. I replayed the 2D series from Zero Mission through to Dread last year, and this game held up great. Its a remake of the original in the style of Super Metroid, but in many ways Super was already a remake of the original.

Chunky 16-bit sprites played on a Game Boy Micro is the ideal for me. I do think Super Metroid is the better game, by a whisker, but I wish it had been released on GBA. And while we're at it, I wish Metroid II had been remade for that machine instead of the 3DS. Don't get me wrong, I love Samus Returns, but for me this style is peak metroid. If I could play the full one-to-five run with that visual and audio style, in that tiny little form factor, it would be all I played for the rest of my days.

[Iain[Ian]Ianson]

Don’t like this one having played it again recently.
I did enjoy it on original release, but now find the movement, graphics and sound too arcadey when compared to the game that inspired it.

For Fusion, a similar presentation seemed to fit okay, but when put against 1 or 3, this gives me almost MGS: Twin Snakes vibes.

[Mr Ixolite]

My Memories of Zero Mission are largely positive, though they are vastly overshadowed by those of its immediate GBA predecessor in Metroid Fusion, whos controversial structural and narrative choices made for a more memorable experience.
Fittingly, I mostly remember Zero Mission for the zero suit section. I appreciated its inclusion and found it fun enough despite not being the biggest fan of forced stealth sections, but its insertion after the defeat of Mother Brain can't help but make it feel like a bit of an anticlimax. I'm not the biggest fan of Zero Suit Samus as a concept either; I realize there was always a bit of "cheesecake" baked into characters actual looks underneath the armor, but it felt like this became more pronounced from this point onward, with the inclusion of skin-tight Zero Suit Samus'es inclusion in brawl and whatnot. Theres nothing wrong with Samus being an attractive woman of course, I just don't find the depiction of this all that compelling. Or maybe it's just that nothing can compare to the familiarity of her iconic, fully-armored look.

[Jobobonobo]

This is a sublime remake of the original Metroid that really elevates above being a mere paint job. Within minutes I was completely absorbed into the world and you keep expanding your abilities, weapons and energy at such a swift pace that I was compelled to keep playing. The little indicator of where you need to go next is a welcome addition. You will not spend ages faffing around getting lost but you are also not told directly how to get there. Figuring that out is up to you. It simultaneously respects your time and intelligence.

This game also really does a good job of capturing the tense atmosphere of the series. The appearance of that centipede boss who would attack you while you are going down a corridor really gave me a jump whenever it appeared, highlighting how the entire environment is fighting against you. Later, this tension is repeated when you are just in your zero suit with a piddly pistol and you are trying your best to sneak around the space pirate ship undetected. Once you get your powersuit back with a bevy of new abilities, you are truly on one of the most satisfying power fantasies that I have ever witnessed. Those space pirates are now destroyed by a single screw attack and the space jump makes those deep underground shafts a trivial matter. Zero Mission for me, is the benchmark by which all remakes should be judged. It improves on the original in every way and adds so much that going back to it is rendered completely unnecessary.

TWR: Gold standard remake