After my previous Medium post “Metroid 2 Return of Samus : revisiting an overshadowed masterpiece”, I will now discuss Metroid Fusion released in 2002–2003. As I explained in my previous post about Metroid 2, I got a Game Boy Advance SP which came with a cartridge of Metroid Fusion. This is the game that made me rediscover Metroid 2 years after trying to play it as a child. Metroid Fusion, contrary to Metroid 2, was largely well-received and praised for its gameplay, atmosphere, story-telling… I’m not going to rehabilitate this game like I did for Metroid 2 in my previous post. Instead, I want to explore how interconnected these two games are.

Samus going back to “roots”

Metroid Fusion begins with a long cutscene. Samus is back with scientists on SR388 (the homeworld of Metroids) to capture some wild creatures on the planet. Astonished by a small and strange flying creature, she decided to move on and tried to shoot it. Unharmed, the mysterious creature suddenly merged with Samus. Without suspicion, Samus took her spaceship to escort the scientists to the space station where several specimens were to be examined. Unexpectedly, she fell into a coma, and her ship crashed in an asteroid field. Rescued, Samus is taken to a hospital where the medical staff tried desperately to remove her armor. Only a small fragment of it is successfully removed for analysis. The solution to save Samus came finally in the form of a small vaccine made from a Metroid culture. This is the second time the Metroids are saving Samus : the first time in Super Metroid, now in Metroid Fusion. Something that should raise questions for the player : the baby Metroid was taken to a space station at the beginning of Super Metroid after the events of Metroid 2, stolen and brought to a planet named Zebes and finally killed in the final battle with Mother Brain. How could some DNA still be available ?

Metroids were also considered so dangerous that the Space Federation asked Samus to destroy them on SR388 in Metroid 2. Something that leaves open many questions. With the help of the Metroid vaccine, Samus healed quickly, but is now completely transformed : the Metroids DNA having merged with her own DNA. That’s really an interesting point of this game : Samus is not anymore a special space bounty hunter, she has merged with her very own enemy and one of the most dangerous creature of the universe. Given a new spaceship, Samus is quickly asked to go to the B.S.L. (Biological Space Laboratories) orbiting SR388 : an explosion was recorded on the space station. In exchange for a new spaceship, Samus is now required to obey some kind of an AI, something unusual in the franchise : Samus being the perfect example of the woman receiving no orders. While she meditates on her situation, the spaceship is now approaching from the space station.

A transformed Samus

Once we arrive on the space station, we are told our first orders by the AI. Contrary to other Metroid games, Metroid Fusion is extremely linear (perhaps as much as Metroid 2) : you receive orders and you should progress through the game to reach the target. Doing speed-running with Metroid Fusion (contrary to Super Metroid) is impossible because many paths are hard-locked. Like all other Metroid games (except the original NES Metroid and Metroid 2) an in-map is included. Regarding what I was saying earlier (“Samus is not anymore a special space bounty hunter, she has merged with her very own enemy and the most dangerous creature of the universe”), the appearance of Samus is telling : the developers have represented her with small body movements (like if she was breathing) rather than through a more static appearance in past games. She nearly got, given her tiny armor appearance to represent her fusion with Metroid’s DNA, a look that is nearly “organic”.

The game background and tiles are impressive. The atmosphere is vivid and realistic. For those accustomed to Metroid games, the emptiness (lack of survivors in our case) is not really a surprise. We already understood that something happens, while being puzzled by the atmosphere. The whole station is very clean and even “dreamy” in some parts, especially the submarine one. It has nothing to do with the mysterious, eerie and empty caves in Metroid 2. Something eerie too in the meantime : something inevitably occurred here but left little damage. Compared to Metroid 2, and because of Game Advance hardware capabilities, the whole ambience is far more engaging even for fans of Metroid 2 like me : colors, music, tiles, light effects, cutscenes, dialogues… You have several dramatic tracks for narrative purposes, but also a lot of ambient sounds : computer noises, submarine ambience, machinery… The threat is more subtle in Metroid fusion than in any other game of the franchise, and linked to an interesting narrative choice : Samus is extremely weak at the beginning.

