Ice Beam

The is one of Samus's signature beam weapons. It fires a potent beam that has the power to freeze most enemies.
When frozen, certain enemies can be shattered with Missiles (or charged shots in the Prime series). It is commonly used to combat Metroids, especially larvae, as it exploits their weakness to low temperatures. The official website for Metroid Prime states this as being one of "Samus Aran's favorite tactics".
The Ice Beam appears in all Metroid games except for Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, Metroid Prime Hunters, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption and Metroid Dread. Samus collects the Dark Beam in Echoes, the Judicator in Hunters and the Ice Missile in Corruption and Dread, all of which have similar properties.
==Description==
===In Metroid Fusion===
The Ice Beam was thought to be incompatible with the Fusion Suit by the Galactic Federation, as the Metroid Vaccine gave Samus a vulnerability to ice. This was proven by the Cold X, the cold climates of several rooms within the Biologic Space Laboratories research station and the SA-X's own Ice Beam being able to both completely freeze her in place and damage her. However, following the acquisition of the Varia Suit upgrade, this vulnerability was seemingly neutralized, as Samus could withstand all mentioned threats; thus she did not receive the Ice Beam until near the end of the game from the SA-X.
Before that point, freezing was done with the Ice and Diffusion Missiles, suggesting that Samus' Missiles are not integrated as close to her body when compared to her Beam weapons. The Ice Missiles replaced the Ice Beam in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption as well, because the game used a beam-stacking system instead of a beam-switching system, so it would not be possible to combine the Ice and Plasma Beams, the latter of which represents fire in the Prime trilogy.
Despite Samus apparently overcoming her vulnerability to cold at the end of Fusion, she is once again susceptible to it in Metroid Dread. However, this time the Varia Suit is unable to protect Samus from extreme cold; thus the Gravity Suit is now required. She uses Ice Missiles once again in place of the Ice Beam.
===In Metroid: Other M===
Samus retains the Ice Beam from Super Metroid, but does not use it until she is authorized to after joining forces with Adam Malkovich's 07th Platoon. Soon after she enters the Pyrosphere for the first time, she is locked in a room with multiple fire-based creatures. Realizing that her standard Power Beam is too inferior against them, Adam authorizes her to use the Ice Beam.
The 07th Platoon use Freeze Guns that have similar freezing properties.
The Ice Beam behaves much like its 2D counterparts. Key differences include its inability to completely freeze most enemies (only small creatures such as Geemers can be encased in solid ice). Rather, when it impacts a larger creature, it can partially freeze them, such as freezing one of a Sidehopper's legs in place, or a Zebesian's claws. This ability of the beam is key in battling certain bosses, of course. Another difference from the rest of the series is that if an enemy is completely frozen in midair, it will actually fall to the ground and shatter. Unlike the 2D counterparts, the Ice Beam does not "color" the Wave and Plasma Beams white or blue, as the strongest beam in her current arsenal will override its hue.
===In Metroid Prime===
The Ice Beam is a slow-firing interchangeable Beam upgrade to Samus' arsenal. Upon impact with a solid surface, the shot will freeze into a small fragment of ice and then shatter. Uncharged, it deals the most damage of any beam, although the Plasma Beam's higher fire rate gives it higher damage over time. When the Ice Beam is charged up, the Ice Beam will not only create a larger fragment of ice upon impact, but it will also freeze various enemies in their place. The Ice Beam is able to open White Doors. The 10 Missile Beam Combo for the Ice Beam is the Ice Spreader, which is a missile that releases a rapidly spreading sheet of ice upon the impacted surface. Such a weapon is highly effective against flying enemies, or those that attack or move in swarms. A glitch in the GameCube versions allows collecting the Ice Beam before fighting Flaahgra, which can then lead to more opportunities for Sequence Breaking. This does not aid in the fight against Flaahgra, however, as the Ice Beam has no effect on either Flaahgra or the Mirror Arrays that Samus must flip over to defeat it.
Similar to fighting Metroids and other creatures in 2D installments, Samus may freeze a foe and then shatter it with a Missile, ultimately killing it. Samus can also shatter some frozen enemies with a charged Power Beam shot, but due to the length it takes to both switch beams and charge up a shot before an enemy thaws out, this is rarely seen.
Although the Ice Beam can kill weaker enemies in one hit, a glancing shot on these can freeze them instead.
