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aion-rsa · 3 years

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The Metroid Timeline Explained: What You Need to Know Before Playing Metroid Dread

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In addition to being one of the most underserved first-party Nintendo franchises, Metroid is also one of the few Nintendo franchises to have a strong, consistent, and cohesive narrative canon. The adventures of intergalactic bounty hunter Samus Aran are actually connected and impact one another in ways that you just don’t see in even Nintendo’s most celebrated series.

You’d be forgiven for not knowing all of that, though. After all, by the time Metroid Dread launches for Nintendo Switch on October 8, it will have been a staggering 19 years since Samus was asked to save the galaxy in 2002’s Metroid Fusion. Don’t know where the Metroid timeline begins and ends? You’ve come to the right place.

In this article we’ll break down every mainline Metroid installment in chronological order, covering their basic plot elements and explaining in detail how each game leads into the next. So in case you haven’t had the chance to experience this entire series for yourself (or if you just need a refresher), this is the Metroid timeline so far…

Metroid/Metroid: Zero Mission

The Metroid story begins with Samus Aran touching down on the atmospheric planet Zebes in the year 205X. Sent there by the Galactic Federation after several other failed attempts, her mission is to help prevent an evil faction of “Space Pirates” from creating dangerous biological weapons by harnessing the unique energy of Metroids: an alien species with origins dating back thousands of years (more on that later).

As the enemy’s chief stronghold, Samus is forced to traverse through Zebes’ many maze-like passageways and structures as she gains new skills, power-ups, and suit upgrades along the way. Areas such as Brinstar, Norfair, and Tourian slowly open up to her until she must eventually fend off two of the most dangerous Space Pirate commanders: Kraid and Ridley. With them out of the way, Samus faces up against their leader, Mother Brain: a mysterious mixture of both a real brain and artificial intelligence.

Defeating Mother Brain in her final form sets off Planet Zebes’ explosive self-destruct sequence. Cut to Samus racing back through debris and back to the surface in an attempt to escape. She makes it back to her gunship, where, in the original 1986 version of Metroid, she flies off after seemingly foiling the Space Pirates’ plans. However, the story continues in 2004’s Zero Mission for Game Boy Advance (an expanded remake of the original game) where Samus is unceremoniously shot down before crashing onto another part of Zebes.

With her power suit now destroyed and only a simple blaster in hand, Samus must take a stealthier approach in her “Zero” suit guise while exploring the nearby Space Pirate mothership in search of a way off-world. Eventually, she stumbles onto temple ruins belonging to an ancient race of aliens called the Chozo. There, while exploring what’s left of Chozodia, Samus uncovers a more robust power suit and learns that she was actually raised here as a child. Soon after, she encounters a mech version of Ridley. A few missile shots later she leaves the Mother Ship to blow up, finally fleeing Zebes using an available escape shuttle and destroying the Space Pirates’ Metroid research in the process.

The Metroid Prime Trilogy, Metroid Prime: Hunters, and Metroid Prime: Federation Force

The events depicted in the Metroid Prime trilogy are mostly inconsequential to that of the main series and exist in a kind of parallel but different timeline from the “Metroid” storyline. Even still, here’s a brief explainer:

Taking place between the original Metroid and Metroid II: Return of Samus, all three Prime games center on the exploits of a substance called Phazon, and Samus’ interactions with it as she does battle with a mutated version of the titular menace (the Metroid Prime). She eventually finds and defeats that menace following her exploration of the planet Talon VI, but the Metroid Prime managed to survive the battle. Harnessing DNA gathered from Samus’ Suit, the Metroid Prime uses that information to transform into Dark Samus: a mirror version of the famed bounty hunter herself.

Metroid Prime 2: Echoes picks up from there as Samus searches in the Dasha region of space for a troupe of missing Galactic Federation Marines. This leads her to the planet Aether, which happens to be home to an infected dark substance called Phazon. We eventually learn that both Dark Samus and the Space Pirates are mining the planet for that resource and that the marines Samus was originally sent to save actually died long before she got there. All that’s left to do is repel the Space Pirates and stop them from using Phazon to experiment on a Metroid type native to Talon IV. She does just that by teaming up with the natives to collapse the quickly emerging ‘Dark Aether’ alternate dimension.

