Metroid: Zero Mission: Metroid Other ZM

WARNING: This hack may not work with some emulators that are older and/ or for mobile phones, because of the way I implemented new ASM routines. If your game crashes when collecting a powerup, this is probably the case for you.

Well... this is a hack of Metroid Zero Mission for the Game Boy Advance.

The goal of the hack was not to completely redesign every room and map of the game, but rather to make a different, more difficult, yet somewhat similar experience to the original.
That being said, there are some areas which are very different from the original - Chozodia comes to mind as one of the areas which I have changed the most.

To create this I have used all of the following, which I would like to give credit and my honest thanks for:
- The original Metroid Zero Mission(U) ROM by Nintendo
- Double Helix, the Metroid Zero Mission/ Fusion editor written by Interdpth
- A patch which enables the Item Toggle feature, made by Trunaur68
- The (sadly incomplete) RAM and ROM maps of this game posted on Datacrystal, as well as several ARM Opcode sheets used for manual hex editing
- The debug-version of VBA, as well as its normal incarnation

Notable changes that I implemented in the hack:
- Kraid and Ridleys hideouts in particular follow very different paths, requiring to look very carefully at the layout to find the correct ways. Brinstar and Norfair also have a fair share of redesigned pathways and rooms, of course...
- Some Item locations were swapped or otherwise moved. Chozo hint statues no longer exist. Item requirements for beating (certain parts of) the game have also changed. Unknown Items no longer are required (in fact, simply collecting them can take a while... as the Screw Attack, which is now located in Chozodia, is required to get them)
- try looking for some new sequence breaks... like skipping the dreaded Power Grip. Skipping that thing may be very rewarding for the patient...
- of course many minor Items were hidden elsewhere as well
- all enemies have raised attack and hp, while also dropping less stuff. This also accounts for bosses, some of which also have other nasty surprises
- Like the original Metroid, only one of the Ice and Wave (and later Plasma) Beams can be equipped at once. Collecting a certain other powerup may allow for equipping them all at once, though


WARNING:
This is NOT intended for the easily frustrated, or to be easily accessible. You are required to know the original game very well to sometimes make suggestions for finding the correct path. If sometimes searching for more then 5 minutes isn't your thing, then this will likely not be your type of game...



Thanks for trying!

---------------
|What is this?|
---------------

Well, as you probably know by now, a hack of the game "Metroid Zero Mission" for GBA



------------
|Change log|
------------

Version 1.0 - initial release of the hack
Version 1.1 - fixed some bugs, made passages in the beginning easier to find
Version 1.2 - fixed some more bugs, switched some items around
Version 2.1 - switched more items around, removed "shoot-through only"-blocks,
because they were glitchy
Version 3.1 - redesigned Chozodia, relocated some items, fixed remaining bugs
Version 3.2 - minor bug- and designfixes (for ex. to make passages easier to find)
Version 3.3 - fixed a bunch of small bugs (clipping errors etc.) as well as a
game-ending one (Space Pirates in Chozodia didn't drop any Missiles)
Version 3.4 - fixed some wrong map tiles, also made it more difficult to get stuck
in Kraid; fixed unintended early Super Missile in Chozodia
Version 3.5 - added some alternative paths, also fixed some bugs
Version 3.6 - fixed early Screw Attack in Chozodia
Version 3.7 - fixed early Full Suit with Unknown Items, redesigned top right part
of Kraid
Version 3.8 - fixed a bunch of glitches, added a puzzle in Crateria, completely
reworked the Kraid escape route



----------------
|How to install|
----------------

First you need the original american(U) rom of Metroid Zero Mission, then some program that
can apply the .ips patch to it - like ipsXP for example. Instructions on how to use those
can be found in the respective documentation for these programs.

WARNING: Due to my implementation of new ASM routines, this hack may not work with some
Emulators! If your game freezes spontaneously upon collecting an upgrade, that
may be the cause.