Oddly enough, when Samus freezes a Magmoor in Prime, its head is the only thing that is visibly frozen. The Ice Beetle, despite being an ice-based enemy, can strangely be frozen with the Ice Beam.
===In Metroid: Samus Returns===
Unlike the 2D counterparts, the Ice Beam in Samus Returns does not stack with the Wave, Spazer, or Plasma Beams, and has a separate selection option from the standard Power Beam, along with the Grapple Beam. Interestingly, the Ice Beam option is disabled when Samus activates the Beam Burst Aeion ability as the Beam Burst takes up both the Power Beam and Ice Beam slots when active, leaving the Beam Burst and Grapple Beam the only selectable beam options.
The Ice Beam also does significantly less damage than in previous installments, to the point where it is even weaker than the standard Power Beam. However, using Missiles or the Melee Counter on a frozen enemy will cause them to instantly shatter. Although Samus uses Ice Missiles instead of the Ice Beam in Metroid Dread, the possibility of shattering a frozen enemy with a Melee Counter was carried over to that installment, which gave it the name Ice Breaker.
Unlike Metroid II: Return of Samus, all Metroids can be injured by the Ice Beam. Although Metroids above the larval stage can no longer be frozen over, a charged shot on the Alpha and Gamma Metroids will freeze over their underbellies, briefly staggering them and preventing the creatures from covering themselves in energy. It can also be used to ground Gamma Metroids as they fall to the ground when their underbellies are frozen and causes them to perform their lunge attack that can be parried by the Melee Counter. Despite this, all Metroids past the larval stage can still be battled using the Beam Burst.
Presumably, the Ice Beam was left separate from the Power Beam due to its effectiveness in combating Metroids and its platforming ability.
==Ice Beam Platforms==
Samus has the ability to safely stand on frozen enemies, creating Ice Beam PlatformsMetroid: Samus Returns Official Guide. This technique has been present in all traditional 2D games in the series to date, and was created for the original game in order to save memory. It is usually crucial at some point in the games, as it gives extra height for jumping. The same technique can be achieved using Ice Missiles. In the Prime series, creating and using Ice Beam Platforms with the Ice Beam (as well as the Entangler or Ice Missiles in the sequels) is possible but usually impractical due to the games' 3D environment, and it is impossible in Metroid: Other M as enemies no longer completely freeze over and are now affected by gravity. Most enemies cannot be used as platforms even after being frozen with the Ice Missile in Metroid Dread.
==Behind the scenes==
Although the exact methodology by which the Ice Beam freezes enemies is unknown, laser cooling is already used in terrestrial laboratory conditions to reduce the temperature of low-density gases. Currently, the technique is only applied to isolated atoms or molecules, but with more advanced technology it could conceivably be applied to large-scale objects.http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070406171036.html
However, two other freezing weapons in the Metroid universe- the Freeze Gun and Judicator- appear to work by firing a chemical refrigerant and ultracold plasma, respectively. Although both of these weapons consume ammunition and the Ice Beam does not, the ability of the Ice Spreader to "load" the active agent of the beam onto Missiles implies a physical projectile (as opposed to the energy beams used in laser cooling).
==Development notes==
An unused text string in Metroid Fusion pertains to the acquisition of the Ice Beam. The text reads: Ice effect added to beam. Use beam to freeze enemies. It is similar to the normal on-screen notification when Samus obtains any power-up or upgrade. The Ice Beam's text string was likely cut since it is only obtained at the very end of the game. The beam does work as expected outside its intended area via the debug menu, however.https://tcrf.net/Proto:Metroid_Fusion/0911_Prototype#Text_During_Gameplay Additionally, there is an unused sprite of the SA-X's Ice Beam fired upwards. It cannot fire in this direction in the finished game.biospark. Metroid Fusion - Unused Sprite Animations. YouTube. June 21, 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGnwul2oWMc (starts at 0:14)
In an earlier version of Metroid Prime, the Ice Beam hand print symbol had the same design as the Power Beam's, but was white. Gene Kohler modeled and skinned the Ice Beam item pickup.
As with the other beams in Metroid Prime, the Ice Beam has an effect on the Arm Cannon when charging. In the case of the Ice Beam, the tip of the Arm Cannon freezes over and ice particles are seen floating outwards. In the remastered version, this effect is redone and the entire Arm Cannon is seen frozen over during the charge. However, in the New Play Control! and Metroid Prime Trilogy versions of Prime this effect is absent, likely due to difficulties applying the effects to a freely moving Arm Cannon. Although the Arm Cannon does not freeze over when charged, the sound of it doing so remains. The effect for other beams remains in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption.
