METROID 4: METROID FUSION FAQ/WALKTHROUGH Version 1.0 For the Nintendo Game Boy Advance Author: Efrem Orizzonte ============================================================================== COPYRIGHT AND DISCLAIMER ============================================================================== This document is (c)2002 Efrem Orizzonte. It cannot be reproduced, be it partially or entirely, without the author's explicit permission. Publishing of it on any Web site without the author's permission is illegal, as is using it in any form to make profit. This document is for private use only, and it is not to be sold for cash. The author of this document is not an English-speaking person, so please be comprehensive if you find any mistakes in the document. If you have suggestions, corrections, questions, or comments that may be useful and that are pertinent to the subject of this document, please send an e-mail to the following address: efroriz at hotmail dot com You are advised not to send in any spams or advertisements. Whether your contribution is worthy of being added to the document is up to the author's decision. If you contribution is useful, it will be inserted in the subsequent update to the document, and you will be given full credit for it. ============================================================================== INDEX OF CONTENTS ============================================================================== 1. REVISION HISTORY 2. INTRODUCTION 3. SAMUS' SPECIAL MOVES 4. OBSTACLES AND HOW TO RECOGNIZE THEM 5. THE X PARASITES 6. EQUIPMENT 7. HINTS 8. WALKTHROUGH CHAPTER 1 - Bio Signs in BSL CHAPTER 2 - Stabilizing the Atmosphere CHAPTER 3 - Getting More Power CHAPTER 4 - To Serris CHAPTER 5 - The Super Missiles CHAPTER 6 - The Varia Suit CHAPTER 7 - The Ice Missiles CHAPTER 8 - Cooling Down CHAPTER 9 - Survivors CHAPTER 10 - Power Bombs CHAPTER 11 - Breakdown CHAPTER 12 - A Desperate Escape and The Root of the Problem CHAPTER 13 - To Nightmare CHAPTER 14 - Underwater Trip CHAPTER 15 - To Security Robot CHAPTER 16 - Metroids CHAPTER 17 - To Ridley CHAPTER 18 - The SA-X CHAPTER 19 - The End 9. FINAL RANKINGS SCENES 10. FAQS 11. CREDITS ============================================================================== 1. REVISION HISTORY ============================================================================== Version 1.0 [11/18/2002] Guide complete. Plenty of room for improvement though, so feel free to contact me for suggestions. Official Boss names would be very appreciated, even if ripped off official strategy guides ^_^ ============================================================================== 2. INTRODUCTION ============================================================================== This FAQ/Walkthrough was created to help you playing Metroid Fusion for the Game Boy Advance. In this guide you'll find everything the game manual doesn't tell you, so I assume that if you're reading this document, you have a basic knowledge of the game and know at least how to play it and what it is about. Also, I'd like to point out that Metroid Fusion is a great game, and an overly awaited one to say the least. Don't spoil the fun of playing it using this guide until you really need help. If you need to know something that isn't included in the FAQ, contact me - but first, make ABSOLUTELY sure that the info you're looking for is actually unfoundable in this document. I will deliberatley ignore questions about things I have already written. That said, have a good time with the game, and with this FAQ. ============================================================================== 3. SAMUS' SPECIAL MOVES ============================================================================== In order to fully master the various environments that you'll find in the BSL, you have to master Samus' most special moves. Here's a list of the most tricky and useful moves you can perform. WALL JUMP The Wall Jump is only useful in the early parts of the game, but it's good to reach some secret areas when you don't have the Speed Booster or the Space Jump. To perform a Wall Jump, jump diagonally towards a wall, and when you touch the wall, press the D-Pad in the opposite direction. Then, immediately press the A button to kick the wall and jump away from it. This can be done repeatedly between close walls, allowing you to reach some impressive heights. Note that the kick propels you away from the wall, so you can't do a subsequent Wall Jump on the same wall - first, you have to bounce away from another wall. This technique is identical to the move you perform to jump away when you're hanging from a ledge, with the difference that it must be executed rapidly. SUPER JUMP The Super Jump can be performed once you have the Speed Booster. Run until you start flashing, then duck and you'll keep flashing for a few moments. Now, if you stay still and jump, you'll execute a Super Jump. This jump only stops when you hit something concrete, and can break Speed Booster blocks. This move can also be executed in mid-air. SUPER CHARGE Same as above, but you must duck to perform this one. If you duck while flashing and then press Forward + A, Samus will propel herself in that direction until she hits something hard. This move can be performed through adjacent rooms if the doors between the rooms are open. You can also execute a diagonal Super Charge if you hold L or press Up + Left or Right when you press A. Extremely useful to break those blocks preventing you from getting hidden tanks. The Super Charge can be performed in mid-air, too. SPEED BOOST + JUMP With the Speed Booster, run until you start flashing. Now, if you jump into a group of Speed Booster blocks, you'll break through them. CONTINUOUS SPEED BOOST This is very trivky to perform, but can be quite spectacular. If you Super Charge on a slope, you'll regain your Speed Boost and restart running at full speed. This can be done repeatedly on a series of subsequent ledges - you just have to duck to keep the boost effect, then Super Charge on the next slope. BALL JUMP When you are in ball status, you can easily detect hidden passages in walls, provided that no blocks prevent you from accessing the passage. Hug the wall and jump, and keep pressing the A button and the D-Pad towards the wall. If there's a passage through the wall, the ball will keep bouncing where the passage is. DIAGONAL FIRE Hold L and Samus will aim upwards diagonally. If you press Down now, she will aim downwards. Making good use of the L button is extremely important against some Bosses, because it allows you to keep that little more away from your enemy. It's also useful to hit enemies on ceilings, or on lower levels. BOMB JUMP If you're standing on a Bomb as a ball when it explodes, it will make you bounce upwards. Although it's much less effective than it was in Super Metroid, this can also be performed in mid-air to get some more height as a ball. Useful upon a couple of occasions. ============================================================================== 4. OBSTACLES AND HOW TO RECOGNIZE THEM ============================================================================== As in any Metroid game, there are many obstacles in Fusion between you and your goal - whatever that may be. Here's a brief list of what will get in your way in the game. _____ | | BOMB BLOCK: this block can only be broken using a Bomb or a Power | O | Bomb. It will become as shown on the left only after you've already |_____| bombed it. _____ |OOOOO| FALL-THROUGH BLOCK: this block will give way once you step on it. As |OOOOO| soon as you fall below it, it will reform, preventing you from going |_____| back up. You _can_ jump away from one of these blocks, but it's very difficult to do as they give way so quickly. A floor made up of these blocks can be crossed if you use the Speed Booster. Using Bombs or a Power Bomb can reveal where these blocks are located, if any. _____ | | SPEED BOOSTER BLOCK: this block can only be broken with a Super Jump, | < | a Super Charge, or a Speed Boost (and a subsequent jump if the block |_____| is above your running line). Their presence can be revealed using Bombs or a Power Bomb. _____ | ___ | POWER BOMB BLOCK: can only be destroyed using a Power Bomb. |(___)| |_____| _____ | ? | MISSILE BLOCK: this block can only be broken with Missiles. Can be | / \ | revealed using Bombs or a Power Bomb. |_____| _____ | | | SCREW ATTACK BLOCK: this block can only be broken using the Screw | -O- | Attack. Can be revealed using Bombs or a Power Bomb. |__|__| _____ || |_| ONE-WAY GATE: a gate like this has a led that must be hit with your || Beam to open the gate. The led is only on one side of the gate, so to || open a one-way gate you must enter the room on the side where the led is. Once you have the Wave Beam, you'll be able to open these gates even from the opposite side. __ | |) HATCH/DOOR: there are seven types of hatches. | | ) Grey: Security Level 0 hatches. | | ) Blue: Security Level 1 hatches. |__|) Green: Security Level 2 hatches. Yellow: Security Level 3 hatches. Red: Security Level 4 hatches. Shutter: this hatch can only be opened when it's flashing. You usually have to defeat a special monster to do this, or you have to receive instructions from your CO first. Eye: a giant eye blocks the hatch. Defeat it with Missiles to clear the way. \ / TENTACLE BARRIER: this organic barrier comes in three different types \ / and sizes. The first and smallest can be destroyed with three OO Missiles. For the intermediate form you'll need Super Missiles, while OOOO for the biggest barriers Power Bombs are required. OO / \ / \ ============================================================================== 5. THE X PARASITES ============================================================================== The X parasites are everywhere in the BSL, and they come in many flavors. Here's a quick guide to their species. YELLOW X The most common type. Get a yellow X to recover 10 energy points. SMALL BLUE X This is the same size as yellow X. Getting one will add two Missiles to your current amount. Note that this won't actually increase your maximum Missile capacity. RED X Very rare. Usually found after defeating Eye doors, it can also be released by some strong enemies. A red X will replenish most of your energy and weapons reserve. However, it doesn't fully heal