8:44 Apparently the “canonical” reason Samus couldn’t grab onto ledges before was because the suit was too bulky and heavy to pull herself up. Without the suit on, she’s more lightweight, and can pull herself up. I think this is a silly but fun way to incorporate that simple convenience
I think while a bit silly, the power grip is also a hilarious upgrade. And the fact that the AM2R team included power grip as an default option to turn off in the game is even funnier
@@59hawks Which she does not HAVE all of the sudden in chronological later Games like Metroid 2 and Super Metroid ofc... One of the few Flaws Zero Mission has when it comes to the Metroid Lore
@JAGtheTrekkieGEMINI1701 I'd argue she winds up keeping the power grip uprgrade alongside a couple missile expansions for Samus Returns (3ds) but winds up getting rid of it in subsequent games lore/timeline wise, Which still works, even if it's a bit silly
You overlooked one of the biggest hints that Samus is weaker than she's ever been at this point: in 1, she holds her arm cannon forward. In 2 and Super, she actually lays her hand over top of the cannon, presumably to dampen the recoil. In 4, *_she's hunched over and cradling the cannon with her off-hand as if it's too heavy to carry otherwise._* Also, at 5:30, watch when the lift stops. Samus usually stands dead-still on those lifts, even when they aren't in motion. When it stops, she starts _visibly hyperventilating because she _*_knows_*_ SA-X is behind it._
I'm pretty sure the animation of Samus' sprite when the lift stops is actually just her normal idle animation that you would also see after saving or exiting her ship. You're right about how she carries her cannon though; I never noticed before that it's distinctly different from in previous games and even from the SA-X's posture - the SA-X is practically using the cannon to rest her other arm on top of, while Samus is clearly cradling it. A crazy amount of detail went into the visuals and atmosphere of this game.
Since fusion is my second favorite entry on the franchise, i had high hopes for this one, and my dude, you delivered. Awesome video as always sir. Fun fact: Due to Samus now having metroid DNA, the SA-X trys to dispose of her with the same method Samus used in order to kill the metroid larvas (Ice beam + Super missile)
@@JAGtheTrekkieGEMINI1701 Yes it did. Every shot the SA-X fires at the character is an Ice Beam shot. You can hear the hissy, chilly noise of it with every shot, and you get frozen when hit until the Varia suit.
@@Anonie324 Then this only occurs during the First Encounter with the SA-X which is *Easily* avoidable and does Not Matter in the 2 upcoming fights at all.
Some the things that make it one are: 1. The main antagonistic force, what it is, and what it can do. 2. The atmosphere. 3. The fact that you’re not the only one on the hunt.
Now that Dread is out, damn they improved on the sense of horror from Fusion. The problem with Fusion is that there were few encounters with the X parasites. But in Dread, with the EMMI, the same concept is used again, but cranked to eleven.
Interesting to hear! It's probably one of my favourite aspects about Fusion, so hearing the improvements in your mind is making me really want to start playing it
@@yourehereforthatarentyou That's the main reason why I was horrified to learn that... [SPOILERS] ...the X parasites still existed on planet ZDR. How quickly they overran the entire planet was a huge shock to me.
TBH Metroid is basically a horror series where the protagonist is capable instead of defenseless. You're meant to sense fear and overcome it... But the EMMI is probably the most overtly disturbing thing I've seen in a first party Nintendo game.
Wario Land and Metroid were sister series back in the day. Both developed by R&D1, they shared many staff and design concepts. Wario Land is much more of an exploratory platformer series than you might suspect.
@Wade Watts Metroid Fusion is just terrifying because of the story itself. Samus is facing her clone (SA-X) who's not just as skilled as her but has her strongest equipment and armor compared to her. Also it is much more terrifying in the later stage when she discovered that SA-X can reproduce asexually. Meaning that there are more than 10 SA-X roaming the spaceship.
@Wade Watts I'm not sure if it is called a horror games. But if you really understand the story of Metroid Fusion it is just terrifying because of the enemies she is about to fight against. Even Samus herself is scared at the beginning. Metroid Fusion is more like a Mystery game.
The one thing that also makes Metroid Fusion is its sound design, i'm surprised your praises for Neo Ridley did not include his horrendously monstruous screeching roar. It's the type of iconic horror element that sticks out in people's minds.
It stuck in Samus's, that's for sure. I mean, at this point, taking Zero Mission as canon, she's killed (or killed a perfect clone of) the sadistic space dragon who murdered her parents *_six freaking times._* [OTHER M SPOILERS...] The people who give her shit for freezing up when she fought another member of his species are the definition of tone-deaf. If anyone has any reason to have Ridley as a PTSD trigger, it's Samus.
@@CoralCopperHead The problem with Other M is that she's fought so many copies of this stupid space dragon at this point that it makes no sense for her to freeze up in this encounter. Honestly, a lot of Other M would make way more sense if it was set way earlier in the timeline.
Metroid Fusion has always been my favorite game in the series despite how railroaded the "exploration" is, and that is mainly because the atmosphere is just so... damn... good. You feel uncomfortable and unsafe constantly in this game and every aspect of the atmosphere feeds into this. My favorite example has to be the introduction of the Nightmare and how that wonderful abomination is handled. The fight itself is a little clunky and pretty difficult, but the buildup to that thing is amazing. The SA-X is great too and eventually being able to actually fight it is a phenomenal feeling, not to mention how it saves you afterwards and you're left to wonder if it was just tunnel visioned on killing the Metroid, if it maybe thought it could kill both of you, or if it decided "the enemy of my enemy..." and intentionally protected Samus to ensure SHE could beat the metroid. Still though, there's something special to me about how Nightmare is built up as a complete mystery you know very little about until minutes before you fight it, and even that really doesn't prepare you for the uniquely surprising and uncomfortable experience you're gonna have with that thing.
very based ending. loved fusion. expected it to be bad when i played it since when i first got into metroid, all i heard was how bad fusion was and that it was the worst in the series. one of the top metroid games to me.
Hell yeah 🏳️⚧️ I was really floored by it too, didn't necessarily expect it to be bad, but didn't expect it to be up there as a top game in the franchise. Honestly looking forward to playing it again in the future!
Fusion was my first Metroid game growing up and yeah, the SA-X was pretty scary, but also one of the things that scared me the most was the shadow of the Nightmare you can see in one of the first rooms in sector 5. You see this a few times before knowing what it is, that was terrifying for me
Personal headcanon; the reason she can grab ledges in Fusion is cuz she’s not wearing her huge and heavy powersuit (since it was amputated). Now she’s a lot lighter, and able to actually hold herself on a ledge. This tracks well in Zero Mission and Dread, where she needs an upgrade (the Power Grip) to grab ledges in the former and doesn’t in the latter
Well done sir. I suggest writing on your spare time if you ever get inspired. Good luck and pitch it to as many producers/people of influence as you meet and youre golden sir.
i love when Metroid leans more into its Horror aspects, i think people forget or probably dont know one of its inspirations was Alien, which is also my favorite film franchise
I was pretty excited to see you had uploaded your newest Metroid review! Fusion was the first Metroid game I played and beat all on my own, so it’s got a special place in my heart. I remember being so scared the SA-X might show up and destroy me at any moment, and after the secret lab is destroyed and Adam tells you there’s more, I was genuinely too scared to keep playing for at least a month. As for your next project, Zero Mission, I’d say it’s probably the best remake for a game I’ve ever played. It’s a treat. Definitely looking forward to your review of that.
