Having replayed this again after just finishing a replay of DKC2, I can't see what this game did to gain so many detractors when it plays just fine in the same formula, it's certainly easier than the previous two but I only find the second game all that challenging anyway. I suppose the shift in protagonists and setting upset people back then as well as its status as a late SNES game when the N64 was out in most major markets, except the one the game was made in because fuck Europe lolololol, but that's all pretty silly reasons to feel lukewarm about it in my view.

I think if people go into this one with different expectations about what you're in for, an easier more collection heavy and lightly puzzle-focused affair, you'll have a decent time with it. If you're after the highs of DKC2 with all of its bombast and higher speed platforming, you'll be disappointed as this game is more low-key and laidback, it's well exemplified by how much easier it is to 100% as I was able to find almost every bonus barrel and get every DK coin on my first go with only two exceptions, whereas DKC2 can put them in some extremely cryptic locations and some which are almost necessary to use a guide for a first time as they require going through unmarked invisible walls, DKC3 has nothing on that level and I find the experience of going for 100% a lot less annoying as a result.

Overall, whilst I wouldn't say it's better than DKC2 or the first, it's still a good platformer and not deserving of the hate it gets from some quarters, this isn't a bad game by any means and if you go in with an open mind I believe you'll enjoy it.

I do like this game, but I've never been able to fuck with it as much as Super or Zero Mission. The atmosphere and narrative are the strongest aspects, in my view. They streamlined the controls down to two buttons, owing to its platform, so well that I think it's better than Super Metroid, which over-complicated itself with redundant functions like the run button.

My main gripe with it is how railroaded it can get, it being linear wouldn't necessarily bother me as much if it didn't arbitrarily block you from backtracking in some of the sectors for seemingly no reason beyond denying you a second chance to get a missile expansion or energy tank you might have missed the first time through, the game often does this and it gets on my nerves whenever it happens as it just blocks any sense of freedom you get, I've seen some people argue this reinforces the theme of Samus not being in control this time around and being the one getting hunted as opposed to the hunter herself, but most of the time the blocks aren't from Adam but just convenient changes in the sector which stop you from properly exploring them unless you get everything possible on the first visit.

You might also think that it's not too big of a deal to wait till later to get all the items, but that's really where the big tedium in Fusion lies, going for 100%. Unless you're consulting a guide, it is not at all well communicated where the hidden paths and areas are to get a lot of the end-game powerups, unless you're spamming power bombs in every other area, the player on a first playthrough CANNOT use the elevators or go into a navigation room as that locks you into the endgame scenario where Adam forcibly locks all doors except the ones that go to the self destruct trigger, on subsequent playthroughs of the same file that restriction is removed, I have no clue why they did that, as the objective marker for the self destruct room is marked at all times, so it's unlikely any player is going to get lost even if they did put the game down for a time. In addition, most of the challenges to get the last few items are often very tricky, like shine spark puzzles or precise jump puzzles that require near pixel-perfect accuracy, or else you need to start over. Simply put, it's not very fun to do and can take up a fair bit of time in what's otherwise a brisk adventure.

Overall, I respect what this game was going for with its tighter hub-based level design and a greater focus on narrative and storytelling than any prior Metroid title, but I do think it loses some of the sense of isolation and piecing together events through what is shown rather than made explicit through an AI telling you everything. The changes to the level design make sense in context of its being a handheld game with a more bite-sized pick-up and play philosophy; that said, it does get a little too handhold-y for my tastes. I don't think the game's major themes would be hurt too badly if they made it a bit more open to at least letting the player backtrack through previously explored areas without arbitrary blocks at your expense.

Despite these flaws, it's still a well-made action game worth playing on its own merits and as a blueprint for where the series will go.