Metroid Other ZM - A Metroid Zero Mission Hack

[greenspectre]

Thanks for the hint, managed to pick the game back up and keep running. Loved the Kraid fight, and Ridley was okay. After finding Screw Attack I realized how I could have gotten it much much earlier. Literally only need speed booster to get that thing. Per your readme, you say first PBs should be in Chozodia and I was completely unable to find any I could access, but did discover other places in the map where having Gravity Suit or killing MB gave them to me.

Gonna finish this one up this weekend, then go back and do a run as out-of-sequence as possible. I noticed the path that allows you to skip the bosses, but it requires PBs, which would mean I'd have to find those early, too, no?

Unfortunately Maka, my run through Ridley the first time was kind of a blur so I don't really remember where I picked up Supers first, sorry :(

[makazuwr32]

why you blocked suoer missle in crateria (that after speed booster blocks) with additional super missle block(s)?!t could become an early SM (before ridley)....

Upd.:
Finally i got that Super missle upgrade. it is REALLY deep in the ridley... now i'm going for kraid.

Upd. x2:
Finally beat this game. 90% That was something.


Mod Edit: No double-posting please.


well i'm stuck. REALLY STUCK. I got in Chozodia with just 50 missles, mombs, long beam, hi jump and gravity suit unknown item. and i can't go anywhere.(before as i noticed i played a little outdated version from dropbox. now i'm playing in actual version)[spoiler]https://yadi.sk/i/7onNeJfWpwMXnhttps://yadi.sk/i/kd80oATXpwMZN[/spoiler]


Nevermind.Just Got an ice beam from pirates.That was awesome.

[SChase123]

This project is absolutely beautiful.


But, I need to know, how do I get the missiles?

[Quietus]

-It's been a little while since I played ZM but I did recall that there was an exit path in that top area of the vertical shaft in the original game. I had a feeling that it was the path you intended the player to go on but I could not remember where the path was at all. It is meant to be an exit after all, so I didn't remember the exact tile it was hidden behind. I definitely understand making familiarity with the original game's hidden paths a prerequisite for a half hack but when I spent as long as I did trying to find it with no success, you can understand where my initial frustration came from. The other part was that this was really the only confusing hidden path I encountered on my way to Missiles and then Bombs. After finding this path, the route forward was very clear. It feels like a roadblock meant to challenge the player and test if the hack is really for them or not. I feel like the same thing could be achieved by just keeping the original long beam skip intact and then slowly making more complicated hidden paths once the player had more tools in their arsenal, Bombs especially.

Did you try this?

[Luce Seyfarth]

Thanks for the hint, managed to pick the game back up and keep running. Loved the Kraid fight, and Ridley was okay. After finding Screw Attack I realized how I could have gotten it much much earlier. Literally only need speed booster to get that thing.

What? Now I really need to think about alternative methods of blocking those areas. How do you manage to skip over this passage:

[spoiler]

[/spoiler]

Per your readme, you say first PBs should be in Chozodia and I was completely unable to find any I could access, but did discover other places in the map where having Gravity Suit or killing MB gave them to me.

Eh, maybe I should just write "various locations". I'll update the readme soon.

Gonna finish this one up this weekend, then go back and do a run as out-of-sequence as possible. I noticed the path that allows you to skip the bosses, but it requires PBs, which would mean I'd have to find those early, too, no?

Yes, early Power Bombs allow you to use that path.

-It's been a little while since I played ZM but I did recall that there was an exit path in that top area of the vertical shaft in the original game. I had a feeling that it was the path you intended the player to go on but I could not remember where the path was at all. It is meant to be an exit after all, so I didn't remember the exact tile it was hidden behind. I definitely understand making familiarity with the original game's hidden paths a prerequisite for a half hack but when I spent as long as I did trying to find it with no success, you can understand where my initial frustration came from. The other part was that this was really the only confusing hidden path I encountered on my way to Missiles and then Bombs. After finding this path, the route forward was very clear. It feels like a roadblock meant to challenge the player and test if the hack is really for them or not. I feel like the same thing could be achieved by just keeping the original long beam skip intact and then slowly making more complicated hidden paths once the player had more tools in their arsenal, Bombs especially.

