Metroid: Zero Mission

I tried to play the original NES Metroid multiple times. Each attempt would start with optimism and end with disappointment and frustration. I wanted so badly to appreciate it the way I had with Super Mario Bros. or The Legend of Zelda, but I just couldn't get past its archaic controls and cryptic structure. Metroid: Zero Mission helped to fill that gap by modernizing every aspect of the original that had previously frustrated me, while still offering the same world and story that I wanted to experience in the first place. That, along with the fantastic new content, made this game as hard to put down as the original was to pick up.

Zero Mission has you taking the role of the bounty Hunter Samus Aran as she attempts to defeat the space pirates that have taken over the planet Zebes. When you first start the game, Samus is pitifully weak, with only a short-range beam in the way of firepower and an equally short jump as the sum of her maneuverability. Her relative incompetence severely limits where she is able to travel, which leads to my favorite part of the Metroid formula. As you traverse the world, you'll often discover obstacles that are clearly meant to be crossed, but you won't have any means of actually crossing them. However, with a little exploration, you'll soon discover upgrades that will help you open those pathways and tackle new challenges. The feeling of growth and accomplishment that comes from finding these upgrades is one of the biggest reasons why I fell in love with Zero Mission, and with Metroid as a whole. 

In the same vein, Zero Mission excels over the game it remakes by introducing and utilizing upgrades from the rest of the series. In doing so, this game makes Samus feel far more powerful and makes the world feel far more intricate. Fortunately for me, that intricacy rarely meant confusion or frustration the way it did in the original, as Zero Mission has a full in-game map that fills out as you explore, actual environmental differences to help you differentiate the areas you visit, and even the occasional hint on where to go next. Some players may lament the increased "hand-holding" or linearity, and I understand that this isn't how the other games do things, but this isn't the other games, and I welcome any change that makes the NES original more playable.

Metroid: Zero Mission has so many advantages over the original that I never would have been able to tell it was a remake if I didn't already know. Beyond quality-of-life improvements, it  adds an entire original chapter to the game that ended up being one of my favorite sequences from any game ever! I can't imagine a better way to remake Metroid, nor a better introduction to the series. Zero Mission already had me frothing at the mouth for another adventure with Samus, so I'd say it did its job well.

The game is available for WiiU here (as of 7/7/21): https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/metroid-zero-mission-wii-u/

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