Soapbox features allow our writers and individual contributors to express their thoughts on hot topics and random things they’ve been chewing on. Today, Nili ponders whether or not the time has come to press the (back) button…
Last month, Nintendo announced that it was adding Metroid: Zero Mission to the Nintendo Switch Online service. For me, this was the impetus to tackle a major chore in my remaining work: finishing all the 2D Metroid games. With Zero Mission, a 2004 Game Boy Advance remake of the 1986 original, being the first canonical entry in the series, it’s a perfect starting point.
I have long had access to the game on original hardware, but have been looking for an NSO version for features such as save states and rollbacks. After completing my game program, I’ve come up with one key tip that judicious use of the Rewind feature will ultimately make you a better player – or at least a more satisfied player.
I’ll preface this by admitting that my skills as a gamer are pretty modest. No other Nintendo series manages to consistently humble me the way Metroid does. That said, it’s also done more to raise my skill ceiling than anything else. When I recently faced one of the series’ most iconic opponents, I was left with two options: press the back button or get well.
Of course I’m referring to Mother Brain, the cycloptic super-computer and final boss encounter of the original Metroid. Because Zero Mission includes an excellent epilogue section that takes place after this fight, the big brain serves as the penultimate boss of the remake, but it’s still the game’s hardest encounter so far. Some even argue that it is an unfair war.
a part of me felt that I really had no right to continue the game knowing how much I had tried that climactic battle
Set in the depths of Tourian, the battle takes place on two small platforms suspended over a seething pool of lava, with Samus constantly bombarded by turrets, circular projectiles, and the mother brain itself that emits a blast of energy from her eye. alone. The single-screen playing field is claustrophobic, and almost every hit will knock you into the health-poor lava below.
Up until this point, the game had served up some relatively difficult boss fights that I was able to beat within a handful of tries or even on my first try. But Mother Brain turns things up to 11 and it’s really frustrating, with the incoming fire attack making it hard to position yourself to attack with Samus constantly being tossed around like a puppet.
While searching for strategies for the battle, I looked in a YouTube comment section and saw that I wasn’t the only one feeling stuck and demoralized. “I literally just play ping pong until I die,” wrote one. “This boss design is terrible… It’s not fun, it’s frustrating,” cried another. “This fight is my only complaint in this game.”
So far I hadn’t used the Rewind feature much in my games, except for a broken platformer entry here or there. I’m not a purist, and I generally have no qualms with save states or resuming the game, especially if it makes a historically significant game more accessible. So, I chose to hit rewind quite often during Mother Boss to undo my mistakes and even odds.
When I eventually hit it and progressed through the story, however, a part of me felt that I really had no right to continue the game knowing how much I had tried that climactic battle. As curious as I was about the epilogue, which leans heavily into the stealth game as Samus dons her Zero Suit, I felt compelled to go back and overcome Mother Brain with skill alone.
So, I loaded up my save state and went back through Zebe, collecting any electricity and energy reserves I had lost. Even then, the war effort brought defeat after defeat. But as I continued, I noticed that I was getting closer to my goal by staying longer in the fight. After a coffee break (I always play better when caffeinated) I finally got it down.
(If you’re interested, in order to defeat the mother brain, you’ll need to crouch down and put super rockets and regular rockets into her eye. Use the ice croup and screw attack against the circular projectiles while jumping between the two platforms .If you fall, try to grab the side of the platform to avoid falling into the lava (Pressing up while jumping makes it easier to get out of the lava pool.)
For me, this was no longer an empty victory, but a victory that felt earned. I continued my game with a sense of satisfaction and soon after finished the game. While I consider Zero Mission to be among Nintendo’s best remakes, it’s still worth asking: Is Mother Brain’s fight a disappointing blemish on a masterful reimagining? So let’s do it:
It’s clear that the original designers needed to get creative with this fight, given that your enemy is an immobile brain in a jar with no appendages, therefore, being shot in all directions. While the controls are much more fluid in Zero Mission than in the NES original, the latter’s playing field is more limited and the action is significantly faster.
Another difference is that Mother Brain directly attacks Samus, which she doesn’t do in the NES. While Zero Mission is generally a more accessible experience than the excellent but outdated original, Mother Brain is actually harder to shoot. NES players have been able to defeat Mother Brain without taking damage, a feat I just don’t think is possible in Zero Mission.
But alas, if the fight was a cakewalk, I wouldn’t opine on it here. As we all know, there’s something to be said for tough boss battles that force you to test your mettle and prove your competence. As frustrating as the relentless Mother Brain is, she only manages to remain surmountable without ever letting you forget its punishing trial.
From that perspective, it’s an extremely successful game design. As for the modern convenience of the Rewind feature, I think it should work as a lifesaver for undoing sloppy inputs, but never to the point where it actively diminishes your sense of accomplishment gained from mastering the difficult game through persistence. and great skills – what many of us play games for.
Zero Mission takes a groundbreaking title and elevates it across the board with new areas and bosses, updated visuals and gameplay mechanics, and much more narrative depth. It’s a definitive remake that surpasses the original and has proven to be one of the best entries in the series. So if you’re looking to get into Metroid, don’t be put off by the tough combat.