Fast forward to the events of Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. The Galactic Federation has started weaponizing Phazon to the point that the element’s effects are infused into Samus by way of her new PED (Phazon Enhancement Device) suit. The one drawback, though, is that Samus will continue to be corrupted the longer she wears it. In the end, Phazon’s origin is revealed to be a sentient planet known as Phaaze. Little does Samus know that this is also where her Dark counterpart and a sect of Space Pirates are holed up, intending to spread its infection to three innocent Federation worlds. Luckily, this outcome is avoided when Samus travels to Phaaze’s core and causes it to explode. Mission accomplished… at least until Metroid Prime 4 arrives.

Metroid Prime: Hunters and Metroid Prime: Federation Force also (obviously) exist within the Metroid Prime timeline with Hunters occurring between Metroid Prime and Metroid Prime 2 and Federation Force taking place after Metroid Prime 3. Ultimately, though, both tell largely standalone stories that touch upon previous games but are wrapped up pretty cleanly within those adventures.

In case, you’re wondering, though, Hunters deals with six rival bounty hunters trying to secure an “ultimate power” and ultimately doing battle with a creature known as Gorea, while Federation Force tells the story of a group of Galactic Federation-created mechs trying to eradicate the remaining Space Pirates.

Metroid II: Return of Samus/Metroid Samus Returns

Following her battle with the Space Pirates back on Zebes, Metroid II sees Samus venture to the Metroid homeworld of SR388 to fight the dangerous creatures in their home turf. Her goal this time around is to commit genocide, scrubbing the planet of all Metroids so their power can never be used to threaten the wider worlds in the galaxy. Beginning on the planet’s surface before exploring deeper underground, Samus encounters her targets at various stages of their parasitic evolution, ranging from familiar blobs to more lizard-like threats. It seems that the Federation’s fears weren’t unfounded.

Samus blasts her way through about 50 different Metroid threats, all of which eventually lead her to destroy the Queen Metroid. It’s only afterward that Samus notices a Metroid egg begin to hatch. Not knowing where else to look or go, the baby Metroid chooses Samus as its mother. She then decides to spare this innocent version of the creatures she was tasked to destroy, fleeing what remains of SR388 after a long battle with Meta-Ridley.

That’s about where the original Game Boy version of Metroid II ended, but the 2017 remake (Samus Returns) for Nintendo 3DS offers a slightly expanded ending. In a post-credits scene, a humble Hornoad is found gnawing away on Ridley’s remains before a virus known as the X Parasite swoops in and infects it (a hint at what was to come in Metroid Fusion). Reach 100% completion in Samus Returns and it’s also revealed via unlocks that SR388 was actually home to a sect of Chozo who created the Metroids before having to vacate the planet when the X Parasite threat grew too strong.

Super Metroid

The legendary Super Metroid begins with Samus bringing the last baby Metroid to the space colony of Ceres for study and testing. She attempts to leave before almost immediately being beckoned back by a distress call, where she finds all the scientists dead and the little Metroid larva stolen. Turns out that the Space Pirates hold a grudge. Samus learns that Ridley is to blame for the massacre and that he has taken the last Metroid back to its base on Zebes: the planet where Samus first learned of the Metroid race’s existence in the first game.

After following Ridley back to Zebes and touching down on familiar ground, Samus yet again battles the Space Pirates who are starting to rebuild Mother Brain. This time she’s forced to battle four mid-tier bosses instead of two, as she finds that areas such as Norfair and Tourian have been rebuilt to be more vigorous and enemy-filled than ever before. Super Metroid culminates in Samus doing battle with a giant-sized Metroid, which almost takes her out until it suddenly stops attacking. It turns out the Metroid boss is none other than the little larva that was stolen during the game’s opening.