Thank you so much! I'm glad you were excited :) SA-X was amazing for sure, definitely defines the game's tone and atmosphere, which was already great. Going to be interesting to see if any Metroid enemy can top it for me, but that seems like an insurmountable bar to me! And high praise for sure! I think the 2002 Resident Evil remake is possibly my favourite game ever, but having played Zero Mission past Kraid, I definitely think it can live up to the moniker of an amazing remake!
F in the chat for Jerry's marriage, I hope he finds solace in his oregano farming. I really liked fusion myself, even if some of the railroading makes actually getting 100% softlocked at times. The story however captured me quite well. It's like...after 3 games of samus going "metroids bad", regardless of the baby, she finally finds why they exist, in the painful way of getting attacked by it, and saved by that which she was instructed to kill. And then fittingly, those who instructed her turned out to be doing like the space pirates and secretly experimenting on metroids as weapons! The narration in repeated playings feels so...painful, since you now know the truth. The horror is that you are a metroid, SA-X is now just like you when you played the original 3 games, and those who you listened to in this trying situation are barely better than the sentient antagonists of 1 and 3. Just...wow. Also, I think it's very fair that the power grip skill took so long. Pulling yourself up like that isn't easy! Especially wearing armor!
His passion for herbs & spices are the only thing helping him through this trying time (As well as turning on the notification bell) This whole subtext behind Fusion as an analogy for Samus in the first three games is so expertly put I'm very annoyed at myself for not being able to appreciate it in the video :P This alone has boosted Fusion by like, half a point on its own in my estimations. It's going to make the ranking at the end of the retrospective very tough!
1:42 Fun Fact: Metroid Fusion actually runs on the same engine Wario Land 4 does. Easiest place to see this is the debug room for Fusion, as it uses Wario Land 4 assets.
EXCELLENT ANALYSIS. Horror elements have always been in the background of Metroid since the first game. But Metroid Fusion brought them to the forefront in the most MAJOR way possible! I like how you frame Samus Aran as the Space Hunter now becoming the Space HUNTED via Samus Aran-X. Samus NOW knows what it feels like to be one of the creatures against her when she is exploring those worlds. Samus Aran is known to be OP, OverPowered. So how do you face an OverPowered foe who is literally just like you? Metroid Fusion was just a masterpiece & an excellent followup to the legendary Super Metroid. NO WONDER it took nearly 19 years to create Metroid Dread which is Metroid 5 after Metroid Fusion as Metroid 4. They wanted to carry Metroid's Horror elements forward with Samus as the HUNTED once again.
I can imagine how horrifying this would've been for me to make it through as a child, I struggled at 22 lmao Glad you enjoyed the game, and thank you so much!
I would honestly call the Omega Metroid boss fight a victory lap of sorts for the game. Like, you just defeated the thing that's been tormenting you the entire game, now this giant beast stands in your way and some would call it an underwhelming fight but I would call it perfect. It's a giant, powerful beast that came out of nowhere and immediately gets you down to 1hp. The SA-X inadvertently helps you by giving you access to the ice beam and showing you how to defeat it, where the fight turns into you curb-stomping it like it just did to you. It also highlights two facts about the game. First of all the SA-X has yet to realize its full potential all the way to the end, if it had, it wouldn't have lost to us or that Omega. Second, it shows you that you're not weak anymore, you don't have to run from this thing like you did against the SA-X, instead you can just beat it here and now.
Fusion is pretty much John Carpenter's The Thing, the X Parasite being The Thing. The Thing is imo by far the most terrifying fictional monster created. In Dread, the E.M.M.I. is practically an Alien Xenomorph combined with a T-800 Model 101 Terminator. Moves, attacks and hunts like the Alien, constructed like a Terminator.
Few things in games have given me the same level of heart attack as dropping down from that ledge right in front of the SA-X and having to run for your life. This is still one of my favorite games I've ever played.
I've always regarded Metroid Fusion as one of the most colorful horror games ever. And I don't mean any disrespect in saying this -- the vibrant graphics do not detract at all from the sense of dread (no pun intended) that the story and atmosphere provides.' People decry Fusion for being linear, but -- having played it before Super myself -- I feel that it's excellent, just in a different way. Heck, part of the narrative and atmosphere of Fusion is actually directly related to that linearity of plot breaking down the further you get into the game! It's like, sure, Samus is shoved into this very narrowly-controlled mission structure that honestly kinda chafes on everyone, but then...everything starts to fall apart, the mission, the sense of order, even the space station itself...and that's when her sense for autonomy, exploration, and survival really kicks in and saves the day.
Really glad you've decided to give Metroid 1 another chance via Zero Mission. It does a really good job at bringing Metroid 1 in line with the rest of the series. As for Fusion, when I first heard about it's premise and saw the Fusion Suit, I had my doubts about the game. That SA-X reveal washed all of those away. It's one of my (admittedly many) all time favorite moments in gaming.
Unfortunately for NEStroid it'll likely be at the bottom of the list when I rank all the games, but Zero Mission will definitely be geared to the top! For sure, Fusion surprised me in the best way possible and I could only ever recommend it to others for the gameplay style & SA-X.
Metroid Fusion was the second metroid game i played but it was the first one i completed. From my perspective, Metroid Fusion is one of the best metroid game to start with if you have never played a metroid game before. It is linear, yes, but still it conserves the exploration part of Metroid that everybody loves. Og Metroid is way too difficult, Metroid 2 is linear but still i dont recommend playing it if it is your first Metroid game, Super Metroid is too cryptid and people can get lost if they dont know what are they doing, and the Prime series are a way different from a 2D metroid game. So if people want to get started in the Metroid Franchise i personally recommend Metroid Fusion or Metroid: Zero Mission (Becuase zero mission helps with the issues the og Metroid game had) As always great video Luker, keep it up man! One day you will have 1 M subscribers, and seeing how well done your videos are, that day might come sooner than you think!
I would say, as of right now, Fusion is probably my favourite game of the franchise (I'm partially through Zero Mission so far) - it rotates between Super and Fusion, but there's so much to the latter that I love that I think when I rank all of the games, it's going to be very close at the top. Thank you incredibly for the kind words! And haha maybe one day, who knows! Fingers crossed and will keep at it :D
@@VOAN Not only that, they gave Dark Samus 100% the exact same moveset as Samus, instead of giving her her own unique moves. If they were going for a gameplay clone as well, they might as well have picked the SA-X, who's a perfect copy of Super Metroid Samus!
I am not old enough to have played these games as a young person, so I played 1, super, fusion, and zero mission pretty closely together. I love fusion as well, and really agree with most of what you said. I felt hinted by SA-X the whole time, and I was always nervous it was gonna just show up and kill me. I also do love the control of samus, though not as much as in super, but that's from a speedrunning perspective where there are SO many movement tricks. Overall, I like the story and atmosphere of fusion better, the sound design and art is really fitting, but I think in terms of just pure gameplay and movement, super takes the cake for me.
