Retro Corner: Metroid Fusion

Nothing drained my Game Boy’s batteries quite like Metroid Fusion. It closely followed the formula of the SNES classic Super Metroid, the action-adventure platform shooter of choice for many gamers. The series famously revolves around exploration, fighting and solving puzzles to earn upgrades, then backtracking to do it all again.

Fusion involved roaming around various sectors of a space colony, trying to stop a powerful, hostile parasite from escaping and infecting the galaxy. All the while, you had to evade a parasitic clone of Samus leading to some of the most intense gaming moments of my young life trying to stay hidden when the SA-X stomped into the room, the only other option being a futile attempt to run or fight. Also, just for good measure, there was a Metroid boss and a countdown to beat at the end.

Bold, colourful, and easy to control, Fusion was one of the first games that made me want to replay it over and over. With a hundred power-ups to find, most of which weren’t exactly right under your nose, scoring 100% was a benchmark that I have still yet to achieve. I could cave and use an online guide, but young me didn’t have that option and would probably judge me if I did use it.

Unusually for a Metroid game, the story actually came mostly from Samus herself via some journal entries and inner monologue during Fusion (also known as Metroid 4). The plot even had twists, with a few handfuls of intrigue and betrayal. As the latest Metroid title chronologically, a follow-up would go down well. However, despite rumours of a sequel in the works we’ve yet to see any actual evidence of the so-called “Metroid Dread”. Nintendo inadvertently added fire to these stories by giving Fusion to the early adopters of the 3DS as a downloadable title.