Shortly after, Samus must go toe-to-toe with a bigger, badder incarnation of Mother Brain. A rigorous battle follows until she is eventually saved by the now not-so-baby Metroid, which sadly falls victim to the hybrid AI’s destruction. This valiant sacrifice wasn’t in vain, however, as its death grants Samus access to the Hyper Beam. This enables her to kill Mother Brain and then flee the cursed planet of Zebes for good.

Metroid Fusion

2002’s Metroid Fusion picks up right where Super Metroid left off, with Samus returning to SR388 to obtain the last traces of Metroids with an accompanying survey crew. Unfortunately, as teased at the end of Samus Returns, she’s quickly attacked by the X Parasite and rendered out for the count. After being brought back to the Galactic Federation, Samus learns that her central nervous system has been infected by the deadly virus. Cells from the baby Metroid she once attempted to rescue are used to try and stave off the damage. The process works, and imbues her with all the Metroids’ strengths, but it also makes her weak to cold and changes her DNA.

Seeking more answers, Samus tracks the X Parasite to the Biologic Space Laboratories (BSL) research station situated above SR388. Her new mission is to rescue any remaining survivors and eradicate the X Parasite for good. However, she soon runs into a new threat known as the SA-X: a version of the parasite able to imitate her human form. Samus encounters the SA-X numerous times while exploring, and the powerful foe keeps Samus on her backfoot and forces her to act defensively.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

With help from her former CO-turned-AI companion, Adam, Samus learns that the BSL station is actually a front for another attempt to clone Metroids (this time by the Galactic Federation). Adam then instructs Samus to bring back the SA-X to them alive, intending to use it as a kind of living weapon that is free of human flaws. However, Samus goes directly against those orders and sets the BSL Station on a collision course to crash into planet SR388 below, hopefully killing all remnants of the Metroids and X Parasites in the process. Did it work? That’s one of the lingering questions Metroid Dread will hopefully answer…

What About Metroid: Other M?

Long-time Metroid fans may be wondering about 2010’s controversial Metroid: Other M and where it fits within the series’ timeline. Well…it’s complicated.

Technically, Metroid Other: M occurs between Super Metroid and Metroid Fusion and draws more heavily from the “Metroid” storyline than the “Prime” storyline. While that would seemingly make it part of the storyline that Dread intends to conclude, it’s worth noting that Nintendo did not list Other M as part of that storyline during their marketing blitz for Dread. In fact, they seemed to have intentionally left it off this key infographic:

Such as it is, Other M seems to exist in a weird in-between space. Nintendo hasn’t officially removed it from the canon, but they’re also clearly not drawing from it. At the very least, we can tell you that it doesn’t seem like you’ll need to play Other M to get the full Dread experience.

The Complete Metroid Timeline in Chronological Order

Finally, here’s a breakdown of the Metroid franchise timeline that combines the Prime and Metroid storylines and places them in chronological order:

Metroid/Metroid: Zero Mission

Metroid Prime/Metroid Prime Pinball

Metroid Prime Hunters

Metroid Prime 2: Echoes

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption

Metroid Prime: Federation Force

Metroid II: Return of Samus/Metroid: Samus Returns

Super Metroid

Metroid: Other M

Metroid Fusion

Metroid Dread

The post The Metroid Timeline Explained: What You Need to Know Before Playing Metroid Dread appeared first on Den of Geek.

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bryyo-data · 7 years

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sparkylurkdragon reblogged your post and added: “sparkylurkdragon: @crazysamusfangirl replied to your post: ...”

Honestly, I feel like the idea that Samus...

Time for me to have fun making up bullshit science @sparkylurkdragon! It's a discussion I got into not long ago, I think. There's a few ways I can try and twist it so it might work. Someone else brought up that the Fusion Suit might be selective for what X genes are incorporated into Samus, so I’m gonna run with that.

