What's this? Another Metroid game for the GBA? And so soon? In line with Nintendo's new fad of remaking old games, Metroid: Zero Mission is a remake of the original Metroid for the NES. But this isn't just a regular port: the graphics and controls are completely redone, many new power-ups not present in the original are introduced, there are new bosses and areas; the list goes on. This game is only a remake in essence.

The review scale is from 1 to 10, 1 being garbage, and 10 being excellent.

Story: 3.5

Story? What story? Zero Mission's story is identical to the original Metroid's. And by this I mean it's bad. Basically, you are sent to Planet Zebes to kill the Mother Brain, a mechanical organism that directs all activity on Zebes. The purpose of Zero Mission, Nintendo says, is to better explain the story. This so-called explanation is left to a few still screenshots here and there. It's nice, but I don't think an explanation was really needed. It's just an excuse to be lame and not think up a new story.

Graphics: 9

Very good graphics, I like Samus's original suit more than her Fusion suit, bosses are nicely detailed, and
the overall mood is good. I'd say they're on par with Super Metroid's graphics.

Sound: 9.5

The music from the NES Metroid was faithfully redone. The result is the same music, only much, much better. Listening to such memorable themes as Zebes and Brinstar was very nice.

Characters: 7

Samus is back, and in her original suit, no less. Also back are old enemies Kraid and Ridley, and of course,
Mother Brain. They are similar to their Super Metroid counterparts, meaning Kraid is several stories high
and Ridley actually flies. Some other forgettable semi-bosses are also present, but the only real bosses
are these three. There is a whole new area right after Zebes, with some new enemies and bosses introduced, but they could have definitely introduced some more.

Controls: 8

Very tight, the controls become second-nature after only a couple of minutes. At first, you feel very
restricted, but as you get more and more power-ups, it gets even easier. Being able to grab ledges goes a
long way. At first, I thought Samus ran a bit too fast, but you get used to it soon.

Difficulty: 4

All in all, the game isn't that hard. As long as you get a decent amount of power-ups, you'll have no trouble beating the bosses. They require very little strategy, simple things such as shooting Kraid in the mouth or hitting Mother Brain in the eye. Sometimes it's just too easy, I liked the boss music and I wanted to die a lot of times just to hear it again. When I fought Ridley, I had enough power-ups to just stand in place and fire at him incessantly while sustaining his shots. It was a battle of attrition and I managed to deplete his energy before he depleted mine. It's that easy. And now, the Chozo Statues that give you power-ups also restore your Energy and Missiles completely, making it even easier! Not to mention, they also give you a general idea of where to go next, unlike the NES Metroid, so getting lost is out of the question... kinda. This isn't actually bad, as too much difficulty can very much ruin a game, but they could have turned the difficulty up a notch to make it perfect.

Length: 3

Too short. Unless you're a perfectionist and try to get every single Energy and Missile tank, I think. From start to finish, I only took five hours, and I did take my sweet, sweet time because I knew it would be short. I'll probably come back to get all the power-ups sometime, as the game is really fun. The areas are quite big, and there is even an all new area after Zebes which is bigger than any of the others, but even then, it didn't take quite as long as I'd have hoped. Sometimes I'd go as far as hoping that Samus moved slower so as to artificially lengthen playtime.

Secrets: 8

There's always all those hidden power-ups just waiting to be discovered. You can also try to run through the game at top speed and try to get a different ending picture, but that's not really my thing. After you beat the game, you also unlock the original Metroid for play in your GBA, which is pretty cool. Sure, we got to play it when we linked Fusion to Prime, but I still like the fact that it's here.

Replayability: 6.5

It's definitely fun enough to make you want to go through it again, but probably only once, twice if we
stretch it. You'll also probably want to play it again after some time too.

Fun Factor!: 9.5

For some reason, I really like games with this setup: one really big place, some places you can't access
quite yet and have to return after you get the right power-up. The place a big mystery, with everything
opening up to you as you advance through the game. Definitely a lot of fun. The Castlevania games copied
this style of gameplay from Metroid and I love them as well. This is definitely a winner for me.

Overall: 9

If you have a GBA, this game should definitely be in your collection. It's one of the best out there. It's only serious downfall is its short length and very poor story. Even so, it's still worth it for the small amount of time it lasts.

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