The Ice Beam, along with Samus herself and some of her other abilities, were slated to appear in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, but was ultimately removed since they were included in a PlayStation 2 demo against Nintendo's wishes. The Ice Beam appeared to be based on the Prime iteration.
==Trivia==
*Because the Ice Beam often prioritizes freezing, this can be a drawback against weaker enemies, but beneficial if they need to be frozen.
**In the original Metroid, enemies do not take damage from being frozen by the Ice Beam. Instead, the act of shooting a frozen enemy will unfreeze it while simultaneously causing damage. Because of this, the player will need to shoot the enemy twice as many times with the Ice Beam as they would with the normal Beam.
**A frozen enemy in Metroid II: Return of Samus that is close enough to death will die once the freeze effect wears off.
**In Super Metroid, the Ice Beam does not kill enemies on the last shot, but rather freezes them. The next shot will be fatal, provided that the enemy is still frozen.
**In Metroid Fusion, Ice Missiles function this way instead of the Ice Beam, which is significantly more powerful than other beams.
*The Ice Beam is found thrice in Metroid II, unlike the other beams. The first time is in Phase 2, and the second time in Phase 7's Chozo ruins (where all beams are found in separate chambers in one shaft). The third and final time is in Phase 9, before Samus fights the Queen Metroid. This is for ease of access as there is no stacking of beams in Metroid II. In Samus Returns, which features the Ice Beam as a separate weapon from the other Beams, it is placed exclusively in Area 1.
*In addition to enemies, the Ice Beam can freeze certain projectiles in Metroid and Metroid II. The attacks that can be frozen are Kraid's spinning claws and stomach spikes and Ridley's fireballs in Metroid, and a Wallfire's fireballs in Metroid II.
*According to the Nintendo Official Guide Book for Super Metroid, the Ice Beam bends space and time and stops the entropy of the target, explaining why enemies are suspended in midair when frozen.
*After obtaining the Ice Beam in Metroid: Zero Mission, all further beam upgrades will be stacked with it and given its signature blue hue. Skipping the Ice Beam and obtaining the Wave Beam via sequence breaking or the Plasma Beam via hacking shows that both beams have uniquely colored sprites of their own.
*Prior to Metroid: Other M, enemies frozen with the Ice Beam whilst in midair would remain in that specific spot until the ice thaws out, able to be used as a platform by Samus. Not even in the 3-D Prime or its sequels (where enemies were frozen with the Entangler and Ice Missiles, respectively) would enemies fall to the ground when frozen in midair. Although Other M is the first game to realistically portray frozen enemies (such as Metroids) falling to the floor by gravity until they break free, in Metroid Fusion Samus herself demonstrates this detail if she is frozen by the SA-X in mid-air by the Ice Beam.
*The SA-X's Ice Beam lacks the ice particles and wavy effects.
*GameTrailers ranked the Ice Beam as number 4 in the top 10 best weapons in video games due to its use as both a weapon and an exploration aid by turning enemies into platforms in the 2-D games. http://www.gametrailers.com/video/top-ten-gt-countdown/11504
*In Metroid Prime, the Ice Beam is not an absolute necessity to defeat Metroids, unlike their prior 2D counterparts. This inconsistency with established lore initially earned it criticism from fans at the time. In the game's sequels, this was rectified by new lore that states Metroids undergo thorough biological and physiological changes as they adapt to environments outside of SR388 and are exposed to radioactive elements. Thus, the Metroids from Metroid Prime and Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, which were given the subspecies name of Tallon Metroid, are weaker than those from SR388 and Zebes due to their adaptation and in many cases exposure to Phazon.
**Metroid Prime's version of the Plasma Beam, which has the opposite elemental alignment, is far more effective in dispatching the eponymous foes than using the Ice Beam alone. However, the classic Ice Beam and Missile(s) combo remains the fastest method of killing the creatures when using the Arm Cannon in the same game.
*The Ice Beam is referred to as the freeze beam in a Metroid Prime print ad.
