Backlog Game Reviews 48 : Metroid : Zero Mission (Game Boy Advance)

 

Hey there, and welcome to Backlog Game Reviews.

    For this installment of the retro game marathon let's talk about Metroid: Zero Mission for the Game Boy Advance. Zero Mission is a remake of the original Metroid on the NES and Famicom Disk System. Zero Mission was first released in North America on February 9^th, 2004. It then came out in Europe on April 8^th, 2004, and it finally saw a Japanese release on May 27^th, 2004.

 

 The intro cutscene.

Zero Mission was held in a high light by critics when it first came out, reviewers said it was one of the best games on the Gameboy Advance. They had only one complaint and that was the length, most people agreed that the game was too short. With the introduction out of the way, let's get started on this blog's first Metroid review.

The Story

 The hero of the story, Samus Aran.

A group of space pirates attacked a galactic federation research facility, and during the attack, they stole creatures called Metroids from the facility. Metroids are very dangerous as they can latch onto their prey and drain their life force, quickly killing the victim. The space pirates plan to study the Metroids, replicate them and turn them into bioweapons. Knowing this, the Galactic Federation launched an attack on the space pirate's base, but they were easily pushed back.

 

 The space pirates leader, Mother Brain.

With no other options, the federation hired the bounty hunter Samus Aran. Her mission is to infiltrate the space pirates base on planet Zebes, destroy all of the Metroids on the planet, and destroy the pirate's leader, a mechanical life-form called Mother Brain.

 Samus's mission.

Zero Mission's story isn't all that deep, but that's not something I can really complain about as this game is a remake of the original Metroid on the NES / Famicom. Games back then didn't have much going for them in terms of story. But to Zero Mission's credit, it does give us a small look into Samus's past, so it's not a one-to-one retelling of the first Metroid.

 Exploring Zebe's.

The Gameplay

    Zero Mission is a 2D action platformer. Your goal is to travel through planet Zebes and destroy Mother Brain and the two space pirate commanders, Ridley and Kraid. And to reach their chambers you'll have to search Zebes for power-ups that will allow you to reach new areas.

 The first power-up, the Morph Ball.

The game gives you a map and also tells you where you should go next, so you don't have to figure everything out yourself. But even with this assistance, you'll most likely get lost during your first playthrough, but even then, you won't be lost for long as the game gives you enough hints to figure things out. It's cryptic enough that you'll have to stop and think about what to do next, but not so cryptic that you need a guide to beat the game.

 Map markers will let you know where you need to go next.

   As far as complaints go, there isn't really much to pick on. Past critics complained about the game being too short, and I have to agree, it is a short game. On your first playthrough it'll take you around 5 to 7 hours to beat it. Subsequent playthroughs will take around 2 or so hours, it'll take you even less time if you can find all the hidden shortcuts that let you bypass power-ups that would have otherwise been necessary to progress. But I would say that the game's short length is one of its strong points. Your first time playing you're supposed to take things slowly and learn all the ins and outs of the level design.

 One power up will let you grab onto ledges.

  After beating the game for the first time you unlock hard mode, so if you enjoyed the game you can go through it again and challenge yourself with the harder difficulty. After beating it the second time, you'll know your way around Zebes pretty well, so you can play through it again trying to beat it as fast as possible.

 The first main boss in the game, Kraid.

 

The game even rewards you for beating it quickly, depending on how fast you beat it and how many power-ups you find you'll be awarded with artwork of Samus that you can view anytime in the game's gallery. Zero Mission was obviously designed with multiple playthroughs in mind, hence why it's so short, it wouldn't be as enjoyable to beat over and over again if it was longer.

 Not every power up is required to beat the game. The game rewards you with art work of Samus if you beat it with as few power ups as possible.

The Presentation

   As far as the graphics go, this is a great-looking game. The sprite work is very well done and holds up well today. The game features comic book-like cutscenes, that look excellent and wouldn't be out of place in a more modern game.

 The cutscenes in this game are a treat to watch.

The music is very atmospheric. It pulls you into the game and makes it feel like you're alone on Zebes. It's not something that you would want to listen to outside of the game, but it's great as background music. 

 One of the many mini bosses in the game.

Conclusion

   Metroid: Zero Mission is a great game and definitely worth checking out sometime, and if you're looking to get into the Metroid series this is a great game to start with. As said before, it's not that long of a game so you can finish it in a weekend or two, and it's also a lot of fun to play over and over again giving it great replay value.

    That's all I got to say about Metroid: Zero Mission. The next review will probably be over a Famicom game. Thanks for reading! I hope to see you again here at Backlog Game Reviews.