Did you try this?

This is old. I've since made the entrance more obvious to find.

(...)(before as i noticed i played a little outdated version from dropbox. now i'm playing in actual version)(...)

The newest version is always available on romhacking.net.

[Quietus]

This is old. I've since made the entrance more obvious to find.

So, is this all the answer that SChase needs, or can you clarify it?

[Luce Seyfarth]

Sorry, my bad :/

But, I need to know, how do I get the missiles?

-It's been a little while since I played ZM but I did recall that there was an exit path in that top area of the vertical shaft in the original game. I had a feeling that it was the path you intended the player to go on but I could not remember where the path was at all. It is meant to be an exit after all, so I didn't remember the exact tile it was hidden behind. I definitely understand making familiarity with the original game's hidden paths a prerequisite for a half hack but when I spent as long as I did trying to find it with no success, you can understand where my initial frustration came from. The other part was that this was really the only confusing hidden path I encountered on my way to Missiles and then Bombs. After finding this path, the route forward was very clear. It feels like a roadblock meant to challenge the player and test if the hack is really for them or not. I feel like the same thing could be achieved by just keeping the original long beam skip intact and then slowly making more complicated hidden paths once the player had more tools in their arsenal, Bombs especially.

Did you try this?

You don't need to find the exact tile anymore.
[spoiler]
There is a small passageway in the left long Brinstar shaft going into the wall to the right.
[/spoiler]
If you are still confused, take this screenshot:
[spoiler]

[/spoiler]

[greenspectre]

Got through that passage by building up a speed booster charge in the room to the bottom left, then speedballing through those blocks. How was I SUPPOSED to get through that passage??? lol

[Luce Seyfarth]

:D
Wow, I didn't even think about building up a Shinespark in the corridor to the left. Now I feel stupid :P
Yeah sorry, had to fix that. Uploaded the fixed version just now - there's an early Screw Attack in Norfair, by the way.

That passage is supposed to only be passed as Zero Suit Samus.

[greenspectre]

I did get through that passage as Zero Suit Samus, but noticed any way to the Screw Attack was blocked by missile blocks, none of them reachable via non-zero-suit samus. Apparently I missed something?

So when you say early SA in Norfair does that mean you moved SA there, or there is an extra SA powerup somewhere in there?

Also, just curious exactly how early is it possible to get full suit?

[Luce Seyfarth]

I did get through that passage as Zero Suit Samus, but noticed any way to the Screw Attack was blocked by missile blocks, none of them reachable via non-zero-suit samus. Apparently I missed something?

You may have missed the following:
[spoiler]
When you get the Fully Powered Suit in Chozodia after the Zero Suit sequence, two of those slow moving robots blocking passages in the mothership will be gone. You can then backtrack to reach the passage you speedballed through from the other side.
[/spoiler]

So when you say early SA in Norfair does that mean you moved SA there, or there is an extra SA powerup somewhere in there?

There is an extra Screw Attack.

Also, just curious exactly how early is it possible to get full suit?

Well...
[spoiler]
I would say halfway through the first part (=before Mother Brain) of the game. As of now I'm trying to decide if I should add another requirement and if so what requirement would be best.
[/spoiler]

[greenspectre]

Awesome, guess i'll abandon my current run and re-patch and try the latest run. I just wanted to say, by the way, that you've done a KILLER job with this game. I love the alternate paths and sequence breaks built in, as who the hell doesn't love to break sequence, and I love the non-linearity that presents. Also, the constant attention to detail and constant re-working of this hack based on our feedback has truly shown that you not only care about having one of the first solid Zero Mission hacks out there, but that you care about the community's opinion on it very much. I know at the beginning of this forum you were very against making the early game easier, but eventually changed the powerup drops due to feedback, and I know that takes true care for your audience to do.

