Metroid turns 30 this year, and the news has been marked in the best way possible by not one but two new titles in the franchise. Metroid Prime 4 and Metroid: Samus Returns are certainly worth getting excited about, but former Metroid Prime designers Kynan Pearson and Mike Wikan have more ambitious ideas for where they want the series to head next.
Speaking to Switch Player in the magazine's latest issue, Wikan - who worked as a senior designer on the Metroid Prime Trilogy and is now employed as Practical Futurist and Creative Director at Booz Allen Hamilton - thinks that Zelda: Breath of the Wild has shown the way forward for the franchise:
I think there is an opportunity to create a more living 'world' for Samus to explore. By maturing the visual guideposts within the world to match and enhance the 'lock and key' systemic exploration that is at the heart of the Metroid Prime series of games, there would be an opportunity to enhance those elements that make the Metroid Prime games unique - the isolation, the wonder, and the fear. When I look at what the new Zelda game is doing on the Switch, it really seems clear to me that there is an opportunity to push the elements that are keystones in the franchise toward their logical gameplay constraints.
Imagine cyclopean bosses pursuing you under the skin of a verdant moon across kilometres of terrain, scatting buildings and native life in its wake until you finally lure it to a battlefield of your choosing - a ringed gas giant dominating the sky overhead.
Imagine an alien ship whose wreckage is scattered across hundreds of miles of terrain, your goal as the player being to pull the data cores from each section and reassemble the Gravitic Compression Cannon to face the final boss.
Imagine collecting the Wing Suit, allowing you to fly to near orbit and rendezvous with the orbital defence satellite - retargeting it on the surface below to breach the shields of a space pirate stronghold.
Not just creating isolated pockets suggesting a world, but creating a world and playing within it - and perhaps even bringing a friend.
Pearson, who was also a senior designer on the Metroid Prime series and now works at Playful Corp, has similar aspirations for a new Metroid:
I'd also love to see a completely new, fully 3D, third person re-imaginging of the Metroid franchise utilising the philosophies used to create The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. It would be wonderful to have a fully realised planet featuring a vast surface and a deep subterranean world to explore. I'd love to play off on a concept of freely exploring a dangerous world that's filled with surprises and unique abilities, which players could tackle without guidance. To see them really play up elements of trying to survive in a world filled with undiscovered dangers, difficult enemies, bosses, and truly alien terrain. Metroid was always about gaining strange powers in a fully connected and dangerous world, so I hope they create a game that captures the heart of that concept. This type of game could present architecture and bosses at a grand scale that surpasses what players had experienced in the Metroid universe to date. I'd love to see Ridley realised as a massive space dragon that could engage players dynamically in different locations of the world. While it would feel open world, there would have to be a deeply crafted sense of discovering new parts of the world using the abilities the Chozo left behind.
The full interviews with both Pearson and Wikan are well worth reading, so make sure you pick up a copy of issue 4 of Switch Player here.
[source switchplayer.net]
Comments (79)
...what if Retro is working on a new "F-Zero"!?
Dang it, I accidentally blew my own mind.
"It would be wonderful to have a fully realised planet featuring a vast surface and a deep subterranean world to explore. I'd love to play off on a concept of freely exploring a dangerous world that's filled with surprises and unique abilities, which players could tackle without guidance."
Pearson has just described "Xenoblade Chronicles X" quite nicely here.
@Shiryu Wish but I have no doubt its a new IP, I remember the Retro developers saying back then that their next project wasn't going to be an old property but a new one. Of course its been years so who knows if that project was scrapped to make way for F-Zero lol
I just want a great Metroid game. That's all I ask for at the end of the day.
Both Samus Returns and Prime 4 are going to be absolutely fun.
@ieatdragonz The plot thickens...
@Damo The url link to Switch Player Issue 4 has Nintendo Life url suffix.
While I know I'll enjoy Metroid Prime 4, Pearson's comments are exactly what I had been hoping for in a new Metroid game. A BotW-like reinvention of the series as a third person adventure with a full 3D world to explore.
Open World style for Metroid Prime 4 ?
I dunno if I'd fancy an "open world" sort of Metroid. I agree that isolation, wonder and fear are strong elements to the game. But a lot of that, I would argue, is caused by the corridors and tunnels and enclosed spaces. Prime can almost feel claustrophobic at times, and that's part of why it's so tense.