----------------------------
|Major changes and features|
----------------------------

- most areas have been reconstructed while generally having the same or a similar map than
the original game; I would say Ridley, Kraid and Chozodia have the most changes,
Tourian the less
- Chozo hint statues no longer exist at all
- Gravity Suit won't be needed to start the Ridley fight
- Missiles can damage Black Space Pirates
- most major upgrade locations and requirements where changed, minor upgrades are hidden in
different places as well
- in particular Unknown Items and the Power Grip aren't needed and Screw Attack comes very
late
- like in the original Metroid, only one of the Ice and Wave (and later Plasma) Beams can
be equipped at once; collecting a certain other powerup may will allow that though
- try looking for new sequence breaks as well; skipping Power Grip may very well be worth
the trouble... getting Ice Beam won't be a cakewalk either...
- most enemies (including bosses) have higher HP and attack while dropping way less stuff
- there are other surprises, but I won't spoil them here



--------------------------
|Default item progression|
--------------------------

If you find yourself stuck in the game, most of the time the answer is to just look around.
For those who want to find out which item they need next, I've included the default progression
(= no sequence breaks) here.

*DON'T READ IF YOU DON'T WANT SPOILERS!*


Crateria - Morph Ball
Brinstar - Missile
Brinstar - Bomb
Crateria - Power Grip (optional)
Norfair - Long Beam (optional)

[Kraid - Speed Booster]
[Brinstar - High Jump Boots (optional)]

or
[Ridley - Super Missile]
[Norfair - Wave Beam (optional)]

Kraid - Varia Suit (optional)
[Items from Kraid/ Ridley (whichever you didn't get first)]

Chozodia - Ice Beam

(Mother Brain -> Zero Suit)
(Zero Suit -> Fully Powered Suit)
various - Power Bomb (optional)
various - Unknown Items (optional)
Norfair - Charge Beam (optional, lets you combine beam weapons)
(need either Plasma Beam or many Missiles/ Super Missiles)
(Mecha Ridley -> End)



------------------------------------
|Optional paths and Sequence Breaks|
------------------------------------

As with the original Zero Mission, there are some optional paths and possibilities to
sequence break, but generally these won't be easy to find. If you have trouble finding
them, use Power Bombs as they will reveal most secret passages.



Also I challenge you to find early Power Bombs, as well as another Powerup you can get with them.

Early Power Bombs are very well hidden and you will need to show considerable attention to detail
as well as deducing skills to find them.
That being said, the path to them doesn't decline ingame logic. You won't need to search for some
random warp across the map or an extra expansion that isn't included in the normal 100% item
collection.



-------------------------
|Missile/ health farming|
-------------------------

Try farming those respawning enemies that jump out of the acid/ lava/ pipes if you trun low on
ammo. If your beam is still weak, try using bombs - they will make farming a whole lot easier...



-------------------------
|Credits and legal stuff|
-------------------------

I would like give my honest thanks for being able to use all of the following to create and
update this hack:

- The original Metroid Zero Mission(U) ROM made by Nintendo
- Double Helix, the Metroid Zero Mission/ Fusion editor made by Interdpth
- the Menu Patch of this game made by Trunaur68
- The (sadly incomplete) RAM and ROM maps of this game posted on Datacrystal, as well as
several ARM Opcode sheets used for manual hex editing
- The debug-version of VBA, as well as its normal incarnation


All contents of the original game belong to Nintendo


------------
|Contact me|
------------

If you find any bugs/ strange behaviours or have constructive critizism to make this better,
you're welcome to email me under the following address:

lsey@web.de

Metroid - Zero Mission (U).gba
CRC32: 5C61A844
MD5: EBBCE58109988B6DA61EBB06C7A432D5
SHA-1: 5DE8536AFE1F0078EE6FE1089F890E8C7AA0A6E8

Metroid - Zero Mission (U)(TrashMan)