Ice Beam: Difference between revisions

When fired, it produces a frigid beam that can freeze many targets. Frozen targets can then be destroyed by a [[missile]] impact, or used as platforms. Due to their sensitivity to cold, the Ice Beam is a potent weapon in the extermination of [[Metroid (species)|Metroid]]s.

This weapon has appeared in nearly every game in the [[Metroid (series)|''Metroid'' series]], and has played a vital role in each entry. In the original [[Metroid (game)|''Metroid'']], [[Samus Aran|Samus]] was able to choose between the [[Wave Beam]] and the Ice Beam but was unable to defeat Metroids without the latter. The Ice Beam was absent in ''[[Metroid II]]'' but reappeared in ''[[Super Metroid]]'', where it was a necessary upgrade. Other games which lack the Ice Beam include ''[[Metroid Prime: Hunters]]'', which features a similar weapon known as the [[Judicator]], ''[[Metroid Prime 2: Echoes]]'', where Samus would use the [[Dark Beam]] to freeze enemies, and ''[[Metroid Prime 3: Corruption]]'', where Samus would use [[Ice Missile]]s instead of an Ice Beam. The beam was mostly absent from ''[[Metroid Fusion]]'', although Samus could obtain it by absorbing the [[Core X]] left behind when the [[Omega Metroid]] defeats one of the [[Sa-X]] aboard the [[Biologic Space Labs]]. Strangely, Samus was told that she would be unable to regain the Ice Beam functionality due to her changed cellular structure, as her DNA changed to resemble that of a Metroid, and Metroids are vulnerable to extreme cold.