u/Trialman

Being a big fan of Metroidvania games, it's kinda noticeable to see that I haven't really played much of Metroid, which feels like a gap in the resume. Having took more and more of an interest in playing randomised games, I felt it would be fair to see if Metroid could be added to my rotation on that front (SMZ3 especially seems neat), so with that, I decided to boot up the GBA app on NSO, and try out the two Metroid games on there as a fair primer.

I played both games back to back. I played Zero Mission first, then Fusion after. IIRC, that's the opposite of their release order, but it is accurate to their chronological order.

Both games follow the standard idea of a Metroidvania, a maze like world, with many paths to take and places to go, not all of which can be accessed off the bat. On your adventure, you'll collect upgrades and items that help you along the way, opening new areas and increasing your ability to fight back against your foes.

Beyond this, the two games take different approaches to how this goes. The maps? Zero Mission's map is an underground cave system, and as such, feels like it goes where it wants, and the places are just where they are. Fusion's map is a space station, and feels much more structured, right down to the major zones being numbered. Neither approach is objectively better, they're just different, and the difference is a very deliberate choice to match the feel of the setting.

Speaking of things feel structured, the structure of the games are quite different. Zero Mission is a very isolated game, with Samus as the one actual character (yes, Ridley, Kraid, and Mother Brain are there, but they're effectively just obstacles as far as the narrative is concerned), and the game doesn't give you any direction either, which makes sense when you consider that it's a remake of the NES original. Fusion meanwhile has Adam, the space station's master computer, as a secondary character, who gives direction on where to go next, and provides lore along the way, making the game more story driven. Both structures work, and compliment their games well.

Both games have their own moments to provide that special dopamine. Zero Mission has the more directionless nature meaning that figuring out the way forward is an event. Fusion meanwhile has a higher degree of action difficulty, with much stronger enemies, making it satisfying to survive combat.

Between the two games, I find that I enjoyed Fusion more (a sentiment my girlfriend also expressed after I mentioned finishing the two games). I enjoyed the setting of the space station more than I did of Zebes, the more structured nature allowed for the more off the rails moments to feel more engaging, and I quite enjoyed Adam as a character.

At the end of the day though, both games were a great time, and yes, I would recommend you should try both of them out, and see which one grabs you more. I'm definitely enjoying the series so far, and am planning to tackle Super Metroid next (booting it up on NSO as I type this)