I've played a Kraid-sized number of hacks including Eris, Redesign, Golden Dawn, Impossible, Hyper Metroid, Metroid Super Zero Mission, and probably many more (after a while they all just kinda blend together honestly, except Hyper because it's phenominal and Impossible because it was my first) and I have to say this is easily one of my top 3. Thank you for every bit of work you put into this thing, seriously.

[Metaquarius]

including Aegis

:<_<:

[greenspectre]

Lol, my bad. Removed. I WISH I'd played Aegis :/

Update- played thru again today, found early screw attack. I had THOUGHT I found the early power bombs at the end of an INSANE (and I mean insane. You sir, are evil.) "speed booster/jumping bomb because i already have all 3 unknown items" gauntlet in Crateria, but actually, much to my dismay, discovered a power bomb BLOCK at the end of that one *cry* the search continues, i suppose. I'm coming back for whatever's behind that thing, though. It better be steak.

Also, in the readme it mentions that there's a benefit to skipping power grip- does that still apply? I've been doing this run sans-power grip hoping some benefit would make itself obvious but so far it hasn't.

[Luce Seyfarth]

(...)but eventually changed the powerup drops due to feedback,(...)

Huh, I didn't change power up droprates yet, except for the enemies that spawn from acid/ lava/ tubes. I admit that that I actually forgot about this, but I added a note to my to-do list now. But if you think the droprates are okay the way they are... then this either means FPzero was really bitching about them and/or you don't need them that much (Missiles in particular can be aggravating to find, if you don't have those endlessly spawning enemies at hand).

Awesome, guess i'll abandon my current run and re-patch and try the latest run.

I guess its too late now, but you don't need to completely start over if you re-patch the game when there's only one small little change. If you already got Screw Attack from Chozodia, theres always the possibility to toggle that one off.

I had THOUGHT I found the early power bombs at the end of an INSANE (and I mean insane. You sir, are evil.) "speed booster/jumping bomb because i already have all 3 unknown items" gauntlet in Crateria, but actually, much to my dismay, discovered a power bomb BLOCK at the end of that one *cry* the search continues, i suppose. I'm coming back for whatever's behind that thing, though. It better be steak.

You mean that one in Brinstar?
Hehe, thanks. I'm waiting for your opinion on early PBs, if you ever find them. Although that one doesn't include as much skill but is just VERY well hidden.
Also, I'm just now trying to imagine your face after finally getting into the room behind that Power Bomb block :P
...But please, don't tell me you got over there with Unknown Items in tow. I tried to build it so having any Unknown Item would make it impossible to pass. Don't tell me you can bomb jump and then speedball out of thin air or something like that?
By the way, did you find that room without using Double Helix?

Also, in the readme it mentions that there's a benefit to skipping power grip- does that still apply? I've been doing this run sans-power grip hoping some benefit would make itself obvious but so far it hasn't.

Yes, that still applies.
[spoiler]
You may find having Power Grip will make the prize for the gauntlet you just went through impossible to get. This time for sure, because I hardcoded it into the assembly code.
[/spoiler]



Glad you like Other ZM so much :)
As I've mentioned before in this thread, there aren't any people over where I live that play/ know Zero Mission anymore, but I need different perspectives/ players to evolve this hack. The way it is now, each side helps to make it better :)

I just wish there were more people hacking ZM to make interesting hacks, it just seems that Super Metroid is still preferred by hackers to this day (plus it has been around far longer). Doesn't mean that those hacks aren't any good - ironically, I just love Super Zero Mission and Redesign, even when I still need to finish either one.

