Metroid Fusion is the fourth game in the main Metroid storyline. Once again, you don the Chozo-infused armour of the galactic bounty hunter, genocide enthusiast, and all-around errand girl for a dubious space empire, Samus Aran. After returning to the planet from the second game (where she killed all but one of the Metroids), she gets infected by a different parasitic alien species, the "X," and almost dies. This all happens before you even press start at the title screen.

To save her from certain death at the hands of her X infection, a bunch of science guys inject her with an infusion of Metroid DNA that they happened to have lying around. This miraculously cures our heroine and conveniently gives her the ability to absorb X to regenerate her health and for some reason, missiles. This is convenient for two reasons. One is because the science station is quickly overrun by the X, and also because after the last Metroid died saving Samus from Mother Brain in the previous game, the developers were running out of reasons to call the series "Metroid." Although, as we all know, it would be more accurate if they renamed this series "Nothing Ever Really Dies."

Anyway, Samus ventures to the newly X-infected science station in her very weakened state. The science guys had to "surgically remove" her old suit to save her life. But don't worry, guys, she grew a new one or something. For you speedrunning hoarders out there, never fear, if you beat the game fast enough while collecting enough junk, you can still see pictures of Samus in her underwear. Joined on her journey to the obviously going-to-self-destruct-at-some-point science station is a plucky AI co-pilot who may or may not be the resurrected brain of her former commander who was conveniently retconned into the story to vomit exposition and move the game along. Remember, Adam Malkovich won't actually appear in the series for another eight years when Metroid: Other M is released.

That's probably the longest preamble I've written to date, which is a testament to how much more story they've seemingly added to the game. Although where Super Metroid communicated its story quite masterfully with atmospheric cues, Fusion beats you over the head with it at every opportunity.

From a visual perspective, Fusion is an improvement over Super Metroid. The art is more detailed and generally more readable. The animations are much smoother too, both for Samus and for the enemies she encounters. Most of it works well, although some of the more familiar bosses look more like Saturday morning cartoon versions of themselves than they probably should.

The audio is a bit of a mixed bag. The music is pretty whatever. Half the time, I didn't even realize it was there. There's nothing as notable as some of the themes used in Super Metroid. The sound effects are all over the place. Some are punchy and crisp, while others are muddled or feel out of place.

The gameplay is fine but it doesn't live up to Super Metroid. Throughout the game, the AI points you to where to go next, so you never explore the map for yourself. There's a clear path the game sets out for you and little reason to go off script. Most of the enemies are recycled from other games, although instead of dropping missiles and energy pellets, they transform into X upon defeat, which Samus can then "absorb." The bosses are all over the place. Some are quite interesting and offer a fun challenge. Others are cheesy and feel more unfair than challenging. And the final boss is a bit anti-climactic. This also leads me to bring up the SA-X. You see, the pieces of Samus' old suit that the science guys removed have T-1000ed themselves back together and become a new, more powerful X version of Samus with all of your old abilities. You're constantly told that the SA-X is hunting you through the science station, but apart from a handful of scripted encounters and one mediocre boss battle, the SA-X is very little like the "Dark Link" or "Tyrant" the game makes them out to be.

If it sounds like I have nothing good to say about Fusion, don't take me the wrong way. I enjoyed Fusion. I've played it twice now and had a good time each time. But it's not as good as it could have been, and that's a shame.

Metroid Fusion takes the vast exploration of Super and splits it into smaller chunks - levels are largely sectioned off from each other and while each is kind of a mini metroidvania map in itself, the game is very much a linear progression that holds your hand on where to go. Combined with a revamped control feel and heavier emphasis on combat Fusion can sometimes feel more like an action game with some exploration than a "true" metroidvania
Now, that sounds pretty bad right. But here's the thing: on its own merits Fusion is REALLY fucking good. That previously mentioned revamped control feel? To accompany the newly placed emphasis on action Samus is no longer a floaty tank but an agile glass cannon with the dev team's work on Wario Land 4 helping inform how snappy Fusion feels. The emphasis on action means lots of boss fights and generally they're very dynamic and exciting, with figuring out how to beat them being half the battle and actually executing your strategy being a decent challenge. Fusion also looks fantastic, especially when using color correction to match how it would look on the original non-backlit LCD. The sound is slightly disappointingly just average overall, the GBA's limitations hurt some of the tracks and some of the sound effects aren't as satisfying as they are in Super.
Good game

the discomfort zone got too comfortable so we made the comfort zone discomfortable. samus: meet samus

where super dove uncritically into the power fantasy that metroid II (the game with a literal Genocide Counter in the UI) unmasked and deflated, this feels like it's turning it inward against you personally. Your body, Your likeness, and Your autonomy hijacked; Your celebratory past tense role as (repeated) casual annihilationist to reckon with and cower from

it operates as something of a Super Negative Image Metroid: an inversion right down to the uncomfortable, choking grip of the direction. all that clammy ADAMsplaining, those sequestered zones, the redline urgency; everything's dialed perfectly into the exact same channel with uniform intent. even the woozy alien psychedelia's been spirited away in favour of clinical, detached interiors and astroturfed xerox biomes with some of the most appropriately sterile Oops No Backlight lighting on the GBA

and no, it obviously doesn't accomplish the same things as its predecessors, but it's not attempting to. this is a game about lack of control, and altering the format would be akin to breaking the spinal column that holds it upright. fusion's big successes (the pacing, brevity, tonal and thematic consonance, and delicate curation of tension and challenge) are the result of its structural changes. being shunted around a tiny sarcophagus isn't a flaw, it's the entire premise. duh

even without all that though it's impossible for me not to love a game with nightmare, the Profaned Baja Blast Suit, AQA's sunken banger, shots like this, and those absolutely psychotic ridley screams

quite possibly the best SA-X heavy fusion since the sultry sounds of steely dan