85%Emulated

EMERGENCY ORDER

Like this game A LOT, even if it is extremely short.

The music and intro/title custcenes set the stage for the whole franchise. Metroid is a game where you quite literally feel stronger as the game goes on, and not artificially like most other games. The exploration is really fun, and as you go on, you get those classic "Oh, now that I have this upgrade I can go that area I saw earlier."

However, the bosses are not up to par with the rest of the game. They have some of the most gorgeous sprites I've ever seen in gaming, but Ridley and Kraid are nothing but missile-spam fests that will easily go down in about 20 seconds of entering their rooms, and Mother Brain is an insufferable rage-fest of bouncing around the screen and trying not to fall in the lava. There are glowing rings that will bounce you around, as well as heat-seeking missiles that will follow you around, as well as the lava that Samus doesn't want to seem to jump out of, as well as the boss itself attacking you. This boss stuck with me throughout the rest of the game just because of how upsetting it was.

I didn't play the original, but the apparently-new Zero Suit section was... good... The chase sequences can be annoying, especially in the "Oh wow, I definitely didn't get seen but whatever" sense. Sometimes the pirates will just not see you, and sometimes they will, it's all up to RNG, except for the spotlight parts, which are really hard to avoid and require perfectly-timed maneuvers.

Waifu: Zero-Suit Samus
Setting up my emulator I had to hear that intro like 20 times, and it was still cool every time.

95%Game Boy Advance

Amazing

90%Game Boy Advance

First approach to the series. Recommended for everyone that wants to test the mother of the genre. The only issue is that gba doesn't have good sound (hardware issues, not related to the game).

80%Game Boy Advance

Super charming remake of the original game, definitely worth playing. Gameplay is great, looks adorable with the art style. Tough as shit from time to time.

90%Game Boy Advance

I was once again reminded that you really shouldn’t pause a Metroidvania, but in this game it wasn’t a big deal at all. It was a lot of fun, and there’s a really cool twist that only comes in later. Some of the item upgrades were pretty tough to find, but I wasn’t going for 100%, so it didn’t affect my overall experience too much. For a few energy tanks I did have to check a guide, since otherwise I probably wouldn’t have had enough to survive the bosses, where dodging was sometimes really tough. Still, I think the game is just awesome, and after Zero Mission and Fusion I definitely want to play more of the Metroid series!

85%Game Boy Advance

c'est très très très bon, musiques iconiques et tout et tout

85%Nintendo Switch

As someone who had never touched a Metroid game in their life, I decided to give this game a chance and honestly, it surprised me quite a bit.

The first thing that hit me were the graphics. You can tell they put care into every detail and it looks great both on the Switch screen and docked. Visually, it's a pleasure to explore each area.

As for the difficulty, if you play on normal mode it's quite accessible. It's not that it's very easy, but you're not going to pull your hair out in frustration either. Perfect for someone like me who came in without any prior experience with the series.

I played it completely through Switch Online and had zero problems, it runs super smooth and comfortably. No lag or technical issues that would take you out of the experience.

That said, I have to be honest, towards the end I felt like it dragged on a bit too much. Like those final hours felt more like filler than actually necessary content. It's not that it's bad, but after how well the pacing had been going, you could notice a drop-off.

The end result is that I was totally hooked. I'm already looking into what other Metroid games I can get my hands on because I definitely want to keep exploring this series.

85%Game Boy Advance

Muy buen remake. El juego es ligero, vas aprendiendo habilidades a buen ritmo para que sientas que vas mejorando, esto es acompañado con una jugabilidad bastante mejor al primero de la NES. La historia es sencilla y muy digerible. De igual manera el mapa se va abriendo poco a poco para no abrumarte. No te representara un reto muy exigente, es pasable sin estresarse tanto. Es divertido, la música es buena y pegajosa. Visualmente es de lo mejor que hay en la gamma "Pixel Art" como ya nos tiene acostumbrados el GBA. En general lo recomiendo. El puntaje ronda entre el 87.