[greenspectre]

Lol yes sorry, I meant brinstar, not crateria, and I don't think that one was POSSIBLE to find without double helix! Yes I got that far with unknown items in tow- slight bomb boost off ledge, set bomb next to the block on other side to blow it up, fall and spring ball back up, lay bomb on way up and use it to initiate IBJ string to get back up while still in midair, add some save state abuse and VIOLA! It's probably a missile upgrade or something like that, but at this point, sir, you have thrown down the gauntlet just by putting that puzzle there, so heck with it!. And I had originally tried to speedball through it, but it's not possible to do a midair speedball like it is a midair shinespark. That's the one difference between the two. You have to speedball with a straight jump off the ground. If you REALLY want to make it impossible to get through that passage, I'd suggest adding an extra row of fall blocks as that will disrupt the player's rhythm if they're trying to jump through them as they reform. That's the reason I wasn't able to get through any of your Zero Suit Samus passages in Chozodia.

I would say the item drop rates could use some tweaking- went for Super Missiles before speed booster this run, and I ran out of missiles after the miniboss fight to get into Ridley, then needed lots of missiles to progress through Ridley and I found myself having to fill up by killing large monsters over and over. But that might be what I get for going Ridley first in the first place :p

Also now that I've done it both ways, I noticed that if you know the unknown item skips (spacejump's is bullshit btw lol), getting Kraid's unknown item makes traversing Ridley's lair easier and vice versa. Nice touch!

[Luce Seyfarth]

Yeah, I knew you couldn't just speedball through the air like that, but I never tried bomb jumping first so I considered that a possibility. With that one out of the way... Wow. I guess at that point the player should just be rewarded for making it across those pits like you did. Without savestates you only have one chance before having to do that whole sequence again. Even then, you are a pro for managing to do that.

Sadly I can't just add another layer of fall blocks on top of the existing row, because they can't overlap with Unknown Item blocks - and I think adding another layer just beneath the first one just won't do. I will think more about it later.

Sorry to say that, but there IS an actual upgrade behind that puzzle :P
[spoiler]
You just can't have Power Grip and Varia Suit or it won't be there. I suggest only trying after getting early PBs. Granted, early PBs by themselves are OP already, because they allow you to skip the bosses or zipline activation (not both at the same time, though)
[/spoiler]




Alright, now there are 4 more tasks to do for me:
1. Redesigning the top right part of Kraid. I have an interesting idea in my mind...
2. Doubling the damage done by PBs for killing a certain enemy type faster.
3. Rethinking that Puzzle in Brinstar.
4. Playing through this one more time myself to make notes where Missile drops are too scarce, then changing drop rates accordingly

It will take a while. Especially 1. and 2., as they require some more assembly hacking.
Also, maybe I should ask Interdpth about Crocomire. I've read somewhere that he has created a working version of him. Would be really nice to include...

[biospark]

Also, maybe I should ask Interdpth about Crocomire. I've read somewhere that he has created a working version of him. Would be really nice to include...

http://interdpth.arc-nova.org/PJs%20stuff/
Look under "other people's stuff". Seems it was made by Trunaur.

[greenspectre]

Boo-yes!

Early PBs GET!

Again, no way anybody would get these without using double Helix to find the passage and then reverse-engineering the way to them. And there WAS skill involved, sir, as that bee kept trying to knock me out of my shinespark!

By the way, how do you make a spoiler tag? :D

UPDATE: Well i'm glad you mentioned Varia in the last post, that way when I got to the end of the gauntlet I was prepared for nothing :P Was it one of those two items?

[Luce Seyfarth]

http://interdpth.arc-nova.org/PJs%20stuff/
Look under "other people's stuff". Seems it was made by Trunaur.

Yeah, I know of that link, but thanks anyway. I didn't consider it because I thought it was a disassembly of Crocomire's original data, not the working one.
It seems Interdpth has included him in Metroid Disturbance:

No but i did try opening my cd drive and blowing into it to no avail. I decided to give up on this after I recognized its many sacrilegious design flaws. and to start anew! its going to be called Metroid Something.

