Sunburst

Sunburst
Featured in	Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
Damage	Very high
Effect(s)	Unleashes a ball of light that incinerates weaker enemies upon impact.
Special uses	To destroy enemies faster, to open White Hatches or Blue Doors.
Obtained	Grand Windchamber (Temple Grounds)

The Sunburst (サンバースト Sanbāsuto) is a Charge Combo for the Light Beam, featured only in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes.

Description

The Sunburst is the most powerful attack that can be generated by the Light Beam. Using a fully charged shot, 5 Missiles and 30 Light Beam Ammo, the Sunburst is formed, slowly travels toward its target, and then detonates on contact with an enemy or surface. Any nearby enemies will be set alight if not hit directly, which will usually burn them to cinders after several seconds. The Sunburst is the most lethal and feared attack among the Ing and their Darklings.

The Sunburst is an optional Charge Combo sealed within a complicated locking system within the Grand Windchamber in the Temple Grounds. Samus must be in possession of the Boost Ball, Power Bombs, the Seeker Launcher and Grapple Beam in order to obtain it.

The Sunburst is generated from the Arm Cannon which unleashes a fairly large sphere of white hot light. The light sparkles and warps as it moves, casting rays of light over the surrounding area; if there are nearby enemies, the rays will lock onto them and burn them brightly. The sphere travels slowly, and explodes in a blast of pure light energy like a bomb when it hits an enemy or solid surface. Any enemies within range of the detonation are immediately set alight or incinerated, making the name Sunburst well-earned.

However, the Sunburst's slow travel speed makes it easily dodged by mobile enemies, and it does not suck enemies into its blast area like the Darkburst does. As such, the Sunburst is most effective against groups of large or slowly-moving enemies, or in close-quarters combat where it is less likely to be dodged. Like the Darkburst, it is possible to aim the Sunburst at the ground or an adjacent wall to prevent the attack from passing by without effect if it were to miss. Some enemies, like the Pirate Commandos are resilient enough to withstand the damage from a direct hit, but even they are usually killed shortly afterward by the flames that envelop them.

When used on Dark Aether, the Sunburst's powerful rays can supercharge any Light Beacon within Samus's field of vision and without the need of a direct hit to the beacon itself, easily supercharging multiple beacons within one blast.

Acquisition

The Sunburst is placed atop the large structure in the center of the Windchamber. Samus must manipulate Spinners placed in Dark Aether to release the locking mechanism in place around the structure. After lining up four semi-circular rings on the system so that they glow blue, Samus can use her Seeker Launcher to fire simultaneously at four orbs placed on each semi-ring. This will release two arms from the device. After repeating this action on the opposite side, all four arms will have been raised. Samus must travel back to Aether. The arms have extended here as well, allowing her to swing around the Grapple Points on each to reach a Kinetic Orb Cannon that will launch her to the Sunburst.

There is another method of acquisition involving Sequence Breaking. A Spring Bomb Jump will get Samus up to a rock, and she can then Screw Attack over to her prize: the Sunburst. [1]

Official Data

Inventory data

Sunburst

Metroid Prime 2: Echoes

Inventory entry

The Sunburst is the Light Charge Combo. It can damage targets in a wide area as it flies to its target.

Samus's Notes

Each Sunburst shot requires 5 Missiles and 30 Light Ammo.
Sunburst is a slow-moving blast. It is limited against speedy and agile targets.
The Sunburst can set enemy targets and objects on fire.

Metroid Prime 2: Echoes acquisition message

"Sunburst acquired!
This powerful attack uses 5 Missiles! Using the Light Beam, press and hold [A] to charge, then press [Y]/[Control Pad (Down)] to fire.
Additional data downloaded to Inventory Screen. Press [START]/[2] to access the Inventory Screen."

Metroid Prime 2: Echoes: The Official Nintendo Player's Guide

SUNBURST

"The Charge Beam Combo is the Sunburst, which can hit multiple enemies and light both them and nearby objects on fire. The shot moves slowly--use it only on stationary or slow-moving targets. The move takes five missiles and 30 units of Light Ammo."

Development Data

An unused Inventory entry exists for the Light Beam Charge Combo in the Metroid Prime 2: Echoes Bonus Disc. Strangely, the combo is named the Lightblast in the Data Network branch, which is the name used for normal Light Beam charged shots. The text is near identical to the final, with its ammo requirement adjusted from the Bonus Disc. An empty space of text is also present at the end of the entry in the Bonus Disc.

Lightblast

Metroid Prime 2: Echoes Bonus Disc

Inventory entry

The Sunburst is the Light Charge Combo. It can damage targets in a wide area as it flies to its target.

Samus's Notes

Each Sunburst shot requires 10 Missiles and Light Ammo.
Sunburst is a slow-moving blast. It is limited against speedy and agile targets.
The Sunburst can set enemy targets and objects on fire.

Trivia

• In Metroid Dread, Raven Beak will occasionally shoot from his Arm Cannon a massive sun-like projectile akin to the Sunburst. The Chozo and Luminoth are known to have interacted with each other in the past and may have exchanged technology in the process, leading to this possible variation of the weapon.
• The Sunburst oddly does not damage Dark Diligence Drones, despite them being vulnerable to standard Lightblasts from the Light Beam.
• The Sunburst will also not energize Red Eye Statues, despite the statues being energized by standard and charged Light Beam shots.
• In singleplayer, the Sunburst can be viewed in the Data Network before its acquisition via a glitch.
• The Sunburst is usable in the multiplayer mode of Metroid Prime 2: Echoes via hacking. Its effects are virtually identical to singleplayer, though the large blast is unable to or has difficulty exploding directly on an opponent player. This may be due to the powerful pushback the beams of light from the Sunburst's blast produces. Curiously, enemies in Singleplayer are not pushed back from the beams of light.

Gallery

The Sunburst in its Item form.

Samus tests the Sunburst upon aquisition.

The Sunburst detonates upon hitting a Pirate Commando.

Samus unleashes the Sunburst upon an Ingsmasher.

A Pirate Trooper burned to death by direct contact from the Sunburst, its charred body being sent flying away.

A Sunburst blast incinerating another player in a Metroid Prime 2: Echoes Multiplayer match (seen via hacking).

The Sunburst used in a 4-player match (via hacking).

The Sunburst's Logbook entry from the Metroid Prime 2: Echoes Bonus Disc.