Developed by Nintendo Research & Development Team 1, Metroid Fusion was the first Metroid game on the Game Boy Advance. Receiving positive acclaim from critics and fans it was consider a classic and a must have for the Game Boy Advance. Recently, Fusion have made it's way to the Wii U Virtual Console service, so is it worth the buy?
The plot follows bounty hunter, Samus Aran, as she is sent by the Galactic Federation to investigate an explosion on the Biologic Space Laboratories space station. She later discovers that the station is swarming with deadly parasites known as the X, and a menacing X parasite copy of her, known as SA-X that will provide a serious threat, Samus is left to investigate the station for survivors and destroy it before the parasites spread. From a game play perspective, Fusion heavily plays like Super Metroid. There are puzzles to solve, which will give more health packs, missile and bomb capacities that will provide a great advantage when battling the game's frustrating bosses. The power-ups gained from beating these bosses will grant special abilities such as the Varia suit, super missiles, power bombs, and more. New game play mechanics such as grabbing ledges from falling into lava and enemies is great, as well as the ability to climb ladders. Visually, Metroid Fusion is one of the best looking games on the GBA and still looks great in today's standards. The soundtrack is Metroid and fits the game's dark setting well. However, Fusion feels linear compared to other Metroid games, where the option to freely explore the environment is available. Fusion's linearity can also helpful by preventing the player from getting lost. Furthermore, the game feels short. Probably takes 5 or 10 hours to beat, but still adds some reliability to collect health packs and missiles.
Metroid Fusion is the best 2D Metroid game and GBA game. It controls perfectly and it improves upon it's predecessors. Even today it holds up pretty well and is simply worth the 8$ price in the Wii U Virtual Console service.
9.8 / 10
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