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Chapter 5: Final Confrontation

Use the Ice Beam to freeze a target, then finish with five missiles.

The time has finally come for us to enter Tourian - the Mother Brain's lair - and do away with the Pirates and their Metroids. If you don't have the Ice Beam, make sure to go and get one, as you won't stand a chance against the Metroids without it. Getting to Tourian won't be a problem, once you're back in Brinstar, go back to the gigantic blue shaft near where you started the game. Climb up to the very top and head left. Cross the next long corridor and blast through the red door at the end to locate the Statue Room.

In here, you won't be able to proceed until both Kraid and Ridley are dead. As you've dealt with them, both statues representing Kraid and Ridley will be flashing, shoot both of them to reveal a bridge leading to the door on the left. Head through the door and ride down the elevator to enter Tourian.

Traversing through Tourian will be easy, it's the enemies you'll have to watch out for. Below in this first shaft you'll face a number of Metroids, they'll try to grab onto Samus and suck her energy away. If one does ever grab you, just leave the room you're in to shake them off. Whenever you face a Metroid, shoot it with the Ice Beam to freeze it, then pound into it with 5 Missiles to end their day. Make sure you grab any energy or missile refills they leave behind, as they'll restore more than the ordinary enemies. At the bottom of the first shaft blast through the door with 10 Missiles and head through.

Deadly Metroids and the odd lava pit await in Tourian.

In the next corridor small red circles will appear from the background and fly at Samus, just whack them with the Screw Attack or freeze them and move on. You'll face more Metroids in here, just keep firing to the right as you cross over the lava to freeze any when they appear. At the end of the corridor, blast through the red door and descend the next shaft. More Metroids await below, with a large concentration of ones at the base of the shaft, so be careful.

Once at the bottom go through the door to find another corridor filled with Metroids. Whack each one and head through the door on the left side to find the Mother Brain's lair - you'll know your there as the music will pick up and become tenser. Gun turrets line the ceiling, so try to avoid their fire, as well as the annoying red circles appearing everywhere. You'll need to blow through the barriers ahead with Missiles before reaching the Mother Brain, just keep pounding into them until they blow. You'll need to blow through five barriers to reach the Mother Brain at the left end of the corridor.

Final boss: Mother Brain

You'll find the Mother Brain encased in a large glass container surrounded by gun turret defenses, so it'll be difficult avoiding the projectiles flying around. Shoot the front of the glass with a single Missile to break it open, you'll now have a clear shot at the gruesome Mother Brain itself. Stand on the pillar where the last barrier was, you can also stand on the small blue platform to the right of it to pick off clear shots, just make sure the projectiles don't push you into the lava just below Mother Brain as you'll have a tough time getting out.

Keep persisting against Mother Brain while the projectiles fly about, after firing a number of shots you'll notice that the brain will begin pulsating rapidly. Keep firing, then once the projectiles stop coming and the screen flashes, the Mother Brain will disintegrate and fall to pieces. You'll finally have gained a well-deserved victory, but the fun isn't over yet.

A tense frantic theme will begin playing and a message "Time Bomb Set, Get Out Fast" will appear where the Mother Brain was. A timer will appear and begin rapidly counting down from the number 999, so you'll have to get out of here before it reaches zero. Shoot open the door that appears on the left to find a long shaft leading up. This is the final run, you're exit and ultimate victory are waiting at the top.

Jump up the shaft using the small blue platforms, just try not to fall down. You should have plenty of time to reach the exit, once you make it up there ride up the elevator to escape from Zebes. Congratulations, you've now fully completed the one and only original Metroid!

Finale

And that's the original NES Metroid, the one that began Samus' adventures that now span more than 15 years. The game doesn't let you know how long it took you to reach the end, but you'll probably find yourself playing for somewhere between 2-4 hours the first time, but following this guide you should beat it in around 1 hour 30 minutes, easily enough to gain a decent ending.