you unless you are in decent conditions already. LARGE BLUE X Found in Sector 5 and 6, large blue X are sub-zero X. They will damage you unless you have the Varia Suit. Once you have the Varia Suit, touching one of them will restore 30 of your energy points. EYE-X Eye-X are X that live inside those tranparent, spiky eyes that are sometimes released when you defeat a Boss. They hold one of Samus' special abilities, and will also cure you a little when you get them. CORE-X Core-X are X that live inside the spiky, tranparent spheres that most Bosses release after death. They're the same as Eye-X (actually, Eye-X are Core-X, but I name them differently to distinguish the spheres containing them). ============================================================================== 6. EQUIPMENT ============================================================================== There are two different kinds of equipment in Metroid Fusion: armor upgrades, and tanks. Armor upgrades can not be picked up - instead, they must be absorbed from a Core-X after beating a Boss, or downloaded in Data Rooms. On the other hand, tanks are scattered around the whole base. Here's a list of the items you can find in the game, arranged by alphabetical order. -------------- ARMOR UPGRADES -------------- BOMB Downloaded: in Data Room in Sector 2. Use: allows you to lay Bombs when morphed into a ball. Command: morph and press B. CHARGE BEAM Absorbed: after beating the fake Chozo Statue in Sector 1. Use: allows you to charge up your Beam for stronger hits. Command: hold B until the Beam is fully charged. GRAVITY SUIT Absorb: after beating Nightmare in Sector 5. Use: allows you to run underwater. Command: walk. HI-JUMP Absorbed: after beating the Walking Eye in Sector 2. Use: allows you to jump higher. Command: press A. ICE BEAM Absorbed: from the Core-X during the battle with the Omega Metroid. Use: shoots icy beams. Command: press B. ICE MISSILE Downloaded: in Data Room in Sector 5. Use: gives Missiles the power to freeze enemies. Command: hold R and press B. JUMP BALL Absorbed: after beating the Walking Eye in Sector 2. Use: allows you to jump when morphed into a ball. Command: morph and press A. MISSILE Downloaded: in Data Room in Sector 1. Use: shoot Missiles. Command: hold R and press B. MISSILE DIFFUSION Downloaded: in a Data Room after beating Nightmare. Use: allows you to charge up your Ice Missiles and to spread their freezing effect. Command: hold R to charge up the Missile, then press B to shoot. MORPH BALL Absorbed: after beating the carapaced Boss in the Main Deck. Use: allows you to morph into a ball to fit tiny passages and lay Bombs. Command: from standing position, press Down twice. PLASMA BEAM Absorbed: after defeating the Mother Plant in Sector 2. Use: increases Beam power. Shoots three Beams at once. Command: press B. POWER BOMB Downloaded: in Data Room in Sector 5. Use: creates an explosion that sweeps the entire screen. Can break some special blocks. Command: morph into a ball, hold R, and press B. SCREW ATTACK Absorbed: after defeating Ridley in Sector 1. Use: hits enemies while Space Jumping. Effective against almost all monsters. Command: use automatically when Space Jumping. SPACE JUMP Absorbed: after beating the Mecha Spider in the Central Reactor Core in the Main Deck. Use: allows continuous jumping in the air. Command: jump, then press A + Left or Right while in mid-air. SPEED BOOSTER Absorbed: after beating Serris in Sector 4. Use: allows you to run very fast and to perform Super Jumps. Useful to break some blocks. Command: hold Left or Right for a while in a long corridor. SUPER MISSILE Downloaded: in Data Room in Sector 3. Use: allows you to shoot more powerful Missiles. Command: hold R and press B. VARIA SUIT Absorbed: after beating the Puff Boss in Sector 6. Use: allows you to endure extreme temperatures. Command: automatically used. WAVE BEAM Absorbed: after defeating the Security Robot B.O.X. in Sector 6. Use: shoots through walls. Command: press B. WIDE BEAM Absorbed: after beating the Core-X in the Boiler Operation Room in Sector 3. Use: increases the size of your Beam. Command: press B. ----- TANKS ----- ENERGY TANK Adds 100 energy points to your total reserve. There are 20 Energy Tanks in the game, distributed as follows: - 3 in Main Deck - 3 in Sector 1 - 3 in Sector 2 - 3 in Sector 3 - 2 in Sector 4 - 3 in Sector 5 - 3 in Sector 6 MISSILE TANK Increases max Missile capacity by 5 units. There are 48 Missile Tanks in the game, distributed as follows: - 7 in Main Deck - 6 in Sector 1 - 9 in Sector 2 - 7 in Sector 3 - 9 in Sector 4 - 4 in Sector 5 - 6 in Sector 6 In all, you can have 250 Missiles if you find all of the tanks. POWER BOMB TANK Increases max Power Bomb capacity by 2. There are 32 Power Bomb Tanks in the game, distributed as follows: - 3 in Main Deck - 3 in Sector 1 - 5 in Sector 2 - 6 in Sector 3 - 4 in Sector 4 - 8 in Sector 5 - 3 in Sector 6 In all, you can have 74 Power Bombs if you find all of the tanks. ============================================================================== 7. HINTS ============================================================================== - The maps provided by Adam are only a small part of what's actually there. You can't imagine how big the sectors are until you're really willing to explore them. Remember - secret passages can be anywhere. - Learn to read maps. Security hatches are indicated with their different colors. When an item is in a square you've already covered, it's shown as a hollow dot. When you actually get the item, it will be marked as a full dot. Also, rooms can be either lilac- or green-colored. Lilac rooms are those shown by the map provided by Adam, while green rooms are secret rooms. - Most tanks are hidden in secret rooms, or behind walls, or inside floors or ceilings. Also, sometimes it's necessary to find a secret passage to proceed. So, every time you think there may be a secret passage somewhere near you, first try to jump through walls, both in normal and in ball form. If this doesn't work, use Bombs - even if you can't open a passage, you may reveal the true nature of some blocks. Power Bombs are exceptionally good for this kind of investigation, so make good use of them once you have them. - Sometimes it's best not to absorb all the X as soon as they're released from dead monsters. In fact, those X may go animate or create some other creature in the room, and this may trigger some event. In some rooms, for example, an exit will only open if you've destroyd ALL the enemies, and not only those that were there when you first entered the area. - Don't try to get everything immediately. Most of the times, you won't have what you need to access an area. Keep note of what you've found, and come back later. - If you can, make a map of the game. It's tremendously useful to find your way around, and it can save you hours and hours of aimless backtracking when you're looking for hidden items later in the game. - All Sectors are interconnected by secret tunnels. Find these tunnels to save time roaming the base. - A fully-charged Beam has the same power as your most powerful Missile. Remember this when fighting Bosses. - The Ice Missiles are extremely useful to reach many secret and non-secret areas. Use them wisely. - You have many moves at your disposal - learn how to use each of them efficiently. It can save you in many occasions. - Never discard an option before you've tried it out. The game is packed full of hidden surprises. Unexpected things may turn out just anywhere. - Stick to your mission. It's useless to wander around aimlessly - you won't get very far if you're going where you're not supposed to. ============================================================================== 8. WALKTHROUGH ============================================================================== This is a walkthrough for Metroid Fusion. Since the game is pretty linear, I've dedicated a "chapter" to each different mission. The walkthrough will guide you to your goal, and will also help you collect as many items as possible. To be precise, my guide will take you to the end of the game with an item collection rating of 82%. I won't give you a walkthrough to find the remaining 18%. First, because much of what I've detailed is not necessary to complete the game with relative ease - that's to say that I've told you too much already. Second, because what's been left out can only be collected at the end of the game, after you've gotten the Screw Attack, and telling you how to get every single item would make up for a bulky, unorganized digression. Third, because I don't want to spoil you the fun of finding those items by yourself. If you have trouble finding something, look at the maps I made. They can be found at www.gamefaqs.com as well. That said, here's the walkthrough. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ---------------------------- CHAPTER 1 - Bio Signs in BSL ---------------------------- You adventure begins in the BSL Main Deck. For now, your route is fixed as all hatches are locked. So, follow the only available path until you reach the Navigation Room. Once there, connect to the computer and the way ahead will be unlocked. Go left, up, left through the door, and down. Enter the Quarantine Bay and defeat the single creature there, and absorb the X that will be released. Then, get out and return to the Navigation Room. Once there, you'll be given a tutorial on X parasites. Bio-signs have been detected elsewhere in the area, so it's up to you to investigate. Level 0 (grey) hatches are now unlocked. Exit right and go up to the open hatch. Proceed and save at the Save Room if you want, then go right and up. The next room is another Navigation Room, where you'll receive more info. Now your primary goal is to recover the use of Missiles, so your destination is the Data Room. Get out right and up, and open the hatch. Use the elevator to ascend to the next level, and go left. The hatch on the middle-left will take you to a Navigation Room, and next, to the Data Room you're looking for. Download MISSILES and you'll have 10 of them at your disposal. Back to the Navigation Room, you'll be informed that the power to elevators has been shut down. So, you must find another way to your target. Go right to the big room and jump on the ledges ahead of you. When you reach the right wall, you'll notice a metal plate covering a portion of the wall. Blast it away with a Missile and you'll open up a new passage. Go through it and use three Missiles on the tentacle barrier blocking the passage, and walk on the frail floor to go down. Keep going down and eventually you'll fall through some big cables and land near a [Missile Tank]. Get it and exit left. Shoot the steps here to find another [Missile Tank], then go right and proceed. Go up if you want to find a Save Room, otherwise, keep going right. You'll come to a door covered by a giant eye. When the eye opens, two things can happen. If the eye is glowing, it's going to shoot; be prepared to jump over its projectile. If the eye is still and you can see its pupil, shoot a Missile. After three Missiles the eye will dissolve, leaving a red X parasite behind. Now enter the door. Use the ledges to climb the walls and get your first [Energy Tank], then fall down and you'll encounter the first Boss. ****************************************************************************** BOSS: CARAPACED MONSTER ****************************************************************************** This creature has a big carapace, so it's invulnerable to back attacks. However, you can hit it with either Missiles or your regular Beam when he faces you. At the beginning of the battle, he'll shoot a wave of fire at you. Use the ledge above to avoid this. He may use this attack again during the fight, so beware. When he strikes the air in front of him twice, he's about to shoot a blue beam of energy - climb to avoid this as well. He'll get closer and closer until you hit him heavily - at that point, he'll curl up into a spiky ball and charge. Hang and jump in the opposite direction, and be prepared to shoot as soon as he turns around. After a while, he'll dissolve and a Core-X will appear. It will chase you around, and your best bet here is to jump past it. X parasites will fly around for you to catch. This monster can only be hurt with Missiles, but three of them are enough to destroy it. ****************************************************************************** When the Boss is dead, a giant X will appear. Grab it and you'll get the MORPH BALL ability. Morph into a ball and exit left. Now, everytime you grab a ledge with a tiny space above, you'll automatically morph to fit that space. Use this feature to cross the next corridor. When you find an obstructed passage, climb the ladder and shoot the blocks that obstruct your way left. Now get to the first available Navigation Room, which is through the upper door in the next corridor (you can unlock the Recharge Room on the way up if you shoot the tentacle barrier in front of the door). In the Navigation Room, you'll find out that the X have invaded the breeding environments. So, you now have to go to Sector 1 to investigate. Return to the shaft where you accessed the Quarantine Bay, and morph through the tiny passage on the left. Go through the door and take the elevator down. [While going to the Main Elevator, morph through the passage in the shaft after the first Navigation Room you visited. You'll find a [Missile Tank] there]. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -------------------------------------- CHAPTER 2 - Stabilizing the Atmosphere -------------------------------------- After a surprise scene, you'll be in the elevator area. Unfortunately, the Main Elevator you just used suddenly runs out of power. The only way is to Sector 1, so take the elevator down there. Enter the Navigation Room and connect to the CO. You'll learn that the X have invaded the atmospheric stabilizers in SRX. There are 5 of these stabilizers, and you have to get back in control of them. Go right, save, and go past the Recharge Room. Get to ground level and open the lower-right door. In the corridor ahead, beware your enemies - they're big and powerful. Feed the tentacle barrier three Missiles and open the door. Here's the first stabilizer. Shoot it from the right with three Missiles and you'll destroy the parasite blocking it. Now go right. The one-eyed enemies here can only be shot from below. At the end of the corridor, morph and go through the hidden passage to get an [Energy Tank]. Go through the door and enter the room ahead. Shoot the walls and ceilings blocking your way and jump past the fragile platforms at the top of the area. Here you'll find the second stabilizer, shoot it from below to restore its functions. Now exit and go down the shaft. Enter the first door you'll find and proceed left. The enemies here can be destroyed frontally with Missiles. In the next shaft, go down, avoiding or killing the Space Pirates. Open the door at the bottom, go right, and past the next room. Here, climb the ladder at the far right and shoot the third stabilizer from there. Two more to go. Exit right and go ahead, and you'll soon come to the fourth stabilizer. To get it, you must hang from the railing above. After you've restored it, go to the room at the upper-left to collect a [Missile Tank], then take the lower-right exit. There's only one way you can follow now. In the watery corridor, hang from the railing above and when you get to the wall, shoot it to open a passage to the door. Now you'll have to face another eye. Three Missiles will do the work, but it's a bit harder this time as you're slower on the ladder. The lower door takes to a Save Room if you need it. When you're prepared, go through the hatch the eye was guarding. Approach the Chozo Statue and shoot the ball it's holding. A flashing item will appear, but when you try to get it, the statue will morph into an Eye-X. You can only hit the eye when it's open, but at the same time, it can shoot you, so be careful. After 4 Missiles, the Eye-X will leave behind the CHARGE BEAM. Get it and exit on the upper-right. Shoot the ceiling to open the way up, and hang from the railing. Shoot a Missile to the left wall, then shoot some more to open up a passage. Go through it to find a room with a [Missile Tank], and when you have it, proceed right. Get to the lower-left section of the room and break the wall near the stabilizer, then use Missiles or the Charge Beam to complete your current mission. Go right to the next shaft and to the Save Room at the upper-right. In the Save Room, shoot the wall to reveal a passage, and jump and morph to enter it. Use the wall jump here to reach the [Missile Tank] at the top. Now you can return to the Navigation Room, where you'll be redirected to Sector 2. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ------------------------------ CHAPTER 3 - Getting More Power ------------------------------ In the Navigation Room in TRO, you'll find out the identity of the mysterious figure you saw earlier: it's the SA-X, an enormously powerful Samus lookalike. This thing is stalking you, but you're no match for it, so you must avoid it at all costs. You're here to get Bombs for your morph ball, but first, you'll have to deactivate Level 1 locks, and the map won't show you where to do it. Go right into the big room, and make your way to the upper-right door. Go ahead from there and you'll eventually reach a tall room, at the bottom of which is the mechanism that will unlock blue doors. Now that you have access to Level 1 hatches, return to the big room past the Recharge Room. Take the lower-left exit and go on until a square room. There's only a door here, and it leads to the Data Room you're looking for. Back to the previous room, beware! The SA-X is here and it's looking for you! Go to the tiny edge on the right wall and use Bombs to open a secret passage leading to a [Missile Tank]. Then, go down and reach the lower-left corner of the room. Use a Bomb here and the floor will break. In the lower room, the right door leads to a Save Room. Save if you want, then go on left. In the shaft, go up and shoot the left wall to uncover a small passage. Crawl through it, then drop down and lay a Bomb a little left of the single block in the middle of the floor. This will trigger a pillar to raise, allowing you to reach the [Missile Tank] above. Now return to the right and use Bombs to make your way down. Proceed to the next big room, and at the bottom you'll find a blue spiked worm that will release a red X when you defeat it. In this zone, you can also lay a Bomb below the step on the right - this will open up a passage leading to a [Missile Tank] below. When you're done here, exit right. The next room is confusing at first, because you can't jump high enough to reach the edge of the wall. To solve this puzzle, lay some Bombs on the floor and a pillar will raise, allowing you to continue. In the next shaft, going straight to the right will lead you to a Save Room, but your real way is up. Enter the second right door from below, and follow the passage past the Save Room (which you should use) and to the [Energy Tank]. Now, after getting the Tank, Bomb the floor and drop down, where you'll find another Eye door. Nail the Eye and go past the door. In this room you'll find the second Boss. ****************************************************************************** BOSS: Walking Eye ****************************************************************************** This Boss is relatively easy. It will take some steps sidewards, then jump very high towards you. Move out of the way and you'll be fine. When it jumps slowlier than usual, it will stop in mid-air and open its hidden mouth. Now aim upwards and shoot either a Missile or a fully-charged Charge Beam. The more you hit him, the faster and shorter he gets. After 8 Missiles it will melt and turn into a Core-X. Shoot three or four more Missiles to end the battle. ****************************************************************************** After the battle, you'll get two new abilities: the HI-JUMP and the BALL JUMP. Now return to the previous Save Room and try to return to the high shaft. You'll notice that the door to the shaft has been destroyed! Don't worry though, just lay some Bombs in front of it and you'll find a way down. Here goes the SA-X! Stay where you are and let it leave, then get out yourself. Now go up and enter the first door on the left. Hang on the railing above and go get the [Missile Tank] on the left, then drop down into the water and Bomb the floor to uncover a pillar. Use it to reach the tiny passage above and get to the next room. Here, find another hidden pillar, and from its top ball jump to the lone square in the wall. Bomb it while in mid-air and you'll open the way to another [Missile Tank]. Now go back to the shaft - another pillar in the watery room will help you get out. Now climb the shaft to the very top, using the empty carapaces as steps. At the top, go two rooms ahead, and you'll see some edges that may help you climb upwards. Grab the tiny edge on the right wall, then climb up and you'll morph. Lay a bomb and the wall will give way, revealing yet another [Missile Tank]. Now crawl through the tiny passage on the left to return to the first big room. Here, enter the second door from above on the right to access a small chamber. Bomb the right wall to find the way to a [Missile Tank]. Now reach the Navigation Room, where you'll be instructed to go to Sector 4. