As we gradually get closer to the release of Metroid Dread, Nintendo has been sharing multiple 'reports' that showcase different aspects of the game and franchise, along with input from the development team. The latest report has now been localised and celebrates the 35th Anniversary of the franchise, while also giving one or two interesting nudges and winks asking how the mainline lore will continue in Dread.
We've reproduced Nintendo's report for you below. So, without further ado...
On Aug. 6, 1986, the first game in the entire Metroid series—simply titled “Metroid”—released as a Family Computer Disk System title in Japan (arriving later elsewhere for the Nintendo Entertainment System™). This game kicked off a saga surrounding the intertwined fates of bounty hunter Samus Aran and the enigmatic Metroid species—a saga that will conclude with the upcoming Metroid Dread game, the fifth game in what is commonly called the “2D Metroid” series.
Here’s a closer look at how the story unfolds throughout each game in the 2D series. Can you figure out how some of their secrets may connect to Metroid Dread?
METROID
Family Computer Disk System (1986) / Nintendo Entertainment System (1987)
Introducing bounty hunter Samus Aran
The Metroid species, an unknown floating lifeform, is discovered on planet SR388 by the Galactic Federation. The Space Pirates, based on planet Zebes, steal the Metroids from Federation researchers and plot to weaponize the power of these mysterious creatures.
To stop the Space Pirates, the Galactic Federation turns to the most powerful bounty hunter in the galaxy: Samus Aran.
Samus touches down on planet Zebes and successfully destroys the Space Pirate underground fortress—along with their mastermind, the organic supercomputer Mother Brain.
GOOD TO KNOW: THE BEGINNING OF THE (ALTERNATE) END
The end screen of Metroid changes based on your completion time. By playing again and again, you can figure out how to complete the game faster and see other versions of the end screen. You can find similar alternate takes on the end screen throughout the series.
Metroid Dread Dev Team - This very first game marks the start of the strange, interconnected fates of Samus and the Metroid, a story arc that reaches its conclusion in Metroid Dread. This game set the signature mold for the series: exploring maze-like areas and using weapon and ability upgrades to reach new locations. It also established the universe and tone while introducing iconic music and sound effects.
By the way, the word “Metroid” comes from combining “metro” (in the sense of an underground transit system) with “android” (a humanoid robot).
The original Metroid game was remade as 2004’s Metroid: Zero Mission for the Game Boy Advance™ system. This remake added a stealth portion where Samus is without her Power Suit and must move forward while staying hidden from the Space Pirates to survive. We believe you can feel a connection between this section of the game and Metroid Dread.
METROID II: RETURN OF SAMUS
Game Boy™ (1991)
An emergency mission to exterminate the Metroid
The Galactic Federation takes the incident with the Space Pirates on planet Zebes very seriously. They send a research ship to planet SR388 to confirm the existence of the Metroid there. However, the ship disappears.
A rescue unit is sent to SR388, but contact is lost with them as well. The Federation concludes that the subterranean Metroid creatures are responsible. Samus is called in once again, this time to exterminate the Metroid threat on SR388.
After many deadly battles with the Metroid in their various evolutionary forms, Samus confronts and defeats the Queen Metroid, marking a successful end to the mission. Unexpectedly, a newborn Metroid hatches in front of Samus—as she is the first creature it sees, the larva imprints on Samus and believes her to be its mother. Samus can’t bring herself to kill the hatchling, so she takes it back to the Galactic Federation’s Space Science Academy for study.
GOOD TO KNOW: CHOZO MEMORIES
It is believed that the Chozo once lived on SR388, and remains of their civilization—including high-tech machinery and weapons they developed—can be found throughout the planet.
In the Metroid: Samus Returns game for the Nintendo 3DS™ family of systems—a remake of Metroid II: Return of Samus—players can unlock secret clues surrounding the fate of the Chozo on planet SR388.
Metroid Dread Dev Team - The Metroid II: Return of Samus and Metroid: Samus Returns games depict the first encounter between Samus and the Metroid hatchling. These chapters also include descriptions of Chozo civilization, which makes them fundamental to the overarching story of the 2D Metroid series.
The “Glimpses of Dread” video at the end of this article shows what appears to be Chozo memories. How do you imagine these come into play in the Metroid Dread game?
