November 18th, 2002 is the biggest day for Metroid fans. Not only did we get Metroid Prime, the first ever 3D game in the series, but we got Metroid Fusion, a brand new mainline 2D entry. Both games are 10/10 experiences. Unquestionable classics in their own right. Yes, you will make the argument for Super Metroid being the best game. But I believe Fusion has the distinction of being the most important game in the series.
METROID FUSION WAS THE FIRST GAME TO INTRODUCE REAL FEAR TO THE SERIES
Every Metroid game operates on the concept of isolation. Samus is a bounty hunter, so of course, she works alone. She’s even used to losing her abilities and having to fight to get them back. These are common occurrences for her. She still feels powerful though. You don’t feel you’re in danger in the other games, just that you have to work with less tools.
But Metroid Fusion decided to kick off by almost killing Samus and then turning the very abilities that she mastered against her. The SA-X is an evil clone of Samus comprised of her Varia Suit and the X parasite that nearly ended her life. In order for her to have survived that encounter, Samus was injected with Metroid DNA. This left her suit severely compromised. She now shared the aversion to cold of actual Metroids. The attack also left her in a weakened state compared to her clone counterpart.
Now the tables are turned. Samus is being hunted throughout the game. You gotta think that she knows how the Space Pirates feel now. At various points, the SA-X will walk in a room, and you will have to hide. There is no confronting it. That’s an early death waiting to happen. You spend most of the game in a state of constant paranoia wondering when you’re going to encounter your doppelgänger. Hearing those thumping footsteps and seeing it scan the room for Samus had 12-year-old me shook.
THAT GAVE A PATH TO DREAD
When Metroid Dread released, it became the immediate pinnacle of the fear-based gameplay in the series. The E.M.M.I. robots were hell to deal with and an almost guaranteed death screen when they caught you. Walking into an E.M.M.I. Zone felt like stepping into an animal’s cage. Every step is potentially dangerous, and the wrong moves while being chased will get you snatched up.
The came the whole reason for the Samus’ journey to ZDR. The return of the X parasite. Just in case there are those of you who have not played the game and grabbed it on the Switch 2 for the first time, I won’t get too deep into the story. But it does play deeply into Samus’ past and pays off the storyline from Metroid Fusion.
There are so many questions about future storylines now. Fusion is the game that opened that up. Samus’ past in the Galactic Federation is covered in Other M. But the breadth of her past with the Chozo in the 2D games still has some meat on the bone. Hopefully, we won’t have to wait too much longer to see where else things go from here. And it’s all thanks to the storyline choices made in Metroid Fusion
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