Metroid Fusion
Oh my goodness. I've really enjoyed all of the Metroid games that I've reviewed thus far, but Metroid Fusion? This one is my favorite. I know that can be a pretty controversial position, especially thanks to some of the formula changes that Fusion introduced, but those changes are actually why I love it! As much as I enjoy the magic of discovery, my general preference with video games is for them to actively direct me to such a degree that I would rarely, if ever, need a walkthrough to maintain my pace. Each of the other three Metroid games that I've reviewed didn't quite achieve that, and many people love them for it. I still really enjoy them anyway, but Metroid Fusion did exactly what I wanted and pivoted away from the "explore to progress" mindset to the "explore for extra goodies" approach that I prefer.
In terms of mechanics and its general aesthetic, Fusion feels very similar to its direct predecessor, Super Metroid. Samus still moves with the same fluidity, and the pixelated world is beautifully crafted. In that way, your average Metroid fan will feel fairly comfortable playing Fusion, but the differences in design become obvious early on. After Samus' "previously on Metroid" monologue, Super Metroid tells its story through the environment and allows the player to draw their own conclusions. Metroid Fusion instead delivers much of its narrative through exposition. This creates the opportunity for it to dig much deeper into Samus' personality and background, but didn't leave quite the same impact on me since I felt more like an observer than a participant. I'm a sucker for world-building though, so I still appreciated what they were doing. That exposition also acted as the gateway for one of my favorite formula changes that Metroid Fusion brought to the series.
This is where I think I really swim against the current, but I actually appreciated how Metroid Fusion almost always explicitly told me both what I needed to do and where I needed to do it. Previous games generally require you to figure that out yourself via context clues, trial and error, and a lot of backtracking. Metroid Fusion still has backtracking, but it's not required very often to progress. Instead, backtracking is encouraged by showing the general area where minor upgrades are hidden on the map while making them obviously inaccessible until you get one of the major upgrades you're missing. This approach means that a good amount of the genre's inherent tedium is now largely optional, yet still rewarding should you choose to pursue it.
Because of this different approach, Metroid Fusion was the first game in the series that I didn't need to regularly use walkthroughs to finish. There were a few moments that really stumped me, but I always had a vague idea of what I needed to do next. That smoother gameplay, coupled with the phenomenal feeling of growth and progress that Metroid has always delivered makes this easily my favorite game in not just the series, but the genre as a whole. I used to be really intimidated by search-action (Metroidvania) games, but I'm growing to love them more and more. While I hesitate to suggest playing Fusion before its predecessors for story reasons, it is absolutely the perfect gateway into the genre for those curious. That doesn't preclude it from being a fantastic game for search-action veterans though, so here's my blanket recommendation - please play Metroid Fusion!
