Metroid Fusion remains the scariest 2D game ever

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If you’re good enough, you only need 240×160 pixels to scare the shit out of players. Released alongside the first Metroid Prime in November 2002, Metroid Fusion marked the long-awaited return of Samus Aran to the 2D action-adventure genre. Something had changed beyond the gorgeous new visuals and gameplay improvements though; Fusion was substantially more hair-raising than its predecessors.

Even Metroid Prime, which launched literally the following day in North America, didn’t manage to capture that same feeling of dread (pun intended) despite its flashy 3D take on Samus’ previously untold misadventures. Time has told us many times that true terror in video games comes from distinct stylistic choices and meticulous game design, things that are often hard to nail down.

The story takes renowned bounty hunter Samus Aran to the planet SR388, where she’s attacked by parasitic organisms known as, simply, X. Her body is recovered and transferred to the Galactic Federation for medical treatment. They cure her with a vaccine made from Metroid cells; it gives her the ability to absorb X nuclei and even gain new powers – but also burdens her with some of the Metroids’ weaknesses. Meanwhile, the Biologic Space Laboratories (BSL) station that was studying her damaged suit goes silent, so off she goes to investigate and save the day.

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