The subject of this article is not named in-game.
The current title is from a guide or other published source.
The gold-colored shaft[1], also known as Brinstar's left main shaft[2] is a room in Brinstar. It appears in Metroid and Metroid: Zero Mission.
Description[]
In Metroid, the room is a very tall vertical shaft with a gold color scheme. It is virtually identical to the nearby blue-tinted shaft, and is also infested with multiple Zoomers and Rippers. It connects to other rooms in Brinstar, including Corridor No. 4, where Samus collects her first Missiles. At the very top of the shaft is a single platform attached to the wall, which cannot be accessed unless Samus Bomb Jumps up to it in Morph Ball. However, there is little reason to do so.
The room's appearance is updated in Zero Mission, and it is no longer gold in color, instead taking on a dull shade of red. It is now comprised of rock with very minimal artificial construction, save for the doors and a single platform in the wall. There are fewer midair platforms as well, and what appear to be a staircase and archways (likely Chozo ruins) can be seen in the background. A Red Hatch is now present, serving as a "tutorial" for the Missiles which are acquired in the next hall.
The top of the shaft in Zero Mission.
Other additions to the room include a small tunnel in the top left wall, and an entrance to another small room at the base of the room. To access it, Samus must run in the next room until her Speed Booster activates, and then Ballspark from the door in that room through into the shaft. She will reach a hidden room in the wall. To get back, she can roll through the way she came, fall through a Pit Block, and use a Bomb when she arrives under the floor. A ledge directly below the entrance door is partly comprised of Boost Blocks, allowing Samus to Shinespark up from the bottom of the room if done quickly enough.
This room also appears in Victory Techniques for Metroid, on page 48. Samus, having quickly run into this room from the blue-tinted shaft, falls to the bottom. Lamenting that she has to climb the shaft again, she notices another door and decides to continue through it instead.
Like every room in "old" Brinstar that follows the "overhang corridor", this room is no longer accessible in Super Metroid.
Connecting rooms[]
Metroid[]
- "Vestibule" (via Blue Door)
- Corridor No. 4 (via Blue Door)
- Corridor No. 5 (via Blue Door)
Zero Mission[]
- "Vestibule" (via Blue Door)
- Corridor No. 4 (via Blue Door)
- Corridor No. 5 (via Blue Door)
- Save Room 2 (via Red Hatch)
- "Sloped alcove" (via one-way tunnel)
- "Shaft-connecting room" (via tunnel)
Inhabitants[]
Metroid[]
Zero Mission[]
Official data[]
Metroid: Zero Mission: The Official Nintendo Player's Guide[]
- 013 STOP AT THE RED HATCH (page 30)
- "You won't be able to open red hatches until you are equipped with missiles. You'll see one of the crimson portals before you have the capacity to unlock it. Fall into the shaft between the red and blue hatches to continue your quest for more firepower."
- 014 missile tank (page 30)
- "After you drop then roll through a tight opening, you'll find a blue hatch that leads to a save room. Record your progress, then proceed to the bottom of the shaft."
- 017 INSECT ALERT (page 32)
- "After you hit the red hatch with a missile and move into the tunnel that leads you through the middle of Brinstar, you'll encounter swarms of regenerating insects.
- 062 missile tank (page 42)
- "Before you advance to lower Brinstar and Kraid's lair, use the Ice Beam to clean up on items near Brinstar's two longest shafts. Climb to the top of the right shaft by using frozen enemies as platforms, and roll into a path that leads to a Missile Tank."
- 108 LOW SHAFT SHORTCUT (page 51)
- "The Hi-Jump is in Norfair. On your way through Brinstar to the lower-right region of Zebes, you can avoid some shaft negotiation by taking a shortcut. Climb up Brinstar's left main shaft to the hidden passage on the right wall, where you discovered a Missile Tank. Continue to the right until you reach the lower-right corridor."
- 004 TANKS FOR THE ENERGY (page 107)
- "Cross the gold-colored shaft and hop through another long hall, being sure not to drop into the dangerous liquid below."
Gallery[]
References[]