The subject of this article is not named in-game.
The current title is from a guide or other published source.
The blue-tinted shaft is a tall shaft in Brinstar. It appears in Metroid and Metroid: Zero Mission.
Description[]
This is the fourth room in Brinstar in the original Metroid and its remake, Zero Mission. It is a tall vertical shaft with multiple midair platforms, and serves as a hub connecting to other areas of Brinstar. For example, it leads to the room with the Long Beam, a small corridor connecting to "gold Brinstar", and the room with the Stone Statues guarding the path to Tourian. The room is teeming with Zoomers and Rippers, which makes navigation difficult without eliminating each enemy (and Rippers can only be killed with the Screw Attack later).
The room's appearance is changed in Zero Mission, giving it more features due to the increased memory of the Game Boy Advance. While some of the midair platforms are still retained, some of them have been replaced by wall-mounted metal ledges and cave outcroppings. The base of the shaft is now raised, and leads directly into a Save Station, which did not exist in Metroid. The door to the "vestibule" connecting to the next shaft is now blocked by a rock barrier. A small tunnel at its front is filled in with Fake Blocks, which can be cleared out if the Long Beam is acquired. If that item is skipped, an alternate entry point exists in the rock directly above the door.
In Victory Techniques for Metroid, Samus remarks that the room is very tall and swarming with enemies. She slowly climbs the shaft, collecting energy from the enemies she kills. However, while climbing she touches a Ripper, and is sent flying to the bottom of the shaft as the creature sticks its tongue out at her. When she gets back to where she was, she finds a door to the next room and quickly runs in, only to fall to the bottom of another shaft.
This room is no longer accessible in Super Metroid, as the door to it in the "overhang corridor" is now replaced by a wall.
Connecting rooms[]
Metroid[]
- "Overhang corridor" (via Blue Door)
- Corridor No. 2 (via Blue Door)
- "Long Beam corridor" (via Blue Door)
- "Vestibule" (via Blue Door)
Zero Mission[]
- "Overhang corridor" (via Blue Door)
- Save Room 1 (via Blue Door)
- Corridor No. 2 (via Blue Door)
- "Long Beam corridor" (via Blue Door)
- "Vestibule" (via Blue Door)
- "Sloped alcove" (via tunnel)
- "Hidden tank shaft" (via tunnel)
- "Shaft-connecting room" (via tunnel)
Inhabitants[]
Metroid[]
Zero Mission[]
Official data[]
Metroid: Zero Mission: The Official Nintendo Player's Guide[]
- 007 VERTICAL PROGRESS (page 28)
- "After you save your game, begin your ascent to the Long Beam's location by hopping from one platform to the next. As you climb, you'll encounter two types of enemies. Blast the critters that cling to the platforms, and avoid the armored fliers. When you reach a blue hatch on your left, fire your beam to open it, then run through the hatch to close in on the upgrade."
- 012 BLAST A BLUE HATCH (page 30)
- "Drop to the middle of the vertical passage and use your beam to clear a passage that leads to a blue hatch. Bust open the hatch with another blast, then step into the middle of Brinstar."
- 063 missile tank (page 42)
- "As you drop down the left shaft, you'll see a covered ledge on the left wall. Freeze the flier near the ledge and hop from the frozen enemy to the blocks above the ledge. Then blast through a block, drop and roll to a path where you'll encounter a Missile Tank and a high concentration of enemies."
- 065 missile tank (page 43)
- "After you investigate the Super Missile Tank, roll right, into the main shaft, then leap to the right wall to find a hidden hole. Pull yourself up through the hole and blast your way to another rocket prize."
- 200 TAKE OFF FOR TOURIAN (page 73)
- "Climb to the top of the left shaft, then run to the left."
- 003 BACKTRACK FOR A BLAST (page 107)
- "Your initial beam can travel only about one-third of the width of the screen. Return to the blue-tinted shaft and climb to another horizontal hall. Open the red hatch by using five missiles. You'll find the Long Beam upgrade on the other side."
Other appearances[]
The blue-tinted shaft makes an appearance in Tetris DS as the background for Catch Mode. It eventually changes to a gold-colored palette, followed by purple and green.
Gallery[]