90%Emulated

Extremely satisfying 2D action goodness. Made me a Metroid fan.

80%Emulated

B+

80%Game Boy Advance

I really liked the exploration during the first part. It felt clever and well designed, and every puzzle discovered felt good. The music is top notch, and the graphics look realy good, while keeping that sense of mistery. Until the first big boss from the first "part" of two it felt really good.

After that you get some stealth sections and those feel quite worse in comparison.They are way more scripted, so they lose that sense of exploration. The ending boss wasn't also that good, so that final quarter of the game was a bit of a let down.

Anyhow, the first three quarters are so good I think this is a really good game. I have played metroid and super metroid before, but none of them to completion, so it felt good finishing one of these. I want to play the rest.

80%Emulated

Overall: 7.6/10 (very good)
Recommended: yes, but as an entry point for the series
Time to complete story+extras: 8 hrs
(Medium play speed, had some hints from a friend)
Genre: 2D action-platformer

Gameplay: 8/10
Story: 7/10
Characters: n/a
Writing: n/a
Graphics: 8/10
Audio: 7.5/10
Settings/UI: good

Score comparison:
HLtB: 8.4/10 (1,145 votes)
Metacritic: 9.1/10 (430)

85%Wii U

The game is really well made and engaging, and would be up to a 9 if area travel was easier (especially in Norfair and Chozodia), the Space Pirates didn’t regenerate, and the game acknowledged map completion / item percentage. Most items were fine but 100% was a pain (would have been awful solo). The game struggled to balance linearity and non-linearity; planning/routing on the player’s part is necessary for an optimal experience.

[Only after getting the power bombs, I used maps, video tutorials and a few restore points to 100%. Everything before that could have been done completely solo and on a cartridge.]

File management is a big flaw. New Game+ features (timer / item count) should be options available from the start. “Time Attack” should be part of every file, not a separate mode. The game’s nonlinearity is appreciated but 100% is evidently not meant for a first playthrough and, in my opinion, shinesparking should only be used for sequence breaking shortcuts and not obscure items as the game is near-impossible to complete without a guide, even with the item counter, and the game never teaches shinesparking. (Perhaps the full map should be unlocked by returning to map rooms with the power bombs to make the endgame smoother.)

85%Game Boy Advance

A good introduction to the Metroid series.

The game throws at you continuous upgrades and challanges, which is stimulating. The battle with Mother Brain sucks though, is so difficult that feels detached with the rest of the game. Luckily is followed by the section on the space pirates ship, thr true highlight of the game.

A great way to update s classic that didn't stand the test of time.

90%Linux

This game was fantastic. Starting out, the game gives a great first impression, people were right about this being one of the easiest games in the series. I mean, I've only played Super Metroid about a month ago and I've attempted the original Metroid in the past and failed due to it's painful difficulty, but this game at the start SCREAMED easy. I do find this a good thing since the point of the game was to be a portable remake of Metroid.

At the beginning, you follow a rather linear path that after not long will lead you to these ancient healing statues (I actually don't know the names of these). Upon turning into the morph ball with the item you retrieved at the beginning of the game, and placing yourself in the statues outstretched hands, the statue will heal you and replenish your ammunition. Your map will then be automatically opened to direct you to the area that you need to go to next; which shows fans that this game is going to be much more linear than previous entries. This hand-holding continues throughout a lot of the game; where you need to explore the areas you are in and find a way to get to the the map marker, which is usually just another statue ready to direct you to the next marker on the map.

The exploration, while not as enjoyable and atmospheric as Super Metroid, is still very enjoyable. However, One of the main problems I have only pops up 3-5 times throughout the game, yet it's still frustrating enough for me to lower the overall rating. It's that thing everyone hates; when they get completely stuck trying to figure out what to do for ages, only to finally give in to looking up a guide. Than when seeing how they were supposed to solve the problem, they think "How in the living heck was I supposed to think of that!", Than they feel disappointed they even had to use a guide in the first place. These things don't pop up as much as in Super Metroid, since Zero Mission is so much shorter of a game, however, in Super Metroid, I tended to be more forgiving of this, since when I finally figured it out, I would realise It was kind-of my fault, since the game had been screaming environmental cues in my face, yet I was dumb enough not to notice them.

