Adam – Metroid Fusion
Adam is the AI companion charged with directing Samus throughout her adventure in Metroid Fusion. He’s named after Samus’ dead CO, a man who died protecting Samus in an adventure that most of us would just rather forget about. Although not a physical person, Adam does accompany Samus on her adventure. He follows her throughout the game and interacts with her via terminal hubs scattered within the BSL Research Station. His purple eye coldly watches Samus as he types out directives for her to follow or informs her that he has “graciously” unlocked a door for her or received a new weapon upgrade for her suit.
Adam, being a computer, is stoic and calculating. He’s not incredibly helpful, and spends most of his conversations with Samus telling her what to do or chastising her. For a franchise that has long prided itself on open-ended exploration and trusting the player with figuring out how to navigate the world, Adam was not a popular addition to Metroid’s cast of characters. No one likes being told what to do. Adam was the epitome of poor mission structure in a video game. The player couldn’t even go to certain sections of the station without Adam’s approval.
Learning that the AI was hiding secrets made things even worse, and player’s animosity for the computer reached a fever pitch when it casually locked Samus in a room where she could wait to be arrested. Eventually, the player would learn that Adam was actually an AI built on the mind of the deceased human Adam, and he would side with Samus and help her defy the Galactic Federation. Doesn’t matter. Doing the right thing once does not excuse the hours of endless prattle, orders, and betrayals.
