Life in the video game world is funny sometimes. Metroid fans have had to endure an eight year span without their favorite armor-clad bounty huntress, only to be graced with three new titles in the last fifteen months. Following up the success of 2002's Metroid Fusion, Nintendo is hoping to once again thrill long-time fans with a brand new Metroid adventure for the GameBoy Advance. Although labeling it "brand new" is a bit misleading, since this latest game, entitled Metroid Zero Mission, is essentially a remake of the original 1986 Metroid title. But why a remake? Gamers can play the original NES game as an unlockable bonus in Metroid Prime, but I can see how the game would deter newer players with its lack of mapping and saving capabilities. Thankfully Nintendo has completely overhauled the game for the GameBoy Advance crowd, and I couldn't be happier with the results.

Metroid Zero Mission takes us back to the heavily fortified hideout of the nefarious Space Pirates, Planet Zebes. Here they are conducting experiments with the life-draining parasites called Metroids, and it's up to intergalactic bounty hunter Samus Aran to stop them. The classic story has been augmented with slick new anime-style cutscenes that crop up before and after important events. Samus will start out below the planet's surface in the rocky caverns of Brinstar and will eventually fight her way through fiery Norfair, high-tech Tourian and the heavily-guarded hideouts of the series most imfamous bosses, Kraid and Ridley. Some new areas, most notably the Chozo Ruins, have been added in an attempt to link the storyline with some of the later games. There are also a few surprises in store once you defeat the Mother Brain — but I'll get into that later.

As always, Samus starts out light on equipment and must find a slew of upgrades for her Power Suit in order to complete the adventure. Classic items like the Ice Beam and Hi-Jump boots once again factor heavily into the gameplay, but Nintendo has added a number of newer items that make the game feel more in line with recent titles. Favorites like Super Missiles, Super Bombs, Space Jump and Charge Beam combine to flesh out the game and give it much more depth than before. The Power Grip lets Samus hang from ledges, much like she could do in Fusion, and it proves just as useful here for getting around. Super Metroid's Speed Booster has also been integrated into Zero Mission; finding some of the hidden items requires some wickedly difficult manipulation of its controls. For the most part, the additions feel completely natural if you've played any of the more recent Metroid titles.

The name of the game has forever been exploration and puzzle solving, qualities that Zero Mission delivers in spades. The original Metroid was revolutionary for offering both horizontally and vertically scrolling corridors. Zero Mission retains this classic design philosophy and infuses it with a host of criss-crossing sections, false floors and hidden areas that require deft manipulation of various skills to reach. The confines of Planet Zebes are chock full of cleverly-disguised secrets that Metroid veterans will undoubtedly take great pleasure in uncovering. The game progress much like it always has; certain areas are inaccessible until a particular power-up is found. There is some trial and error and a fair bit of backtracking involved, but Zero Mission minimizes their impact on the overall experience with excellent level flow and evenly-spaced upgrades. It's a very well-designed game from start to finish and strongly adheres to the philosophies that made Metroid a success in the first place.

Playing this latest Metroid adventure should feel very natural for players who have finished Metroid Fusion, since Zero Mission utilizes nearly the exact same control scheme. The basic actions of running, jumping and shooting feel as tight and responsive as ever, and you can even jump while in Morph Ball mode, a nice carry-over from the last game. Blasting baddies is a snap too, whether you're freezing them with the Ice Beam or blowing them to kingdom come with Super Missiles. Like Fusion, you'll use the R button to toggle between beams and missiles; pressing Select will then switch between Missles and Super Missles (or Bombs and Super Bombs if you're in Morph Ball mode). It all works remarkably well given the relatively few buttons on the GameBoy Advance, though I wish I could disable certain items like I could in Super Metroid. I hate using the Ice Beam if I don't have to freeze anything, but that's a minor quibble. Despite the games' complexity, it never feels too cumbersome thanks to great controls.

