"Back to basics..."

Samus Aran. One of the most beloved Nintendo characters in existence. For years, she's enchanted us with her formidable arsenal of deadly weapons. She's drawn us into an on-going crusade against the space pirates and other intergalactic evils. She's taught us the importance of explorative gameplay and just how awesome an Ice Beam really is. The memories we've had with her…priceless. I remember playing Metroid as a child, seeing Samus jump from platform to platform and rolling into the tiny Morph Ball. But for those folks that missed out on the heroine's first conquest on the NES, Nintendo decided to revamp the old game and put it onto the GBA in the form of Metroid: Zero Mission.

For those of you that have only played the Metroid games of this generation, don't pick up this game and expect some plotline connection with either Prime or Fusion. If anything, Zero Mission should be called Metroid: Memoirs of Samus. Instead of learning what happened to Samus after her duel to the death with the X Parasite, we're only given a reflective look at Samus' past. We don't start Zero Mission where we left off in the previous game, but taken on a flashback ride of Samus' first adventure. Instead of creating some whole new adventure for the continuum of the Metroid series, Nintendo decided to implement its current market strategy: take an old game, update it to match the standards of today's games. Of course, many older gamers will see this as a nothing more than a transparent marketing ploy, whereas this generation of gamers will be thinking that they're playing a whole new game. In any case, there isn't much in terms of a storyline, just a mere skeleton of the standard Metroid plot.

As with all Metroid games, Zero Mission revolves around exploration and open-ended gameplay. You'll be going through the same tunnels and passageways multiple times as you backtrack and find new routes through the massive world of Zebes. You'll start off with the exoskeleton of Samus' suit, with limited capabilities and firepower. Due to cleverly placed doors and passageways, the first few steps of your journey will be horribly limited and forced onto a pre-determined path. While this game doesn't necessarily hold your hand like Metroid Fusion did, a sizable portion of this game feels like you're walking on a set path. Certain doors or walls can be opened up with specific weapons, like the Missiles or Power Bomb. It's up to you to explore your surroundings and look for all of the power ups for Samus' suit, which will in turn give you greater mobility for your expedition. See those floating beasts up there in that narrow passageway? You need to find the Ice Beam and freeze them into makeshift stepping-stones. Once you find enough power ups, you'll be able to explore Zebes on your own terms, not limited by certain doors or unreachable ledges. It's that emphasis on exploration and trial and error gameplay that makes up what Metroid is really all about.

But once you start looking past the benefits of explorative gameplay, you start to notice a few things. Like how the game almost blatantly tells you where to find the next power up, or how the abundant save stations always seem to be just in the right places, or how the some of the hidden areas really rely more on common sense than a keen eye. It's just little things like these that'll lead to the realization that Zero Mission lacks any notable difficulty. Sure, you'll meet all sorts of local flora and fauna that can and will take a chunk out of your health if you're not careful. The problem is that these wonderfully detailed levels, respawning enemies and craftily designed bosses offer nothing in terms of a challenge. You can carelessly fall into a pit of lava and run around for a bit before your little power meter starts to beep in emergency. Beating a boss in this game only requires noticing some sort of pattern or weakness in the monster's attacks. Even beating those bands of annoying space pirates involved only a casual button mash. And since there's a fair amount of save stations and enemies to give you energy, there's little chance that you'll die even once in the duration of this mission. Maybe Nintendo thought that the enemies needed to be dumbed down a little to accommodate to the newest generation in its legion of fans. Hell, I beat this game in a single afternoon, with a considerable amount of the map completed and pickups found. It's this lack of challenge and ultimately short game makes this Zero Mission a breeze.

Since this game is just a brief look at Samus' past, you'll want to savor every moment of Zebes while you still have the chance. Since you won't be spending that much time worrying about your health, you can still take a look around and see what kind of environment that made Samus into the seasoned bounty hunter that she is today. Older gamers will take note of the wonderfully redone sections of Zebes, their expansions, and their excellent graphics. Everything in this game, from the boiling lava pits of Norfair to the glowing mass of Mother Brain, is rendered to with a great amount of attention and detail. Even Samus' suit, which was a mere orange blob in the olden days, has been refurbished with vibrant color and detailed animation. It's enough to make the eyes of both vets of Metroid and newer gamers glaze over in shock and amazement.

But what really stands out about this game isn't just the rehashing of older levels. It's the audio quality that makes the presentation of Zero Mission truly shine. Samus' Charge Beam really sounds like a messenger of doom for those hapless space pirates. The Power Bomb whooshes through the screen, scouring anything in its path. Even the save stations hum with excellent clarity. But it's the soundtrack that will have you drooling over this game. The game designers remixed all of the old Metroid themes and put an emphasis on a dramatic and uplifting soundtrack. It's these wonderful remixes that add so much drama and ambiance to a ridiculously easy game. Hey, at least you can enjoy a quality presentation while you breeze through Zebes.

Look, I'm a fan of Nintendo. I enjoy their games, and I love their characters. But for some reason, their latest addition to the Metroid series comes off a little lacking. Maybe I've been spoiled by the Metroid epics of yesteryear, but Zero Mission seems to be missing that necessary plot and the faintest attempt at difficulty that's ever been seen in a Metroid game. Maybe if they spent a little more time fleshing out the enemies, adding more to the actual gameplay and not just the outstanding graphics and audio, this game could have been an excellent achievement for a GBA remake. And while it does serve its purpose as a remake, Zero Mission will leave many a seasoned gamer wishing for more.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 07/31/04