I feel like 1 of the most underrated aspects of fusion is the sound design. The missile and beam sound effects are so satisfying, and the bosses and enemies have great sound design as well
Fusion~~ My introduction to the series and apparently to your videos too. The editing here is pretty great and I do like how clean everything is. Also humor, humor is great~ I really like Fusion and honestly if I was a gamer I'd like the fact of having a target or a specific objective to complete. Fusion does this brilliantly like you said. You're given a task but other than that, you're going to have to figure it out yourself. I feel like the community might not like Fusion as a whole because they focus more on the fact that there's an order of events happening. Every game probably has a few 'do A to make B possible/reachable' kinds of moments, but there's no hints on how you are to actually get through these. People like Super a lot because of the freedom - but for a first time blind player it's going to be a mess of going to places, having no idea what to do, being lost and you might get frustrated by wondering if you're supposed to be somewhere or not. I do enjoy watching speedruns of the game, but Super really is something for people who are already fans and know what to expect - or have watched other people play a bunch of times already. It makes for a more interesting Speedrun when you have a lot of choices on your route (until everything has been optimized to the T) though I really love Fusion though, especially the bosses. They're challenging but doable, you feel good for beating them and I love 'em~ And obviously the horror elements. Sound design, SA-X, elevator jamming, X taking over the whole station... Yep. I love me some storytelling and this one had me at the edge of my seat some 10-ish years ago when I experienced it myself. Good stuff!
Ah thank you so much for the kind words! I really appreciate them I fully agree, Fusion's playstyle of coordinating where you need to be going (at least in the beginning) in conjunction with the non-linear exploration of the station zones is the perfect blend for me in enjoying the experience. I had to stop and evaluate where I was online or what I needed to do for every game before this (and I've been doing the same with Samus Returns too) whereas Fusion was a much more forigiving expereience that didn't mitigate what I enjoyed about the Metroid formula. Same with the bosses! I loved the Nightmare fight a lot, and the final confrontation with SA-X was a lovely barmoeter for how far you'd progressed as a player. The elements of Fusion I love make me very intrigued to play Dread!
I love this game , the developers took risks by doing a more constricted and a more story driven Metroid but they executed it very well in my opinion. And the X parasite and SA-X were good additions to the lore.
When we were brand new parents, with no money just barely scraping by, and the GBA SP was out of stock EVERYWHERE, my wife somehow hunted down and bought me an SP. She couldn't afford a game to go with it, so she borrowed Metroid Fusion from my brother. She is such an amazing person, and I can't believe that we ended up together. I am a fortunate man. And so, this game holds some very special memories for me.
looking back on this and Dread I kind of wish they leaned a little more heavily into the horror element, for example instead of having X or EMMI stuck searching in one small area make it so that they persistently are searching for you through the entire map with only save/ammo rooms unable to enter
I understand this thought and think it could be a cool idea, but the problem is that Metroid games, especially 2D ones, have areas that are too small to maneuver away from an enemy that's at least as fast as you are and to truly lose them. If you want a game like that, I would suggest Rain World. It doesn't have one big enemy following you around, but it's a game with a living ecosystem where you are a creature on the low end of the food chain and predators are ALWAYS moving even when off-screen. They will hunt other creatures and not just you, but it does provide that feeling of constant threat you might be interested in.
Another great video! Next up is Zero Mission, my personal favorite! I wonder if you were already aware of its additions to the original? Hope you weren't spoiled yet!
Thank you so much! I've just gotten past Kraid in Zero Mission & went into the game relatively spoiler free, know nothing much beyond that but I'm liking what I've played so far!
I just finished Fusion and tbh it *dissapointed* me. The SA-X had by far the greatest potential but her *ACTUAL* screentime was way to low!! I expected something like the *Nemesis* from OG RE3, but there was almost no "stalking" in the Game.. No real *FEAR* 😑
I remember I was working at EB Games when this game came out, and describing it as a horror game was exactly how I described it to customers. I snagged it at launch and was floored with just how creepy it really felt - the helplessness of something infinitely stronger was a delightful twist.
Have never clicked so fast. Really glad you enjoyed the game , I think it gets a bit too much shit for tweaking the formula . Great video as always man , I really think this Chanel has a bright future , keep it up.
I'm incredbly flattered man, thank you so much! If Fusion gets a bad rep I'd certainly be surprised by it, because it genuinely might be my favourite so far! That's incredibly kind of you to say, thank you!
I've heard that you never forget how you first feel about something. Well, that intro scene with the SA-X to me was legit jarring and spooky and gave me a pang of anxiety with that quick cut to how dead and evil it looked. And I was 19 at the time. Fusion is my favorite because for what it lacks in exploration, they use the game and narrative to craft a gripping story that makes you want to finish it.
such nostalgia omg... i always felt empty at the ending ost when those green and blue creatures pop up on the screen, its was such a terribly good experience for me as a kid. Thats one game that will be always in my heart, i hope i can share that experience with those i love hehe.
Great vid on one of my favorite games. The nightmare is my personal favorite boss in all of metroid because of it's build-up. It literally demolishes an entire sector before you finally face it.
One of the greatest things for me about this game was the sound design and the music. The bass boosted explosion sound effects are so cathartic. Gives a real sense of power behind the explosions. Ive probably raved a fair few times to Serris/Yakuza's theme.
To hear "Sax" instead of "SA-X" really makes the game less tense in retrospect. I mean, even less than knowing the scripting and AI are so limited that it's only a threat when intentionally not hiding. Makes me imagine it just playing jazz music while going through the station.
I can only hope to love in a world where Metroid Fusion is remade in either a 3rd or 1st person perspective, where Sa-X stalks in similar manner to the Xenomorph in Alien Isolation.
Metroid fusion is my favorite entry in the franchise. But I don't think it's horror, it's just a cool game. But if you look at it in this video's perspective, It's horror
I don't mind hearing you gush over this game. It truly is a Masterpiece! It's easily my favorite 2D Metroid game even beating out Super Metroid imo! It's quite similar to that title but is just better in every way, including the story beats which I felt were the thing that brought it over the top for me! Very surprising to hear that you didn't like the story beats as that was my favorite part about the game! I absolutely LOVED the interactions with ADAM!
The first time I played it was on a drive home from denver after my birthday trip to Toys R Us. It was snowy night drive and i had the little lamp and headphones for my gameboy.... The second the cloned SA- X theme plays: chills. So good. Best metroid imo
@@LukerYT Haters gonna hate, and of course the jerks are more likely to comment than the good people. Your stuff is awesome, and I think your outro sentiments are perfect! :D
I've had the privilege of playing Metroid Prime & Metroid Fusion. Great Games. And the the fact they just re-released Metroid Zero Mission means a lot of to me.
I feel like Metroid as a whole has always been subtly horror. With Fusion and now dread it's cranked up much higher, but there's always an eerie darkness within the universe. The Prime trilogy comes to mind when I think of this.
Haven't started the vid and I already agree. This game scary af. Since with the first time where you actually come face to face with the sa-x, i had my sound off, so I didn't hear the steps. I screamed so hard and I've never cursed that much in such a short amount of time before. God, just imagining that makes me shiver.
Fusion still did both horror and environmental storytelling better than most of the other Metroid games, including Dread. In Dread, the EMMI are not scary at all. The game announces exactly when you will have to deal with them by putting them in their own little special areas they can't leave. You always know when an EMMI is coming and dealing with them becomes a chore by the 3rd or 4th one. Now, the SA-X on the other hand, was done so much better. You never know (on your first playthrough) when you will have it appear, you also can't even hurt it for most of the game, so it's something you actually fear showing up. It has all of your old abilities and is so much more powerful than you. The EMMI are annoying obstacles that you just have to juke a little, then destroy one after another to get upgrades, it just isn't nearly as effective OR memorable.
