Metroid Fusion

Imagine being hunted on an abandoned space station by your own dark double – and being able to do nothing but run from it. That is exactly what Metroid Fusion is, a game that in 2002 brought the legendary series back into play in a double release: alongside the 3D revolution of Metroid Prime on the GameCube, this two-dimensional essence of everything that made Metroid great arrived on the Game Boy Advance.

Compared to the freely explorable Super Metroid, Fusion is tighter and more story-driven. Samus goes through the BSL station following the instructions of the onboard computer, the map opens up gradually and the pacing is firmly steered. To some it may sound like a step back from freedom, but in reality it gives the game a cinematic drive and a focused atmosphere. Every new section is a little chapter with a point of its own.

The heart of the tension is SA-X – a near-indestructible copy of Samus's armor, a living menace that moves around the station independently of you. When you hear it walking around the corner, instinct tells you to hide and stay still. These passages, where the huntress is suddenly turned into prey, rank among the most gripping moments of the whole series and push Metroid closer to survival horror than ever before.

The darker tone is underscored by the superb visuals and sound the GBA was proud of: detailed backgrounds, excellent Samus animation and music that alternates melancholy with anxiety. The combat and movement system stays supple and satisfying – you discover wall-jumps, new gear and secret corridors with the delight of a connoisseur of the genre this series helped found.

Metroid Fusion was created at the internal studio Nintendo R&D1, the cradle of the series, and to this day it counts as one of the peaks of the Game Boy Advance library. Its story thread was, moreover, for years regarded as the last entry in the chronology – the sequel Metroid Dread, announced even back then, did not arrive until nearly two decades later and followed on directly from Fusion.

Why play it: A tight, gripping and beautifully tuned 2D Metroid whose chases with SA-X will stay in your memory long after you finish it.