Sometimes you've got to take a chance on a genre you aren't familiar with and give something new a chance. I did this is 2018 with Hollow Knight, my first metroidvania. I'd heard nothing but great things about it. After spending 15 hours getting lost and being bored, I stopped playing. My opinion on the genre was very sour to say the least. 5 years later, I decided to give it another chance with Metroid Fusion.

Subtle music alluding the mysteries that await, beautiful pixel art painting your screen, weird alien creature lining the hallways, waiting for you. This game excellently commands it's atmosphere to completely absorb you in it's world.

Whilst the atmosphere is definitely this game's best aspect, it's not it's only merit. The movement is so tight and responsive. The story is shockingly good for a game with Nintendo at the start. The world is designed so intentionally and you always feel like you have outsmarted the game. It all combines to create an experience that captivates you through it's brief runtime.

There are some really stupid moments and even stupider bosses that hold this game back. The flower boss and ridley are so fucking stupid I don't know how any human beat them without the nso rewind feature. And sometimes the only way to move forward is actually asinine with how cryptic it is. But these are brief blights on what is a really fun little adventure, I think I will play more Metroid now.