I agree. I understand having the EMMI be limited to certain areas, but those areas not being a surprise is what's disappointing. I think that perhaps having to access the areas they're in via small holes that you can only get through as a morph ball and making it so that they can't go through such small spaces might have worked better than giving them immediately obvious spaces to patrol.
The music in Fusion is amazing. Again, it reminds me of early 80s synthwave horror music, John Carpenter and Alan Howarath synth music + Metroid tunes.
Funny enough, some players have described the final fight with SA-X to be a bit of a letdown compared to previous encounters, generally due to skill ceiling. Your first run through the final showdown is every bit as tense as evading SA-X has been all this time, but if one plays through multiple times you start to notice how much more margin for error you have in a big arena compared to being hounded down narrow corridors. With the earlier SA-X chases, while there are certainly many videos showing how skilled players can break SA-X's AI in half, for most players the challenge of surviving the scripted SA-X chases levels off more gradually across repeat playthroughs compared to the final fight. Some could also note how the second phase becoming vastly more predictable and less threatening. As with the final fight with the omega metroid, this makes sense as a final catharsis as the fight turns in Samus' favor, plus thematically it's an excellent callback to the X parasite that started this entire mess (look at its appearance and attack pattern, and you'll realize it's a monstrous chimera of Samus' armor with the hornoad mimic that infected Samus in the intro). But I can see some players being disappointed in how it doesn't actually blend any of the previous attacks that made SA-X so deadly with its new form. Plus some would probably also argue that the final phase of the game would've been better if you had only a final cathartic stomp of SA-X OR a final cathartic stomp of an omega metroid, not both in quick succession. Interesting overview of the game, in any case!
i was definitely looking forward to this. fusion is undeniably my favorite game; this one hits all the spots for the mist exquisite gaming orgasm. i could talk about this game forever, it's really a masterpiece and an experience. im so glad you enjoyed it and are giving us these wonderful reviews, they're so much fun! good luck going into zero mission, i urge you to also consider looking into the sequence breaks or how to get some of the best endings. that game is so expansive and well developed it lowkey puts the other games to shame. im very excited to see your thoughts on possibly the best designed metroid game ever
Fusion somehow managed to see the bar set by Super Metroid and launch itself over it, which is quite incredible all things considered. It's a great time I'm very thankful to have played for the first time! Thanks a bunch for the continued kind words, I'm really glad you're enjoying them! I'm going into Zero Mission with a certain approach for the video style, but I'll make sure to see how 'fragile' it is in the same vein as Super Metroid - really looking to get this next one right!
The title of this video is a point I've been making for literal years. The way the tension is built up, and paid off, combined with a heavy feeling of powerlessness right up until the very last moments of the game really lend M:F as a horror game. And that's saying nothing of the body horror that is everything having to do with the X parasite.
Fusion definitely had survival horror elements. SA-X is definitely the Nemesis enemy. I'm not a fan of games where all you can do is run from enemies, but as a storyline mechanic, this works wonderfully. Dead Space is a great example as well as Resident Evil with being hunted and forced to run and eventually forced to fight a stressful battle. It's definitely excellent to convey fear. You don't need a, oh I don't know, a cut scene where Samus is screaming and cowering.
As I'm doing my video on Samus Returns rn I replayed RoS to get a fresher comparison - it's probably the only criticism I has regarding Samus Returns as a remake, because it doesn't get the eerie atmosphere the original does. Interested to replay Dread and compare the 3.
Metroid fusion should be called Metroid Dread cuz of the fear it gives to the player and Metroid Dread should be called Metroid Fusion where we see Samus slowly turn into an actual Metroid.
I don't care what anyone says, Fusion is awesome and one of the best games in the series. I love its horror atmosphere. Also, play Wario Land 4. That game is also amazing. Play Pizza Tower while you're at it, too.
8:44 Apparently the “canonical” reason Samus couldn’t grab onto ledges before was because the suit was too bulky and heavy to pull herself up. Without the suit on, she’s more lightweight, and can pull herself up. I think this is a silly but fun way to incorporate that simple convenience
I think while a bit silly, the power grip is also a hilarious upgrade. And the fact that the AM2R team included power grip as an default option to turn off in the game is even funnier
But in Zero Mission Samus can grab ledges from the get go in Full suit
@@JAGtheTrekkieGEMINI1701 zero mission introduces the power grip which is what allows her to grab ledges with her power suit
@@59hawks Which she does not HAVE all of the sudden in chronological later Games like Metroid 2 and Super Metroid ofc... One of the few Flaws Zero Mission has when it comes to the Metroid Lore
@JAGtheTrekkieGEMINI1701 I'd argue she winds up keeping the power grip uprgrade alongside a couple missile expansions for Samus Returns (3ds) but winds up getting rid of it in subsequent games lore/timeline wise, Which still works, even if it's a bit silly
You overlooked one of the biggest hints that Samus is weaker than she's ever been at this point: in 1, she holds her arm cannon forward. In 2 and Super, she actually lays her hand over top of the cannon, presumably to dampen the recoil. In 4, *_she's hunched over and cradling the cannon with her off-hand as if it's too heavy to carry otherwise._*
Also, at 5:30, watch when the lift stops. Samus usually stands dead-still on those lifts, even when they aren't in motion. When it stops, she starts _visibly hyperventilating because she _*_knows_*_ SA-X is behind it._
I'm pretty sure the animation of Samus' sprite when the lift stops is actually just her normal idle animation that you would also see after saving or exiting her ship. You're right about how she carries her cannon though; I never noticed before that it's distinctly different from in previous games and even from the SA-X's posture - the SA-X is practically using the cannon to rest her other arm on top of, while Samus is clearly cradling it. A crazy amount of detail went into the visuals and atmosphere of this game.
Since fusion is my second favorite entry on the franchise, i had high hopes for this one, and my dude, you delivered. Awesome video as always sir. Fun fact: Due to Samus now having metroid DNA, the SA-X trys to dispose of her with the same method Samus used in order to kill the metroid larvas (Ice beam + Super missile)
Thank you very much for the kind words! And that's a subtlety I didn't even think of when playing the game, there's so much attention to detail!
What’s your 1st favorite entry in the series?
But the SA-X never used Ice Beam against me...
@@JAGtheTrekkieGEMINI1701 Yes it did. Every shot the SA-X fires at the character is an Ice Beam shot. You can hear the hissy, chilly noise of it with every shot, and you get frozen when hit until the Varia suit.
@@Anonie324 Then this only occurs during the First Encounter with the SA-X which is *Easily* avoidable and does Not Matter in the 2 upcoming fights at all.
Some the things that make it one are:
1. The main antagonistic force, what it is, and what it can do.
2. The atmosphere.
3. The fact that you’re not the only one on the hunt.
Now that Dread is out, damn they improved on the sense of horror from Fusion. The problem with Fusion is that there were few encounters with the X parasites. But in Dread, with the EMMI, the same concept is used again, but cranked to eleven.
Interesting to hear! It's probably one of my favourite aspects about Fusion, so hearing the improvements in your mind is making me really want to start playing it
Not only that, the SA-X might be terrifying, but in the words of Foghorn Leghorn, it's "about as sharp as a bowling ball."
basically every single enemy in fusion was an x parasite
@@yourehereforthatarentyou That's the main reason why I was horrified to learn that... [SPOILERS]
...the X parasites still existed on planet ZDR. How quickly they overran the entire planet was a huge shock to me.