Contrary to other Metroid games, where Samus starts in a relatively “good shape”, the whole plot in Metroid Fusion revolves about what Samus Aran has lost and needs to recover. During the whole game and nearly till the conclusion, the AI guiding Samus across the space station always reminds her of the weakness : you don’t have the missiles, you are too weak against this type of X-Parasite, you can be frozen by this weapon, you can’t access this part, you need my authorization… Something you never heard in previous games where Samus is expected to be an extremely apt problem solver, despite the need to acquire power ups during the game. Perhaps even more interesting than these constraints : the worst threat is Samus herself, or more exactly, a copycat produced by the very X-Parasite having infected her on SR388 with all Samus past powers. The few encounters in the game with X-Samus (called in the game SA-X) are telling from a physiological perspective : SA-X walking menacingly with a large armor, weapons and massive shoulders, against the relatively weak Samus having more the appearance of a normal person. A large part of the narrative revolved around this situation : Samus being diminished and having to relearn progressively all her capabilities in face of an existential threat.

The problem with B.S.L.

The space station B.S.L. is intended to study different species according to their environments. The AI explains to the player that each section of the space laboratory was created to reproduce the natural environment of the studied creatures : desert, deep sea, jungle, icy world… and surprisingly a copycat of the SR388 environment. The latter is easy to understand when you see that the environment is the same as those depicted in the long cutscene at the beginning of the game, and because the station is orbiting SR388. The realism is so high that the architects even add the presence of a Chozo statue inside it. Walking across the station and different parts of the station to catch/stop the SA-X create several questions : what could push the SA-X to be so willing to destroy the space station ? The X-Parasite has no known predator in this space station, because the only one are the Metroids. During the game, the SA-X will attempt successively to : flood some parts of the station, copycat massive creatures, cut the power generator, obstruct air vents in several areas… And perhaps the most puzzling and self-destructive action : attempt to overheat the space station to destroy it; and everyone onboard including the SA-X.

I was discussing earlier the fact that “the whole station is very clean”. When the game progresses, the player can feel that there is something definitely wrong with the station. Something potentially hiding behind the wall. We got a few hints during the game. At one point, when the player leaves one of the control rooms to reach the next target, the game is interrupted by a small cutscene where the AI discusses with a mysterious man about the fact that Samus has possibly unveiled a secret regarding the space station purpose.

We can wonder too why so big and dangerous creatures are stored inside the space station. The player will also notice that the AI, especially when Samus has regained a large part of her power later in the game, is extremely cautious about any engagement with the SA-X despite clear possibilities to fight him. The AI seems surprised and annoyed when Samus is able to regain alone some of her capabilities without relying on updates provided by upgrade stations (all of them being vetoed by the Space Federation). The biggest disagreement between Samus and the AI emerges when Samus had to deactivate the last security door control given access to the most sensitive section of the space station, because she was stuck. The tone is severe : this is like if Samus has seriously disobeyed orders despite having no other choices to progress.

The multiple boss battles during the whole game are telling. The premise is that B.S.L. space station exists for peaceful research. The very fact is that dangerous monsters with potential military applications live within it. It should make us wonder : why does such a peaceful research station need to keep such dangerous and big creatures ? Of course, fighting bosses is part of any Metroid game. But from my perspective, it’s also part of a bigger story-telling : there is something definitely more dangerous hiding somewhere in the depths of the space station. The recurrent threat of security robots heavily armed also leaves many questions. There is obviously something that needs to be contained within the station. At one point, we even encounter at one point what seems to be a creature looking like Ridley, the iconic Samus enemy, frozen in a special room. B.S.L. space station is far from innocence.

You will also notice that for a long time during the game, you are always forced to move from one area to another by reaching the main floor where all of them are accessible. But later in the game, you discover something puzzling : small secret tunnels exist in fact between each area. Why be forced to always choose the hardest solution ?

All these elements put together are very efficient in terms of story-telling and narrative, even if it was not necessarily fully articulated by the developers. They contribute to creating a weird, mysterious and eerie atmosphere in a physical environment that seems totally clean; but obviously is not.

The true threat revealed ?

The last real mission of Samus is to track down the security robot encountered several times in the game. The AI clearly warns Samus about the danger of the SA-X tracking her, and asks her to leave the area once the robot is defeated. Once Samus has defeated the security robots, and because of the fact the shaft to access this area was only one-way, she has no choice but to go deeper in the area. She unexpectedly unveils a mysterious, restricted and deeply hidden laboratory within the space station : a Metroid breeding laboratory.

