Vertical chamber

The vertical chamber is a room in Area 1 of SR388, seen in Metroid II: Return of Samus and Metroid: Samus Returns.

Description
The vertical chamber is the first room of Area 1 that is not flooded with purple liquid. Upon entering this chamber in Samus Returns, the theme of Area 1 starts playing for the first time.

As its name suggests, the vertical chamber stretches vertically, with the entrance on the bottom and the exit at the top. In addition to ledges along the left and right walls, there are four platforms directly in the middle of the chamber; however, some of these platforms are home to Needlers (Return of Samus) or Electric Moheeks (Samus Returns). Therefore, Samus Aran must stand on neighboring ledges to shoot these creatures and safely clear the way for her ascent.

With the additional graphical capabilities of the Nintendo 3DS, the vertical chamber is much more visually detailed in Samus Returns. Lush plants with large green leaves are growing in the rock. Waterfalls can be seen in the background, and the bottom of the vertical chamber is now submerged in a shallow pool of water.

The layout of the room remains mostly unchanged in Samus Returns, with only one major alteration: the second "middle platform" is now fused with the right wall, leading to a Charge Door that was not present in the original game. Unlike all previously-seen doors, this door is glowing red-hot; entering it leads to a room with extreme heat that Samus cannot endure with the standard Power Suit. This wordlessly conveys that glowing doors lead to superheated rooms, and Samus must return later after acquiring the Varia Suit in Area 2.

Return of Samus

 * 1 Mumbo
 * 2 Needlers

Samus Returns

 * 3 Electric Moheeks
 * 1 Gravitt
 * 2 Gulluggs

Nintendo Power Volume 31

 * PHASE 2 : AFTER THE QUAKE (pg. 57)
 * CLIMB WITH CAUTION
 * "Watch for creatures that crawl along the ledges of this vertical chamber as you make your way up. You can blast them from other ledges, then move on unharmed."