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Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew Metroid Zero Mission was a remake of the classic original Metroid. I was pretty sure there was some sort of remake out there that helped “tie the series in” with new continuity created with Metroid Prime but I had forgotten if it was Metroid Zero or Metroid Fusion.

Previous to Metroid Zero I had just finished Metroid Classic, the GBA remake of the NES game. The best part of the Classics series is that they are pretty true to the original titles. I’ve previously played bits and pieces of Metroid but the sheer massive randomness of this game has always kept me away. Also it’s “really hard”. Or at least I used to think so. For this outing I decided to cop and use a downloaded map to find my way around. It’s surprisingly easy in Metroid to pick up nearly ever power up and accessory before fighting even one boss. This actually makes the bosses a bit of a push over.

Still, without the map, the game is certainly a hugely confusing maze and chances are you’ll never find most of the hidden areas. Zero Mission realized this and gives you a built in map accessed by pressing the start button. In fact, many times in the game you’ll find Chozo statues that will point you in the direction you need to head next. The trick here is, many of the areas have been altered slightly requiring special items to access the next area. In fact, Metroid Zero is extremely linear in its storyline. There are a few exploits that the skilled player can use to jump ahead but chances are you’re not going to realize they are even there or be able to pull them off.

Metroid feels very modern with it’s free form game play mechanics. Metroid Zero stream lines this idea by adding modern puzzle limitations. The whole experience is very similar to Metroid 3 for the Super Nintendo. It’s still a bit limited by its controls.

In the original Metroid you could shoot, jump and shoot missiles. You access missiles by pressing select. Zero Missions adds a few more items to the mix from its Metroid 3 predecessor, namely Super Missiles and Power Bombs. This makes things a bit tricky however since the Game Boy Advance doesn’t have the same number of buttons as the SNES control pad. Select still cycles through the missile types but the more powerful attack is activated by pressing and holding the R button. The other shoulder button is used for a fairly useless diagonal shot. I can’t help but some sort of scanning power up would have been a better use for the L button. Especially given the number of hidden blocks and the large variety of ways needed to destroy them.

Zero Mission’s map doesn’t make finding everything easier however. I’d estimate that the overall map is at least twice the size of the original if you count the added on final area. Even without that section there are many additional secret hidden paths to find. Oh right, yeah, I said bonus area. I don’t want to spoil things too much but Zero mission doesn’t have quite the same ending you might remember. The bonus area also uses some different play mechanics than players are used to. Play mechanics leaning the irritatingly difficult side of things unfortunately.

Like I said, I don’t want to ruin it too much. Back to the main game. With Zero Mission’s expanded map there is also an expanded selection of bosses. Technically Ridley and Kraid are still the only true bosses but there are a whole slew of new mini bosses that must be defeated throughout your journey across Zebes. The old bosses also got a major facelift. Kraid is now the massive giant he was in Metroid 3, though he’s a lot more of a pushover this round. Ridley is also larger and more resembles his modern pterodactyl self.

In the original Metroid the bosses were not much larger than Samus and followed a simple attack pattern of “Throw lots of things at the player”. This actually made them a bit more difficult as the battles more or less broke down to pounding your opponent with missiles and hoping he died before you did. Zero Mission has more epic scripted boss battled and neither Ridley nor Kraid really do much damage with their attacks. Truth be told, New Ridley is easier to defeat if you let him pick you up so you can pound on him point blank with your missiles. Zero Mission is all around more forgiving of a game. In Metroid, when your health was depleted you were dead. Sure, you had a password but there was no direct continue or save feature. Also in the original Metroid, refilling your health is difficult to do, usually involving killing many of the little bug creatures popping out of the ground.

Zero Mission has health restoring Chozo statues all over. Instantaneous relief.

This actually isn’t a bad thing. There’s a reason restore points were added to games. Gamer can better concentrate on enjoying the experience instead of dying.

When you break it down, while these games are the same core game, they are also quite a bit different. What you’re seeing is actually an experiment comparing old and new philosophies on game design. Metroid Classic is all about repetition and guesswork. Metroid Zero Mission is all about scripting and guidance. Both games are good for their own unique points but since Zero Mission includes the original Metroid game as a bonus (after you finish the game) getting both games ends up being redundant. The only real reason you’d want to invest in both is to be able to play the original before the remake. Zero Mission is still a lot of fun to play and it’s certainly a better investment for your DS than that 3D garbage they put out a few years ago.