Metroid Musing: Does Metroid Zero Mission Capture the Spirit of the Original’s Atmosphere?

In 2004, Nintendo released Metroid Zero Mission, which was not only a remake of the first Metroid game on the NES, but served as a drastic reimagining of the game, making some entire sections completely unrecognizable. For a game like Metroid (NES), it might be considered a plus, with it’s vast repeating rooms often being a point of contempt for new players especially, and adding vibrancy to those rooms would definitely be a plus. That being said, there is one change that might have taken a turn for the worse when compared to the original; the game’s atmosphere. In particular, the change in atmosphere seems to be centered in two primary areas: the color scheme and the music.

While art is, of course, subjective, and one can have their preferences over which game overall is better, Zero Mission undeniably has a brighter color palette, with no solid black backgrounds to speak of (which served for 99% of the original) throughout the entire game. Paired with the overall brighter colors used in the foreground, the added background elements eliminate much of the feeling of the unknown the original had (at least to me).

The music, on the other hand, is a bit more subjective than art. Music can sound “creepy” or “joyful,” but those interpretations will vary much more from person to person when compared to colors (for example, black is a universal sign that is seen as dark and bad while white is seen as light and good). Personally, of little fault of Zero Mission’s own, the GBA sound chip could be somewhat at fault, making the music much more standout and attention grabbing, especially when not played on the original intended GBA speakers.

Ultimately, however, Metroid Zero Mission still has a strong atmosphere, where even if it is not as tense, it still captures the feelings of isolation and adventure well, something perfect for Samus’ first recorded solo hunt. But, what do you think about this? Is Zero Mission’s take something you greatly prefer to the original, or does it leave an unenjoyable taste in your mouth that makes you want to play the original more than anything? Let us know in the comments below, or come talk about it with us on our socials!

SZ

Hey everyone! You can call me SZ or Pikmineer; both are good! I’ve been a Metroid fan since 2019, and my first game in the series was, surprisingly Metroid on NES! What started as just playing a random NES game in the middle of the night turned into my favorite media franchise… crazy how those things happen!

I’m a lover of all things fiction; whether it’s a good book, an intense game, or the newest anime, you can bet I’m looking forward to it. My favorite franchises are Metroid (obviously), Pikmin (obviously), and Persona!