One of my favourite memories of the Metroid series was in Fusion when you go down this corridor a little way, work your way up to a parallel room above it, then remain totally still while the SA-X walks in looking for you. Meanwhile you're bricking it and hoping it just walks in and walks away, knowing full well you'd be dead in an instant if you dare try to move a muscle. BAH, gives me shivers thinking about it But yeah, I think you'd lose a lot of that feeling if you went with a "go anywhere" mentality.
Yeah, I agree that looking at the open ended approaches to Breath of the Wild and Mario Odyssey, Metroid deserves that same treatment as well. Especially as a contrast to Other M, which was terribly limiting.
I’d play that in a heartbeat
@Shiryu i really , really hope so...
Instead, there's an entirely unrelated development team working on it. So we'll see what direction it goes.
ugh
I've always looked at Metroid Games as being speed running games as well. There is something so satisfying about completing game in under a number of hours. They can also be very immersive too with the isolation, music, lore and clever level design. I feel like a open world BoTW type game breaks a unspoken game mechanic for Metroid series. But what do I know? I would be happy with Complete Remaster of Metroid Prime 1.
Very interesting imaginings. I hope the new devs make it this great. We shall see.
@sr_388
Yup, Prime 4 should have a third person view and/or mechanics to compliment the 1st person viewpoint. Plenty of 3rd person shooters let you play in a 1st person perspective so I don't think it's impossible to do.
I'd love a third person game more than Prime personally, but I'll still take it. Remember how you couldn't get off the great plateau until you got the glider in BOTW? Well imagine that, but for the whole game. The open world opens up to you as Samus gets stronger.
Sounds like they need to be back on the dev team.....NOW!
Nope, I really don't like the proposed ideas here, and they don't mesh well with what makes Metroid so unique IMO.
Furthermore, de Prime subseries is basically defined by its first person perspective. If we're going for a third person perspective, why bother even calling it Prime?
Let's hope the devs who are working / going to work on this aren't just eager to ride the bandwagon of BotW's commercial and critical succes.
Wow... those "what ifs" of the Metroid world from the article were a mouthful lol. All I can say is, yes, yes, yes, and quadruple yes on that kind of Metroid world in 3D. HOWEVER, I'm not going to get overhyped on that concept because it is very ambitious, and with new devs helming MP4, I'm going to choose to be cautiously optimistic. I've wanted a free roam space to ground StarFox, but I may never get that either. Until the right dev comes along and realizes the right vision, I'll keep my hopes up, but my feet on the ground.
@Shiryu Nah, I'd rather they give F-Zero to the same Sega team who created GX. That game was pretty much perfect. I cannot what a new one could do.
@TheGameSquid Regarding the 3rd person game, he was referring to yet another iteration of the game, not the upcoming Prime 4.
@nab1 Would be cool to see Sega and Nintendo working together again on something different than "Sonic & Mario at the Olympic Games".
There's a reason why Mario and Zelda aren't played in 1st person. And Metroid shouldn't be either, well not primarily or predominantly. Kynan Pearson has the right idea. He knows it would be better in 3rd person and he helped make the Prime games.
"I'd also love to see a completely new, fully 3D, third person re-imaginging of the Metroid franchise utilising the philosophies used to create The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild."
How do you expect to feel isolated if it's open world? Sure, make it expansive, but not open world. Keep it subterranean, with sprinkles of space travel, or teleportation pods or the like to cut down on development time. Apply open world mechanics to that, sure. But a true "open world" simply wouldn't be Metroid.
I would like a new fzero action game noy for metroid (third person is a good ideay)
A new open world game, Captain falcon walking/running in a openworld, participate in races, awesome storyline (cool music) but thats just dreaming. Something i would like, i just want nintendo to bring all their good stuff
@Jacob1092 I agree i'm not sure i'd want MP 4 to be open world, although i suppose you could have a mix of linear areas within a more open environment, but i couldn't imagine it being totally open, just wouldn't have the same sense of mystery or isolation i don't think.
Also, that moment in Fusion really was incredible, never knew a 2D game could give you such a sense of fear or dread up until that point
I have no interest in playing a Breath of the Wild Metroid.
@N8tiveT3ch BotW can be finished under an hour.