Yeah, I'm bad at the actual hacking part. But Disturbance did have some neat tricks and stuff in it. I mean that finished crocomire <3 That intro skip<3
My level design is utter shit :(

I don't know if he did it himself or just used Trunaurs hack, but it sounds as if he programmed it himself.

Boo-yes!

Early PBs GET!

Again, no way anybody would get these without using double Helix to find the passage and then reverse-engineering the way to them. And there WAS skill involved, sir, as that bee kept trying to knock me out of my shinespark!

By the way, how do you make a spoiler tag? :D

UPDATE: Well i'm glad you mentioned Varia in the last post, that way when I got to the end of the gauntlet I was prepared for nothing :P Was it one of those two items?

Glad that you ask, because spoiler tags would really be nice for some of you posts.
I don't know if there's actually a topic somewhere about defined tags (did a quick search and didn't find anything), but apparently you won't find it on the help page. Maybe someone knows and could help me out?
When in doubt, just google something like this.

Simply write [­spoiler] *some spoiler* [/spoiler]

Back on topic:
Well, compared to other puzzles I think this one enemy isn't really that much of a problem.

[spoiler]
Yes, it is a very... special Varia Suit.
[/spoiler]

[greenspectre]

[spoiler]
Yes, it is a very... special Varia Suit.
[/spoiler]

Annnnnnd now I'm gonna do another playthrough. I must see this!

[greenspectre]

Well after many trials and tribulations, I finally got the

[spoiler]
Early full suit. That was a very interesting way to make it happen, and I can now see how you can literally beat the bosses in any order you like. Nothing like some good ol' freedom of choice in a Metroid game!
[/spoiler]

So now that I've played through a few times and gotten everything of major importance in several different orders, my review:

[spoiler]
As I said before, it was very refreshing to play some Zero Mission hack action. What was very interesting to me with this game was that similarly to original Super Metroid, there are alternate paths built in that, once you know about them, encourage a second or third play through. This enhances the replay value of your hack significantly and is a huge plus. I also liked that the first play through was challenging on its own, presenting several "A-ha!" moments once the right path was located or an upgrade was obtained. You didn't give the player ANYTHING easily.

That also presents an issue, though. A lot of times, the hack presents you with an obstacle that will make your common-sense tell you that way is inaccessible when in fact it is. A good example for me would be the morph ball maze with crumble blocks necessary to get the SM upgrade in Ridley (Under all the bee pipes). Earlier in the hack, you present bomb-boosting over a crumble block as a path for an optional item, the Power Grip, but now that we are in Ridley, it is required to progress, and there are even a few where your ground is shaky to begin with, and you must boost off a slow-crumble over a fast-crumble iirc. And then when I am going balls to the wall and getting early Full Suit, a chain of crumble-boosts is required as part of that as well. So from a design perspective we go from something being optional early, to required later, but then shown again as a requirement in an optional path, which feels odd. I understand your hack requires intimate knowledge of the original to progress, but some puzzles felt more annoying than fun or intuitive, and some simply encouraged the player to stay away, convincing me many times that I was not in the right area even if I was.

As for your early item paths, now that I know where they are they feel about right, but I literally had to use Double Helix to find all of them, including the speed booster entrance to the Varia Suit. The only one I came close to finding on my own was the Gravity Suit unknown item, and I don't honestly think anybody would find Plasma or Space Jump without Double Helix, and I can DEFINITELY guarantee you nobody would find early PBs and the last room of the Early Full Suit speed booster gauntlet without it either. I DO agree that such major shortcuts should be VERY well hidden, but the minor ones maybe don't need to be hidden that much. Consider making the speed booster blocks for early plasma visible, and maybe even the missile block in the morph ball passage leading to early Space Jump. The passage to gravity suit can be found just by shooting there by accident, so I think it's fair. These items aren't major skips, and especially with the way your hack is designed, Space Jump and Gravity Suit are meant to make your passage through the other area smoother, so maybe consider making them slightly more accessible. Maybe even make that super missile block leading to early PBs visible as well, though I'm not 100% on that. It was definitely one I never would have found in a million years on my own.