SUPER METROID
Super Nintendo Entertainment System™ (1993)
Desperate times, desperate measures
The greatly damaged Space Pirate fortress on planet Zebes has been gradually rebuilt by the survivors of Samus’ previous strike. Ridley, the supreme commander of the Space Pirates, attacks the Space Science Academy and steals the hatchling—known to be the last living Metroid in the universe—to continue the Space Pirates’ goal of weaponizing the species.
Samus heads back to planet Zebes to retrieve the Metroid and stop the sinister plans of the Space Pirates. However, in a fierce final battle with the monstrous Mother Brain, the hatchling sacrifices itself to save Samus. After the defeat of Mother Brain, Samus narrowly escapes a self-destructing planet Zebes. The Space Pirates are wiped out in the blast.
GOOD TO KNOW: NUMBERING THE ENTRIES
The Super Metroid and Metroid Fusion games do not have a number in their titles, but the opening video of each game labels them as “METROID 3” and “METROID 4,” respectively.
Similarly, you can find “METROID 5” in the beginning of the Metroid Dread game announcement trailer.
Metroid Dread Dev Team - The Super Metroid game can be said to offer the greatest flexibility for exploration in the series. You can enjoy similar flexibility in the Metroid Dread game, depending on how you take advantage of your abilities. You might be able to find ways to obtain weapons, items, and abilities earlier than the intended timing. We encourage you to try to discover alternate routes of exploration.
METROID FUSION
Game Boy Advance (2002)
Attack of the X parasite
Samus is hired by biotech company Biologic Space Laboratories (B.S.L.) to protect a field research unit on planet SR388.
Research on the surface goes well until Samus is exposed to and attacked by the X parasite, a lifeform with the ability to mimic organic creatures in their entirety. The parasite puts Samus in critical condition and renders her unconscious. All hope seems lost as the X quickly multiplies and erodes her body.
Scientists determine that a vaccine made using a cell culture sourced from the Metroid hatchling is Samus’ only chance of survival. She miraculously escapes death, and, at the same time, becomes the only living creature with immunity to the X parasite.
Aboard the B.S.L. station orbiting SR388, Samus engages in a fierce battle with the SA-X—a mimic of Samus in her Power Suit at full strength—and succeeds in wiping out the X parasite, destroying the station and planet SR388 in the process.
GOOD TO KNOW: GAMEPLAY IMPROVEMENTS
In the Metroid Fusion game, the streamlined controls—such as for switching weapons and diagonal shooting—help evolve the gameplay to feel much smoother than in previous games. Samus also has more moves at her disposal than ever before, such as hanging off ledges.
Metroid Dread Dev Team - The SA-X is a tremendous threat that Samus comes across many times over the course of the Metroid Fusion game. Each encounter—where Samus runs or hides from the SA-X—was an in-game event that springs on the player. However, we thought, “what would happen if we evolved this?” This line of thinking greatly affected the concept of the E.M.M.I. sections in the Metroid Dread game.
Also, as the Metroid Fusion game is a direct prequel to the Metroid Dread game, you will find many threads weaving the two stories together. For example, the reason why Samus’ suit looks the way it does and the appearance of the ADAM computer AI in Metroid Dread, are directly connected to the events of Metroid Fusion.
GLIMPSE OF DREAD
Metroid Dread Dev Team - What do you see? What does it all mean? Please stay tuned to find out!
[source metroid.nintendo.com]
Comments 34
Those gameplay screenshots of the first Metroid game look awful - looks like screen captures from the Wii U NES emulator. It was notoriously dark on all the NES Virtual Console games.
And yet they don’t even offer to release any of these old titles for us to purchase to celebrate the occasion, and no, using
Metroid Dread’s release is not an excuse since the same argument can be made for Zelda as well, yet Nintendo also released SS to celebrate its anniversary.
If you check out the Nintendo.co.jp version of this report, it features some additional and higher quality images for you to peruse and enjoy.
https://www.nintendo.co.jp/switch/ayl8a/report/vol4/index.html
Seriously though, isn't reproducing the official site's article in its entirety a bit iffy?
Let's hope GBAis added to NSO next month for the 3 year anniversary. With Fusion and Zero Mission being 2 of the titles first up.