@nab1
My bad! I blame the heat for frying my brain
@LUIGITORNADO I would love to. Metroid Prime, while it was awesome, it was quite limiting on the things you can do and explore on your own before you couldn't progress anymore (I remember going to Elysia before Bryo in my first playthrough. I was stuck there for over an hour because I didn't have the hyper ball). I would love to have an entry where your ability to analyze your surroundings to overcome obstacles is the main way of progress.
@onex Open world doesn't mean that you have to be on the surface. It means you can go wherever you want whenever you want. Subterranean levels with multiple paths to follow can suit that perfectly. Metroid Prime did an excellent work making you feel it wasn't linear, but it was. Letting you choose where you want to go and ponder on how to get there without the intended equipment would be awesome (just like sequence breaking in Super Metroid).
New and different is always good, but to be clear: I want a FPS...not another third person, open world game.
@TheGameSquid What makes Metroid unique is that there's no set path or instructions to follow (the first 3 did this). I don't see how an open world can affect it negatively, if so, it can only make it bigger and better. Imagine having a desolated planet on the surface with tons of hidden tunnels that lead to subterranean mazes full of powerful enemies, bosses and objetives that you can tackle in any way you may want. Maybe you want to sneak into a pirate base like in zero mission or blow up every door to the sky with all your equipment. That would be breathtaking after all the linearity of the Prime series, Fusion and Other M.
"Imagine cyclopean bosses pursuing you under the skin of a verdant moon across kilometres of terrain, scatting buildings and native life in its wake until you finally lure it to a battlefield of your choosing - a ringed gas giant dominating the sky overhead."
Uh... What? I respect this dude as a creator, but I think he's way off base with this. I don't really see how a cinematic scene like that could work in a way that's cohesive with the design of Metroid games. All I want from Metroid Prime 4 is a game similar in structure and design as the first three, while introducing new elements. Not something completely different like this gentleman seems to be describing.
Keep first person. I have much hope for this hame and series. Id love to see a better multiplayer with bots would be nice. Massive single player. Switch needs a awesome fps this is it.
Most of all nintendo needs to keep making new IP to cover the gap yhat 3rd party has left open. Nintendo has the power they just put out a figther IP they have 3rd person shooters RPG's action adventure i say they keep going theres still starfox games to be made donkey kong games etc...
@EXP Cinematic? He's talking about gameplay. Just like how enemies pursue you in Dark Souls or in any other modern game, nothing new, really (unless you have only played Nintendo). In Metroid, you're usually locked in a room when you fight a boss, he's just suggesting to have this kind of experiences in an open environment, which opens the posibility for them to chase you. Using his vision as an example, if this cyclops weak point is on its eye and you can't reach it with your missiles, you have to lure it to a place where you have the high ground and counter attack. This simple thing makes encountering and battling bosses more thrilling.
Open world has lots of possibilitys forsure and the idea of being hunted or hunting with no restrictions on where and when the fight takes place would be amazing
Those are some awesome ideas. I'd love to see the final game take that kind of form. My copy of Switch Player 4 is on the way. I'd recommend it to readers of NL.
Why limit Samus to just one world? She has a spaceship after all. I'd like to see multiple, varied planets that are alive in the same vein as BotW, and I'd also like to see Samus more fleshed out as a bounty hunter. Let me hunt bounties!
This just made me want to play through Prime again.
GameCube, here I come!
Yes please. All of the above.
I just imagined a third-person game filled with claustrophobic, narrow corridors and such. Couldn't see my targets though Samus's damn bulky armor. And when Samus's back was to a wall? Oh yeah, lots of needing to fight the camera there too. On the bright side, the Morph Ball transitions felt much more natural.
@Spoony_Tech
Lol.. my thoughts exactly when I was reading that . Both games going to be so good !
Does anyone know what he means by a "Wing suit"? I don't ever remember a wing suit appearing in a metroid title
@TheGameSquid It's ok. Phazon corruption tends to do that
Why don't people see open world games about freedom and metroidvania games about locked doors as polar opposites, lol? I'd love to have more set piece moments, but it's hard to see how flying into the atmosphere will have any practical application in a game partly about platforming.
Sound like Space Zelda, not Metroid.
I want Metroid to be a little more scary and intense. Could have something simple, like an immortal enemy constantly hunting you like the SA-X would be good.
@devlind
Well first of all, only Metroid and Super Metroid did that. Metroid II was pretty linear.
