Gravity Suit

Lore & Background

The Gravity Suit and Ice Beam were originally designed as rewards obtained only after defeating the rock monster Thardus. This design choice established a required order where players had to defeat the boss before accessing these upgrades. However, the novelty of sequence breaking emerged when it was discovered that one could bypass this requirement entirely. In the specific instance documented by Steven Banks, the player obtained both the Gravity Suit and the Ice Beam without engaging Thardus first. This deviation from the intended path highlighted how players could obtain useful items early in the game or skip required actions to speedrun the experience. The discovery attracted a number of interested gamers to the GameFAQs thread, leading to the widespread adoption of the term sequence breaking within the community.

In Their Own Story

On January 18, 2003, Steven Banks executed a precise series of maneuvers in Metroid Prime that defied the game's linear design. Instead of confronting Thardus, the rock monster intended as a gatekeeper for specific upgrades, Banks secured the Gravity Suit and Ice Beam beforehand. This achievement was not merely a glitch but a calculated sequence break shared on the Metroid Prime message board at GameFAQs. The thread he created, named "Gravity Suit and Ice Beam before Thardus," documented this unprecedented method of bypassing a mandatory boss encounter. The discovery demonstrated that players could save significant time by skipping required actions, fundamentally altering how speedrunners approached the game's progression.

Reader's Guide

To replicate the sequence breaking feat documented in Metroid Prime, one must obtain the Gravity Suit and Ice Beam before defeating Thardus. This specific order contradicts the intended design where Thardus is a required boss. By executing this break, players can access these items earlier than intended, which is particularly useful for speedrunning or obtaining powerful tools early in the game cycle. The method was first recorded by Steven Banks on January 18, 2003, and posted to GameFAQs. Since then, the term sequence breaking has grown in popularity, applying to unintended shortcuts in any game. Designers have even begun creating games with sequence breaking in mind, inspired by titles like Super Metroid where such freedom is possible.

Did You Know?

• The term 'sequence breaking' was incidentally coined in a GameFAQs thread titled "Gravity Suit and Ice Beam before Thardus".
• Steven Banks achieved the first documented sequence break on January 18, 2003.
• In Metroid Prime, Thardus was designed as a required boss before obtaining the Gravity Suit and Ice Beam.
• The term has become so pervasive it now appears inside video games themselves.
• Game designers sometimes create their games with sequence breaking in mind, inspired by titles like Super Metroid.