There's an argument to be made that Metroid Fusion isn't actually a metroidvania, with the narrative driving the game ever forwards whilst the powers that be order you from one place to the next. The purpose of all this, at least in part, is to allow for the presence of tightly scripted encounters with the SA-X, a seemingly unstoppable force that recalls Alien, as you try to not alert this creature to your presence by hiding just out of its sight or are brought to entering rooms knowing the SA-X will see you and hoping you can outwit it and escape just-barely-alive. These encounters are absolutely the highlight of the game, are often thrilling, and add to the game's brooding atmosphere.

There are certainly things I don't love about this game, most notably it's just impossible for me to suspend my disbelief as to a space station actually being built like this, and so much of the secret hunting comes down to just unloading Power Bombs in every single room which in turn makes it not feel like I was the one discovering them. That all said Metroid Fusion is kind of just a blast, its relentless pacing not letting up for its tight sub-five hour runtime as you tear through all manner of environments and try and figure out exactly what is going on here whilst knowing the next encounter with the SA-X could be just around the very next corner.