Finally, we got our answers regarding our previous suspicions : something was hidden for good reasons. Samus, having been tasked to eradicate the species in Metroid 2, discovers that the Space Federation is in fact trying to produce them in large quantities. While being in the secret laboratory, the SA-X suddenly enters the area. And surprise, the main target is not Samus, but the Metroids themselves. The X-Parasite, shortly after entering the space station inside a container, was probably perfectly able to feel the obvious presence of its most feared threat. Having gained access to a human body, the X-Parasite feels able to finally compete and eradicate its very own predator. Even it was at the expense of the entire space station. As usual, the SA-X is willing to destroy the entire area, forcing Samus to escape; while the laboratory is expelled from the space station and explodes in space.

While extremely short, this moment is very important from my perspective. Finally, what if we were totally wrong in pursuing the destruction of the X-Parasite ? A bit like Samus could have been wrong at the end of Metroid 2 by saving the baby Metroid. The X-Parasite is obviously a threat whose main goal is to reproduce, expand, kill and clone its victims. But isn’t it a problem that scientists and the authorities are finally doing something extremely dangerous and unethical : preserving and developing the most dangerous species of the universe ? Something that mirrors the first Alien movie, when we discover that the ship landed on the mysterious planet not because it was puzzling and mysterious, but because the Weyland corporation responsible for the travel has already decoded the radio message, and knows there was something invaluable to get there. Even at the expense of the entire crew. This topic is not articulated in the game, but I found it fascinating : the worst threat is sometimes not an obscure alien creature but the very people willing to exploit it at the expense of everything else.

The fact that the AI was probably monitoring the entire space station and the SA-X progression adds another troubling level of interpretation. The Space Federation, like Ash in the Alien movie, probably “fell in love” with the very own creature they should have eliminated. To quote Ash in Alien : “I admire its purity. A survivor… unclouded by conscience, remorse, or delusions of morality”. Something very close to a strong attraction/rejection, where the danger is both threatening and extremely appealing. The probable rationale behind the AI to monitor Samus so closely and avoid all fights with the specimen. On her path to her ship for further orders, Samus encounters the clone of Ridley : her iconic enemy in the game franchise. Not my preferred part to be transparent. When Samus finally enters a control room, she is suddenly locked inside. The AI tells her that the mission is finished, and that the Space Federation is going to take over to collect the SA-X. Perfectly understanding the obvious threat, Samus attempts to resonate with the AI. She explains that one of her previous officers would have perfectly understood the need for this sacrifice mission : destroying the space station to save humanity. It turns out that the spirit of this officer, Adam, was in fact uploaded into the AI. Having “revived” Adam, the latter finally asks Samus to not only destroy the space station, but to modify its orbit to blow away SR388 : the homeworld of both Metroids and X-Parasite.

After the battle against a mutated SA-X and activation of the orbital update sequence, Samus runs to her ship. Like in Aliens when Ripley emerges from the elevator, the ship is gone. Suddenly, an Omega Metroid emerges from a wall and tries to kill Samus. Nearly killed, Samus is finally saved by the SA-X, who is killed by the Omega Metroid. This moment allows Samus to absorb SA-X power, and finally destroy the Omega Metroid. Samus was probably never the true target of the SA-X. It has been the Metroids since the very beginning. In a rush, the spaceship (piloted by the AI) finally arrives and saves Samus, before the space station collides with SR388.

Final

Metroid Fusion closes what could have been an endless loop in the most brilliant manner : the disappearance of the threat when Samus merged with it. That’s why I really appreciate both of these games (Metroid Fusion and Metroid 2). They are obviously interconnected : same planet, threat, eeriness, ethical questions too… Metroid 2 was the game required to understand what follows next. But Metroid Fusion pushed many of the initial ideas existing in Metroid 2 into something extremely powerful given the hardware possibilities : music, ambience, tiles, story-telling… Finally, Metroid Fusion closes this narrative arc with the elimination of the very own meaning of the franchise. Except if we account for Samus of course : being now a mix between the Metroids and X-Parasite.