In Zero Mission, environmental cues seem to be everywhere in the places where the way forward is otherwise obvious, yet not in the places where they are needed the most. So you're left shooting and blasting every single wall, in every single way you can think of, until you actually have to search it up on the Internet, just to progress in the game. Other than that, The game was absolutely fantastic.

Now moving forward, I will be going into spoiler territory, including one spoiler for Super Metroid. So if you've not played the game yet, I suggest you stop reading here.

The final boss, Mother Brain was... painful to beat for me. The battle worked basically the same as in Super Metroid, where the main danger was being knocked around by all the projectiles being thrown at you. It took me at least 5 attempts to finally beat her, because in Zero Mission, there are so many damn projectiles, that every time I tried getting back up onto the platform to shoot her eye, I would instantly, right before landing on the platform, be knocked straight back down. So essentially the entire process for me was:
Jump up, fall down, jump up, fall down, jump up, get 1 or 2 shots in if I'm lucky, fall down, repeat, repeat, repeat. This is why the boss was so annoying to me.
Than the self destruct emergency timer started and I had to run to the surface and into to my ship as quickly as I possible. When I finally got to my ship, the ending cutscene of the game played.

But that wasn't the end because a group of space Pirates shot Samus back down, and she crash-landed back on the planet, destroying her suit upon landing. This was the major plot-twist that suddenly turned the game into a stealth game where you are extremely vulnerable. The plot-twist wasn't near as effective to me, since I already knew that this happened (although, I thought it was supposed to happen in Metroid: Fusion, not Zero Mission)

This stealth section of the game gave a very good first impression. Being chased by space pirates was a nerve racking change of pace that surprised me, because I expected that I wouldn't experience any chasing until the release of Metroid Dread. The good first impression didn't last long however, because hiding and remaining undetected became overly difficult and inconsistent (I was frustrated at the time with something unrelated to the game, so it may not be as bad as I'm making it out to be).
But I forgave the developers, because after the next boss, I was given the Gravity Suit, and some awesome music kicked in, it made me feel bad ass and let me tear through the space pirates who dared chase me before-hand.

Unfortunately, I've reached the character limit, so I have to cut short here. I enjoyed the remaining minutes of the game and final boss. 8.5

80%Nintendo Switch 2

Toujours un excellent Metroid et une bien meilleure porte d'entrée dans la licence que Metroid premier du nom imo

100%Game Boy Advance

This game hasn't aged a day. One of the best platformers ever created.

Emulated on my phone with iPega RedKnight controller

80%Nintendo Switch 2

Way different than my expectation -- it looks, sounds, and feels exactly like Super Metroid. I came in thinking it was re-skinned Metroid I. So, where I bounced off Samus Returns (a more faithful re-interpretation), I was immediately drawn into Zero Mission. Would recommend to anyone that likes Super Metroid.

Downsides: It's too easy, particularly the bosses. And, as part of that, there are fewer memorable moments. There are a couple, e.g. the noob vines, but only one truly hits.

Upside: And, that one thing is the Zero Suit section. Fun idea for the series, and made me think of Fusion. It's tough to make the stealth actually work, but the overall effect was great.

Overall: Not as strong as Super, Fusion, or Dread, but still well worth playing. I just love this franchise.

80%Nintendo Switch 2

Awesome gba game, amazing graphics, good controls, and a much needed remake for the first Metroid

80%Game Boy Advance

Metroid is such a popular series that it seems like I never got around to playing any of them. Thankfully, Zero Mission makes a VERY good impression from the beginning as it modernizes the OG NES game with better controls and an expanded third act that absolutely showcases the best the game has to offer. It does not however remove some of the bullshit and annoyances, such as the aggravating Metroids and terrible Mother Brain boss fight. It also sometimes doesn't tell you what all your moves are actually capable of and you'll need to know everything if you're going to make it through the entire game. Still, this remake is as polished as I had hoped and features some excellent graphics and interludes between gameplay. I was really impressed how they managed to expand the game, but what's already here is also pretty good in general I felt.

