After 8 years Samus returns to exploration glory in not one, but two games: Metroid Prime and Metroid Fusion. Of course, Prime may be a prettier and more invigorating adventure but Fusion is pure 2D Metroid nirvana.
Metroid Fusion feels very much like its 2D predecessor, Super Metroid. Samus is to explore a large space station, divided into 6 sections with various platforms, hidden areas, secrets, and enemies. The levels were definitely designed carefully giving the player leads but not answers. The player will need to find secret passages and other paths to move on until he regains all of Samus' upgrades. Plenty of old favorites return and there are many new upgrades as well. Samus is given objectives via a navigation room. The game is very fun to play but most of the game is easy, outside of some of the moderately difficult bosses. The game still feels like any Metroid game should, giving the player a sense of mystery and isolation (though maybe not as much as the other games in the series). The game is very short though; it can be easily finished in less than five hours. The hidden upgrades might take another hour but after that, there is little to return to.
The game looks great. The graphics are nice and sharp with clear, fluid animation. The art is excellent and features many new and original enemies and objects. The areas are colored well and look very good. The only flaw with the game is that there is some slowdown during scenes where the screen is overloaded with effects.
Sound is good too. The music and sound effects are clear and on sync. There are some minor instances where it skips. The music is great as well, with some classic tunes but mostly new ones.
Fusion brings one major new substance to the Metroid formula: story. Sure, other Metroid games had stories too but Fusion's story plays a key role in the gaming experience. The player will see first hand thoughts (via text) from Samus. Not only that, but the story is very interesting on its own. It really adds to the game, but the game loses some of the mystery behind our (almost) silent heroine.
Final words: Another 2D game worthy of the Metroid name. But a lengthier adventure would have been nice.
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