The original Metroid was revolutionary in that it didn't present players with a series of levels or even any objectives more specific than "defeat the enemies and escape." Instead, it dropped the player in a hostile alien labyrinth with nothing but a protective suit and a beam cannon. The only way to progress was to find items that enhanced mobility, vitality, and firepower and reach new areas previously inaccessible. Combat became incidental to this process of exploration. Sequels - as well as the recent run of Castlevania adventure games - introduced plenty of new elements, but this cycle of exploring and collecting is still what makes Metroid, Metroid.

Zero Mission, however, is the purest Metroid since Super Metroid, shunning the 3D environments and first-person perspective of Prime and the obnoxious progress control of Fusion. Purists may complain about the map feature and the sometimes-mandatory hint system (Chozo statues occasionally point the way to your next destination), but the former can be ignored and the latter is much less intrusive than Fusion's computer guidance. The potential for "sequence breaking" - the art of playing out of the intended order by bypassing obstacles in unorthodox ways - returns in ZM. Most barriers have less obvious, more challenging ways around them (I hope you like bomb-jumping), and upon completion, players may be rewarded not only for speed and item collection percentage, but for finishing without many items that initially seem indispensable.

The tradeoff is that ZM's story is simple and straightforward, but most fans of the series won't mind. As in the original, bounty hunter Samus Aran arrives on Zebes intent on eliminating the dangerous Metroid organisms and the space pirates breeding them, specifically Kraid, Ridley, and the Mother Brain. That Samus is female is no longer a surprise, but ZM has a few tricks up its sleeve late in the game. Still, a few gorgeous, dynamic comic-book-style cut scenes flesh out Samus' mission, her past, as well as some loose ends before Prime. Every picture tells a story, and these tell them without prattling on forever and putting in me in a coma like far too many other games.

Even during gameplay sequences, ZM looks and feels like an interactive graphic novel. Color selection is bright and there's a lot of detail to be found, especially in the backgrounds. While this certainly makes for a pretty game, some of the dark and desolate feel of the original game has been lost. Even the geology is different - what used to be a hodgepodge of bricks and rocks making up the first rooms of Brinstar is now a solid, sterile cavern. Still, these are minor complaints against a beautiful game that technically blows Super Metroid out of the water. Aurally, ZM sports a fantastic soundtrack, with remixes from the original stage tracks (Kraid's hideout theme is a true classic), boss fight runes from Super, and a few new compositions here and there. You could even say that this game makes the GBA hardware sing.

Lest my gushing praise lead you to believe that ZM is without flaws, it isn't. It's really easy. Normal mode is easy, hard mode (which is only unlocked after completing normal mode - way to hold our hands, Nintendo) is challenging but rarely frustrating, and I assume easy mode is for people who don't have arms. Even the bosses present little difficulty - none are as tough as Fusion's Nightmare or even Super's Ridley (let's not even compare this Kraid to the original), and my toughest adversaries through all of hard mode were the last two black Space Pirates. ZM is short, too: I clocked in at just over five hours my first time through, and I took my time. This Zebes is bigger than the original, but you'll probably wander around aimlessly a lot less, and although there's a huge new area, it's quite simple and straightforward.

Still, Metroid: Zero Mission doubtlessly deserves a place in your GBA. It's not quite Super Metroid, but it's closer than anything else. Though the adventure is simple and short, there's plenty of opportunity for exploration and timed replay. Hell, even if you're a miserly grumpy old gamer that hates everything new, the original Metroid is on the cart for the first time in portable form, and you won't need any fancy link cables to unlock it. ZM succeeds in rekindling memories of the original while incorporating elements from its sequels and tossing in at least one monster twist of its own, and that's enough to make one of the best remakes I've played.

· · · Anthony Onyrscuk