Format: Advance
Genre: Action platformer
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo

Digitized backgrounds and sprites were a real feature of games from the early naughts, especially on Nintendo's little ARM handheld, and they immediately give away Fusion's release era. Coming from Super Metroid, Fusion is of course much lower resolution, and the character is not as well animated-- but many special effects, like glowing light halos and a clean user interface give the game its own personality, and which show off the hardware too.

Everything on the Advance is done through software: there is quite literally no sound or graphics chips! And yet, most games on the platform use a DSP-esque music driver-- Fusion being a case-in-point. The compositions aren't as memorable as those from the first few games, but they are dramatic, make use of minor key in spots, and have excellent percussion samples. The games sound effects are typically iconic Metroid fare.

Fusion uses a similar control scheme to Super, except that all alternative weapon actions are done through firing missiles-- via a hold of the right trigger-- versus select button cycling. Added elements like ladders and ledge grabbing are reminiscent of the handheld "Splinter Cell" titles. The individual areas are as puzzle-like as the game's forebears, but could have been a bit larger, as they are parceled out piecemeal to the player in a totally linear fashion.

The original Metroid was totally free roaming, and it worked due to the small game world. Super Metroid was free roaming, but too big. This title errs to the complete opposite extreme, introducing each area with lengthy dialog sequences-- meaning the game almost plays like one long tutorial! That said, the game is fun in between its hand-holding, while the added horror elements are a nice change of pace from the other series entries: a solid action platformer.