Ready to watch a master in action and learn about the exciting world of Metroid: Zero Mission speedrunning? Put on your power suit and join me as we analyze a brilliant run by renowned speedrunner Zoast!
Demystifying This Cult Classic
You may have heard murmurs among gamers about Metroid: Zero Mission – it‘s a beloved, under-the-radar Game Boy Advance gem. Zero Mission effectively serves as a remake of the original Metroid game from 1987, reinventing it with vastly improved visuals, audio, gameplay, and level design.
Released in 2004, Metroid: Zero Mission dazzles with gorgeous sprite animation and environments that breathe life into the planets Zebes and Brinstar. The soundtrack perfectly enhances the lonely alien vibe. Don‘t let the cutesy Samus sprite fool you – a foreboding sense of danger lurks around every corner.
At its core, Zero Mission delivers the thrilling Metroid formula pioneered way back on NES: nonlinear exploration paired with unlocking new abilities to access previously unreachable areas. Finding destructible blocks or secret tunnels rewards your curiosity to venture off the main path. The platforming challenges your dexterity without ever feeling unfair. It‘s this combination of tense atmosphere, exploratory adventure, and tight controls that sets the Metroid series apart.
Zero Mission represents a masterclass in 2D game design and remains one of Metroid‘s most revered entries.
Breaking Down Metroid Speedrunning
While more niche than contemporaries like Super Mario Bros., a devoted community of Metroid speedrunners pushes the series‘ games to their absolute limits. Top players leverage glitches, sequence breaks, frame-perfect inputs, and intimate level knowledge to set ever lower record times.
According to SpeedRun.com, the main categories for Zero Mission are:
- Any% – Complete game as fast as possible with minimal item collection
- 100% – Full completion getting all expansions and bonuses
- Low % – Special category for beating the game with only 9% of items acquired
Let‘s analyze the Any% runs. Current world record holder CScottyW has finished Zero Mission in 1 hour 2 minutes on Normal difficulty – an astonishing display of talent. Even more impressive, CScottyW holds the Any% record across ALL difficulties – a distinction only shared with two other runners in SpeedRun.com‘s extensive Metroid archives.
Beating these times requires absolute mastery of Samus‘ moveset. Players demonstrate intricate knowledge of hidden paths, frame-perfect Wall Jumps, Shinesparking, Mockball techniques, and other advanced tricks that trivialize intended progression. Minimalist equipment runs also demand flawless dodging and boss execution without relying on later-game items. The sheer skill on display cements Zero Mission speedrunning as a supreme test of Metroid excellence.
Zoast Adds A Legendary Run
In July 2022, renowned speedrunner Zoast decided to expand his horizons beyond his usual playground, Super Metroid. Boasting multiple Super Metroid records himself, Zoast tackled Metroid: Zero Mission for a 4+ hour inaugural run.
While not record-breaking, Zoast‘s run unveils the talents underpinning his mastery of classic 2D Metroid design from decades of Super Metroid speedrunning. He nimbly bypasses major upgrades using frame-perfect Wall Jumps to cross lava pits sans Space Jump Boots. His established map knowledge from Brinstar and Zebes enables him to expertly navigate Zero Mission‘s maze-like passages and identify sequence breaking opportunities. Zoast even skips the iconic Varia Suit – a gutsy maneuver for damage reduction but an immense time save if executed properly.
Zoast adopts fan-favorite high-risk strategies like keeping Samus‘ health dangerously low for faster movement. Viewers held their breath watching close calls with enemies that nearly ended the entire 4-hour attempt. Ultimately though, Zoast triumphs thanks to the steel nerve honed across years of speedrunning pressure.
For franchise fans, Zoast‘s run highlights the transferrable skills allowing a specialist like him to excel even when changing games. His innate familiarity with 2D Metroid design provides an intuitive head start. Still, transferring that knowledge to an entirely different entry represents an outstanding accomplishment.
More Metroid Titles To Speedrun
Beyond Zero Mission, the acclaimed Metroid series contains several strong speedrunning candidates:
- Super Metroid (1994, SNES) – The king itself featuring utterly packed leaderboards and tons of categories. It‘s the prime battleground for elite talent like Zoast.
- Metroid Dread (2021, Nintendo Switch) – Brand new series entry with fluid mobility and lethal enemies tailor-made for speedtech.
- Metroid Prime (2002, GameCube) – This seminal first-person chapter introduced complex 3D movement and combat. Now remastered for Nintendo Switch.
I recommend Metroid Dread as another speedrunning gateway beyond Zero Mission. With adrenaline-pumping EMMI chase sequences and deeply interactive environments, Dread takes the series into a modernized new era while retaining that signature nonlinear Metroid DNA.
If you prefer first-person experiences, Metroid Prime Remastered brings the stellar 2002 GameCube release to Nintendo Switch with smoother performance and polished visuals. It diverges from traditional 2D entries but still provides a dense, interlocked world encouraging sequence breaking.
Whether classic side-scroller or FPS, Metroid games share highly optimized level design fine-tuned for speedrunning. Give them a shot if you like watching pros dissect beloved games by wringing out their greatest potential!
Let‘s Recap
| Game | Details |
|---|---|
| Metroid: Zero Mission | Beloved 2004 GBA remake with gorgeous presentation, stellar gameplay/level design, smaller but storied speedrun history |
| Super Metroid | Legendary 1994 SNES entry considered one of the all-time greats with highly competitive speedrunning |
| Metroid Dread | New nail-biting 2D Metroid from 2021 well-suited for speedrunning |
| Metroid Prime Remastered | Updated 2002 GameCube classic brings seminal FPS entry to Nintendo Switch |
Whether tackling a personal first like Zoast or competing among legends on the leaderboards, Metroid endures as a premier speedrunning battleground. I hope this deep dive helps you appreciate the stellar design allowing such broken completion times. Maybe you‘ll even be inspired to pick up Zero Mission and start sequence breaking yourself! Game on.
