Metroid: Zero Mission

Metroid: Zero Mission
US Metroid Zero Mission box art.
Developer(s)	Nintendo R&D1
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Designer(s)	Yoshio Sakamoto
Engine	Heavily Modified Metroid Fusion engine
Platform(s)	Game Boy Advance
Release	NA: February 9, 2004 EU: April 8, 2004 JP: May 27, 2004 CN: June 15, 2005
Genre(s)	Action-adventure game
Mode(s)	Single player

Metroid: Zero Mission (メトロイドゼロミッション, Metoroido Zero Misshon) is an action-adventure video game produced by Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance handheld console. It is part of the Metroid series, an enhanced remake of the original Metroid game designed to "retell the story of Samus's original mission". Like the other titles in the series, it features intergalactic bounty hunter Samus Aran as the player-controlled main character.

Zero Mission was developed by Nintendo's internal team, Nintendo R&D1, under the direction of Yoshio Sakamoto. The game was released on February 9, 2004 in North America, and on May 27, 2004 in Japan.

General mechanics

As a remake of Metroid, Zero Mission's general layout is very similar to the original. However, many new items, areas, and mini bosses have been added, as well as an entirely new area near the end of the game. At first glance, it appears to be a linear game, forcing the player to acquire certain items in a certain order. However, careful exploration of the environment allows for the player to disregard a large part of this ordering. This technique has been termed sequence breaking and makes it possible, if very difficult, to finish the game collecting only 9% of the items. Progress can be saved in certain rooms, called, appropriately, "Save Rooms", or Samus's ship on Crateria. The save rooms are marked on the added in-game map with an "S", while Samus's ship is marked by an image of a ship.

Zero Mission makes a strong departure from the series with the inclusion of an all-new gameplay sequence in which the player must control Samus without her powersuit. In this portion of the game, Samus is more vulnerable to damage, she must crawl through ducts on her hands and knees without the help of the Morph Ball power, and her only weapon is a weak pistol that can only stun an enemy for a brief moment. However, Samus retains all energy tanks she acquired previously, as well as the three new upgrades — Gravity Suit, Space Jump and Plasma Beam. This marks the first time she has been playable during the course of normal gameplay without her suit — in each previous Metroid game, seeing Samus without her armor has been a feature in one or more of the game's endings or a cosmetic Easter egg.

Metroids

The appearance of Metroids themselves in this game is similar to the original Metroid. Metroids appear only in Tourian, the lair of the original final boss, Mother Brain. Metroids are creatures that, when latched onto Samus, will drain Samus's energy. The only known way to get them off is with bombs. Metroids can be destroyed by first freezing them, and then hitting them with 5 missiles (or one super missile). Metroids make an appearance in all Metroid games (except the full version of Metroid Prime Hunters), even though Samus doesn't necessarily fight all of them.

Items and objects

Many powerups and items make reappearances from previous games in the series, with similar uses and effects. The core items from the franchise (the Varia Suit and Gravity Suit, the Speed Booster, the Morph Ball, and various weapons) are present in the same form as in other 2D installments, and, unlike in the original Metroid, you are able to possess both the Ice and Wave beams simultaneously. The Hi-Jump Boots (simply titled Hi-Jump in this game) and Spring Ball are combined into one item, which was first done in Metroid Fusion. The Wave and Spazer Beams are also combined. The only new item is the Power Grip, which allows Samus to grab ledges and pull herself up with a single hand, an ability that she had innately in Metroid Fusion. The Wall Jump technique is usable in this game, but unlike Metroid Fusion, it can be used infinitely on a single wall to gain height. The Shinespark technique, which debuted in Super Metroid, is also present.

Music and graphics

Most of the music in Zero Mission consists of orchestral arrangements of Hirokazu "Hip" Tanaka's soundtrack from the NES version of Metroid. The game also borrows tracks from Super Metroid and includes a few pieces that are completely new to the series, such as the mother ship music. Zero Mission's soundtrack was produced by Minako Hamano and Kenji Yamamoto, who also composed music for Super Metroid and Metroid Prime, respectively.

A style resembling hand-drawn comic book panels pervades the game's backgrounds, as well as the cinematic cutscenes that appear infrequently throughout the story. Alpha blending is used extensively throughout the game; opaque foreground elements which obscure hidden areas will smoothly fade away once the player finds the entrance.

This game is on most occasions referred to as the better looking of the two Metroid games current available for Game Boy Advance. Many believe Zero Mission is graphically superior because Fusion was one of the first releases for the system - conversely, the developers (like others) were not sure exactly how much the system could handle. The graphics, nevertheless, still look quite similar. Samus, however, is noticeably more detailed in Zero Mission.

Extras

A feature unique to Zero Mission, Metroid Prime and Metroid Prime 2: Echoes is the ability to unlock extra features, such as an emulated version of the Metroid NES port by completing the game, and a sound test screen by beating the game on the Hard difficulty. Using a Game Boy Advance link cable and a second system, players can link this game to Metroid Fusion, unlocking all ending images from Fusion (including the Japanese endings from other difficulties) for view on the Zero Mission cartridge. Completing the game within a given time, obtaining a high (100%) or low (15%) item collection rate, and playing on different difficulties rewards the player with various pictures of Samus in different poses. These pictures can be viewed at anytime after obtaining them in the gallery. Time Attack mode is available on a save file where the game has been beaten and a code has been input to unlock it. In Time Attack mode, the player plays through the game on Normal difficulty and receives a password after beating the game depending on their final time. This password was used to enter a contest Nintendo of Japan held.

Inconsistencies with Metroid

Metroid: Zero Mission contains a number of definite or perceived retcons to the Metroid storyline. First and foremost are the differences in the appearance of areas shared directly with Super Metroid. These include the area of original Brinstar where the player begins this game, the escape shaft and Mother Brain's chamber in Tourian, and various areas in Crateria. Zero Mission also has some completely original territories to cover that can only be explored after Mother Brain has been destroyed, whereas the original game ended with the escape sequence following Mother Brain's defeat.

In this game, Kraid is roughly the size of his Super Metroid incarnation, as is Ridley. In addition, this game contains no decoy "Fake Kraid", although the room he appears in is still present.

In the original Metroid, red Missile doors take five missiles to open, whereas red doors in Zero Mission can be opened with only one Missile.

Zero Mission establishes as a fact in the series that the Chozo once lived on Zebes and that Samus was raised there as a child. These details had never been explicitly mentioned in the games themselves before, but had been revealed in various other materials, such as the manual for Metroid Prime and the Metroid e-Manga series.

Due to the placement of the Space Pirate Mother Ship on Zebes, fans have speculated that it is intended to be the Wrecked Ship depicted in Super Metroid due to the same types of enemies encountered in both Zero Mission and Super Metroid. However, Zero Mission director Yoshio Sakamoto has dismissed this possibility, saying that the two ships are separate. Also, the ruins of a ship are seen in Crateria before the pirate mothership lands; these are graphically consistent with the Super Metroid Wrecked Ship's appearance, so it is safe to assume that the Wrecked Ship was already there.

The manual also changes the establishment of the Galactic Federation from 2000 to 2003. It is believed that 2003 is now the canon year.

External links

• Template:Nintendo.com
• GameFAQs entry for Metroid: Zero Mission
• Metroid: Zero Mission at MobyGames
• Metroid: Zero Mission at MusicBrainz