Area 3 : part I

A new area means a new Chozo Seal—and new enemies. This floor is a lot more dangerous than the last, so tread carefully.

There isn’t a lot between you and the Chozo Seal, so follow the path to reach it.

The Chozo Seal has a full 10 flashing lights. This floor is a lengthy one, but we’ve done our best to give you the clearest path through. Once you’re done with the Chozo Seal, hop onto the ledge to the seal’s left, then Spider Ball along the ceiling to get to the other side of the room.

In the next room, jump on the ledge just above the door and make your way up this long corridor. The climb is straightforward but incredibly dangerous; a couple of Autracks and a slew of Tsumuri are scattered throughout the corridor’s upper area. When you see the Autracks, run, but taking out the Tsumuri is likely in your best interest, as they leave acid slime if they see you, or if you damage them in any way.

Once you reach the top, if you head right far enough, you encounter a giant flower called a Blob Thrower. These are indestructible, at least with your current gear, so ignore it and backtrack to the left.

Spring and Spider Ball onto the ceiling, bomb the paneling a few feet back from the Blob Thrower, then jump up to the area above.

Bomb the upper-left corner of this corridor to open a path up to another Aeion Ability Artifact: the Beam Burst.

Head to the right until you see the Flame Wallfire. This is a good place to test out your new toy. Activate the Beam Burst by pressing Right on the +Control Pad, then press the A button. Free Aim at the Flame Wallfire and let the Beam Burst rip!

Once the Flame Wallfire has been destroyed, bomb the platform it was resting above. Drop down to end up back in the Blob Thrower corridor. In fact, if you head to the left, you see the very Blob Thrower you saw earlier. Head right to encounter another Blob Thrower; there’s no getting around this one. With the Beam Burst in your possession, you can now tear through these enemies with ease. Give it a try!

Continue through the door on the right end of the corridor.

Don’t take the elevator in this next room yet. This area is divided into two parts: top and bottom. If you venture deep enough into the bottom, you may have quite the task getting back out. Instead, head to the right and look up. Those steel orb-shaped objects can only be destroyed by your Beam Burst. Fire away to clear out the first and second ones, then jump up into the Morph Ball passage and follow it out to its other side.

Head up and through the door on the left.

The path through this room is fairly linear, with all diverting paths obstructed by those red-light Blocks you saw in Area 2. Follow the path to a dead end. Of course, dead ends are rarely dead ends in this game. Turn into the Morph Ball and roll into the little nook on the right to fall through a Pit Block.

Continue on through the door on the right side of the room.

Proceed to the right until you reach a drop-off. Drop down and go left. Use Bombs to destroy the left wall, then head through the opening.

Follow the path to unlock the Teleport Station at the end, then double back and climb back out of the pit.

Once out of the pit, scale the wall to the right all the way to the top.

Keep heading right until you find another drop-off. Drop below and head through the Red Door on your left.

While this next room may look intimidating, with all its spiky growths, enemies, and those mysterious lit Blocks, it’s quite simple to get through. Go left until you hit the wall.

Drop into the hole on the left underneath the blue-light Block. When your feet touch land once more, proceed to the right.

You drop through some Pit Blocks; don’t panic! Head through the Morph Ball shaft below you and continue right.

Once you reach the far-right side of the room, you find a new item: the Grapple Beam. This item allows you to grapple onto those blue-light Blocks (known as grapple points) to swing to previously unreachable locations. You also gain the ability to pull the Pull Blocks (the ones with red lights), destroying them entirely.

This room makes for a good instructor on the ins and outs of the Grapple Beam. Start by using the Grapple Beam on the Pull Block to the left of the Chozo Statue.

Pull the Block to destroy it, then move up to the ledge above the Pit Block pit you fell into on the way to the Grapple Beam. Grapple onto the grapple point on the other side of the pit to pull yourself across safely.

Free Aim straight up until the targeting laser turns blue, then press the Fire button to automatically use the Grapple Beam.

Head right, target the grapple point above the opening, and grapple onto it. Use Left and Right to increase your swing speed. When you’re at the highest point on the right side of your swing, release the Grapple Beam to launch to the ledge on the right side of the room.

It’s time to set out toward your next Metroid. Once out of the room, head right and align Samus with the pillar in the background. Free Aim upward until the targeting laser turns blue, then fire to grapple onto an off-screen grapple point on the ceiling. Use it to swing to the platform on the left, then Spider Ball around the platform until you reach an opening.

Roll into the opening and proceed up the right side of the corridor until you see another Pull Block. Grapple onto and pull the Block, then drop down and enter the opening you just created.

Climb to the top of this new passage to reach another Pull Block. Pull it, then drop back down and climb back up the right side of the corridor.

Go right to reach a dead end—the only way to continue is downward. Ignore the elevator on the way.

Drop all the way to the bottom of this corridor, then head through the door on the right.

