Summary

• Metroid's historical and influential significance rivals Nintendo's other major franchises, but is comparatively ignored.
• Metroid Dread marked the end of a 19-year wait for a proper Fusion sequel, Prime 4 still has some uncertainty amid a rocky development cycle.
• The series fills two genre niches for Nintendo and has the potential to flourish on a platform like the Switch 2.

The Switch era has undeniably been incredibly successful for Metroid. Aside from a few lackluster entries, Metroid has been of a consistently high quality since it first debuted in 1986, and has been massively influential on the gaming industry at large. While there is a certain degree of auteurship involved in the series' slow output, its more recent successes have me quite confused about why Nintendo has allowed such an iconic IP to flounder for the better part of two decades.

In of historical importance, Metroid reaches close to the heights of Nintendo's other two most iconic properties: Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda, both of which have enjoyed more consistent releases since the 1980s. Metroid is the first half of the Metroidvania genre – or rather Super Metroid, the series' third game, specifically, alongside Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, which together laid down the foundation for the still-popular genre. Beyond its influential accolades, though, Metroid has a deeply interesting and important protagonist in Samus Aran, and the series fills a genre niche in Nintendo's library. But I also just really want to play more modern Metroid games, which are perfect for a platform like the Switch 2.

Metroid's Long Dark Age May Finally Be Over

Just In Time For The Nintendo Switch Successor

When the brilliant Metroid Dread was released in 2021, it ended the long, 19-year wait for a proper sequel to Metroid Fusion. The series wasn't dormant during all that time, but it wasn't making any big strides after 2007. Most notably, from 2002 to 2007, all three Metroid Prime games launched, effectively seeing the first-person shooter sister series from its inception to its hiatus in only five years. After Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, the series trudged along with Metroid: Other M, Metroid Prime: Federation Force, and Metroid: Samus Returns – a despised reinvention, an unnecessary co-op shooter, and a genuinely very good remake of Metroid 2 respectively.

Suffice it to say, for over a decade following Prime 3's release, the series was woefully stagnant – and I had almost completely forgotten my childhood fascination with Fusion and the Prime trilogy (the first three games were before my time). The lone glimmer of hope, however, was Samus Returns, released for the 3DS in 2017. The remake was co-developed by Nintendo EPD and MercurySteam, the latter of which was, interestingly enough, fresh off development of the three latest Castlevania games, the Lords of Shadow reboots.

I have hope – perhaps foolishly – that Metroid could be reemerging to play a more prominent role in Nintendo's first-party line-up.

Successively declining review scores for the three Lords of Shadow games likely didn't inspire much confidence, but Samus Returns was not only met with positive reception, it provided a blueprint for how 2D Metroid could evolve. Freely firing in any direction (thanks to the 3DS's analog stick), a melee counterattack, and a host of new abilities all transformed Metroid 2 and modernized what was, at the time, 15 years of lost iteration. These would all carry over into Dread, but the Prime series is arguably just as important to Metroid's identity, and Metroid Prime 4 has had a notoriously rocky development, with the whole project being restarted in 2019 under the purview of Retro Studios, which created the first three games.

Retro Studios' stewardship isn't the only instance of Metroid being kept in relatively few hands. Nintendo's Yoshio Sakamoto was instrumental in Metroid's inception, directed Super and Fusion, and chose MercurySteam for Samus Returns, subsequently acting as a producer for it and Dread. Sakamoto's influence on 2D Metroid may be a contributing factor to its sparse releases.

With Metroid Prime Remastered was a reminder that the FPS series has an incredible ambiance, and the larger series' sci-fi trappings are perfect for demonstrating a new echelon of visual fidelity for Nintendo.

The prosperity of the Nintendo Switch, and the first-party games thereon, make it difficult for me to square Metroid's relative absence on the platform. Dread and Prime Remastered are the series' only two releases for the Switch. Once again drawing comparisons to similar legacy properties, The Legend of Zelda has had two incredibly ambitious entries – Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom – as well as a full remake in Link's Awakening, a second Hyrule Warriors spin-off, and the Cadence of Hyrule spin-off on the platform. I don't even want to try to count the number of games Mario has headlined on the Switch.

In fairness, Splatoon has quickly emerged as a major franchise for Nintendo, and like Metroid, received two releases on the Switch.