I did have a few gripes about the early game, too. The bug nests in Brinstar required to get to your first missile upgrade take a few too many hits to take down. Or the bugs guarding them are too strong. I have affectionately referred to that room as the "Carpal Tunnel" because of how much you have to mash the fire button to keep up with the bug spawns. And even then if you're on full-auto fire, sometimes one slips by and knocks you down, so it's luck as much as skill there. Combine this with the range at which you have to stand to make your shots land, and the fact that you're only going to be able to take so many hits because nobody plays a perfect game and normal brinstar monsters have low health-drop settings, so you're not likely to enter the room with a full tank, and it can definitely be frustrating. Maybe something to look into. It's also a bit frustrating that until you get the Wave Beam or Ice Beam, you can't efficiently farm most bug nests, as killing 2 bugs with just the long beam is nearly impossible, so you generally have to trade missiles for health, but being low on missiles makes them more dangerous than helpful.

Overall, I agree with an earlier review- this hack is fun, and very original, yet still a bit rough around the edges. It's great to see content dedicated to this game, though, as I've always loved the GBA games. Now for someone to make a playable Fusion hack and we're in business!
[/spoiler]

[Luce Seyfarth]

Thanks for the review :)
As you might expect, I've got some comments of my own on it:

[spoiler]

(...)there are alternate paths built in that, once you know about them, encourage a second or third play through. This enhances the replay value of your hack significantly and is a huge plus.

Its one of the best aspects of Metroid games for pretty much anyone not named Sakamoto :P

I also liked that the first play through was challenging on its own, presenting several "A-ha!" moments once the right path was located or an upgrade was obtained. You didn't give the player ANYTHING easily.

I think it's more rewarding this way. If you have the patience for that, of course... But that's what I meant by "This hack isn't for anyone".

So from a design perspective we go from something being optional early, to required later, but then shown again as a requirement in an optional path, which feels odd.

I don't really understand what you mean by this? What's so special about a mechanic that is required for some parts of a game, yet otherwise optional?

I understand your hack requires intimate knowledge of the original to progress, but some puzzles felt more annoying than fun or intuitive, and some simply encouraged the player to stay away, convincing me many times that I was not in the right area even if I was.

Intuitive Puzzles aren't the most difficult, though. Their nature (being intuitive) makes sure of it. I suppose you mean things like those invisible missile blocks in Ridley (annoying) or the Metroid room in Chozodia (encouraged the player to stay away)?

As for your early item paths, now that I know where they are they feel about right, but I literally had to use Double Helix to find all of them, including the speed booster entrance to the Varia Suit. The only one I came close to finding on my own was the Gravity Suit unknown item, and I don't honestly think anybody would find Plasma or Space Jump without Double Helix (...) Consider making the speed booster blocks for early plasma visible, and maybe even the missile block in the morph ball passage leading to early Space Jump. The passage to gravity suit can be found just by shooting there by accident, so I think it's fair. These items aren't major skips, and especially with the way your hack is designed, Space Jump and Gravity Suit are meant to make your passage through the other area smoother, so maybe consider making them slightly more accessible.

The thing is, with then exception of the path to Gravity Suit (which, as you say, is easier to find than the other ones anyway) you can find all of those by using Power Bombs, as they will reveal any and each destroyable block, no matter what type and how good it is hidden, just like the X-Ray Scope in Super Metroid. Those paths are designed to not be found in the first playthrough, while the placement of Unknown Item blocks hints at them being available earlier and encourages searching for them at the same time.
You can find the route to Varia Suit via Speed Booster with Power Bombs, too. Also, this one doubles as a convenient shortcut between Kraid and Norfair and connects to the same room in Norfair as this route does in the original Zero Mission.
In the end, all of those Items and passages serve to fasten a run through the game. The more you play, the more knowledge you gain to complete it faster and easier. If you could easily find all of these passages in your first run, this experience would be missing. I know of course that there aren't many players who will play this hack more than once, but those who do then have something more to uncover after finishing their first playthrough.