TBH Metroid is basically a horror series where the protagonist is capable instead of defenseless. You're meant to sense fear and overcome it... But the EMMI is probably the most overtly disturbing thing I've seen in a first party Nintendo game.
Wario Land and Metroid were sister series back in the day. Both developed by R&D1, they shared many staff and design concepts. Wario Land is much more of an exploratory platformer series than you might suspect.
Interesting to know! That explains a lot in retrospect, thank you for the information
I think fusion also uses a modified Wario land engine
Damn I just posted that reply and someone already liked it, people are quick
Not gonna lie - my kid-self back then thought that the SA-X's nose at 4:36 was their mouth. And it made the SA-X even scarier looking, lol
Holy shit 🤣
Yea, this is byfar the scariest metroid game.
Been loving this series so far!
Absolutely, makes me wonder if Dread will be in a similar vein!
Thank you so much!
@@LukerYT you were right
@Wade Watts Metroid Fusion is just terrifying because of the story itself. Samus is facing her clone (SA-X) who's not just as skilled as her but has her strongest equipment and armor compared to her. Also it is much more terrifying in the later stage when she discovered that SA-X can reproduce asexually. Meaning that there are more than 10 SA-X roaming the spaceship.
@Wade Watts I'm not sure if it is called a horror games. But if you really understand the story of Metroid Fusion it is just terrifying because of the enemies she is about to fight against. Even Samus herself is scared at the beginning. Metroid Fusion is more like a Mystery game.
It's not remotely scary. You need to play some ACTUAL scary games and stop hyping this thing up.
The one thing that also makes Metroid Fusion is its sound design, i'm surprised your praises for Neo Ridley did not include his horrendously monstruous screeching roar. It's the type of iconic horror element that sticks out in people's minds.
It stuck in Samus's, that's for sure. I mean, at this point, taking Zero Mission as canon, she's killed (or killed a perfect clone of) the sadistic space dragon who murdered her parents *_six freaking times._*
[OTHER M SPOILERS...]
The people who give her shit for freezing up when she fought another member of his species are the definition of tone-deaf. If anyone has any reason to have Ridley as a PTSD trigger, it's Samus.
@@CoralCopperHead The problem with Other M is that she's fought so many copies of this stupid space dragon at this point that it makes no sense for her to freeze up in this encounter. Honestly, a lot of Other M would make way more sense if it was set way earlier in the timeline.
Metroid Fusion has always been my favorite game in the series despite how railroaded the "exploration" is, and that is mainly because the atmosphere is just so... damn... good. You feel uncomfortable and unsafe constantly in this game and every aspect of the atmosphere feeds into this. My favorite example has to be the introduction of the Nightmare and how that wonderful abomination is handled. The fight itself is a little clunky and pretty difficult, but the buildup to that thing is amazing. The SA-X is great too and eventually being able to actually fight it is a phenomenal feeling, not to mention how it saves you afterwards and you're left to wonder if it was just tunnel visioned on killing the Metroid, if it maybe thought it could kill both of you, or if it decided "the enemy of my enemy..." and intentionally protected Samus to ensure SHE could beat the metroid. Still though, there's something special to me about how Nightmare is built up as a complete mystery you know very little about until minutes before you fight it, and even that really doesn't prepare you for the uniquely surprising and uncomfortable experience you're gonna have with that thing.
very based ending. loved fusion. expected it to be bad when i played it since when i first got into metroid, all i heard was how bad fusion was and that it was the worst in the series. one of the top metroid games to me.
Hell yeah 🏳️⚧️
I was really floored by it too, didn't necessarily expect it to be bad, but didn't expect it to be up there as a top game in the franchise. Honestly looking forward to playing it again in the future!
Fusion was my first Metroid game growing up and yeah, the SA-X was pretty scary, but also one of the things that scared me the most was the shadow of the Nightmare you can see in one of the first rooms in sector 5. You see this a few times before knowing what it is, that was terrifying for me
Personal headcanon; the reason she can grab ledges in Fusion is cuz she’s not wearing her huge and heavy powersuit (since it was amputated). Now she’s a lot lighter, and able to actually hold herself on a ledge. This tracks well in Zero Mission and Dread, where she needs an upgrade (the Power Grip) to grab ledges in the former and doesn’t in the latter
Well done sir. I suggest writing on your spare time if you ever get inspired. Good luck and pitch it to as many producers/people of influence as you meet and youre golden sir.
@@Creator_Veeto_PAEACP I do write in my spare time actually :D
i love when Metroid leans more into its Horror aspects, i think people forget or probably dont know one of its inspirations was Alien, which is also my favorite film franchise
I was pretty excited to see you had uploaded your newest Metroid review!
Fusion was the first Metroid game I played and beat all on my own, so it’s got a special place in my heart. I remember being so scared the SA-X might show up and destroy me at any moment, and after the secret lab is destroyed and Adam tells you there’s more, I was genuinely too scared to keep playing for at least a month.
As for your next project, Zero Mission, I’d say it’s probably the best remake for a game I’ve ever played. It’s a treat. Definitely looking forward to your review of that.
Thank you so much! I'm glad you were excited :)
SA-X was amazing for sure, definitely defines the game's tone and atmosphere, which was already great. Going to be interesting to see if any Metroid enemy can top it for me, but that seems like an insurmountable bar to me!
And high praise for sure! I think the 2002 Resident Evil remake is possibly my favourite game ever, but having played Zero Mission past Kraid, I definitely think it can live up to the moniker of an amazing remake!
F in the chat for Jerry's marriage, I hope he finds solace in his oregano farming.
I really liked fusion myself, even if some of the railroading makes actually getting 100% softlocked at times. The story however captured me quite well. It's like...after 3 games of samus going "metroids bad", regardless of the baby, she finally finds why they exist, in the painful way of getting attacked by it, and saved by that which she was instructed to kill. And then fittingly, those who instructed her turned out to be doing like the space pirates and secretly experimenting on metroids as weapons! The narration in repeated playings feels so...painful, since you now know the truth. The horror is that you are a metroid, SA-X is now just like you when you played the original 3 games, and those who you listened to in this trying situation are barely better than the sentient antagonists of 1 and 3. Just...wow.
Also, I think it's very fair that the power grip skill took so long. Pulling yourself up like that isn't easy! Especially wearing armor!
His passion for herbs & spices are the only thing helping him through this trying time (As well as turning on the notification bell)
This whole subtext behind Fusion as an analogy for Samus in the first three games is so expertly put I'm very annoyed at myself for not being able to appreciate it in the video :P This alone has boosted Fusion by like, half a point on its own in my estimations. It's going to make the ranking at the end of the retrospective very tough!
1:42 Fun Fact: Metroid Fusion actually runs on the same engine Wario Land 4 does. Easiest place to see this is the debug room for Fusion, as it uses Wario Land 4 assets.
EXCELLENT ANALYSIS. Horror elements have always been in the background of Metroid since the first game.
But Metroid Fusion brought them to the forefront in the most MAJOR way possible!
I like how you frame Samus Aran as the Space Hunter now becoming the Space HUNTED via Samus Aran-X.
Samus NOW knows what it feels like to be one of the creatures against her when she is exploring those worlds.