(I’m gonna add some cool pictures to break up the text wall because it’s tiring on the eyes)

Metroids were designed to eat X. They do so by draining their life force. But it makes sense that there were safety measures included to prevent X from ganging up on THEM. Because the Metroids are the Chozo's last hope against the X, and if one X parasite happens to get into a Metroid and make a Metroid-X, they're all royally fucked. So, they add anti-X measures within the Metroid's cells as well.

When the X invade your body, they fuel themselves by eating you, but they also do some DNA-reshuffling and attempt to blend your DNA with theirs, so they can take on your form. (This whole process is quicker depending on how simple the animal's genome is, because there's less DNA to deal with, hence why Samus gets pretty far in before passing out, while Hornoads are gone in moments.)

An X tries to invade the Metroid body, but alas- when it tries to mix the DNA together, the Metroid cells basically say "no" and break down the X DNA instead. And then they absorb its bioenergy while they're at it because the Metroid is always hungry.

The genes Samus was given do the same thing. When an X tries to take over her system, Samus' cells break the X down instead- and then absorb their bioenergy to fuel either her energy tanks or weapon-producing systems. This is because (by my theory anyway) her suit is biologically connected to her body and reaps the benefits (according to this theory, Samus might technically be able to drain other living things outside of her body as well, like a Metroid can. Which would be freaking cool.)

Samus also has the Fusion suit, which most Metroids do not. Most Metroids except Samus, that is. The Fusion suit, pathetic Federation mods aside, is a clever piece of tech. We can assume that any X absorbed by Samus is specifically absorbed into the cells in the suit, given that they are the outermost layer. Even if not, the suit is so deeply connected to her that it can probably affect the rest of her body as well.

So when an X comes along, Samus' Metroid genes want to just chop its DNA up into pieces. However, sometimes the Fusion Suit can step in and be like "pause a second- I just scanned this thing and it has a really cool gene, and I really want it." So it selectively picks out genes it wants from the X bosses, and when the DNA gets chopped up, it adds them into its own genetic material.

By “adds them” this might not be a process actively caused by the suit. The X genome (bits of other creatures included) is designed to combine with the host one, so maybe the suit is just like “don’t cut that one up” and then that intact gene slots itself nicely into Samus’ DNA, without interrupting any other genes or anything- because that wouldn’t be ideal for the X either, so it’s not designed to do that. If it was gonna cause problems the suit might pick up on it and get rid.

This process could either just affect the suit's biological material, meaning these powerups are ineffective when Samus takes it off- or else Samus now has super-speedy-Serris powers and can run real real fast all the time if she wants to. The former seems sensible, but given that post-Fusion Samus is supposed to not be weak to cold any more (and it makes sense that Samus and the suit are genetically the same so that they connect with each other properly) have fun picturing the possibilities.

(Maybe they're just enablers, meaning the speedy Serris gene in Samus' body is technically always in her cells, but only works when she puts the suit on. I mean, I can't see how she can feasibly make a plasma beam without her gun so...)

Technically, I guess this means she COULD restore her original genome. It's probably how she got her cold resistance back- "hey, we just absorbed the SA-X and remember when your genome looked like this? Instead of having all these dumb Metroid bits which just make you die in cold? Let's put it back." And so her Fusion suit does one final DNA-absorb, and chucks out the unwanted Metroid bits while patching it up with what it looked like originally.

However, that seemingly contrasts my earlier point, about the Fusion suit not being able to actively put genes in and out, and that they just do it themselves by not getting chopped up. This conflicts with the notion that Samus is now resistant to cold, because she would have to actively lose a gene to do so. I’m guessing that during Fusion she still has all of her original genes, just with new ones added in after the Metroid vaccine (plus anything she gains from boss X). I don’t really know how this all works, honestly I’m a bit stuck on this bit. Maybe the Fusion Suit does have a degree of active gene-splicing ability?

The only thing I can reasonably think of with this theory is that Samus DOES still have her Metroid DNA in there. The SA-X’s messed up genome contained genes which were able to remove or silence the cold weakness genes (i.e. stop them from working even if they’re still technically there). So the suit is like “cool, I’ll take it” and her Metroid DNA is suppressed.

