And then: the sound of slow, echoing footsteps. This happens when the player is simply going about their business, exploring the space station, when all of a sudden, the music stops everything is still. The first meeting with the SA-X is unexpected, extremely creepy, and perfectly orchestrated. When the player starts out in Fusion, they are incredibly underpowered. It is a near-exact replica of the player- except for the fact that the SA-X is much, much stronger than they are. The SA-X is an X parasite that is mimicking Samus. Of course, we can’t talk about Metroid Fusion without acknowledging what is possibly the most memorable part of the game for many players: The encounters with the SA-X. It always manages to create a sense of unease, no matter what musical palette is being utilized. Perhaps the best way to describe Fusion’s soundtrack is “panic-inducing”. Even during its sonically lightest moments, the music in the game rarely lets the player completely relax. The frequent low, ominous drones make the player feel more alone than they’ve ever been, and even the more upbeat tracks still manage to create a sense of extreme foreboding. The aspect of Fusion that is arguably most responsible for building this game’s atmosphere is the soundtrack. However, instead of offering a warm respite from the creepiness of the game, the Adam AI only adds to this feeling with its eerie personality. Unlike other Metroid titles, Fusion does feature dialogue- though only through the artificial intelligence of a computer, meant to replicate the personality of Samus’ former now-deceased commanding officer, Adam. She explores a place known as the BSL station, the site of a mysterious explosion. The entire game follows Samus as she is dealing with a deadly infection that is slowly overtaking her body. Metroid Fusion is a conceptually dark game, especially for a mainline Nintendo release. What we’re going to be discussing are the game’s design elements that manage to bring that extra element of unease to the experience. Of course, we already know that the gameplay of Fusion itself is fantastic. And yet, in a sweep of brilliance, Nintendo managed to create both horror and atmosphere with 2002’s Metroid Fusion. The Game Boy Advance is not exactly what one might think of when imagining a platform that often brings horror or any sort of tangible atmosphere.