Author: Roebloz ‪‪@Roebloz‬
v1.00 metroidconstruction.com/hack....
Release date: Jul 01, 2024
Sylux Artwork: www.tumblr.com/blackhookpixel...
In the year 20X9, after enduring countless defeats by Samus Aran and freed from the Phazon that once controlled him, Ridley, the formidable leader of the Space Pirates, decides enough is enough. Determined to vanquish his nemesis once and for all, Ridley devises a new plan: instead of cybernetic enhancements, he will create his own Power Suit, armed with weapons to match those of the bounty hunter.
A team of the brightest minds from the Space Pirates, including renegade human researchers, swiftly initiates Project: Power-Ridley(TM). To maintain secrecy away from active zones like Zebes, they construct the Space Pirate Elemental Research Station, nicknamed S.P.E.R.S. Using stolen Galactic Federation blueprints, the station serves dual purposes: reverse-engineering Chozo artifacts to build Ridley's suit and studying creatures and machines plundered from various planets and ships. The station is divided into six sectors-Fire, Electricity, Water, Ice, Darkness, and Gravity-each designed to utilize and generate these elemental forces.
Progress is swift. Within weeks, they complete the first prototype of Project: Power-Ridley(TM) and conduct numerous experiments, categorizing onboard Zebesian and SR-ian specimens based on their environmental adaptations. To test the prototype, researchers pit it against these creatures, which it effortlessly defeats. Encouraged by these results, they undertake the ultimate challenge: a stolen Federation bio-robot capable of manipulating gravity and minds, known as "The Nightmare."
Positioned in the Gravity sector at the heart of the station, The Nightmare is activated in "Kill Mode" against Power-Ridley(TM) 1.0. However, The Nightmare malfunctions, triggering a catastrophic gravitational blast that devastates the sector, annihilating the prototype suit and throwing the station into chaos. The surviving species onboard, driven to panic, attack the researchers, overwhelming and wiping out the human contingent. The Zebesians attempt to flee but are subjected to The Nightmare's mind-bending module, reducing them to a primitive state.
Left unchecked, The Nightmare begins charging its Gravity Manipulator, threatening to create a black hole at the station's core. A distress signal reaches the Space Pirates' homeworld, prompting them to seek urgent assistance. With few options left, they enlist bounty hunter Sylux, known for aiding in the development of Mochtroids and tasked with a straightforward mission: retrieve Chozo artifacts and destroy The Nightmare before its black hole consumes the galaxy.
Boarding the Delano 7, Sylux heads for the S.P.E.R.S., prepared to confront whatever challenges lie ahead...
GRAVITY - Sylux's Crusade is Roebloz's third serious Metroid Zero Mission ROM hack and fifth overall. This time, it acts as a prequel to Metroid Prime 4, featuring Sylux navigating through a Space Pirate research station now under the control of one of its experimental Nightmare models-originally stolen from the Galactic Federation-now gone rogue and generating a black hole. Sylux's mission is to prevent the black hole from expanding by defeating Nightmare while maneuvering through the station's corridors and collecting various Chozo artifacts.
Similar to its predecessor, Crocomire's Last Stand, GRAVITY aims to offer players a more open exploration experience, though it ventures more experimentally due to its creation for the MetroidConstruction Star Base contest hosted by MetroidMst. The contest imposed several restrictions, such as a maximum of 60 rooms overall. Roebloz cleverly sidesteps this limit by leveraging clauses that exclude elevator rooms and by densely packing multiple rooms into one. However, unlike its predecessor, GRAVITY offers genuinely open progression; players can tackle the game in almost any order they choose, provided they possess the necessary skills to handle the more challenging lower areas. The game is relatively short in length, averaging around 2 hours for a 100% playthrough. However, pursuing all ending images significantly extends its duration. Thanks to its numerous paths and choices, GRAVITY boasts near-endless replay value. Players can opt to prioritize acquiring the strongest upgrades first or focus on stocking up on Energy Tanks right from the start-the decision is entirely theirs.
Rather than featuring the conventional bosses from Zero Mission, GRAVITY introduces several bosses from Fusion, brought to life through the efforts of the MetroidConstruction community. Alongside the titular Nightmare, these include revamped versions of Yakuza NEO, F.R.I.D.G.E., Serris, and Arach.