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - --------------------- CHAPTER 4 - To Serris --------------------- When you get to the Navigation Room in AQA, you'll learn that a powerful creature, Serris, has been causing a lot of trouble down here. You have to reach the breeding area in order to engage Serris, but beware the water - it's electrified and touching it will cause damage. Once past the Recharge Room, take the lower-left exit. In the next big room, go up and use Bombs to break the wall, then cross the room being careful not to slip into the water below. Next, take the upper exit and follow the passage until you get to a un [Energy Tank] in an obstructed passage. Go back to the previous room and this time, take the lower-left exit. Shoot the ceiling above the door to open a passage, climb up there, and lay a Bomb to get access to the railing. Hang onto it and go left. When you reach an opening in the ceiling, jump up there and climb the ladder on the left all the way up - this way, you'll morph and get access to a passage leading to a [Missile Tank]. You can't go any further from here, so get back down and use Bombs to break the wall and get access to the door. Now you're in a very high shaft. Shoot the ceiling above the door to open a way up, and get to the top of the room, paying attention to fragile floors. Save at the Save Room because a big battle is coming. Now morph and Bomb the right wall to find a secret passage, and follow it. You'll come to another one of those big Eyes - blast it away and enter the Boss lair. Walk on the platform in the middle of the room and Serris will come in. ****************************************************************************** BOSS: Serris ****************************************************************************** Serris is incredibly strong, and tremendously dangerous. And, he's also immensely fast. His weak point is his head - you want to shoot Missiles at it, but it's hard as the enemy moves fast and unpredictably. Wherever you are in the room, he can hit you, so don't think you can find a safe spot. The easiest way to fight Serris is to position yourself in the middle of one of the short platforms, and crouch. When Serris comes straight at you, shoot, then IMMEDIATELY jump as the Boss will start moving at blinding speed. Now your safest bet is to morph and wait for Serris to slow down again. He can still hit you sometimes, but it's safer than staying elsewhere. Five Missiles will do Serris in, but there's still the usual Core-X to destroy. Five more Missiles will end the confrontation. ****************************************************************************** Defeating Serris nets you the very important SPEED BOOSTER. Now exit through the right door. Go all the way right and use Bombs on the wall, then take the lower passage left. When you can't go any further, face right and start running. You'll start flashing and destroy the blocks in the floor. In the room below, Bomb the left wall to open up a passage, and follow it. Use another Bomb to free the ladder, and use yet another Bomb in the tiny indentation that is created to find a [Missile Tank]. Then, climb the ladder and use two Missiles on the left wall. Take the passage that will appear and follow it down. The right wall here has a secret passage leading to another [Missile Tank]. When you have it, go down and left, and dwn again to return to the big room with water. Now, instead of going back to the Navigation Room, go left, and in the next room, take the lower exit. Go still left and you'll be back to the shaft leading to Serris. Now go through the left door, and in the next room, run to the left. You'll break a wall and reach the Pump Control Unit. Use it to lower the water level and get access to new areas. In this very room you'll also find another [Missile Tank] for your collection. Now return to the room before the shaft, and reach the floor. Run to the right and you'll break the right wall, revealing a room with yet another [Missile Tank] for you. Now go down, left, and take enough room to use the Speed Booster and break the wall in the room on the right. Keep running and you'll reach the door at the far right. Past it, you'll have to defeat a more- powerful-than-usual monster. Now you can return to the Navigation Room, where your CO will send you to Sector 3 for more power-ups. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ------------------------------ CHAPTER 5 - The Super Missiles ------------------------------ The Super Missiles are ready for you to download, but to get to the Data Room you'll have to deactivate Level 2 security locks. Of course, the location of the lock control system is not shown on the map. In the room past the Recharge Room, go down 'til you're on the very floor of the room. Here, shoot all the walls and open the lower-left door. Now, go to the opposite door and start running left. You'll soar through the next room, breaking the blocks in your way. When you reach the door at the other end you'll see some blocks above it. The door is Level 2, but if you run into those blocks, you'll break them and get access to a tiny passage just below the ceiling. Use a Bomb there and get to the room on the left, where you can unlock Level 2 doors. Back to the previous room, Bomb the floor to get to a lower room, and shoot the ceiling down there to find a [Missile Tank]. Now return to the big room where you first started running, and go through the lower-right door. In the shaft, kill the first monster you'll meet, and walk near the wall he was sicking out of to fall down past the one-way gate. Open the gate, then go back to the door and start running right. In the next room, you'll run above a breakable section of floor, destroying it. Now walk on the broken floor and you'll fall down to a hidden door leading to a very tall shaft. Go up and reach the upper door. In the next room, break the wall and take the upper passage to find a [Missile Tank]. Keep using Bombs to find a way upwards and to the right until you get to the corridor above. Exit right and keep going until you reach the Data Room, where you can download the SUPER MISSILES. Now start going back, and in the previous corridor you'll find a gap in the floor. Go down and to the right will be a Save Room, a Recharge Room, and a [Missile Tank] in the rightmost room. Save at the Save Room, then try to go left and you'll notice that your way back is blocked. You can't do anything but return to the room before the Data Room. As you approach the door to the Data Room, a big robot attacks. ****************************************************************************** BOSS: Security Robot ****************************************************************************** The Robot has only one attack. At intervals, a hatch will open on its top and a metal ball will be released. After a couple of seconds, two huge pillars of fire will erupt from the ball and sweep the entire corridor. The Boss will execute this attack everytime you hit it, too. Hang to the railing all the time, so that the robot can't reach you with its jumps. To defeat it you need to fire Super Missiles on its top. You can hit it anytime except when it's releasing a metal ball. When a ball is released, quickly move just above it, so that the fire pillars won't get you when they erupt. As you damage it, the Security Robot will get faster and faster. Feed it 10 Super Missiles and it's gone. ****************************************************************************** The Security Robot will blow up to pieces, providing you a support for getting to the highest part of this room. In the corridor above, blast the ceiling to create an opening, then go left. When there's enough room to charge a Speed Boost, run to the right and stop when you're at the end of the opening in the ceiling. Now perform a diagonal Super Jump to the left and you'll break a wall covering a [Missile Tank]. Get it, then leave through the left exit. In the next corridor, drop down to the floor and go left. In the middle of the passage you'll notice some blocks above. Break the second block from below in either column with a Bomb, and climb on top of the block below it. Then, get close to the center of the structure and lay a Bomb to break the central block. Now shoot between the blocks and jump to find an [Energy Tank]. With it, go left and return to the Navigation Room, where Adam will send you to Sector 6. Go there, and watch an interesting scene in between... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -------------------------- CHAPTER 6 - The Varia Suit -------------------------- In the Navigation Room in NOC, you'll hear news of more trouble. Blue X coming from Sector 5 can freeze you upon contact, and there's plenty of them here. Fortunately, you're just looking for the Varia Suit, which can protect you from extreme temperatures - but you still have to get to it alive. Shooting blue X will stop them for a short period of time, but if you touch them while they're motionless, you'll still get hurt. Be very careful here. Keep going right until you reach a square room. Here, go down and Bomb the left wall at the bottom to find a secret passage leading to a [Missile Tank]. Back to the square room, use Super Missiles on the tentacle barrier, then go to the right wall and Bomb it as well for another secret passage. In the small room to the right, use a Bomb on the highest part of the wall and follow the tunnel. Use a Bomb at its end and another [Energy Tank] will be yours. Get back, take the upper exit, and get going. In this area you'll meet your first Blue X. Get to the bottom of the shaft and exit right. In the following room, don't shoot the bottom block in the wall in front of you, because it hides a Blue X. Make your way to the bottom-left exit, and dash through the following corridor to avoid trouble. The right door is the way to a Save Room; take it or leave it, then proceed to the left. Grab the [Energy Tank] and Bomb the floor near it to go down. Leave the room through the door you'll find. Go on until you reach a wall, and lay a Bomb beside it to access the tiny passage below. Go back towards the door and the SA-X will enter the room. Follow it from below, and when it morphs into a ball, quickly retire to the leftmost spot to avoid being hit by its Power Bomb. With the passage clear, wait for your imitator to leave, then get out as well. The first door in the next shaft leads to a Save Room. Use it, then go down the shaft (beware the Blue X hidden in the blocks). Go to the bottom and Bomb the left wall to open up a room containing a hidden [Missile Tank] in the upper-left corner. Grab it and keep going right. After the now-familiar Eye door, you'll get access to the Data Room, but... surprise! One of those strange spheres steals the ability in the capsule! Follow it to the right and get ready for another Boss fight. ****************************************************************************** BOSS: Puff ****************************************************************************** This Boss is pretty quick, so stay on your toes. It moves around, coming directly at you. Its body is huge and it also has a set of smaller copies of itself circling it. You'll soon realize that Super Missiles can't hit it, so how to beat it? The answer lies in your Charge Beam. Charge it to the max and release it at the enemy. When hit, the Boss will stumble backwards, allowing you to reposition for the next hit. It takes 5 hits to destroy this thing, but it's not over yet as the sphere you saw a little earlier will attack you. Use 6 Super Missiles on it and victory will be yours. ****************************************************************************** The prize for winning this battle is the extremely important VARIA SUIT. Now go right twice and laugh as the Blue X now actually heal you! Use the Save Room if you want, then climb to the top. There, take the left exit and jump on the [Missile Tank[, then drop down, hugging the wall, and grab the edge below to access another secret room. Shoot the ceiling to uncover yet another [Missile Tank]. When you're done, go back to the previous shaft and take the upper-right exit. Now make your way back to the Navigation Room. In the first shaft, you can take the first door on the right from above and follow the passage to the end. There, a monster will mimic a Missile Tank, but if you bomb the lowest part of the wall you can find a secret room with a real [Missile Tank]. Get it and return to your CO, which will send you in search of the Ice Missile, and maybe the Plasma Beam. Sector 5 is your next stop. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ---------------------------- CHAPTER 7 - The Ice Missiles ---------------------------- Again, a security lock blocks your access to the Data Room. Go right and down the shaft, and on top of the wall where the monster is, you'll notice a small indentation. Fire a Super Missile through it and proceed down the passage that will open. In the next room, exit through the door at the bottom right, and then go all the way down in the following area (you will need to take a Speed Boost starting from the middle-left room). Exit right. Go down in the shaft, but instead of going left at the bottom, shoot the floor to break through, and take the lower-left exit. Save if you want, and continue to the left to eventually reach the control system for Level 3 hatches. Use it to unlock yellow doors. Go left and climb to the top of the shaft, then go right past two rooms to return to the central room. Here, take the second right door from above and reach the Data Room, where you'll download the ICE MISSILES. Exit right and break the floor. Fall down to the ladder, and from there freeze the floating monster and use it to reach the door on the left. Inside, kill the mimic monster and Bomb the lower-left corner to find an [Energy Tank]. Now fall down to the bottom of the shaft and morph and jump through the wall to access a secret room. Kill the creature and let the X fly around and create another monster. Wait for it to jump, freeze it while it's in mid-air, and use it to reach the ledge above. Now kill the monster on the ceiling, wait for the X to create another, and freeze that one as well. Step on it and shoot the ceiling to find a [Missile Tank]. Now, start going back to the Navigation Room. When you're back in the high central room, go below the blocks that can be broken with the Speed Booster and use Bombs to find a passage that will take you back up. Return to the big room above and in the middle-left section, freeze the creaturs to reach the upper-left exit, leading to a room with a [Missile Tank]. Now go back and leave through the bottom-left door - this way, you'll enter a room where a [Missile Tank] is hidden in the ceiling above the door. Get it and exit left. Emergency! Doesn't this remind you of Resident Evil? Oh well, never mind now. Recharge your weapons and save, then ask your CO and you'll learn that the X have tampered with the boiler unit in Sector 3. You have to cool down the sector within 6 minutes or the whole base will blow up. Hurry! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ------------------------ CHAPTER 8 - Cooling Down ------------------------ As soon as you land in Sector 3, start running to the right, shooting doors on the way. This way, you'll break through the walls in the big room ahead. Dash again in the following section to gain access to the tall shaft in the East of the sector, and follow it all the way down. Take the left door at the bottom and from there, make your way ahead, using Ice Missiles when needed, to reach the main Boiler area. Here, destroy an Eye door and enter the Main Boiler Operation Room. There's a man at the console! Shoot him and he'll turn into an eyed X. Four Ice Missiles in its pupil will set free the Core X, giving you the WIDE BEAM ability. Now use the console to cool down the sector. Make your way back to the tall shaft, and take the right exit. Step on the middle platform and Bomb its surface to find a [Missile Tank], then return to the big room past the Recharge Room. Go through the middle-left door and get the [Missile Tank] inside, then Bomb the wall and shoot the blocks on the floor ahead. Then, return to the door and dash to the left. At the end of the corridor, duck and Super Jump through the thin platform. Once you're up there, shoot the walls to open a path, and Bomb the floor near the right wall to uncover a pillar. Grab the [Energy Tank] at the top of the room, then return to the Navigation Room. Adam suggests that there may be survivors somewhere in the Main Deck, and sends you there to investigate. The Main Elevator is now active. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - --------------------- CHAPTER 9 - Survivors --------------------- Back to the Main Deck, go right until the door, then face left and dash. You'll eventually break a wall and get a [Missile Tank] behind it. Now go to the shaft past the first Navigation Room you'll find, and take the upper-left exit to find an elevator leading upwards. Use it. Save on the right if you want, then go left and freeze the monsters to reach the highest door. Once inside the next room, break through the block in the floor, and oprn the one-way door below. Go to the door and run to the left to break the blocks at the end of the passage. Now you're at the lowest level. Open the one-way doors to get a [Missile Tank], but don't leave the room. Instead, go to the left wall and jump through it to find a secret shaft. Climb to the top and you'll be back to the previous room, near a console. Use it to free the Etecoons and the Dachoras, then reach the nearest Navigation Room. Power Bombs are ready for download in ARC - go get 'em. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ------------------------ CHAPTER 10 - Power Bombs ------------------------ At the bottom of the first shaft, go left and get the [Missile Tank] in the room by jumping through the enclosing's bottom. Then, proceed towards the Data Room. POWER BOMBS are now yours! Go right and drop down to the bottom of the shaft, go left, and lay a Power Bomb to open a passage in the floor. Go down and enter the door. Quick! Go left and Bomb the wall to open a tunnel for you to fit through. Don't hesitate, for the SA-X is hot on your track! Cross the corridor and in the next room, use a Power Bomb to get to the [Power Bomb Tank]. Now climb up and use another PB to break the ceiling. Freeze the enemies to go up, and in the room at the top you'll get another [PB Tank]. Now go back down and make your way back to the Navigation Room. On the way you'll find some huge tentacle barriers - use PBs to destroy them. One of them in the central room hides a door behind which you'll find another [PB Tank], but you have to be very skilled with those Ice Missiles if you want to get it. In the Navigation Room, Adam will ask you to get back to your ship. Return to the Main Elevator and take it up. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ---------------------- CHAPTER 11 - Breakdown ---------------------- As you're going up, the Main Elevator suddenly stops, and everything gets dark. Shoot the wall to your right and go down that tunnel. At the end of the passage, morph and jump through the wall. Whoa! It's Ridley! How did he get here? You have no time to wonder as an X-Core leaves Ridley's frozen body to collapse. Go down the hole in the floor. Use a PB to uncover a tunnel going left, and go down it. At the end, use another PB to uncover a [PB Tank]. Now go right, defeat all the enemies, and then return left and run to the right to dash past the blocks in the next room. Here you'll also find a [Missile Tank] if you use a PB. When you're done, break through the ceiling, and go for your ship. Save. As you may have suspected, the main power silo is off for some reason. Elevators and hatches won't work, so you'll have to reach the auxiliary power station in the underground and activate it. To start with, go left until you find an obstacle, and use a PB to break through it. Go left and break through the floors to get to the bottom of the room. The next room is huge, and it's been invaded by a kind of strange vine. There are three doors on the right wall - take the upper one. In this area you'll encounter some very strong Space Pirates - you need three Super Missiles to defeat them. Get the [Energy Tank] in the corridor and go ahead. In the next room, make your way to the bottom breaking floors and walls with your Bombs. The door at the bottom is guarded by an Eye. Go past it and drop down in the next room to find out what's causing trouble in the area. ****************************************************************************** BOSS: Mecha Spider ****************************************************************************** Three fireballs will come down from above as soon as the battle begins. Avoid them and the Spider will appear. The Spider moves around in straight lines, trying to get you. When it gets to the highest point he can reach, it stops for a moment. At intervals, when he stops, he'll open its mouth to spit out three more fireballs. When its mouth is open, shoot one or two Super Missiles into it. To avoid being hit, morph and stay in a corner when the Spider is in the lower portion of the screen. He can never get you in a corner if you're morphing. However, if he does get you anywhere else, he'll catch you and squeeze you between its legs as he ascends, then he'll dive to the floor, ramming you into it. This attack takes away a large portion of your health, so avoid it as much as possible. After 12 hits, the Spider will lose its legs and start jumping around (its jumping pattern is a hint of what ability the Core-X possessing the Spider has absorbed). It will drop projectiles while jumping, so be careful and hit it from below with Super Missiles. After 6 more hits, it will turn red and start jumping very fast. It can now somersault in the air, deflecting your Missiles, so you'll have to aim very well. When you net the 24th hit in, the Spider will dissolve. Now you just have to get rid of the Core-X. Six Super Missiles will take care of it. ****************************************************************************** The Core-X will give you the SPACE JUMP ability, which you should use to reach the left exit at the top of this very room. To the left is the auxiliary power station, and then you'll find a Navigation Room. Apparently, the roots you saw earlier are the cause of the main power breakdown. You'll have to find out where they came from. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ----------------------------------------------------------- CHAPTER 12 - A Desperate Escape and The Root of the Problem ----------------------------------------------------------- Here comes one of the hardest sections in the game. There are no Recharge Rooms nearby, so kill the enemies here and absorb their X to replenish your life reserve to the max. Then, save at the Save Room. When you're done, use the Space Jump to reach the platform below the upper-left exit in the big room. Try not to get hit while getting there, because you need every little bit of energy you have. When you're on the platform, shoot the roots above you, then access the tiny passage. Use a PB in the next screen to clear the way, and go left to Sector 2. Now comes the hard part. The SA-X is here with you, but this time, it won't just go away. Instead, it will keep roaming the room, waiting for you. There's no way you can damage this thing, so you'll have to run away. Unfortunately, the SA-X is armed with enough firepower to kill you in three-four hits, so you have not only to escape from it, but also to freeze it with your Ice Missiles. This is easier said than done, for even your Ice Missiles will only freeze it for about 2 seconds - then the SA-X will start shooting like there's no tomorrow. So, drop down to the floor, freeze your enemy, and start running. In the next room, jump past the root and lay a Power Bomb, then prepare to freeze the SA- X. Keep it frozen until the Bomb explodes, then freeze it once more and run. Now you mus shoot the one-way doors, and keep the SA-X at a distance at the same time. Don't worry if it hits you once - just keep going, as the next room is your goal. Once there, climb on top of the wall, lay a PB, and when it explodes, jump into the tiny passage above. If you're quick enough, the SA-X will enter the room and not see you. It will then leave the area, setting you free. Alternatively, you can hang from the left side of the wall. It's easier and wuicker, and the SA-X won't see you as well. With your lookalike out of sight, return to the previous corridor and use Super Missiles to break a passage through the floor. Go ahead and in the next shaft, destroy the roots and the floor above the left door to proceed. Go left twice into a big room. Here, go left and use the Space Jump to ascend to the upper level. On the way up, shoot the right wall to find a passage leading to a [PB Tank]. Take it and go to the following Save Room. Go right twice and in the new corridor, shoot the ceiling to open up a passage. Go up and you'll soon come to an Eye door. You know what this mean, so be prepared to fight when you're past the hatch. ****************************************************************************** BOSS: Mother Plant ****************************************************************************** This is a very dangerous place to be. The plants on the floor can damage you if you step on them, and getting away once you've fallen into the water can be tough. Stay on the highest platform to avoid falling. However, once you're there, the two flowers hanging from the ceiling will shoot pollen at you. Do your best to avoid it while you pump Super Missiles into the yellow plant. After 24-25 hits, the two flowers on the ceiling will disappear, but those in the water will start emitting pollen, and the Mother Plant will join the battle. It will shoot battages of spikes at you. They're pretty easy to jump past, so stand your ground and keep shooting. It takes another 25-26 Super Missiles to defeat the pant, but just when you think it's over, an Eye-X appears. Shoot its pupil with 5-6 more Super Missiles and the battle will be truly over. ****************************************************************************** Get the Core-X to receive the PLASMA BEAM ability, which increases your firepower dramatically. Exit right and follow the passage back to the shaft. Here, Space Jump upwards to reach two doors. Take the right one and jump up the wall in the next room to find a secret passage. Past the wall, shoot the right portion of the block sticking out of the ceiling to find an [Energy Tank]. With it, go back left and make your way back to the big room past the Recharge Room, and take the lower-right exit. Get going until you reach the tall shaft, and enter the door in the middle of it. This room hides not one, but two [PB Tanks]. Retrieve them and go back to the starting Navigation Room. There, more trouble will surface. Go to Sector 5. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ------------------------- CHAPTER 13 - To Nightmare ------------------------- Nightmare is the name of your next problem. Its location is currently unknown, so you'll have to find it out yourself. Go left and to the big room, which is now in ruins. Go to the upper section and open the left door, then go all the way to the right and run to the left. At the last moment, duck and Super Charge through the left door and to a secret room at the far left, where a [PB Tank] is waiting. Go back to the previous room, and right. Here, the red door has been shattered, so you can take the upper corridor to the right. Once inside, shoot the ceiling to break through, and at the door, lay a Power Bomb. Go through the passage in the ceiling and make your way to the top-left, breaking floors as you go. There, use Bombs to break the floor behind the one-way gate and find a [PB Tank]. Now return to the door and cross it to find a way to Sector 3. In the corridor in Sector 3, use Bombs above the door to get to another [PB Tank]. Now you can return to the corridor in ARC and proceed to the right. After a while, you'll get to a shaft half-filled with water. There's an indentation in the right wall. Freeze the fish to get there, and shoot a Super Missile opposite the indentation to find a secret passage. Follow it to a room with an [Energy Tank], then go to the bottom of the shaft and right. Follow the passage right and up. Past the next shaft, you'll be in an horizontal corridor. Break the ceiling and go left in a room hiding a [PB Tank] just next to the left wall. Go back right and reach the upper-right exit; here, use a PB to open up a tiny tunnel in the left wall. Follow it and near its end, jump to find a hidden passage. At its left end is a [PB Tank]. Then, take the door nearby and use the Recharge Room if you need it. The door opposite it is a Save Room, and you MUST use it as the incoming battle is among the hardest in the game. Take the door below the Save Room, and in the corridor, follow the passage up to find an Eye door. Destroy it and enter the door. Here, use a Bomb on the highest part of the wall to create a passage to the [Energy Tank], then drop down to the room below. Get ready to rumble. ***************************************************************************** BOSS: Nightmare ***************************************************************************** The Nightmare is a huge creature, so its sheer size poses a problem as you have little room to avoid it. Its weak point is easy to spot - it's that pod between its arms. The Nightmare always tries to face you directly, so if you jump, it'll follow you up. It can shoot heavily from its arms, so be careful and ready to jump. Jump to make the Nightmare ascned, and while it's high in the air, go below it and shoot the pod with Super Missiles. After the third hit, the Nightmare will activate a strong magnetic field that will repel your Missiles until it's destroyed. Your movements will also be