As you can see, they may be found without Double Helix. But thanks for sharing your experience, I will update the readme to give a hint about finding them.

(...)and I can DEFINITELY guarantee you nobody would find early PBs and the last room of the Early Full Suit speed booster gauntlet without it either. I DO agree that such major shortcuts should be VERY well hidden, (...)

That's the reason I asked people to find them. I want to know if there are people crazy enough to find them...
Plus, I just had to include this kind of secret, as I have fond memories of some old games having secrets like that :P
I recently read somewhere that you can destroy the Omega Pirates shoulder cannons in Metroid Prime, a rather useless but nonetheless interesting example.

Maybe even make that super missile block leading to early PBs visible as well, though I'm not 100% on that. It was definitely one I never would have found in a million years on my own.

No. Early PBs let you skip Kraid and Ridley or that first trip to Chozodia (by killing Metroids with them). Also they are the key to early Full Suit.
There are small hints on how to get them: A player may notice i've raised that PB expansion above the lava for no appearent reason. Using a Power Bomb there will uncover the exit to the right, which also seems to have no purpose. From there you may deduce that there must be another way to get in, one that doesn't require Gravity Suit. The difficult part is figuring out that you should come from below and realising that Ridleys area is in fact below Norfair. Again, saying these things doesn't mean I think these would be found easily or anytime soon without DH. It will certainly be interesting to find out, though.

The bug nests in Brinstar required to get to your first missile upgrade take a few too many hits to take down. Or the bugs guarding them are too strong. I have affectionately referred to that room as the "Carpal Tunnel" because of how much you have to mash the fire button to keep up with the bug spawns. And even then if you're on full-auto fire, sometimes one slips by and knocks you down, so it's luck as much as skill there. Combine this with the range at which you have to stand to make your shots land, and the fact that you're only going to be able to take so many hits because nobody plays a perfect game and normal brinstar monsters have low health-drop settings, so you're not likely to enter the room with a full tank, and it can definitely be frustrating.

That one I can definitely understand, as I have felt that frustration during my own test playthroughs. I have not changed these yet because you have this same situation in the normal Zero Mission if you decide to skip Long Beam. What makes it more difficult here is the absence of that first Missile Container and maybe the lower health. I will probably lower the HP of the nests, or bugs, or even both. I can also imagine giving the nests a guaranteed big energy drop. Again, thanks for making me realize.

It's also a bit frustrating that until you get the Wave Beam or Ice Beam, you can't efficiently farm most bug nests, as killing 2 bugs with just the long beam is nearly impossible, so you generally have to trade missiles for health, but being low on missiles makes them more dangerous than helpful.

Did you try using Bombs on them? Maybe I should write this tip in the readme, but using bombs will kill a set of three bugs relatively easily, making farming possible, which can be quite important to get missiles.
[/spoiler]

Overall, I agree with an earlier review- this hack is fun, and very original, yet still a bit rough around the edges. It's great to see content dedicated to this game, though, as I've always loved the GBA games. Now for someone to make a playable Fusion hack and we're in business!

Again, thanks for playing.
I agree on the need for a Fusion hack. Also, a nonlinear one that uses Adams speeches in hilarious ways whenever you break sequence :D

[makazuwr32]

Finally i got those Early PB.
That was something.
Now i'm going to get to that room with 3 unknown items' blocks.

uPD:
i got early Full Power Suit AND Screw Attack.
still could get Screw attack extremly early with just speed booster and hi jump (via speed ball).

[greenspectre]

Maka, did you update your rom? Newest patch has prevented that.

[spoiler]
Luce, I didn't realize the skips were meant to be discovered with PBs later, maybe you could include a hint in the read me :) with that said, I rescind my comment about them being too hard to find.
[/spoiler]