Samus Aran is known to be OP, OverPowered. So how do you face an OverPowered foe who is literally just like you?
Metroid Fusion was just a masterpiece & an excellent followup to the legendary Super Metroid.
NO WONDER it took nearly 19 years to create Metroid Dread which is Metroid 5 after Metroid Fusion as Metroid 4.
They wanted to carry Metroid's Horror elements forward with Samus as the HUNTED once again.
Fusion being my first game in the series I could play growing up that scared me and was fun. The video was amazing and well done.
I can imagine how horrifying this would've been for me to make it through as a child, I struggled at 22 lmao
Glad you enjoyed the game, and thank you so much!
I would honestly call the Omega Metroid boss fight a victory lap of sorts for the game. Like, you just defeated the thing that's been tormenting you the entire game, now this giant beast stands in your way and some would call it an underwhelming fight but I would call it perfect. It's a giant, powerful beast that came out of nowhere and immediately gets you down to 1hp. The SA-X inadvertently helps you by giving you access to the ice beam and showing you how to defeat it, where the fight turns into you curb-stomping it like it just did to you. It also highlights two facts about the game. First of all the SA-X has yet to realize its full potential all the way to the end, if it had, it wouldn't have lost to us or that Omega. Second, it shows you that you're not weak anymore, you don't have to run from this thing like you did against the SA-X, instead you can just beat it here and now.
Fusion is pretty much John Carpenter's The Thing, the X Parasite being The Thing. The Thing is imo by far the most terrifying fictional monster created.
In Dread, the E.M.M.I. is practically an Alien Xenomorph combined with a T-800 Model 101 Terminator. Moves, attacks and hunts like the Alien, constructed like a Terminator.
Few things in games have given me the same level of heart attack as dropping down from that ledge right in front of the SA-X and having to run for your life. This is still one of my favorite games I've ever played.
I've always regarded Metroid Fusion as one of the most colorful horror games ever. And I don't mean any disrespect in saying this -- the vibrant graphics do not detract at all from the sense of dread (no pun intended) that the story and atmosphere provides.'
People decry Fusion for being linear, but -- having played it before Super myself -- I feel that it's excellent, just in a different way. Heck, part of the narrative and atmosphere of Fusion is actually directly related to that linearity of plot breaking down the further you get into the game! It's like, sure, Samus is shoved into this very narrowly-controlled mission structure that honestly kinda chafes on everyone, but then...everything starts to fall apart, the mission, the sense of order, even the space station itself...and that's when her sense for autonomy, exploration, and survival really kicks in and saves the day.
0:00
Action/Adventure, 2D/3D Platformer, First/Third Person Shooter, and Puzzle.
Really glad you've decided to give Metroid 1 another chance via Zero Mission. It does a really good job at bringing Metroid 1 in line with the rest of the series.
As for Fusion, when I first heard about it's premise and saw the Fusion Suit, I had my doubts about the game. That SA-X reveal washed all of those away. It's one of my (admittedly many) all time favorite moments in gaming.
Unfortunately for NEStroid it'll likely be at the bottom of the list when I rank all the games, but Zero Mission will definitely be geared to the top!
For sure, Fusion surprised me in the best way possible and I could only ever recommend it to others for the gameplay style & SA-X.
3:51
“I am not in a facility full of robots! YOU are all trapped in here with ME!”
Don’t all Metroid games kind of have an undertone of horror? That’s always been pretty obvious to me.
I was looking forward to this !
I recommend you do videos on the Kirby games, you may really like them :)
Ooo, that's a good shout! I've definitely got a few ideas for my next retrospective I plan on doing, but Kirby could be a future choice to go through
Metroid Fusion was the second metroid game i played but it was the first one i completed. From my perspective, Metroid Fusion is one of the best metroid game to start with if you have never played a metroid game before. It is linear, yes, but still it conserves the exploration part of Metroid that everybody loves. Og Metroid is way too difficult, Metroid 2 is linear but still i dont recommend playing it if it is your first Metroid game, Super Metroid is too cryptid and people can get lost if they dont know what are they doing, and the Prime series are a way different from a 2D metroid game. So if people want to get started in the Metroid Franchise i personally recommend Metroid Fusion or Metroid: Zero Mission (Becuase zero mission helps with the issues the og Metroid game had)
As always great video Luker, keep it up man! One day you will have 1 M subscribers, and seeing how well done your videos are, that day might come sooner than you think!
I would say, as of right now, Fusion is probably my favourite game of the franchise (I'm partially through Zero Mission so far) - it rotates between Super and Fusion, but there's so much to the latter that I love that I think when I rank all of the games, it's going to be very close at the top.
Thank you incredibly for the kind words! And haha maybe one day, who knows! Fingers crossed and will keep at it :D
Kinda lame how Nintendo rather put Dark Samus in Super Smash Bros. over the SA-X which is a more formidable character.
@@VOAN Not only that, they gave Dark Samus 100% the exact same moveset as Samus, instead of giving her her own unique moves.
If they were going for a gameplay clone as well, they might as well have picked the SA-X, who's a perfect copy of Super Metroid Samus!
I am not old enough to have played these games as a young person, so I played 1, super, fusion, and zero mission pretty closely together. I love fusion as well, and really agree with most of what you said. I felt hinted by SA-X the whole time, and I was always nervous it was gonna just show up and kill me. I also do love the control of samus, though not as much as in super, but that's from a speedrunning perspective where there are SO many movement tricks. Overall, I like the story and atmosphere of fusion better, the sound design and art is really fitting, but I think in terms of just pure gameplay and movement, super takes the cake for me.
I feel like 1 of the most underrated aspects of fusion is the sound design. The missile and beam sound effects are so satisfying, and the bosses and enemies have great sound design as well
Fusion~~ My introduction to the series and apparently to your videos too. The editing here is pretty great and I do like how clean everything is. Also humor, humor is great~
I really like Fusion and honestly if I was a gamer I'd like the fact of having a target or a specific objective to complete. Fusion does this brilliantly like you said. You're given a task but other than that, you're going to have to figure it out yourself. I feel like the community might not like Fusion as a whole because they focus more on the fact that there's an order of events happening. Every game probably has a few 'do A to make B possible/reachable' kinds of moments, but there's no hints on how you are to actually get through these. People like Super a lot because of the freedom - but for a first time blind player it's going to be a mess of going to places, having no idea what to do, being lost and you might get frustrated by wondering if you're supposed to be somewhere or not. I do enjoy watching speedruns of the game, but Super really is something for people who are already fans and know what to expect - or have watched other people play a bunch of times already. It makes for a more interesting Speedrun when you have a lot of choices on your route (until everything has been optimized to the T) though
I really love Fusion though, especially the bosses. They're challenging but doable, you feel good for beating them and I love 'em~
And obviously the horror elements. Sound design, SA-X, elevator jamming, X taking over the whole station... Yep. I love me some storytelling and this one had me at the edge of my seat some 10-ish years ago when I experienced it myself. Good stuff!
Ah thank you so much for the kind words! I really appreciate them
I fully agree, Fusion's playstyle of coordinating where you need to be going (at least in the beginning) in conjunction with the non-linear exploration of the station zones is the perfect blend for me in enjoying the experience. I had to stop and evaluate where I was online or what I needed to do for every game before this (and I've been doing the same with Samus Returns too) whereas Fusion was a much more forigiving expereience that didn't mitigate what I enjoyed about the Metroid formula.
