Metroid Desolation v1.3.1 – Desert Planet, Multiple Endings, Dread Mode | GBA

Metroid Desolation v1.3.1 – A Dying World, Multiple Endings, and a Hidden New Game+ Mode
Area LC-13 was once teeming with life. Now it’s a desert. The water source that sustained its ecosystems has vanished without explanation, and Samus has been sent to find out why. Metroid Desolation by jasinchen is a Zero Mission hack built around a quietly atmospheric premise — not a space pirate raid or an X infestation, but an environmental mystery set across a world that’s already lost.
The hack is designed around player-driven pacing and completion. You can reach the ending at any point, but how far you’ve explored and how many items you’ve collected shapes which ending you see — a structure that encourages multiple runs without demanding them. There’s no final escape sequence, so the focus stays on exploration rather than a timed sprint to the exit.
Difficulty options give the hack unusual depth for its size. Dread Mode mirrors the one-hit tension of Metroid Dread, punishing any damage taken and rewarding precise play. And beyond the standard run sits a hidden Secret Mode — a New Game+ challenge that the game deliberately leaves for you to discover, recommended only after hitting 100% completion on a normal run. Between the branching endings, Dread Mode, and the concealed extra mode, there’s considerably more to Desolation than a single playthrough suggests.
Version 1.3.1 is the final release. Bomb Jump and Wall Jump are intentionally not required for completion.
Credits: jasinchen
🎮 Compatible with: Game Boy Advance · GBA SP · DS · Game Boy Micro
✅ Available in 6 shell colors: Clear Green, Gray, Red, Clear Blue, Green, Clear Red