Fake acid and lava

Metroid Zero Mission Official Site Play Support Vol. 02 and Metroid Zero Mission Official Site Play Support Vol. 03 (also known as false lavaMetroid Prime: The Official Nintendo Player's Guide pg. 133) are related substances that act as obstacles in in Metroid and Metroid: Zero Mission.
==Description==
Fake acid is found in Brinstar and Kraid's Lair, where acid is a common hazard, while fake lava is found in Norfair and Ridley's Lair, where lava is a major threat. Both substances have only been observed on Zebes.
When viewed from above, fake acid and lava appear identical to the real substances. However, if Samus makes contact with fake acid or lava, she will simply fall through and will not take any damage from the seemingly-dangerous liquids. In the remake, the fake acid and lava will vanish when Samus touches it.
In the NES game, some portions of fake acid and lava appear to be solid, allowing Samus to stand on it as a platform. One example of this is the room adjacent to Ridley's chamber, where Samus must cross a large pool of lava by walking on the "solid" fake lava, allowing her to reach an Energy Tank. This type of fake acid and lava is not present in the remake, which only features intangible fake acid and lava.
The exact nature of fake acid and lava is inconsistent. Victory Techniques for Metroid shows the liquid splashing when Samus falls in it, suggesting that it has some physical properties, and Samus is able to pass through because of a pitfall in the floor. Conversely, Zero Mission depicts the fake acid and lava as illusions.Metroid: Zero Mission: The Official Nintendo Player's Guide pg. 49Metroid: Zero Mission: The Official Nintendo Player's Guide pg. 59Metroid: Zero Mission: The Official Nintendo Player's Guide pg. 71
Fake acid and lava are often used to hide secret passageways, such as a shaft in Corridor No. 4 that leads to the Ice Beam in Metroid. Since it appears indistinguishable from the real hazard, there are often subtle context clues that help identify the illusion, such as a bridge of breakable blocks directly above the liquid or an enemy harmlessly passing through the liquid.
==Official data==
===Victory Techniques for Metroid===
"Even if you go into the lava here, you won't take any damage."
===Metroid Prime: The Official Nintendo Player's Guide===
;013 FALSE FLOOR (pg. 131)
:"When you reach the left side of the lair, you'll see what appears to be a shallow pool of hazardous liquid. You'll discover that it isn't shallow or hazardous when you drop into the shaft and continue to drop long after you've passed the area in question."
===Metroid: Zero Mission: The Official Nintendo Player's Guide===
;188 LOWER LAVA FAKEOUT (pg. 71)
:"When you reach the end of the middle corridor, shoot or bomb through a block in the bridge to gain access to what appears to be a lava pit. After you dive into the red liquid, you'll discover that the lava was an illusion."
==Trivia==
*Since acid was originally referred to as water in the Metroid manual, the fake acid is likewise referred to as water in Victory Techniques for Metroid.
*Metroid: Zero Mission: The Official Nintendo Player's Guide misidentifies the fake acid in Kraid's Lair as lava, which is an error that it also sometimes makes with real acid.
*When covering the NES game, Metroid Prime: The Official Nintendo Player's Guide avoids referring to fake acid specifically as acid, instead describing it as resembling "hazardous liquid".Metroid Prime: The Official Nintendo Player's Guide pg. 131 This is also present in the reprinted Zero Mission version of the walkthrough.Metroid: Zero Mission: The Official Nintendo Player's Guide pg. 109
==Gallery==
M1 Brinstar Fake Acid.png|Fake acid in Brinstar (Metroid)
M1 Brinstar Fake Acid Solid.png|Samus standing on a solid portion of fake acid
M1 Kraid's Lair Fake Acid.png|Fake acid in Kraid's Lair (Metroid)
M1 Norfair Fake Lava.png|Fake lava in Norfair (Metroid)
M1 Ridley Fake Lava.jpg|Samus standing on solid fake lava in Ridley's Lair (Metroid)
Manga Brinstar Fake Acid.png|Fake acid in Brinstar (Victory Techniques for Metroid)
Manga Norfair Fake Lava.png|Fake lava in Norfair (Victory Techniques for Metroid)
Manga Kraid's Lair Fake Acid.png|Fake acid in Kraid's Lair (Victory Techniques for Metroid)
MZMTONPG Fake Lava.png|Fake lava demonstrated in Metroid: Zero Mission: The Official Nintendo Player's Guide
==References==
Category:Deceptive
Category:Substances
Category:Brinstar
Category:Kraid's Lair
Category:Norfair
Category:Ridley's Lair
Category:Obstacles