*In the first Metroid Prime, the symbol for the Ice Beam is a hand print sticking out its thumb, index, and pinky fingers. Donning the Scan Visor reveals that Samus positions her hand in this manner to activate the beam.
*Ironically, in Other M, the Ice Beam is still effective on ice-based enemies in Sector 2 / Cryosphere.
*In Other M, if an enemy is left completely frozen solid (such as a Sova or an Asborean), it will explode and die shorty after. Sturdier enemies such as Barisutes and Magdollites will have body parts frozen over, rendering them immobile until they break free.
*The effect of the Freeze Gun seems to be stronger than the Ice Beam, as a single shot was able to freeze a Magdollite solid, while it takes a fully charged shot of the Ice Beam just to freeze over a Magdollite's mouth. At the same time, the Freeze Guns did not demonstrate this effectiveness during the battle against the Brug Mass.
*In chapter 4 of Samus and Joey, volume 1, Samus escapes captivity from thousands of Megaroid crystals by using her Plasma Beam and Ice Beam to destroy them, via thermal shock.
*Up until Metroid Dread, all games that featured the Ice Beam also featured the Wave Beam, and vice versa.
*The Ice Beam shares its name with a move in Pokémon.
==Audio==
Sound	Game
 	Metroid (NES)
 	Metroid II: Return of Samus
 	Super Metroid
 	Metroid Fusion
 	Metroid Prime
 	Metroid: Zero Mission
 	Metroid: Other M
 	Metroid: Samus Returns
==Gallery==
Icebeam-m1.gif|Metroid
Metroid-II-Ice-Beam.gif|Metroid II: Return of Samus
Icebeam-m3.gif|Super Metroid
Icebeam-m4.gif|Metroid Fusion (combined with Charge, Wide, Plasma, and Wave Beams)
Ice Beam M1.png|Ice Beam item artwork in Metroid.
Freezebees.PNG|A frozen Reo in Metroid.
Ice Beam Chozo Statue Famiken Ryu.png|Famiken Ryu
Zomcard2.PNG|Topps card.
Metroidcard.png|Topps card.
Ice Beam MII Artwork.png|Metroid II artwork
MSR RoS Gallery 031.png
Ice Beam Upgrade.JPG|Super Metroid artwork
Ice Beam Super Metroid.png|Super Metroid, item form.
Core-X Ice Beam.gif|The SA-X's Core-X, containing the Ice Beam.
Ice beam V.S. Omega METROID!.jpg|Ice Beam against the Omega Metroid in Metroid Fusion).
MZM Ice Beam Item.png|Zero Mission, item form.
MetroidPrime IceBeam Item render.jpg|Ice Beam item render in Metroid Prime.
Ice Beam Symbol.png|Ice Beam symbol in Prime.
Ice Beam.jpg|Samus fires the Ice Beam at a Space Pirate in Metroid Prime.
9UNAyDk.png|The model of the Ice Beam charging in the GameCube version of Metroid Prime.
Prime Ice Beam Charge.gif|Samus charging the Ice Beam in Metroid Prime.
Metroid Prime Ice Beam.jpg|The Ice Beam in the Metroid Prime beta.
Icebeamcharge.jpg|The beta version of the Ice Beam being charged.
Gene Kohler Samus weapons.png|Early Prime Arm Cannon configuration.
MP1 Ice Beam concept art.jpg‎|Concept art of early Prime design
Ice Beam Charging Prime Remastered.png|The Ice Beam charged in Metroid Prime Remastered.
MPR IceBeamScreenshot.jpg|Samus acquires the item in Remastered.
Ice Beam MOM.jpg|Metroid: Other M
IceBeamSamusReturns.png|Metroid: Samus Returns
File:Samus Returns Ice Beam Item Form.png|Samus Returns, in item form.
Odin-fernandez-moreno-power-beams-low.jpg|Odín Fernández render
Odin-fernandez-moreno-power-beams.jpg|Untextured model.
Ice Beam.png|As it would have appeared in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance.
==See also==
*Ice Spreader
*Ice Missile
==References==
ru:Ледяной Луч
Category:Beams
Category:Brinstar
Category:Norfair
Category:Chozo Ruins
Category:Area 1
Category:Area 5
Category:Area 8
Category:Pyrosphere
Category:Main Deck
Category:Chozo technology
Category:Ice weaponry
Category:Recurring Items
Category:Unused Items
Category:Final Items
Category:Odín Fernández Moreno