This used to be my all time favorite Metroid, because it was the one I could actually beat as a kid. It’s not anymore, but it holds up quite well for a GBA game. You can see aspects that impacted Dread, its direct sequel, such as atmosphere, lore, and a horror focus. The SAX is way easier to avoid than the EMMIs, but its presence is so foreboding and heightens scenes. It’s frankly just refreshing. And the Federation being condemned as power hungry is a very interesting angle and recontextualizes Samus. Her heroism really gets to shine here.