@OorWullie I would rather they allowed me to purchase Fusion and Zero Mission, via Virtual Console on Switch. If on NSO, I'll stick to my GBA and Emulation.
The fact that they’re basically saying this game has non linear elements Super Metroid-style, gets me hyped the most. 😍😍😍
Hype… for Dread… rising…
Really hoping all of this history stuff leads to adding the old games to the eShop or NSO. Take my money Nintendo!! Metroid!!
This latest trailer makes the game look more polished than the initial trailer - super excited for Dread in October!
Probably my most anticipated game of the year! October can't come soon enough!
Metroid…. It’s been way too long
guess they don't wanna talk about Other M lmao
@haniwa
Other M was never a numbered entry in the series anyway.
Prime games are worth talking about and they take place between 1 and 2.
Go devs, show there's room for growth for 2D Metroid!
@haniwa This is about the main line Metroid games prior to Dread, if they'd talk about Other M they might as well also include the Prime games, including Federation Force and Hunters.
If the saga featuring Samus and the metroids concludes with Dread, wouldn't it be odd to continue calling the series "Metroid?"
I hope they don't do away with such a famous brand name!
Also, till now I never knew how they derived the title "Metroid," either (metro + android). Fascinating little bit of geeky etymology there
@Teksetter
Technically, Metroid is the Chozo word for Warrior. And Samus has Metroid DNA in her. So those 2 points can keep the title of Metroid going
Glad that Sakamoto was able to see Samus' original story arc all the way through to completion and I'm excited for what's to come in the future for the Metroid franchise. Other M was a good game and should have been included in the chronology. Don't @ me.
@RupeeClock other M is a good game. It also is the only game that shows Adam alive, a character in Fusion and Dread. Prime games are only pseudo-canon in that they are retroactively placed in the timeline in a place that had very little plot to disrupt and have no bearing on the events and characters established in the 2d games.
@NinjaGuy69 I agree, Other M was one of my favorite games on Wii.
Very excited for Dread, especially since it seems to have that feeling of peril that you got from Fusion whenever the SA-X popped-up. Super Metroid is still my personal favorite (though I enjoyed them all, yes even Other M and Federation Force).
@Moistnado While not my favourite Wii game, it certainly didn't deserve the level of disdain it received IMO.
Been Playing Super Metroid, plus rom hacks in anticipation of Metroid Dreads release. I can't rest until the galaxy is at peace!😆🙌🏽
It’s nice to see some love for poor Other M in the comments. It’s definitely not without its problems (especially the first person BS, the story, and Samus’s characterization), but for a different angle on such a prestigious legacy, it really did a lot of things I liked, too.
Definitely the weakest of every Metroid release since Super, with the exception of Federation Force. Pinball was dope as hell, though.
I agree… Other M was good!!
@Moistnado I appreciate your @ and the positive reinforcement. I have to believe that there are others out there who enjoyed Other M for what it was.
Concerning Metroid Dread, I don't care so much for the story, as I do the exploration, finding new abilities and upgrades. The real entertainment comes when using those abilities and upgrades to discover new areas that were previously unaccessible. I'm keeping my fingers crossed...I really hope the map is so expansive, that there's 50+ hours of game play and that doesn't including backtracking to find all of the secrets!
These Dread reports are nice. Can't wait for October!
@Classic603
Thank you for that excellent bit of Metroid lore! I’ve only really played the original NES Metroid and clearly do not know my Chozo vocabulary. 😅
I’m glad they’ve got ample justification for keeping the iconic Metroid name going forward. 👍🏼
@Teksetter
Ha no problem! But you do yourself a disservice by not checking out the rest of the series!
Other M is a good game, I get that by being something no one asked for gets a lot of heat but the game is good and shows you why Samus became the silent BAMF bounty hunter she becomes, however Metroid Fusion reigns supreme
Can't wait for Dread. And Other M rules, it's way better than Prime 3 anyways.
@Classic603
You are right, so right. I need to at least play through Super Metroid before Dread arrives. I’m just buried in worthy, backlogged games right now.
@NinjaGuy69 I’m going to have to @ you just to agree with you. Other M deserves more love than it got.
@Elthesensai Truer words have never been spoken.
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