While the gameplay additions and updated audiovisual elements make Zero Mission worthwhile, it is some of the lower profile features that really make it shine. Gone is the cumbersome password system of yesteryear, replaced instead with the elegant save rooms that have been standard practice since Super Metroid. No longer will you have to scrawl your own map or download one from the Internet, since Zero Mission features that same great auto-mapping system that graced Metroid Fusion. Items you've collected and items you've missed are displayed on the map with icons, ensuring that you'll rarely be left searching for hours on end. And once you finish the game once, your map screen will then be outfitted with a legend that tells you how many items are located in each area, as well as how many you've collected. These features are expected in modern games, and their inclusion in this classic title makes it that much more compelling to play.

Metroid Zero Mission is a great-looking game, and its visuals are so far removed from the original that it would be unfair to compare them. The graphics stack up quite well against the recently-released Metroid Fusion though; they're both bright, colorful games that are a treat for the eyes, and naming a clear winner is almost impossible. The environments you'll explore are all diversely colored and richly-detailed, from the rocky corridors of Brinstar to the glassy spires of Norfair. Parallax scrolling provides an added layer of depth, while some slick transparency effects highlight the discovery of hidden passages. Samus looks great in her classic suit and pulls off a variety of smoothly-animated maneuvers with grace and ease. Enemy design and animation is par for the Metroid course, though some of the boss fights are quite spectacular, with the crown jewel being the Super Metroid-esque battle against a gigantic Kraid that puts the original to shame. Sharp graphics abound in this game, and I really can't name a single fault.

Following the stellar example set by Metroid Fusion, the sound effects and music in Zero Mission are surprisingly excellent. Effects are generally crisp and clean, and usually sound exactly like you think they should. From the buzzing of the Screw Attack to the "screeches" that erupt from vanquished enemies, the sound effects retain that classic Metroid flavor that fans have come to love. The music is great as well; all of the original tracks have been reworked specifically for the GameBoy Advance hardware and sound quite pleasing. The classic Brinstar theme gave me chills when I first started the game, while the Prime-inspired Chozo themes provide a subtle strand of series continuity. There are even a few segments that make use of interactive soundtracks, though its use is fairly limited. Overall this is another great-sounding Metroid game that you'll definitely want to play with your headphones on.

This is a fantastic title overall, and I could only find one minor blemish with which to take exception. It's a bit of a spoiler, so you can skip this paragraph if you haven't finished the game. After defeating the Mother Brain, Zero Mission presents a gigantic new level to explore called Chozidia. What is remarkable is that Samus is initially stripped of her Power Suit and must navigate a ship infested with Space Pirates. She is physically weak and her emergency pistol cannot kill enemies, it can only stun them briefly. Progressing through this segment involves evading patrols and avoiding sentries (which I've dubbed "Metroid Gear Solid"), requiring much more trial and error than you might be accustomed to. With time it becomes less of a nuisance (and you eventually get your suit back), but I wish Nintendo had chosen an earlier juncture to introduce such radically different gameplay.

On the positive side though, this stretch of the game does allow you to play as a jumpsuit-clad Samus, her blonde ponytail flapping wildly behind her. She looks exceptionally cool and I must admit that it's a lot of fun to play as her without the bulky suit. And I really can't complain too loudly, because the developers address the most annoying drawback of the previous game. Specifically, Zero Mission is a lot less restrictive in terms of how you progress through the game. You are given hints about where to go next, but it's nowhere near as heavy-handed as it was in Metroid Fusion. Certain Chozo statues will, when activated, provide you with a hint about what your next objective should be. But there are plenty of places where you can do a little "sequence breaking" if you so desire. The game brings back that feeling of being lost on an alien planet with no one to help you. In short, it's classic Metroid.

Metroid Zero Mission is a fitting tribute to an historically significant game, and its scores of improvements serve to remind us just how far game design has progressed in the past eighteen years. Nintendo has overhauled the game to such a degree that it's hard to call it the same game. The gameplay additions feel right at home and may make you wonder how you ever played Metroid without them. Aside from the excellent controls and audiovisual elements, Zero Mission embodies all of the qualities I desire in a game these days: it's compelling, it's short, and it's highly-replayable. But most importantly, the game is just flat out fun to play. Spelunking around alien caverns with Samus just never gets old, and I'm glad Nintendo has invested such time and effort into making Metroid a first-rate franchise. This game gets an emphatic recommendation from me, whether you're a Metroid fan or not. Don't miss it.