Same with the bosses! I loved the Nightmare fight a lot, and the final confrontation with SA-X was a lovely barmoeter for how far you'd progressed as a player. The elements of Fusion I love make me very intrigued to play Dread!
Glad I could help support Jerry through his marital problems, furthermore, I'm glad you loved Fusion! :)
Thanks for all the supportive comments! It's much appreciated
I love this game , the developers took risks by doing a more constricted and a more story driven Metroid but they executed it very well in my opinion. And the X parasite and SA-X were good additions to the lore.
love your videos man, im still surprised youre so unknown, this is honestly some top tier editing, hope you get more subscribers~
Thank you so much! I'm glad you think so highly of my stuff, it's incredibly humbling - much appreciated :D
When we were brand new parents, with no money just barely scraping by, and the GBA SP was out of stock EVERYWHERE, my wife somehow hunted down and bought me an SP. She couldn't afford a game to go with it, so she borrowed Metroid Fusion from my brother. She is such an amazing person, and I can't believe that we ended up together. I am a fortunate man. And so, this game holds some very special memories for me.
That's such a sweet story, I'm really glad it has those fond memories for you
looking back on this and Dread I kind of wish they leaned a little more heavily into the horror element, for example instead of having X or EMMI stuck searching in one small area make it so that they persistently are searching for you through the entire map with only save/ammo rooms unable to enter
Naw that's too much
@@mbii7667 I know, but it’s a nice thought
I understand this thought and think it could be a cool idea, but the problem is that Metroid games, especially 2D ones, have areas that are too small to maneuver away from an enemy that's at least as fast as you are and to truly lose them.
If you want a game like that, I would suggest Rain World. It doesn't have one big enemy following you around, but it's a game with a living ecosystem where you are a creature on the low end of the food chain and predators are ALWAYS moving even when off-screen. They will hunt other creatures and not just you, but it does provide that feeling of constant threat you might be interested in.
ok- the fact that this is 1 year ago, before you even had 500 subs is crazy with how well done the video is.
Another great video!
Next up is Zero Mission, my personal favorite! I wonder if you were already aware of its additions to the original? Hope you weren't spoiled yet!
Thank you so much! I've just gotten past Kraid in Zero Mission & went into the game relatively spoiler free, know nothing much beyond that but I'm liking what I've played so far!
@@LukerYT Glad to hear it. Have fun!
4:44
This always makes me laugh because of the implication that recently used elevators are just straight up holes in the ground, falling hazards.
I had this video saved in my “Watch Later” for months until I played the game. As you stayed in your review, this is an excellent game.
I just finished Fusion and tbh it *dissapointed* me. The SA-X had by far the greatest potential but her *ACTUAL* screentime was way to low!! I expected something like the *Nemesis* from OG RE3, but there was almost no "stalking" in the Game.. No real *FEAR* 😑
I remember I was working at EB Games when this game came out, and describing it as a horror game was exactly how I described it to customers. I snagged it at launch and was floored with just how creepy it really felt - the helplessness of something infinitely stronger was a delightful twist.
Have never clicked so fast. Really glad you enjoyed the game , I think it gets a bit too much shit for tweaking the formula . Great video as always man , I really think this Chanel has a bright future , keep it up.
I'm incredbly flattered man, thank you so much! If Fusion gets a bad rep I'd certainly be surprised by it, because it genuinely might be my favourite so far!
That's incredibly kind of you to say, thank you!
Metroid Fusion is one of my favorites, only makes me even more excited for Dread!
A long ways away to playing it on my list, but I'm really looking forward to it too!
Dude, I have been waiting for a sequel to Metroid fusion for the last 19 years! My excitement for this game cannot be contained
I've heard that you never forget how you first feel about something. Well, that intro scene with the SA-X to me was legit jarring and spooky and gave me a pang of anxiety with that quick cut to how dead and evil it looked. And I was 19 at the time.
Fusion is my favorite because for what it lacks in exploration, they use the game and narrative to craft a gripping story that makes you want to finish it.
It's great that Samus grabbing platforms was brought back in future 2D Metroid games, namely Zero Mission, Samus Returns and Dread.
6:10 i like the detail of the double click for the super missle when the door is destroyed
such nostalgia omg... i always felt empty at the ending ost when those green and blue creatures pop up on the screen, its was such a terribly good experience for me as a kid. Thats one game that will be always in my heart, i hope i can share that experience with those i love hehe.
Great vid on one of my favorite games. The nightmare is my personal favorite boss in all of metroid because of it's build-up. It literally demolishes an entire sector before you finally face it.
One of the greatest things for me about this game was the sound design and the music. The bass boosted explosion sound effects are so cathartic. Gives a real sense of power behind the explosions.
Ive probably raved a fair few times to Serris/Yakuza's theme.
To hear "Sax" instead of "SA-X" really makes the game less tense in retrospect. I mean, even less than knowing the scripting and AI are so limited that it's only a threat when intentionally not hiding. Makes me imagine it just playing jazz music while going through the station.
I have since regretted the way I pronounced SA-X in this video for the many different ways people now interpret it as a villain aha
look up "yakety sa-x"
I can only hope to love in a world where Metroid Fusion is remade in either a 3rd or 1st person perspective, where Sa-X stalks in similar manner to the Xenomorph in Alien Isolation.
Metroid fusion is my favorite entry in the franchise. But I don't think it's horror, it's just a cool game. But if you look at it in this video's perspective, It's horror
You’re almost at 5k subs. Congrats. Just subbed myself.
Hope you go over the Prime Trilogy. The Remaster of Prime was great.
I don't mind hearing you gush over this game. It truly is a Masterpiece! It's easily my favorite 2D Metroid game even beating out Super Metroid imo!
It's quite similar to that title but is just better in every way, including the story beats which I felt were the thing that brought it over the top for me! Very surprising to hear that you didn't like the story beats as that was my favorite part about the game! I absolutely LOVED the interactions with ADAM!
0:38 I got caught off guard by the Minecraft hurt sound.
This is a great video, excited to see what else you’re working on
Thank you so much! I've unfortunately hit a wall with video progress and ideas so I'm not fully sure what'll come next, but I'll be working on stuff!
@@LukerYT take your time + good luck
My first metroid, I was also 5 at the time. I love this game to death. I also loved the story, and shit my pants several times
Most kids are potty trained by the time they're 5 yo 😅
The first time I played it was on a drive home from denver after my birthday trip to Toys R Us. It was snowy night drive and i had the little lamp and headphones for my gameboy....
The second the cloned SA- X theme plays: chills. So good. Best metroid imo
Funny how Metroid Dread was just around the corner when this was made, that game is scary as heck for a pegi 12 game if you ask me.
I can't believe your video quality, this is incredible. Subbed :)
Edit: Your outro makes me love you even more. Omega based.
The amount of comments I've had w/ the opposite sentiment makes me happy I get ones like this - thanks for the support!
@@LukerYT Haters gonna hate, and of course the jerks are more likely to comment than the good people. Your stuff is awesome, and I think your outro sentiments are perfect! :D
I've had the privilege of playing Metroid Prime & Metroid Fusion. Great Games. And the the fact they just re-released Metroid Zero Mission means a lot of to me.
