#cl thoughts

Annie spoke of how difficult it can be to stand against the flow, and how she admires those who can, like Eren and Armin. I think Pieck's easygoing personality made it so she could go along with Marley's ambitions for years, but flip on a dime when the opportunity to ally with soldiers of Paradis to save lives (as the Rumbling killed oppressed peoples globally including Eldians) arose.

Pieck is mellow, but also smart as a whip. She knew no good could come to her or her father or even the Eldian people by defying Marley's command. So, she followed the flow until a new path opened.

1. Metroid Fusion - I have a strong bias towards this one because it's the first one I played! I absolutely ADORE the spaceship setting, detailed biomes, and alien creature design. The sound design also hits perfectly. The only downside to Fusion being my first game is that it led me to expect a certain narrative structure and boss difficulty. The less guided narrative in the other installments, which I came to learn is a Metroid staple, led me to find their stories lacking. Also, I got stuck on Nightmare for months and only Dread came close to that difficulty level. I'm replaying Fusion right now and I'm feeling the exact same delight and intrigue I did the first time, despite knowing all the twists and SA-X encounters. I love it so much.

2. Super Metroid - I found it underwhelming on first play, but loved the atmosphere and tone created by the background art and music. Super definitely has the best tracks overall; both Brinstar themes have made it onto my regular playlist. Then, I played the game a second time. Then a third. And a fourth (I really wanted that best ending). I think what drew me back to Super was the atmosphere and sense of autonomy it gives the player. It's an illusion - paths are blocked based on upgrades/plot progression - but it's a good one. If Fusion is the best of the guided narrative, Super is the best of the unguided.

3. Metroid Dread - This game has the best handling by a long shot. All the abilities are incredibly satisfying to use and it's what keeps me coming back. I also loved that it was a sequel to Fusion and seeing the fallout from that disaster. Environments were detailed and beautiful, great sound effects, boss fights were appropriately difficult...However. The music. It's not bad. It serves its purpose. But it's not memorable. Only one I can vaguely recall is the Ghavoron theme, and that's enough to knock it below Super for me. Also didn't love how goofy the brains looked? Speaking of enemies, the EMMI create great tension, but they've got nothing on the SA-X in terms of creep factor ;P Anyway, fun game, good story, hard mode was perfect, idk how dread mode is humanly possible.

4. Metroid Zero Mission - Okay, I LOVED this game on first play. It was the second one I played and I didn't know Zero Suit Samus appeared in the game, so the twist was super exciting! I also really enjoyed how tricky some of the items were to get. I am a completionist at heart and I can't resist collecting everything. The difficulty pushed me to perfect my shinespark tricks, which made 100% in Dread easy by comparison :P Kraid theme is peak of course, and I like the Brinstar theme as well. The heavy atmosphere and sense Samus was descending into the bowls of some omnipresent beast was brilliantly unnerving. Alas, on replay, I didn't enjoy the game as much. The Zero Suit section, thrilling on first play, became tedious. Lack of replayability pushed this game lower down the ranks.

5. Metroid II - Wasn't sure how to rank the first two games. They could be interchangeable. I'm putting II above the original because I liked the clear objective - kill all metroids. I found the task of hunting down every metroid, in various stages of development, very satisfying. The backgrounds, while limited by the hardware, managed to be fairly distinct. Music was somewhat headache-inducing, but I kinda liked its grating edge. And I adored the ending. Saving the baby metroid and breaking free to the stars after such a bloody mission was a beautiful relief. I actually went outside to stargaze afterwards.

6. Metroid - The least guided narrative, so also the least fun for me to play. No map, no instructions. Only yourself to rely on. I feel bad putting it in last place because it's the game that started it all and it clearly has many redeeming attributes. The music is certainly far stronger than Metroid II's, especially the title theme, which begins desolate and eerie before slowly pulling in notes of hope and finally landing on strength. While isolation is a defining theme of the Metroid games, I argue the response to that isolation is equally as important. Samus remains as she is, true and determined, while the emptiness presses in and seeks to infect her resolve. And, it's not that Samus is cold and stubbornly unchanged by her surroundings. She's reflective and compassionate and alters her approach based on new information: e.g. saving the hatchling metroid, or learning skills from the Zebes creatures. Conversely, those traits are what allow her to withstand isolation. This dynamic is conveyed beautifully in the title theme.

Alright, that's enough half-baked analysis. Yay Metroid yay Samus we love Samus

Also, I've seen some people upset that an autistic character (Mel) is being played as ace/aro. This frustration comes from the phenomenon of people infantilizing autistic characters (and autistic people irl!) and seeing them as incapable of having sex or romantic relationships. However, I'd argue that The Pitt already did a wonderful job of portraying Becca, who is also autistic and has higher support needs than Mel, as seeking and enjoying sex and romance. The narrative clearly rebutts infantilization of Becca and highlights her autonomy. The ableism of viewers desexualizing autistic characters should not stop people from creating ace/aro autistic characters because it is a real experience which deserves to be portrayed.