Metroid: Zero Mission’s status as a remake is something I’ve had to grapple with - does it succeed as a reimagining of the concept and atmosphere of the original Metroid? No, but that’s hardly the point. It’s a pretty big overhaul of the original NES game. Some might say it’s too big an overhaul, but I think it should have gone further.. Before the game proper even begins, Samus herself frames the next several hours of gameplay as her telling the tale of “my first battle here… My so-called Zero Mission.” It’s the perfect opportunity to create an action-packed, guns-blazing, greatest-hits version of the first Metroid. The game seems to play into this at many points, it’s relatively cinematic, and very linear in the critical path. The game, unfortunately, rarely capitalizes on this concept, only really delivering on being a greatest-hits.

Zero Mission, with all its changes, still shares the same windy-world of its origin game, and I think that’s a problem. This hardly feels like, well, anything! Samus’ journey feels more like a chore, or a guided tour, than it does a dramatic retelling of Metroid. I like the ending sequence quite a bit, but was often frustrated by it. I think this is a direct result of the rest of the game feeling so inconsequential in comparison. I don’t think every area needed to live up to the atmosphere and scope of this sequence, they did need to be designed in such a way that contributes to this focus on action and movement. Like I said, this reimagining should have gone further!

Maybe it was a tall order to expect both a drastic overhaul in mechanics AND entirely new map design. This is a compromise that will allow newcomers to the Metroid series to get a feel on its unique sensibilities, and tour some of its most iconic locations. That being said, it’s a compromise that didn’t do much for me. It ends up a weird union of Super Metroid’s large, interconnected world; Fusion’s linearity and tight controls - but with none of the strengths those games have. Zero Mission is fun game to play at times, but feels lacking in identity and impact.

Metroid: Zero Mission’s status as a remake is something I’ve had to grapple with - does it succeed as a reimagining of the concept and atmosphere of the original Metroid? No, but that’s hardly the point. It’s a pretty big overhaul of the original NES game. Some might say it’s too big an overhaul, but I think it should have gone further.. Before the game proper even begins, Samus herself frames the next several hours of gameplay as her telling the tale of “my first battle here… My so-called Zero Mission.” It’s the perfect opportunity to create an action-packed, guns-blazing, greatest-hits version of the first Metroid. The game seems to play into this at many points, it’s relatively cinematic, and very linear in the critical path. The game, unfortunately, rarely capitalizes on this concept, only really delivering on being a greatest-hits.

Zero Mission, with all its changes, still shares the same windy-world of its origin game, and I think that’s a problem. This hardly feels like, well, anything! Samus’ journey feels more like a chore, or a guided tour, than it does a dramatic retelling of Metroid. I like the ending sequence quite a bit, but was often frustrated by it. I think this is a direct result of the rest of the game feeling so inconsequential in comparison. I don’t think every area needed to live up to the atmosphere and scope of this sequence, they did need to be designed in such a way that contributes to this focus on action and movement. Like I said, this reimagining should have gone further!

Maybe it was a tall order to expect both a drastic overhaul in mechanics AND entirely new map design. This is a compromise that will allow newcomers to the Metroid series to get a feel on its unique sensibilities, and tour some of its most iconic locations. That being said, it’s a compromise that didn’t do much for me. It ends up a weird union of Super Metroid’s large, interconnected world; Fusion’s linearity and tight controls - but with none of the strengths those games have. Zero Mission is fun game to play at times, but feels lacking in identity and impact.

Metroid: Zero Mission’s status as a remake is something I’ve had to grapple with - does it succeed as a reimagining of the concept and atmosphere of the original Metroid? No, but that’s hardly the point. It’s a pretty big overhaul of the original NES game. Some might say it’s too big an overhaul, but I think it should have gone further.. Before the game proper even begins, Samus herself frames the next several hours of gameplay as her telling the tale of “my first battle here… My so-called Zero Mission.” It’s the perfect opportunity to create an action-packed, guns-blazing, greatest-hits version of the first Metroid. The game seems to play into this at many points, it’s relatively cinematic, and very linear in the critical path. The game, unfortunately, rarely capitalizes on this concept, only really delivering on being a greatest-hits.

Zero Mission, with all its changes, still shares the same windy-world of its origin game, and I think that’s a problem. This hardly feels like, well, anything! Samus’ journey feels more like a chore, or a guided tour, than it does a dramatic retelling of Metroid. I like the ending sequence quite a bit, but was often frustrated by it. I think this is a direct result of the rest of the game feeling so inconsequential in comparison. I don’t think every area needed to live up to the atmosphere and scope of this sequence, they did need to be designed in such a way that contributes to this focus on action and movement. Like I said, this reimagining should have gone further!

Maybe it was a tall order to expect both a drastic overhaul in mechanics AND entirely new map design. This is a compromise that will allow newcomers to the Metroid series to get a feel on its unique sensibilities, and tour some of its most iconic locations. That being said, it’s a compromise that didn’t do much for me. It ends up a weird union of Super Metroid’s large, interconnected world; Fusion’s linearity and tight controls - but with none of the strengths those games have. Zero Mission is fun game to play at times, but feels lacking in identity and impact.