The wait was long but worthy
Metroid Fusion is one of those two games, and as players will notice on the game's starting animation, where the alternative title "Metroid 4" appears, the game picks up exactly where Super Metroid left off. After saving the Metroid hatchling from the evil clutches of the Space Pirates, Samus heads onto another mission that leads her to SR-388, the planet that serves as the lair of the Metroids. While exploring the place she encounters a parasite called "X" and is inadvertently infected by a virus.
While returning to a space station she loses consciousness and her ship hits an asteroid belt, nearly killing her. On a very dramatic surgery the surgeons discover that she is deeply infected and use a vaccine with Metroid's cells to heal her. She then gains some Metroid-like characteristics. A few moments later a big explosion happens on the B.S.L. station, a space station that recreates perfectly the different environments of SR-388, and Samus is sent there to investigate. That's where your adventure kicks off.
Differently from most Metroid games, on Fusion the bounty hunter will receive orders from a computer as it shows you where to head next which causes the game to be too linear for most Metroid fans because a symbol will always mark your destination on the map. From time to time Super Metroid-like exploration will occur, but most of the time the missions are pretty linear, which brings mixed reactions since it can be viewed as a nice blend between backtracking and linearity or it can be seen as way to simple for a series like Metroid.
Players will explore the station and collect many power-ups that are very well hidden while solving awesome puzzles and doing some heavy exploration. As you walk through the corridors of the station you will notice that the graphics are slightly more colorful than on Super Metroid, and the overall art is pretty different as enemies and environments are also less dark. This makes the difference between the various areas of the station clearer and it doesn't hurt the general feeling of being alone at all.
Metroid games have been known for its dense and heavy atmosphere that deeply involves players as they go through the game. Metroid Fusion can be even more tense than previous Metroid titles because on some sections of the game the computer that is issuing you orders will warn you that SA-X, a group of X parasites that mimics Samus by using her varia suit and weapons, is in the area that you are about to explore. This will lead to some pretty tense moments as you open new doors fearing that you may encounter the Samus copycat, something that is enhanced by the fact that during most of the game you are not powerful enough to directly confront it, creating a few amazing sections as you run away from it while avoiding missiles and looking for a place to hide.
Metroid Fusion came to fulfill the dreams of fans as it takes all good factors that make Super Metroid the masterpiece that is constantly present at "Top Games of All Time" lists and adds a couple of new gameplay twists and it has a storyline that is developed throughout the game. With visuals that are much more colorful than usual, incredible replay value and a soundtrack that ranges from incredibly tense to epic it is a must-buy for everybody who owns a GBA.
Actual Score: 9.2