This conflicts the canon set by Sakamoto because it means her genome is still not like it was originally- if anything, it has a few more added bits from the SA-X. UNLESS you take “original genome” to mean original phenotype, original as in “everything in the body works like it used to”. Like, Samus has these Metroid genes sitting in her body, but they aren’t actually doing anything significant to her physiology right now so they don’t really count for much.

Perhaps the Metroid genes are interconnected in such a way that the X resistance and/or absorbing powers can’t exist without the cold weakness. So whatever she gains from the SA-X shuts all her Metroid stuff down and makes her body work basically the same as it was before. She loses some potential abilities, but the Fusion Suit decided it would much rather she dropped the weakness, given that she managed fine without those abilities before but this thing is really harming her.

All in all, this means that Samus no longer has working Metroid genes. She probably couldn't break down any more X that entered her body. Which, in turn, means the Fusion suit can't pick-and-choose from the broken up genes and insert them into her system. But she already has all her powerups now, and there's no more X in the universe anyway, so these are redundant abilities by this point.

Tl;dr: Metroids chop up X-parasite DNA to make sure they don’t get infected, but they don't become more like X because they don't have a Fusion Suit. The Fusion Suit is clever and knows when it wants to save and steal some genes. The SA-X genes Samus absorbed didn’t get rid of her Metroid DNA, but told it to stop working, so she’s still got it in theory (AND maybe there’s ways to unlock it via further gene modification/shutting down the SA-X genes somehow) but in practice it is currently doing heck all.

Did any of this make sense? No and its probably full of holes, feel free to pick those out so I can rework this theory until it is reasonable. Don't point out biology issues, I can already see them and I don't care because bullshit science ahoy!

#Metroid #Samus Aran #Metroid Fusion #X Parasite #Metroids #Fusion Suit #Theory #Reply #Time for some long-ass bullshit science

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infinitree-blog1 · 7 years

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So when I made my first post for Samus Returns I mentioned I’d come back and talk about the Chozo memories, and I’ve finally gotten around to doing that. These images are unlocked through item collection and while most of them are just curiosities, a few are spoiler-ish, so those have been hidden behind the “read more” link. That’s enough warnings, so on to the actual material.

Memory 1 is pretty simple, depicting the Chozo’s arrival on SR388. It’s pretty interesting if only because this is our first glimpse of Chozo spaceships, outside of Samus’s Chozo-Federation hybrid gunship.

Memory 2 shows more of their exploration into SR388. Apparently a few Hornoads thought they’d make a nice snack, and are now having their corpses harvested for what seems to be Aeion energy. The other Chozo in the background appears to be studying it, which raises some questions. Is Aeion energy just naturally occurring on SR388 and they’ve never seen it before? If so, what happened here that makes it unique? Is it related to the X Parasites somehow?

Memory 3 shows they’ve moved on from exploration from colonization. This might look like an invasion force, but those robots are for excavation and mining, making this the equivalent of alien building contractors. On the other hand the diggernaut is in the background, and that thing has a laser weapon built into its eye and dedicates itself to hunting down and murdering Samus after its code degraded, so maybe this isn’t that harmless after all.

Also that one Chozo in the foreground is analyzing an alien slug. Not sure what they find so interesting about it, but it’s nice to see they’re doing what they love.

Memory 4 is where it starts getting interesting. This would be the Chozo’s first encounter with the X Parasites, the amorphous parasites that mutate, kill, and copy anything they encounter. The image sets an interesting scene, where the Chozo break into an unexplored cavern whose ceiling is swarming with strange bioluminescent creatures, only for awe at the beautiful sight to change into horror as the X descend to make monsters out of common animals.

Did you hear that? It was the sound of a fanfic one-shot crying out to be made, only to be silenced by all the others I have stacked up in my “to write” list.

Memory 5 is their reaction to the previous image, a Chozo bio-lab creating the first of the titular metroids. You’d think discovering a voracious super-parasite wouldn't immediately inspire the creation of another, but I’m not a space bird, so what do I know. Well, besides how not to run into clean windows.

