Far from perfect, but still a hell of a ride.
GAME PLAY
The game plays like an ordinary Metroid game. You lose all your equipment, then you go back and fight bosses while getting it back. You jump around a lot, solve some good puzzles, fight some enemies. Its a lot of fun seeing how many puzzles are incorperated into fighting bosses. Some bosses are more fun than others, some are downright frustrating. None are too difficult, but some are a bit cheap, and some are too easy.
Then, there is the major enemy, the SA-X. These sequences are by far the most tense sequences in the game. Its something you have no chance against if your seen. These parts are exciting, and unpredictable.
The game play never gets repetitive thanks to plenty of enemy variety requiring you to use different weapons, and different tactics to kill different enemies. The game basically plays great from beginning to end.
GRAPHICS
The graphics are good. Some effects are visually appealing, and the game doesn't have any problems with slow down. The sprites are crisp and appear smooth and not pixelated. The game basically looks great overall. There isn't anything that will make your jaw drop though.
SOUND
Music and sound effects are good. I didn't hear anything overly great, and I can't say much is memorable, because I frankly can't remember most of the music. I do remember though that it was good, and nothing that made the experience any worse. The gun sound effect sounds good, and most other sounds were normal GBA affair.
VALUE
The game kind of suffers here. The game is short. You can go for 100%, but how many people actually do that. I do for some games, but I found it too annoying to do in this game. I got 12 hours top out of the game through 1 playthrough, and starting a second one and going some ways through. There are multiple difficulties, but its not too appealing after playing through the story once.
TILT
Tilt for this game is reflected on the stories grab because of the type of game it is. The story for this game was exceptional, especially for a GBA game. I was never lost in the story, except for when I was supposed to be. The game had plenty of twists and turns, and you had to keep guessing on what was going to happen next. You sometimes had the feeling that anything could happen, plus with a surprise ending, the games story is well above average.
OVERALL
Though a short game, it does everything right. Nothing sticks out as bad and that means that if you get the game you are in for an engaging experience.