Metroid Fusion also had a good reason for Samus to not have her upgrades from previous games - the suit had to be removed
I feel like Metroid as a whole has always been subtly horror. With Fusion and now dread it's cranked up much higher, but there's always an eerie darkness within the universe. The Prime trilogy comes to mind when I think of this.
Haven't started the vid and I already agree. This game scary af. Since with the first time where you actually come face to face with the sa-x, i had my sound off, so I didn't hear the steps. I screamed so hard and I've never cursed that much in such a short amount of time before. God, just imagining that makes me shiver.
I subbed immediately upon your opening, and I knew it was a good idea when you used the proper ordering of Japanese names :D
The X parasite reminded me of The Thing. Metroid fusion always gave me the creeps and I loved it.
Fusion still did both horror and environmental storytelling better than most of the other Metroid games, including Dread. In Dread, the EMMI are not scary at all. The game announces exactly when you will have to deal with them by putting them in their own little special areas they can't leave. You always know when an EMMI is coming and dealing with them becomes a chore by the 3rd or 4th one. Now, the SA-X on the other hand, was done so much better. You never know (on your first playthrough) when you will have it appear, you also can't even hurt it for most of the game, so it's something you actually fear showing up. It has all of your old abilities and is so much more powerful than you. The EMMI are annoying obstacles that you just have to juke a little, then destroy one after another to get upgrades, it just isn't nearly as effective OR memorable.
I agree. I understand having the EMMI be limited to certain areas, but those areas not being a surprise is what's disappointing. I think that perhaps having to access the areas they're in via small holes that you can only get through as a morph ball and making it so that they can't go through such small spaces might have worked better than giving them immediately obvious spaces to patrol.
This killed me 9:53 XD. Also, great content as always Luker ;)
Haha glad it hit! Much appreciated for the kind words :D
The music in Fusion is amazing. Again, it reminds me of early 80s synthwave horror music, John Carpenter and Alan Howarath synth music + Metroid tunes.
Funny enough, some players have described the final fight with SA-X to be a bit of a letdown compared to previous encounters, generally due to skill ceiling. Your first run through the final showdown is every bit as tense as evading SA-X has been all this time, but if one plays through multiple times you start to notice how much more margin for error you have in a big arena compared to being hounded down narrow corridors. With the earlier SA-X chases, while there are certainly many videos showing how skilled players can break SA-X's AI in half, for most players the challenge of surviving the scripted SA-X chases levels off more gradually across repeat playthroughs compared to the final fight.
Some could also note how the second phase becoming vastly more predictable and less threatening. As with the final fight with the omega metroid, this makes sense as a final catharsis as the fight turns in Samus' favor, plus thematically it's an excellent callback to the X parasite that started this entire mess (look at its appearance and attack pattern, and you'll realize it's a monstrous chimera of Samus' armor with the hornoad mimic that infected Samus in the intro).
But I can see some players being disappointed in how it doesn't actually blend any of the previous attacks that made SA-X so deadly with its new form. Plus some would probably also argue that the final phase of the game would've been better if you had only a final cathartic stomp of SA-X OR a final cathartic stomp of an omega metroid, not both in quick succession. Interesting overview of the game, in any case!
It's been one week since this video went up. I demand Zero Mission!!! :D Amazing video as always
that outro was pretty based, I may have to watch a few more videos of yours
Just subscribed, enjoyed your perspective. Hope to see more from you. Keep it up
This is also my favorite game, the horror atmosphere is incredible, and Ridley-X is the best of all his aparitions in the franchise
For under 1K subscribers you have excellent editing and writing.
Thank you so much queen, means a lot coming from you! :P
Fun fact: You can use a difficult shinespark chain to skip getting the diffusion missiles, and if you do Adam lauds your skill with the speed booster.
Ah that's sick! I was quite bad at the game so I don't think I'll be getting much praise at all lmao
@@LukerYT fair enough, you should check it out on youtube then, it's a pretty sick easter egg
Very solid video, hope you pick up more subs.
Thank you so much! Very much appreciated
"Everything now pivots around the constant threat of an enemy that will f*ck you up" 😂😂😂😂
Quality content man. Keep at this.
Thank you so much!
Well considering that Metroid Fusion is now in the NSO library, I may need to check it out.
W video,really great high quality nice editing and good commentary .sweet job!
thank you!
i was definitely looking forward to this. fusion is undeniably my favorite game; this one hits all the spots for the mist exquisite gaming orgasm. i could talk about this game forever, it's really a masterpiece and an experience. im so glad you enjoyed it and are giving us these wonderful reviews, they're so much fun! good luck going into zero mission, i urge you to also consider looking into the sequence breaks or how to get some of the best endings. that game is so expansive and well developed it lowkey puts the other games to shame. im very excited to see your thoughts on possibly the best designed metroid game ever
Fusion somehow managed to see the bar set by Super Metroid and launch itself over it, which is quite incredible all things considered. It's a great time I'm very thankful to have played for the first time!
Thanks a bunch for the continued kind words, I'm really glad you're enjoying them! I'm going into Zero Mission with a certain approach for the video style, but I'll make sure to see how 'fragile' it is in the same vein as Super Metroid - really looking to get this next one right!
Fantastic video!!! Great job
Thank you so much!
Every sound effect feels so creepy in this game.
The title of this video is a point I've been making for literal years. The way the tension is built up, and paid off, combined with a heavy feeling of powerlessness right up until the very last moments of the game really lend M:F as a horror game. And that's saying nothing of the body horror that is everything having to do with the X parasite.
Fusion definitely had survival horror elements. SA-X is definitely the Nemesis enemy. I'm not a fan of games where all you can do is run from enemies, but as a storyline mechanic, this works wonderfully.
Dead Space is a great example as well as Resident Evil with being hunted and forced to run and eventually forced to fight a stressful battle.
It's definitely excellent to convey fear. You don't need a, oh I don't know, a cut scene where Samus is screaming and cowering.
i'd argue that RoS is a horror game too, to a degree. it's perfect. play it in the dark alone.
As I'm doing my video on Samus Returns rn I replayed RoS to get a fresher comparison - it's probably the only criticism I has regarding Samus Returns as a remake, because it doesn't get the eerie atmosphere the original does. Interested to replay Dread and compare the 3.
Luker: "What genres come to mind when you think of Metroid?"
Me: "Metroidvania."
Metroid fusion should be called Metroid Dread cuz of the fear it gives to the player and Metroid Dread should be called Metroid Fusion where we see Samus slowly turn into an actual Metroid.
Watched this video a few years ago, finally found it again.
Holz shit, this is a banger!
I don't care what anyone says, Fusion is awesome and one of the best games in the series. I love its horror atmosphere. Also, play Wario Land 4. That game is also amazing. Play Pizza Tower while you're at it, too.
Seeing the SA-X for the first time when this game first came out scared the shit out of me.
bruh this video has really good editing but then i realize that he only has 535 subscribers and i'm like w h a t
Thank you so much! I appreciate the fact people are still watching haha
She also states before getting on the ship that she, herself has a deep fear in her heart..so Samus is scared
8:02 OMG, I literally just played through the whole game doing that >.< *BIG BRAIN, GUYS*
It's so easy to miss! And yet still so obvious as I never used the Y button once haha
@@LukerYT oh yeah? your brain isn't galaxy sized since you didn't play fusion on og hardware.
7:33 you killed me here lmfao 😂
Heyy i'm revisiting the channel. You really deserve more recognition for your videos.
Thank you!