Second, Metroid has mostly been about navigating an elaborate labyrinth were either puzzles or lack of proper items blocked your progress. I l'm very curious to see how one would go about implementing the classic Metroidvania formula in a classic Open World game. In most open world games, getting from point A to point B is as simple as walking a on a direct line between the two. Clearly, that is not what Metroid is about. It's item-based progression mechanisms would similary be very hard to implement in very large worlds. At the very least I can't really come up with games that have done this effectively.
Third, there's the issue of the classic Metroid feel. I think it's very hard to pull that off as well as Metroid, Super Metroid and Prime did in a large, open environment. Much like the Souls games, Samus as a protaginst often takes on the role thats often more akin to an archeologist than a all powerful superhero. Enviromental detail is an essential storytelling device in both series. Once again, this is hard to do in a large scale environment.
And finally, do we REALLY need more open world games? The genre has been responsible for a large amount of homoginization of games in the AAA parts of the industry (looking at you Ubisoft). I would be wise for the classic Nintendo games to retain their personality, rather than getting lost in the sea of "me-too" games.
That's just how I feel about it of course.
Open world closed world i dont think it will matter its time for Samus to return and for space pirates to run for cover and i hope have a prime clash with mother brain. I want a fps fight with that boss
Just remember, Samus is a full fledge bad ass! So we may experience fear but we also need a sense that we can overcome any enemy with the right weapon and mechanic. If not it'll become a terror game, and Metroid isn't something "meh" as Dead Space, it's something big and amazing.
The end of MP2 Echoes is so amazing that give me chills just to remember! And to the hell with the "mememe" Samus need a voice, even if she speaks a few awesome line. Mute characters isn't a charm, it's just a flaw from a bygone era, which voiced characters were impossible.
I would love an over the shoulder view! May be the best option!
Exactly.
That's what I liked from Prime 1. You were pretty much alone with no friendly NPCs.
Prime 2 was okay because there was only 1. You still felt the isolation of the whole planet.
Prime 3 lost this. While I liked most of the settings and Atmosphere, it lost the sense of isolation the others have.
This fits a discussion that's been going on in the Metroid Prime 4 thread. I don't mind if the world is more expansive, but I think having a Metroid game that's truly open world would take away from the isolation factor.
@Jacob1092 I think an open world is a good idea for Metroid, but there should definitely be enclosed areas like space pirate forts and cities and stuff like that. But I liked how Prime 3 had you going to different planets and I think having some major cities and locations and landmarks on each planet would be cool. And seeing how some recent shooters with open worlds like Destiny and Anthem have loooled beautiful, I think this direction world wide, is definitely the best for Metroid Prime 4.
I would alsoblike to add i hope thos game is as hard as MP2 was before the remake. Being a hard game was part of the fun of over coming such odds. Other M was a little to easy and having to counter over and over got a little old. That being said its Samus its Metroid and it will be badass either way. Just think there hasnt been a installment that really sucked or was just not great at all. This is one of the best franchises.
@onex ow do you expect to feel isolated if it's open world?
Oh I dunno, the fact Samus is taking on the task of the game by herself? How about that?
@Haru17 Opposites attract, buddy.
I just want a sequal to Fusion already (tho Prime 4 could take place after but I doubt it)... Enough with the shoe horning of lore into an established series. I want to see Samus embark on a new adventure and find out what happens after her ordeal on the bottle ship. Or at least give us answers to Sylux.
@TheGameSquid "Well first of all, only Metroid and Super Metroid did that. Metroid II was pretty linear."
Well, that's why Metroid II is so obscure.
"Second, Metroid has mostly been about navigating an elaborate labyrinth were either puzzles or lack of proper items blocked your progress."
I don't remember any puzzles in the 2D Metroids, it was more about how to overcome the obstacles with your ability and equipment, so I agree with the second statement. Anyway, I don't see how an open elaborated labyrinth can harm the series.
"In most open world games, getting from point A to point B is as simple as walking a on a direct line between the two. Clearly, that is not what Metroid is about."
Almost every game that lets your character move, no matter how free or how linear it is, it can be simplified like that. Yes, Metroid too.
"It's item-based progression mechanisms would similary be very hard to implement in very large worlds."
Two words: Sequence breaking. It doesn't matter if you don't have the necessary equipment, the challenge comes when you try to find a way through the obstacles without the intended equipment, all thanks to your own ability. Super Metroid and Zero Mission are great examples. I would be more interested in them implementing several ways to conquer a challenge instead of a different colored door.