The game is certainly more fast paced. Samus has a faster running speed and it does feature tons of platforming. The platforming isn't perfect, but it can be super satisfying to pull of jumps that feel responsive sometimes. The levels are very expansive and since they've added a map feature, you'll slowly unlock parts of the world to explore. Getting upgrades is satisfying as well and there's few games that really pull of that feeling of becoming more stronger every passing minute. It's not a constant carrots on a stick approach like a lot of games, but rewards come slowly and with patience. No matter what, I felt that the way the game was designed was great, although there are notable problems with it sometimes, especially being in a place you know you need to progress in but are clueless to where you have to progress to get to the point you need to go. You really need to be patient and take a careful look at everything. The music is also pretty good in general, featuring a lot of the classic themes of the old game.

The best part however comes when you infiltrate the Space Pirate Mother Ship as Zero Suit Samus. It features stealth that is surprisingly fast paced thanks to the addition of chase scenes and intense platforming that can really be fun if you mastered the controls and the new setting for the end is really refreshing especially having been in the underground of a planet the entire game. These parts make up the best bits of the game and I wholeheartedly can recommend you deal with all the bullshit like the Metroids and Mother Brain to get to this, because if you don't you're missing out on something awesome.

If you're new to Metroid or Metroidvania like games, this is a great place to start. The difficulty for the most part isn't too overwhelming aside from the Metroids and it still feels modern enough even over 20 years later to really enjoy. I had a pretty nice time with this one so I'll be sure to check out more Metroid games in the future and probably other Metroidvania titles in general.

85%Game Boy Advance

Metroid Zero Mission is a fairly standard Metroidvania game, though that is to be expected, with this being a Remake of the original Metroid. It starts off fairly slow and takes a while for Samus to feel actually good to play, since several of the upgrades you get here are available by default in other Metroid games, such as your shots having range that is longer than 2 meters, or being able to grab on to ledges. By the midgame those issues are solved though and you can explore the planet in mostly any way you want. The OST is good, and so are the controls, being very precise, but not feeling like you need to have studied a degree to get the most out of them like in Super Metroid.
My only major gripe with Zero Mission are the Shinespark "Puzzles". Most of them would be close to impossible to figure out without a guide, and even when using one, the most complicated ones can take you upwards of 30+ minutes to pull off. I already didn't like them in Metroid Fusion, but Zero Mission made them even more obtuse and difficult. Technically they are optional, but if you want to get to 100 % item completion, then you need to do them.
Other than that, I can recommend Zero Mission to just about anyone who likes Metroidvania games. The game doesn't stand out in any particular way, but that's alright.

My personal Metroid Ranking so far:
Fusion > Super Metroid = Zero Mission > Samus Returns

100%Game Boy Advance

Wonderful remake with not only great graphics and QoL improvements, but also with a good amount of new content. Very fun to speedrun!

60%Emulated

Выбранная сложность: средняя.

Плюсы:
- Часто даются улучшения для персонажа
- Хороший пиксель арт
- Интерестное и, главное, вознаграждающее исследование локаций

Минусы:
- Несколько моментов, когда вообще не очевидно, что делать (с лавой, сквозь которую можно пройти, с локацией Ридли, из которой нужно выйти, чтобы пройти дальше и т.д.)
- Против боссов есть всего только одна тактика, которую нужно повторять, пока их не уничтожишь
- После прохождения локации не всегда появлюятся короткие пути, которые бы уменьшили количество бэктрекинга (а его довольно много)

85%Game Boy Advance

Worse Super Metroid (and yes better original Metroid) is still very good

90%Game Boy Advance

Ha envejecido muy bien, es corto y entretenido, creo que es buena forma de empezar en la saga

85%Nintendo Switch

My first time playing a Metroid game. It was pretty good! But I struggled with the bosses a lot (admittedly abused the rewind system a ton) and apparently Zero Mission is the easiest game in the series so maybe I'm not cut out for it.

