Editing Metroid Fusion (section)

{{Short description|2002 video game}}
{{Redirect|Metroid 4|the upcoming Nintendo Switch game|Metroid Prime 4: Beyond}}
{{Good article}}{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2016}}
{{Infobox video game
| image = Metroid Fusion box.jpg
| alt = Samus Aran in the Fusion Suit kneels down and faces the viewer.
| caption = North American box art
| developer = [[Nintendo Research & Development 1|Nintendo R&D1]]
| publisher = [[Nintendo]]
| director = [[Yoshio Sakamoto]] <br /> Takehiko Hosokawa
| producer = Takehiro Izushi
| designer = Tomoyoshi Yamane <br /> Takehiko Hosokawa
| programmer = Katsuya Yamano
| artist = Tomoyoshi Yamane
| writer = Yoshio Sakamoto
| composer = {{unbulleted list|Minako Hamano|Akira Fujiwara}}
| series = ''[[Metroid]]''
| engine = 
| platforms = [[Game Boy Advance]] <!-- DO NOT add "Virtual Console". VC is software emulation; see [[Template:Infobox video game#platforms]] -->
| released = {{Video game release|NA|November 18, 2002|EU|November 22, 2002|AUS|November 29, 2002|JP|February 14, 2003}} <!-- DO NOT include emulated releases (i.e. Virtual Console). See above link. -->
| genre = [[Action-adventure game|Action-adventure]]
| modes = [[Single-player]]
| title = Metroid Fusion
}}

{{Nihongo foot|'''''Metroid Fusion'''''|メトロイドフュージョン|Metoroido Fyūjon|lead=yes|group=lower-alpha}}{{Efn|The opening cutscene alternatively refers to the game as '''''Metroid 4'''''.<ref name="game-intro">{{cite video game|title=Metroid Fusion |developer=[[Nintendo Research & Development 1|Nintendo R&D1]] |publisher=[[Nintendo]] |date =November 18, 2002 |platform=[[Game Boy Advance]] |scene=Opening |quote=Nintendo Presents / METROID 4}}</ref>}} is a 2002 [[action-adventure game]]<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2023-11-19 |title=21 Years Later, The Most Underrated Metroid Game Is Still Worth Playing |url=https://www.inverse.com/gaming/metroid-fusion-21-year-retrospective |access-date=2024-06-27 |website=Inverse |language=en |archive-date=August 17, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240817143330/https://www.inverse.com/gaming/metroid-fusion-21-year-retrospective |url-status=live}}</ref> developed and published by [[Nintendo]] for the [[Game Boy Advance]]. It was developed by [[Nintendo Research & Development 1]], which had developed the previous ''Metroid'' game, ''[[Super Metroid]]'' (1994). ''Fusion'' is part of the ''[[Metroid]]'' series, and takes place after the events of ''[[Metroid: Other M]]'' and before ''[[Metroid Dread]]''. Players control the bounty hunter [[Samus Aran]], who investigates a space station infected with shapeshifting parasites known as X. ''Fusion'' marked the return of the ''Metroid'' series after an eight-year hiatus following ''Super Metroid'' (1994).

Like previous ''Metroid'' games, ''Fusion'' is a [[side-scrolling]] game with [[platform game|platform jumping]], shooting, and puzzle elements. It introduces mission-based progression that guides the player through certain areas. It was released on the same day as the [[GameCube]] game ''[[Metroid Prime]]'' in North America; both games can be linked using the [[GameCube – Game Boy Advance link cable]] to unlock additional content for ''Prime''.

''Fusion'' was acclaimed for its gameplay, controls, graphics and music, though its shorter length and greater linearity received some criticism. It received several awards, including "[[D.I.C.E. Award for Mobile Game of the Year|Handheld Game of the Year]]" from the [[Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences]], "Best Game Boy Advance Adventure Game" from ''[[IGN]]'', and "Best Action Game on Game Boy Advance" from ''[[GameSpot]]''. It was rereleased on the [[Nintendo 3DS]]'s [[Virtual Console]] in 2011 as part of the 3DS Ambassador Program, the [[Wii U]]'s Virtual Console in 2014, and the [[Nintendo Classics]] service in 2023. A sequel, ''Metroid Dread'', was released in 2021 for the [[Nintendo Switch]].