Samus Aran Deserves Better On Nintendo's New Console

Metroid's Groundbreaking Protagonist Has Barely Developed In Over A Decade

Metroid isn't necessarily a series that needs overt storytelling – its narrative strengths lie in uncovering the secrets of the locations explored – but Samus as a character has undergone very little change in the 37 years since she debuted. There's an argument to be made that character development is antithetical to Samus' purpose, that she's largely a stand-in for the player. This aligns well with her original incarnation, where it was only revealed that she was a woman when beating Metroid in a certain amount of time – a groundbreaking revelation for women as video game protagonists.

In hindsight, Dread feels like something of a course correction for Samus as a character.

I'd be inclined to agree with the idea – her stoicism behind her Power Suit is certainly part of the appeal, much like Master Chief's aloofness in Halo – if it weren't for her story being so interesting. An interstellar bounty hunter, former soldier for the Galactic Federation, infused with the DNA of the ancient and mysterious Chozo race is simply too fascinating a framework. In hindsight, Dread feels like something of a course correction for Samus as a character, making up for the woefully misguided direction Other M took her in. Dread expands on her history as an adoptive child of the Chozo, but she notably doesn't speak throughout the whole game.

Silent protagonists aren't uniformly detrimental to themselves; in fact, it's practically Nintendo's specialty, with both Mario and Link largely declining to speak in their respective games. It's simply unfortunate that Other M gave Samus plenty of dialogue with the results far less than ideal, so one of Nintendo's few leading ladies has subsequently been quieted once again. I don't need constant commentary from Samus, but hearing her interact with other characters in cutscenes would be nice. The longer Samus stays silent following Other M, the more troubling that poor characterization of her becomes.

Metroid Fills A Gap In Nintendo's First-Party Lineup

The Sci-Fi Series Can Flourish On Switch 2

All of Metroid's merits and intrigue aside, the series occupies a very practical space for Nintendo as a major games developer and publisher. The company's menagerie of exclusives is otherwise devoid of the interstellar science fiction Metroid brings to the table. Splatoon has post-apocalyptic sci-fi leanings, but the squid-centric universe doesn't hit all the same notes. Even after 37 years, Metroid's setting remains interesting, even if there are a lot of messy continuity issues thanks to the Prime trilogy taking place entirely between Metroid and its first sequel.

I've always felt there's a funny, endearing sort of dichotomy to Metroid's brand of science fiction. It harps repeatedly on the often unimaginative Space Pirates as faceless droves of villains, alongside recurring bosses like the seemingly unkillable Kraid and Samus' iconic archnemesis, Ridley. But for all its tropes and recycled characters, it also frequently broaches complex topics – genetic mutation, DNA splicing, bioengineering, genocide, planetary destruction, the downfall of an interstellar empire – alongside more personal themes, like adoption, parenthood, isolation, and being unsure of one's own identity, or worse, afraid of it.

We're approaching Dread's three-year anniversary, and only Prime 4 is nebulously on the horizon.

There's also the simple fact that Nintendo lacks Metroidvania and first-person shooter games in its catalog outside Metroid. Both are perennially popular, even if Prime's tank-like, puzzle-heavy gameplay isn't as bombastic as other FPS series. Metroidvanias seem to be particularly in vogue recently too. Hollow Knight fans are waiting with bated breath for Animal Well proved to be an awe-inspiring effort from a solo developer.

While docking the Switch is the best way to play Metroid Prime Remastered (its lock-on combat isn't terrible in handheld mode), classic, side-scrolling Metroid is perfect for Nintendo's hybrid console. Dread plays great in handheld, but its art design and slick gameplay also shine on the big screen. Unless the series goes through a major reinvention – which I find unlikely – it's something of a two-trick pony, perfectly versatile enough for Nintendo's machine.

I understand game development takes time, now more than ever, but we're approaching Dread's three-year anniversary, and only Prime 4 is nebulously on the horizon. Metroid is an incredibly resilient series thanks to its status, as evidenced by Dread being the series' best-selling game, but it's incredibly disappointing to see it limp along. Nintendo has a tendency to reinvent the wheel, or at least put new rims on it, with each of its flagship series' entries, but Metroid feels like it just needs consistent attention to really flourish, especially since it's so well-equipped for the Switch 2 era.