90%Game Boy Advance

A great game and a great way to start the series as it feels like the baseline of what Metroid should be. I'm very glad I played this instead of the original since this was modernized to remove a lot of jank and has a great GBA aesthetic.

60%Game Boy Advance

Metroid Zero Mission is a remaster of Metroid for the NES. In truth, i tried playing Metroid on NES emulator but the experience was truly horrible. So, Gameplay is a carpal tunnel simulator, since you need to be spamming the attack button all the time (Fortunately, the emulator has a turbo button which autospams the input), and most bosses need a coordinated jump attack which managing enemy projectiles, leading to frustrating bossfights. Truly i repeat for emphasis, the button mashing on this game is excruciating.

On the other hand, Exploration is rewarding, the upgrades are noted on the map with circles so you don't waste time searching. The enemies are also annoying and they respawn every time you enter the room. Well, the upgrades in Metroid: ZM are underwhelming for the most part. You have red rockets and green rockets which open doors and double as a combat option, bombs and mega bombs, a high jump and ledge climb upgrade, heat and acid resistance, water and lava resistance, a jump spin attack and a shitty infinite doublejump.

On the second half of the game, gameplay turns towards stealth since you lose your power suit and only have a pistol with stun ability, which creates an interesting dynamic of stealth, and running away to survive. The story is almost non existent since nothing is explained, there are no item tooltips like darksouls, no info on the walls, just a few and far between cutscenes with monsters.

In the end i played this game to learn more about the Metroidvania genre, one game of which is Hollow Knight, my personal favorite Metroidvania so far. Still, for a 2004 game it certainly was ahead of it's time. I could even envision it being an indie game of todays standards, just not a great one. Very generous 6/10 (Above Average), taking into account it's age.

90%Game Boy Advance

9.1 stars

80%Game Boy Advance

A great way to get into Metroid; sometimes it can be a little confusing, but you can figure it out if you experiment enough.

80%Nintendo Switch

Great game, kind of easy though.

100%Emulated

Excellent remake of the original Metroid, and that part at the end was unexpected but neat.

100%Game Boy Advance

This game rocked! I don't know how I missed Metroidvania games growing up but they are my jam! I'm very much looking forward to the next one!

70%Game Boy Advance

In isolation, it's a great game but as a remake, you start to question things. It throws out what made the original unique even to this day to make a much worse and streamlined Super Metroid. For the visuals, it doesn't really have a nice atmosphere when everything is that bright and colorful. Also, when Samus loses her gear, it wasn't very fun. For a gba game, it's a very snappy game. Just some great game feel. My only problem with the design is that it's lacking in verticality and platforming challenges. I enjoy how it tells its story as well. It gives just enough to keep you interested.

90%Game Boy Advance

90%

90%Game Boy Advance

As someone who always wanted to get into the Metroid series growing up, but couldn't for one reason or another, I believe this was the perfect first Metroid game to have under my belt. Much of the praises I could mention are largely truisms of the Metroidvania genre (great exploration, the feeling of getting stronger with more upgrades, the satisfying boss battles, etc.) but I believe Zero Mission find the perfect middle ground between respecting the original as a retelling of it, while updating the controls and graphics for newcomers without sacrificing the core of what makes the series great. Zero Mission is a fantastic Metroid game that sparked my love for the series.

70%Game Boy Advance

Good game, but I hate the middle boss...

75%Nintendo Switch

My first Metroid game and game in this genre.

It was a mixed bag for me.
The music/sound effects were great.The feeling of your character getting stronger with every upgrade gives a sense of satisfaction.
It gave me a Stargate SG-1 vibe (Including the Egyptian theme) which is of course a plus.

But backtracking to find certain items made me feel like I was going in circles at times.At the end I couldn't motivate myself to search for everything. I finished the game with a save rate of 68% on normal difficulty.