In this next room, head right, then jump onto the upper-left platform. Use the grapple point in the center of the ceiling to swing to the right side. Use the Grapple Beam to pull the Pull Block, then Spider Ball around and up the platform you’re on.

Use the grapple point to swing to the left side of the room, then Free Aim upward and use the off-screen grapple point to pull yourself up.

From here, Spider Ball up the right wall to reach the door at the top of the corridor.

14/40

Gamma Metroid (Runner)

This Gamma presents a much different fight from any of the Metroids you’ve fought before. As soon as you step through the door leading into this main corridor, you’ve essentially engaged in the fight.

Three separate rooms are attached to this main corridor. The Metroid is hiding in one of them. After you deal it enough damage, it runs off and enters one of the remaining two rooms.

The entrance to the first room is in the square above the bottom-right corner of the main corridor.

This room is made up of giant steps, which make for a tough fight. There isn’t a lot of safe space on the right, and if the Gamma decides to perform its electric tackle from your right, it can sail as far as it wants to the left side of the screen. It can be hard to dodge if you jump to either side of the room.

The second room features the most obvious entrance. Climb up to the top of the main corridor and destroy the Bomb Block at the end of the small Morph Ball passage.

This room offers much more favorable conditions for the air fights, but can be troublesome for ground combat. Pools of water bookend the center platform, so if the Gamma comes after you or decides to electrify the floor, there’s nowhere to go but in the water.

The third and final room can be found on the end opposite of the second room’s entrance. Place a Bomb in the small opening on the top-left side of the corridor to create a way in.

This room presents the most favorable conditions. Its layout is similar to the second room, but without the water. Unfortunately, by the time you reach this room, the Gamma is basically as good as done.

Use your Metroid Radar to determine which room the Metroid starts in. This Gamma fights exactly like the first one you faced, apart from the fact that this one runs away. Expect the same attacks and success in the same strategies you used last time.

If you find yourself low on health and ammo, return to the main corridor and destroy the Rock Icicle to refill your resources. It’s a slow process, but it works in a pinch.

With the defeat of this Metroid, consider yourself finished with this section for the time being. There are still items to grab, but you don’t currently have the necessary tools to obtain them. For now, backtrack to ’s corridor, then climb it all the way back to the top. Head left for a short trip to an elevator. Use it.

Once down the elevator, head left and drop all the way to the bottom of the corridor. Stick to the right side to avoid any needless slowdowns. At the bottom, take the door on the right.

Drop down the shaft in the next room while staying in its center. There are Ramulkens on either side of the drop; sticking to the center helps you avoid taking unnecessary damage on the way down.

Make your way down the next room and take the door on the left.

Drop to the bottom of the next corridor to find a fan and a Morph Ball hole. Head through the Morph Ball hole on the right to reach the Metroid chamber.

15/40

Gamma Metroid (Hider)

Like the last Metroid you fought, this one comes with a twist. Moving to the center of the chamber doesn’t start the fight like you’ve come to expect. That’s because this Gamma is hiding and needs to be flushed out of its hole before it takes you on directly. It’s not a difficult process, but it takes a bit of time.

Start by heading to the right side of the chamber. From there, jump to see a grapple point above you. Grapple onto it and use it to swing to the small opening on the upper-right corner of the chamber.

Continue until you reach the Save Station. There’s an opening below the device, but ignore it for now. Instead, jump up and crawl into the upper-left opening.

Follow the path until you’re below the fan that you passed just before entering the Metroid chamber. Roll to the right end of the path to fall through a Pit Block into the Gamma Metroid’s nest.

The Metroid leaves its hole and enters its chamber proper, which means you just need to get there to fight it. Jump or Spider Ball up and destroy the Bomb Block in front of the fan’s air current. Head through the Morph Ball hole on the right, and the fight begins.

This is a standard Gamma fight. There are no tricks in this chamber aside from a slightly lowered ceiling. Stay near the left or right wall to avoid any ceiling-related inconveniences.

Two other Metroids await near the hiding Gamma’s chamber—one to the left and one to the right. Start by eliminating the one on the right, since that one takes much longer to reach and its path terminates in a dead end.

Use the grapple point on the upper-right side of the Gamma’s chamber and follow the path until you return to the Save Station.

Roll through the lower hole to the left of the Save Station.

Ignore the Taramarga-covered door for the time being and instead go right. Find a pair of grapple points suspended over a pool of water. To cross the water, grapple onto the first grapple point, then transition midair to the next Block.

At a technical level, all you need to do is Free Aim diagonally up and to the right, then fire as soon as you release the Grapple Beam from the first grapple point. In practice, this can be more challenging. Keep at it to eventually make it across the pool.

Once you’re on the other side, drop below the Ammo Recharge Station and head through the door on the right.

Continue until you see two pits ahead: the first covered in that slippery yellow goo, the second a bit ahead of the first. Ignore the first pit and jump directly into the second.

Take the Charge Door on your right.