severely slowed down. Switch to the Beam and charge it to the max to damage the pod. The tactic is the same as with Missiles. After 12 hits or so, the magnetic field will dissolve, but the Nightmare is now much more mobile. It can still shoot from its arms, but the real problem comes when it starts moving around in an unpredictable pattern. Use the Space Jump to try to avoid it - it's hard, but it can be done. Now you have to hit the monster in its face. When it stops somewhere, grab the ladder on the left wall and start shooting. When the Boss is too close, jump down and prepare to Space Jump to avoid it. Keep up this pattern until you've scored another 30 hits and the Nightmare will die. Now you only have to feed the Core-X six more Super Missiles to triumph. ****************************************************************************** This hard battle nets you the GRAVITY SUIT, with which you can now freely move in water. Open the door, then go right and dash to the left and to the next room. Your Speed Boost will break the wall in the corridor, allowing you to reach the door. Now you may return to the Navigation Room - only, you can't get back there by retracing your steps (actually, there IS a way to do so, but it's extremely hard to accomplish. You can find detailed instructions on this task here: http://blake.prohosting.com/rubikant/metroid_fusion.txt. I am NOT going to rip off Zauron's work, so check out his FAQ if you want to find this Easter egg). So, go back to the submerged room with the Space Pirates, and open the lower- right door. Now go to the opposite side of the aisle and dash to the right. In the next room, break the two thin walls, then crouch and Super Jump in the gap between them to reach a secret area with a [PB Tank]. Now proceed down the tunnel to access Sector 4. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ---------------------------- CHAPTER 14 - Underwater Trip ---------------------------- Dash to the right and at the last moment, Space Jump ahead to destroy the wall ahead of you. Go right twice, save, and go down the shaft. Enter the first hatch and follow the tunnel to a [Missile Tank]. Go back and ball jump through the wall opposite the hatch to find a [PB Tank]. Now you can get to the bottom of the shaft and go left. In the glass tube in the middle of the passage, use Bombs and Super Missiles to go above the tube. Go right and jump up to an upper level. Shoot high on the right wall to uncover a passage leading to yet another [PB Tank], then go left and proceed to the end of the passage. Here, use a Bomb to go sown, and then another Bomb on the floor below to go further. Navigate this area using Bombs and walking through walls, and in the end you'll fall down to a Security Room with the control system for Level 4 hatches. Now you have access to the whole station. Exit right and go up the wall 'til you find an indentation. Morph and go through the wall. In the next room, use a Power Bomb to kill all the enemies, then let the X go right and create two yellow crabs. Destroy them and the door at the bottom will open, allowing you access to a room with an [Energy Tank]. Now go back to the shaft and exit right at the top. Keep going right to a corridor with Space Pirates, and use a Power Bomb in the middle glass tube to access an area with a [Missile Tank]. Continue this way until you reach a big, convoluted room with many kinds of enemies. Use the Save Room at the bottom-right if you want, then find a way up. When you reach the upper-left corner, shoot an Ice Missile to the tiny creature in the tight tunnel, and get past it to reach the door. Open the hatch in front of you and go as far to the right as you can. Then, turn around and dash to the left, back to the big room. This should give you the Speed Boost you need to break the floor there and access the middle door. Follow the corridor to the next shaft. Once there, freeze the spiky-headed monsters to go up. Use Super Missiles on the blocks at the top and exit left. Get past the next room, then take the lower-right exit to find a Data Room where you can download MISSILE DIFFUSION. Go left and use Diffusion to freeze the spikeheads and get through. Go down and through the fake wall on the left. Use Super Missiles on the tentacle barrier in the next room, and shoot below the cables at the far left to find a [Missile Tank]. Then, go back and choose the top-left exit. Go left twice and into a big room, and use a Bomb on the wall in front of the door. A passage will open - follow it, Bomb the floor at the end, go down, and use a Power Bomb to open up a tiny tunnel leading to a [PB Tank]. Now go back and finally, to the Navigation Room. Adam will scold you for bypassing security level 4, but there's nothing to do about it now. Meanwhile, an old friend is coming back in Sector 6 for you. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ------------------------------ CHAPTER 15 - To Security Robot ------------------------------ Go to Sector 6 and have a chat with your CO. You'll learn that your nemesis in on your tail, so there's no time to lose. Get to the first high shaft, and enter the second left door from the top. Use a Power Bomb at the end of the corridor to proceed, and follow the passages ahead. There's only one way you can go, and soon you'll come to a red door. Past it is a restricted zone secured with a one-way gate. When you approach it, an alarm will sound. Get out and use the Save Room nearby, tne return to the watery tunnel you visited on the way here. It seems that your failed intrusion has gotten the attention of an uninvited guest. Prepare to fight. ****************************************************************************** BOSS: Security Robot B.O.X. ****************************************************************************** Immediately lay a Power Bomb to expose a railing in the ceiling. Hang on to it for the rest of the battle. Never touch the water, because it's electrified and it would hurt you. The Robot jumps left and right, and it can hit you as its jumps are higher than before. Stay at one end of the room to avoid its jumps, and when it's going to land near you, move above it to shoot a Super Missiles on its top when it's right below you. At intervals, the Robot will stop and release a barrage of rockets from its top. Position yourself so that you can diagonally fire a Super Missile and hit the Robot's top. Shoot the rockets as they come for you, then quickly aim at the Robot's top and shoot a Super Missile. As you hit it, the Security Robot gets faster and faster. 12 hits are all you need to defeat it. Then, use four more Super Missiles to destroy the Eye-X that will appear. ****************************************************************************** The Core-X left behind by the Boss will grant you the WAVE BEAM. Go right and try it out on the one-way gate at the end of the tunnel to get a [Missile Tank]. Then, return to the gate to the restricted zone and open it. Proceed. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - --------------------- CHAPTER 16 - Metroids --------------------- Save your game at the Save Room, and go ahead down the corridor. You'll soon come to the Restricted Laboratory. A tube here contains many tiny Metroids, and in the adjacent room you'll see many strange specimens in glass tubes. Access the next room and something will happen in the room below. Get back there to witness an incredible scene. The SA-X is here, but this time, its interest is not on you. It starts shooting the structures around, and soon a countdown is triggered. Space Jump to the top of the room, but try not to line up to Metroids as the SA-X is shooting them. You don't want to get in between. As you croo the door at the top, the Laboratory is detached from the main structure. Enter the next door to find a Navigation Room. Here, your CO will explain a sad truth to you. Now you have to reach another Navigation Room. Enter then next room and take the elevator up. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ---------------------- CHAPTER 17 - To Ridley ---------------------- You're now in a previously unexplored portion of Sector 1. Open the door and Space Jump to the top of the pillar. Here, use Missile Diffusion on the wall to your right to open a passage to an [Energy Tank]. Go to the other door and proceed. In the shaft, Bomb the floor and go down. Go left and kill the enemy, then let the X create another. Kill this one as well and the X will generate a yellow Space Pirate. You can only hit it from behind, so let it jump over you and shoot it when it lands. After you've neaten it, the door will open, giving you access to a [PB Tank]. Now go back to the shaft, and use the Save Room. Go to the top of the shaft, then left. Kill all the monsters below and the two yellow Space Pirates that will be generated to open the door. Go ahead and save on the top-left if you want, then go down and left. Cross the corridor and kill the Eye door at the end, then open the door and get ready for the fight of your life. ****************************************************************************** BOSS: Ridley ****************************************************************************** There is no actual strategy to beat Ridley, as it's incredibly big and fast, and the room so tight. Forget prudence and go for an all-out attack with Super Missiles. Ridley can hit you with his tail, or grab you and take you up into the air. This is actually pretty useful because it allows you a short time of continuous fire at your enemy, before he drops you due to severe damage. When Ridley turns red, he will crash the floor vertically with his tail. Don't let this slow you down and keep firing all you have at him. It's unlikely that you may use all of your Super Missiles, but if it happens, use the Charge Beam at full power. When Ridley dies, a Core-X will appear. Six more Super Missiles will end the story. ****************************************************************************** Beating Ridley provides you the ultimate attack, the SCREW ATTACK. With it, you're almost invincible. You can also access every previously unexplored area in the game. Now go back to the Save Room at the bottom of the tall shaft you visited on the way here, and enter the passage above it using Super Missiles on the wall in front of it. Keep going right until a shaft with many Space Pirates, and Space Jump to the top. There, go right and return to the room where you fought the fake Chozo Statue much earlier in the game. Go to the Save Room below it, and run to the right. You'll break the wall at the far right. In the next room, duck and get to the bottom, then quickly Super Jump beside the right wall to reach the alcove at the top. A [PB Tank] is hidden in the wall there. Now return to the Save Room and run again, but when you get to the room before the Chozo Statue room, duck. Quickly Space Jump to the door, open it, and perform a Super Charge through it. This will allow you to keep running in the next room. When you get to the place where the Statue was, Super Jump and you'll break through the ceiling to a room with an [Energy Tank]. Now go back down, right four times, and up. In the next shaft, take the middle-left exit and go left until a big room. Search this room for three [Missile Tanks], then exit left and go up to return to the room past the Recharge Room. Here, you can take the upper-right exit and Screw Attack through the ceiling there to find a [PB Tank] and a way to Sector 2. Now return to the Navigation Room and witness the most dramatic scene in the game. It will remind you of the Alien series. When the dialog finishes, you'll notice the hatches are still locked. Ask Adam again, and to your surprise, the conversation will have a happy ending. Now you know what to do. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - --------------------- CHAPTER 18 - The SA-X --------------------- Return to the Main Deck. In the shaft past the Navigation Room, access the top-right room and get the [PB Tank] inside the wall. Take the exit below and save at the Save Room, then go right and back to the room where you fought the first Boss. Before you reach the Boss arena, there's a pile of concrete in the passage. From atop it, Screw Attack the ceiling to find a passage leading upwards. Go to the top-right corner of the room and use Super Missiles on the ceiling to find a way to the right, where an [Energy Tank] awaits. WARNING: all hatches in the Recharge Rooms in all Sectors are now secured. If you want to visit the rest of the base, you must return to the Central Reactor Core area, and from there to Sector 2, where you escaped from the SA-X earlier. This way, the game will be forced to open the hatches in order to allow you to return to the Main Deck. You can also uses the tunnels between Sectors to visit old areas. Make sure your game is saved, and go for the Operations Room. As you reach the door to it, the SA-X will burst into the room. It's time for the final showdown with your nemesis. ****************************************************************************** BOSS: SA-X ****************************************************************************** The SA-X is quick and agile, and its beam hurts. It also has a Screw Attack just like yours. It's only vulnerable to a full-powered Charge Beam, so don't try anything else. The best strategy is to circle the room, from the floor to the ledges in the middle of the arena, and then back down. The SA-X won't be able to hit you with the Screw Attack, while you'll have the time to charge your Beam and wait for the enemy to land. When it does, shoot, then immediately run away to the upper level. Keep doing this until you score 14-15 hits. Now the SA-X will mutate and turn into a monstrous, multi-eyed creatur that will jump around on the floor, trying to hit you. Use your Charge Beam and shoot it in the head 3-4 more times, and it will stop. Get close and it will collapse, releasing an Eye-X. 6 Super Missiles will get rid of this enemy, too. ****************************************************************************** When you try to catch the Core-X, it flies away. You can't follow it in any way, so just go to the Operations Room and use the console to activate the self-destruct system (more Resident Evil quoting). You now have 3 minutes to return to your ship. Run! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -------------------- CHAPTER 19 - The End -------------------- When you get to the hangar, you'll find out that your ship is gone! Quickly start going back and a giant monster will enter the hangar. It's an Omega Metroid! This Metroid is completely impenetrable to your weapons, so don't try to fight it. Instead, let it hit you with its claw. The hit will send you flying backwards with only 1 energy point left. What now?... Surprise! The Core-X you saw earlier enters the hangar and morpohs into a SA- X. Armed with an Ice Beam, it starts shooting the enemy. The Metroid swipes its claw at the SA-X and defeats it, but the Core-X is still alive. Get it! It will provide you the final piece of your equipment, the ICE BEAM. Now you can confront the Omega Metroid. ****************************************************************************** BOSS: Omega Metroid ****************************************************************************** Aim up and to the right, and get close to shoot the Metroid's belly. You needn't charge the beam this time, so don't do it if you don't want. The Omega Metroid will walk towards you, trying to back you into the corner. Shoot as much as you can, but avoid its claw - one hit takes away an entire Energy Tank, and it will leave you motionless for several moments. Hurry up - this is a timed battle. After 20 or so hits, the Omega Metroid will finally die and your ship will come back to take you away from the exploding planet. ****************************************************************************** Sit back and enjoy the ending. It is a good reward for your efforts, and an enjoyable conclusion to the adventure. ============================================================================== 9. FINAL RANKINGS SCENES ============================================================================== After the ending credits, you will see a scene with Samus in her armor, and then a close-up of Samus herself while your ending results are shown. According to your results, you can witness different scenes. For the item collection ratings, note that every tank you find, be it either an Energy or weapon tank, is worth 1% in the final rating. Here's the list of the different scenes you can get. CLEAR TIME: Over 4:00 ITEM COLLECTION RATING: Less than 100% SCENE: Samus in orange armor. CLOSE-UP: Samus in orange armor. CLEAR TIME: Less than 4:00 ITEM COLLECTION RATING: Less than 100% SCENE: Samus in armor, but with no helmet. CLOSE-UP: Samus greets you and looks at you over her shoulder. CLEAR TIME: Less than 2:00 ITEM COLLECTION RATING: Less than 100% SCENE: Samus with no armor. CLOSE-UP: Samus with her eyes closed and no armor. CLEAR TIME: Over 2:00 ITEM COLLECTION RATING: 100% SCENE: Samus in armor, but with no helmet. CLOSE-UP: Samus with no armor, running her hand through her hair. CLEAR TIME: Less than 2:00 ITEM COLLECTION RATING: 100% SCENE: Samus with no armor. CLOSE-UP: Full view of Samus with no armor. Thanks to VGMuseum for the info. ============================================================================== 10. FAQS ============================================================================== Q: Are there any secrets in the game? A: Apart from the different final scenes, there is one secret dialogue that can be seen if you manage to return to a Navigation Room after beating Nightmare AND before getting the Missile Diffusion upgrade. Apparently, it's quite hard to accomplish, and I myself haven't done it so far. I learned it from Zauron's FAQ, and the last thing I want to do is to rip off his work. If you're interested in this sort of sub-quest, have a look at Zauron's FAQ, which can be found at http://blake.prohosting.com/rubikant/metroid_fusion.txt - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Q: I'm stuck, what do I do now? A: First, look for secret passages. If you look well enough, you'll find somewhere to go, and maybe you'll find just what you were looking for. If you're going insane from all the aimless wandering, then read the walkthrough and you'll surely find your answers. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Q: How do I get that tank? A: Many tanks require solving some puzzle of sort to be collected. Most of the times, getting a difficult tank usually requires clever use of the Speed Booster, since it's the upgrade that provides you the greatest number of special moves. Learn how to effectively use the Super Charge on slopes, as it's necessary to get to the best-hidden tanks in the game. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Q: Is there any way to return to the other Sectors after Adam suggests you how to destroy the lab? The hatches are all closed... A: As I said in the walkthrough, you can revisit the sectors by returning to the Central Reactor Core area in the Main Deck, and getting to Sector 2 from there. Now you can visit all six Sectors by using the tunnels between them, and the hatches to the Recharge Rooms should be open. Alternatively, beat the game, then reload your saved position and those hatches will be open again. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Q: What do you get for beating the game? A: Nothing to die for, unfortunately. When the game has been beaten, when you reload your saved game you'll be shown your playing time and how many tanks you have collected totally. Also, in every different sector, you'll be notified if you have found every tank of each type in that sector. These info will be shown on the map screen. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Q: ...X? A: Yeah, Nintendo seems to be really pissed off by _that_ X. Check the back of Chain Chomp's head in Super Mario Sunshine and you'll find further, incontrovertible evidence. ============================================================================== 11. CREDITS ============================================================================== Thanks to... Nintendo and Intelligent Systems for adding a new chapter to the Metroid saga. The GameFAQs message boards users for helping me find out some useful reference on the game. VGMuseum for showing all the possible ending scenes. CJayC, webmaster of GameFAQs, for posting my FAQs on his site. And you, for reading this and having fun with the game. ~Metroid Fusion FAQ~ Copyright Efrem Orizzonte 2002