"Third, there's the issue of the classic Metroid feel. I think it's very hard to pull that off as well as Metroid, Super Metroid and Prime did in a large, open environment."
Open doesn't mean a field with mountains like Skyrim/BotW, Open means that you can tackle any part of the game as you see fit. Again, I don't see how that can't fit with the Metroid formula.
"Much like the Souls games, Samus as a protaginst often takes on the role thats often more akin to an archeologist than a all powerful superhero. Enviromental detail is an essential storytelling device in both series. Once again, this is hard to do in a large scale environment."
It may be hard, but it is perfectly possible.
"I would be wise for the classic Nintendo games to retain their personality, rather than getting lost in the sea of "me-too" games."
Creating new experiences is what Nintendo do best. I'm not saying that they make an open world metroid game, but they can obviously take inspiration from the concept and add what it may work into the formula (just like they did with zelda) and even create a genre of its own (like metroidvania).
"That's just how I feel about it of course."
And that's ok, thanks for sharing =D
@MegaVel91 that doesn't necessarily equate to a feeling of solitude. Just saying, "buddy."
I'd really love to see some ship-flying sections! We've been teased for too long!
@TheGameSquid Well... Technically, 3 is a prime number, and a prime number is any whole number only divisible by 1 and itself, so... Metroid Prime could be either 1st or 3rd person...
Wait a minute... I just realized something... 4 isn't a prime number! They gotta cancel MP4 and go straight to MP5!!!!
"Practical Futurist and Creative Director"
What in the actual hell is this position?
I agree with the tag line: "isolation", "fear". However, it sounds like they're talking about Metroid being openworld. Please no!
One of the best bits about the GC original was that it was little pockets of awesomeness joined together to one awesome whole, all whilst maintaining 60fps.
If we get what they're describing, we'll be lucky if we get 25fps!
Oh, and no dodgy acting and soap opera stories like in MP3 please. I'll repeat the word again: "ISOLATION".
Open world doesn't mean "sandbox" guys.
A Metroid with a planet of Tallon IV size, well ok, a bit bigger, totally connected (I mean that the transition between the different areas are logical), oppressing, and that feels real, without elevators and such, but with a lot of underworld and puzzles... That could be fantastic! Keep the essence, but bring it to the modern standars.
Hmm, I'd worry that a big open Metroid was loose that feeling of claustraphobia.
Hmm, I'd worry that a big open Metroid was loose that feeling of claustraphobia.
Hmm, I'd worry that a big open Metroid was loose that feeling of claustraphobia.
Hmm, I'd worry that a big open Metroid was loose that feeling of claustraphobia.
Hmm, I'd worry that a big open Metroid was loose that feeling of claustraphobia.
Hmm, I'd worry that a big open Metroid was loose that feeling of claustraphobia.
Hmm, I'd worry that a big open Metroid was loose that feeling of claustraphobia.
I don't think the BotW style approach would work particularly well for a Metroid game unless that is limited to the overworld and venturing below the surface retains the tight design the series is known for. I'm sure it's tempting given the success of the Zelda reinvention but I'd rather not see a 'X but like BotW' approach to a load of games now. Kind of like when Deadpool was a hit and loads of rumours popped up of other comic book films possibly going 18 rated to try and follow suit.
They need to be back on the design team.
I think what people want out of Metroid Prime is slightly different than this but the open world and ambience they imagine should inform Prime 4's development and then the next game in the series should certainly aspire to their vision.
A game like that could make Metroid a mainstream success. Though they should sell well, most likely neither of the two much-anticipated forthcoming titles will quite do that. Could be wrong though. Prime on Switch could be gorgeous and complex.
Wow, reading that just made me even more excited for Metroid Prime 4. Please be next year.
Personally, I prefer the more linear progression (which still allows for plenty of exploration) used in "Metroid 2," "Fusion," and "Other M" but without the excessive horror elements of "Fusion." An open world Metroid is the opposite of where I want the series to go.
Wow, thank goodness these two no longer have any involvement with the Metroid series.
Sorry, I do not want to play "Breath of the Wild in a Power Suit". Metroid is the antithesis of open world. It is about your world starting off really small and the euphoric feeling of it gradually opening up. Breath of the Wild's world - once you leave the confinement of the opening area - becomes wide open and there is no restriction on where you can go. That is NOT what Metroid is about.
Please keep the "everything must be open world" trend far away from Metroid.
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