There is a phase where you get stripped of your armor and additional buffs.Sometimes that phase seemed to last too long. But when you get it all back (and more) you appreciate it all the more.

I need to test a few more games from this genre to know what I think about backtracing.

65%Wii U

This is my first time playing a Metroid game and I thought it was pretty decent. Never played the original, but having heard about some of the more difficult aspects of older Metroid titles, I appreciate a number of QoL things such as the maps and the Chozo statues pointing to the next general direction without giving too much away.

Aiming controls could be a little finnicky, and even by the end of the game I couldn't really get used to how massive Samus is on the screen. Music was also a little dull and repetitive. While the game largely holds up, there were a handful of spots where I had no idea what to do next, and after consulting a guide, it was almost always a visual thing that was not clear enough. For example, I could not figure out what I was doing wrong with one boss. After looking it up, the solution was something I had already tried, but didn't notice because the feedback wasn't super clear. Perhaps that's on me.

Otherwise, very enjoyable experience. Not sure what it's like on the Switch, but man I really loved the pause / save state feature on my Wii U. Made some boss fights a lot more tolerable. Very annoyed that Nintendo never allowed users to carry over digital eShop purchases over to NS for titles like this.

85%Game Boy Advance

My first Metroid, what a great game.

95%Game Boy Advance

Can only be exceeded by the original Super Metriod, but this is just as fun and engaging a story. I love the difficulty and the sprites as well. Will be playing again in the future. Top 3 for me in the franchise.

80%Nintendo Switch

oooo la wea buena
Es muy lindo el final
Me encanta q todos los juegos sean igules pero cada uno mejor que el otro

95%Game Boy Advance

This remake improves everything of the OG game, the gameplay, the map, the story, the visuals, and the music, are so much better. I think this is the nice way to introduce yourself to the Metroid franchise.

80%Game Boy Advance

Just a general, all-around satisfying classic Metroid experience. An excellent example of an updated revamp—very, very charming.

80%Game Boy Advance

What a great remaster for the original mission. The new levels are a killer for newbies though.

90%Game Boy Advance

Being the first game chronologically and a beginner friendly entry in the Metroid series, it is very good. The replayability is great, normal mode is a nice entry point and is fairly easy, and if you want more out of it hard mode is a great challenge.

80%Emulated

This game is great except the last third of the game where you are stripped of everything. And then you have to proceed to not get caught and use stealth with nothing to fight back. Something that some modern games who label themselves as survival horror tend to do. Because I guess it's supposed to be scary when you have nothing to fight back with and all you can do is run and hide which to me is more hide and seek simulator not survival horror. But this game in particular is still very good because the whole game isn't like that only towards the end.

90%Game Boy Advance

Great pacing, fun gameplay, enjoyable art style, and music. A must-play.

Completed in 2:54:30 with 59% of collectibles on 03.15.23

90%Game Boy Advance

Taking the original Metroid and giving it Super Metroid controls would be enough to make this a winner. Throwing in a bonus stealth section is just icing on the cake! The one annoying bit is the excessive hand-holding as the Chozo statues tell you exactly where you need to go next.

75%Game Boy Advance

Very fun game.

It's my first ever Metroidvania so part of this review might also be me judging the genre, but that can't really be avoided can it.

I enjoyed a lot of the progression and the natural sense of exploration - I liked how the game would show you something you can't reach shortly before getting a new ability, which would naturally pique your interest and teach you how to use the ability.
I enjoyed the different zones with their unique aesthetics, too.
I loved finding shortcuts and trying to figure out the fastest path towards my objective.

What I didn't like nearly as much, was the last couple of hours. The game becomes significantly more linear, which is a shame. And while I enjoyed the survival horror section where you play without your powerups, it was a bit too difficult in my opinion. I also absolutely hated the Mother Brain boss fight, which was quite clearly designed by an absolute sadist and almost made me throw my console against the wall.

All in all, a very fun experience. Not a "must play" title for everyone, like some classics, but a "highly recommended" one.