Memory 6 is the first strike. Not sure if those are opened containment units by the Chozo or shields, but the second one is a much better idea when releasing untested nightmare beasts created through mad science. Speaking of which, I seem to have gotten too used to seeing those things through the eyes of a premium badass, because those metroids look a lot more intimidating than I remember. Or maybe it’s just because the art shift gave them a lot more teeth.

Memory 7 is that period in every horror movie involving a monster made in a lab where the monster exists but hasn’t yet gone on its murder spree. The Chozo have their science up and running without interruption again, the mining robots are all ready to get back to work (with the diggernaut pulling off the “photo of the slasher killer as a child” pose in the background), and the metroids are obedient little guard dogs.

Memory 8 is the next scene in the aforementioned horror movie where the monster decides not killing everything just isn’t working for it. Frankly, this raises questions too. Either the Chozo gave the metroids an entire elaborate life cycle completely on accident, or they didn’t expect it to happen this fast/without specific stimuli provided by them. I’m not entirely sure which is worse, because one indicates a truly magnificent series of coincidences and accidents and the other is just really bad planning.

Memory 9, the heroic final stand as the Chozo lay down their lives to stop the monsters they’ve created. Pretty cool scene, not much to add. But if the Chozo weren’t aware of the Metroid life cycle (unlikely, but possible), does that mean they didn’t know Queen Metroids existed? Interesting idea if they didn’t, maybe the acid was a temporary measure until the metroids ate everything in the caves and starved themselves. Drones go in, collect the material from the number of metroids they know existed, as they didn’t know there could be more, and unlock the areas once there’s none left.

Here’s where it gets into spoilery territory, so back out now if you want.

Memory 10. Those Chozo on the left are the ones we’ve been following through the rest of the memories. They’re the scientific, peaceful ones we usually hear about, similar to the ones that raised Samus or the ones that eschewed advanced technology on Tallon IV in favor of a simple lifestyle.

The other one, in the cape with simple armor and a dark mask/helmet? That one’s new. No ornamentation like the others, just simple pragmatic dress with a few traditional features. Maybe they came in response to a distress beacon, maybe the other Chozo called them specifically, maybe they just showed up out of the blue with no explanation, but they’re being greeted with outstretched arms. Their reaction?

Not great. The other Chozo are dead, and they’re holding a literal smoking gun. Giving orders to a group of Chozo soldiers over the still cooling corpses and at least one that hasn’t died just yet is just icing on the “I’m bad news” cake this Chozo is bringing to the table.

So what does this mean? It’s not entirely clear. Maybe these Chozo are eradicating the SR388 group because they consider them a threat to the galaxy for being so skilled and careless as to create the metroids (frankly, not entirely incorrect). Maybe they want to seize the metroids for their own use, as they’re clearly more militaristic than the other Chozo. Maybe they have no real stake in this, but are just a small contingent hired by a third party. Whatever the truth is, I’m excited to see it play out in future games.

#metroid #chozo #x parasites #samus returns #original

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planet-bryyo · 7 years

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How about the SA-X?

The X on SR388 were rendered dormant by Metroids, and any DNA information they had from previously infected creatures was degraded with time. The SA-X that infected Samus only had Hornoad DNA at the time of infecting, at which point it acquired Samus' DNA. The one Samus battled at the end of Fusion was the same, allowing it to turn into an overgrown Hornoad-Samus hybrid monster. Other SA-X around the station had infected other creatures along their path, meaning many of them could feasibly have turned into a number of other weird Samus-creature hybrids.

#Metroid #SA X #X Parasites #Metroid Fusion #Headcanon #Hey how can we make Fusion more horrific?#What's the most horrific Samus-monster X hybrid we can make outta this thing #lawfulgoodchozo #Ask

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dont-ever-forget-the-tears · 7 years

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And then there’s this little tease at the end, where an X Parasite flies in to infect this Hornoad, hinting that they would once again thrive with the Metroids wiped out and setting up the events of Metroid Fusion!

#elle plays samus returns

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alexis-dot-com · 7 years

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Metroid: Samus Returns thoughts

So I beat it already and wanted to put my thoughts out there. Heavy spoilers follow.

So, firstly it’s good, like, really bloody good, but it’s not without its faults.

When I started playing, I hated the Aeions, and even after beating the game, I still don’t like them. They’re kind of like buffs; one gives you a type of armour which is only really useful when moving through harmful plants. Another gives you rapid-fire, and another slows down time for everything except Samus. The final -- called Scan Pulse -- reveals the area surrounding Samus, upgrades and all. This kind of flies in the face of Metroid’s core gameplay; exploration and experimentation. If you’ve yet to play the game and are for some reason still reading this, please do yourself a favour and do not use this on your first run.

Speaking of the runs; movement. At first it felt incredibly strange using the Circle Pad rather than the D-pad. I got used to it eventually, but it was definitely a hurdle. You jump with B, shoot with Y, and can perform a new counter move with X. This counter will take a little while to get used to, but so long as you hit the button around half a second after the enemy flashes, you;ll generally be sound. The Aeions are activated with the A button, which, in the middle of combat, can be easily pressed accidentally. Because of my self-imposed “No Scan-Pulse” rule, I had to revert to the last checkpoint more than a few times. Thankfully, when I unlocked more of them, I had no more issues.

Next up, I wanted to touch on the aiming. Holding the L button will plant Samus and she’ll be able to aim in every direction. At first I found this cumbersome, but you soon get used to holding L only when you need it.

So, gameplay in general is pretty similar to the original Metroid II: Return of Samus in that you explore the Metroid home world, SR388 to eliminate every Metroid on the planet. The world is segmented into roughly 7 areas, and you’re tasked with killing a varying amount of Metroids in each area. once you’ve wiped them out, you return to a mechanism that will lower the acid, allowing you to sink deeper into the planet.

This being a remake, it can feel a little old fashioned at times, but it’s generally fine in my opinion. You’ll pick up franchise mainstay items like the Ice Beam and Varia Suit, alongside items that never were in the original, such as the Grapple Beam. These items feel right at home in this game, and that’s another thing I wanted to mention; this feels like a whole new game. Sure you’ll see some aged mechanics, like the Metroid Quota, but there are a few decent surprises that mix things up, like the new bosses.

Speaking of bosses; they’re just okay. There are the Metroid variants that were in the original, but also a few non-Metroid bosses. One, roughly half way through, is Arachnus, returning from the original Metroid II, but this boss also appeared in Metroid Fusion (More on this later). The others, while tough, were too close to the end of the game. You fight a huge digging machine, then the final boss from the original; the Queen Metroid, then Ridley, because of course he’s in this game. These all appear in the final third of the game, and it can feel like a boss-rush of sorts. I definitely felt fatigued by the end.

I’ve no idea why Ridley is even in the game. He wasn’t in the original and he felt kind of shoe-horned in. I get that the original ended on a quite subdued note, but I liked that. I also understand that Nintendo probably wanted to end the game with a bang, but I feel it ultimately hurt the ending. Had Ridley been an optional boss, in an optional area, I’d have been totally fine with it, but even then it is a tad frustrating that Nintendo feels the need to shove him into every Metroid game.

And that’s about it. I liked it. The Aeions are an odd inclusion, the non-Metroid bosses were too close together, and the controls can take a little while to get used to, but on the whole, this is a fantastic return to form for the series.

Oh, one last thing; there’s a post-credits scene, in which a Hornoad absorbs an X Parasite and transforms into one with their Fusion colour scheme. This, alongside the Fusion Suit being an Amiibo unlock makes me think that if this game is successful, we’ll be getting a Fusion remake. Hopefully that’ll be on the Switch though.

That’s about it. Thanks for reading.

#Metroid #Metroid II #Metroid 2 #Return of Samus #Samus Returns #Metroid Samus Returns #Spoilers

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