The Metroid (メトロイド Metoroido) games are a series of video games produced by Nintendo. One of the company's most successful franchises, the series' popularity spans several Nintendo consoles, with the first game, Metroid, released in 1986 for the Nintendo Entertainment System, Metroid II: Return of Samus on the Game Boy, Super Metroid on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Metroid Fusion and Metroid: Zero Mission on the Game Boy Advance, Metroid: Samus Returns on the Nintendo 3DS, and Metroid Dread on the Nintendo Switch.
The Metroid games chronicle the missions of bounty hunter Samus Aran in a science fiction setting which contains many similarities to the Alien film franchise. Central plot elements are the Metroid organisms and the Space Pirates which try to exploit the Metroids' powers. The gameplay combines adventure based on exploration and item-gathering with platformer and shooter dynamics. The Metroid games are famous for their nonlinear gameplay, where one can complete a game with a fraction of the items available in the game.
The galactic bounty hunter, Samus Aran, is given an emergency mission to journey to the alien planet of Zebes to track down a group of Space Pirates who have stolen DNA samples of the bio-engineered invasive alien species known as the Metroids. She finds herself in an underground labrynth in the vast caves of Zebes, fighting off Space Pirate goons and defeating their two head bosses, Krait and Ridley, until she tracks down the Mother Brain. She defeats the Mother Brain, stopping them from rebuilding her with Metroid DNA, and she leaves the planet.
Primary suit: Power Suit
Final Boss: Mother Brain
Villainous Faction: Space Pirates
Planet: Zebes
System: Nintendo Entertainment System
Released: 1986
Metroid: Zero Mission (2004)
The galactic bounty hunter, Samus Aran, is given an emergency mission to journey to the alien planet of Zebes to track down a group of Space Pirates who have stolen DNA samples of the bio-engineered invasive alien species known as the Metroids. She finds herself in an underground labrynth in the vast caves of Zebes, fighting off Space Pirate goons and defeating their two head bosses, Krait and Ridley, until she tracks down the Mother Brain. She defeats the Mother Brain, stopping them from rebuilding her with Metroid DNA, and she leaves the planet.
After serious consideration on the subject, the Galactic Federation which Samus is a part of decides that simply leaving the Metroids alive would be a detriment to the galaxy. They assign Samus her next mission, which is to journey to the planet of SR-388, the home planet of the Metroids, and exterminate them all for good. Samus takes up this challenge and enters the caverns of the Metroid's home and destroys the likes of larva, Beta, Gamma, Zeta, Omega Metroids, and finally the Queen Metroid. When all of the Metroids are finally destroyed, Samus encounters a newly hatched Baby Metroid which thinks that she is its mother. She takes pity on the hatchling and spares it from her genocide.
Primary suit: Varia Suit
Final Boss: Queen Metroid
Villainous Faction: Metroids
Planet: SR-388
System: Game Boy
Released: 1991
Metroid: Samus Returns (2016)
After serious consideration on the subject, the Galactic Federation which Samus is a part of decides that simply leaving the Metroids alive would be a detriment to the galaxy. They assign Samus her next mission, which is to journey to the planet of SR-388, the home planet of the Metroids, and exterminate them all for good. Samus takes up this challenge and enters the caverns of the Metroid's home and destroys the likes of larva, Beta, Gamma, Zeta, Omega Metroids, and finally the Queen Metroid. When all of the Metroids are finally destroyed, Samus encounters a newly hatched Baby Metroid which thinks that she is its mother. She takes pity on the hatchling and spares it from her genocide.
Primary suit: Varia Suit
Main Antagonist: Queen Metroid
Final Boss: Proteus Ridley
Villainous Faction: Metroids
Planet: SR-388
System: Nintendo 3DS
Released: 2016
Super Metroid (1994)
Super Metroid (1994)[]
Also known as Metroid 3, this game picks up soon after the end of the second game, where the Baby Metroid that Samus saved is suddenly kidnapped by Ridley and the Space Pirates and brought to Zebes. Apparently, in the time since the Space Pirates first defeat, they had regrouped and brought back their most valued members, including Mother Brain. Now, with the final Metroid alive, they will use it to genetically engineer more like it so they can revitalize Mother Brain. Samus returns to Zebes once more and takes care of the Space Pirate bosses before finally meeting Mother Brain once again. She has trouble taking care of her, and is on the brink of death, but the Baby Metroid she saved comes in to her rescue and gives her the Hyper Beam, at its own sacrifice. Samus is able to finally defeat Mother Brain, and Samus just barely escapes as Zebes is destroyed once and for all. The last Metroid has been destroyed for good.
Primary suit: Varia Suit
Main Antagonist: Ridley
Final Boss: Mother Brain
Villainous Faction: Space Pirates
Planet: Zebes
System: Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Released: 1994
Metroid: Other M (2010)
Metroid: Other M (2010)[]
An interquel between Super Metroid and Metroid Fusion. After witnessing the death of "her child" the Baby Metroid at the hands of Mother Brain, Samus is thoroughly distraught. Weeks later, compelled by the sound of a babies cry, she enters a mission on the BOTTLE SHIP. She discovers Adam Malkovitch and other members of the Galactic Federation there on a mission investigating some traitors in the group that may belong to the Space Pirates, and that they are genetically recreating the Metroids with leftover DNA from her Power Suit. These Metroids lack the original Metroid's weakness to ice, and so in order to destroy them for good, Adam sacrifices himself and gets rid of them for good. Finally Samus discovers the one behind it all, "MB," the A.I. in control of the BOTTLE SHIP that was using these bio-weapons for evil, and she stops her before they can repurpose the Metroids again.
Primary suit: Power Suit
Final Boss: Phantoon
Villainous Faction: Federation Marines
Setting: BOTTLE SHIP
System: Nintendo Wii
Released: 2010
Metroid Fusion (2002)
Metroid Fusion (2002)[]
Also known as Metroid 4, this game takes place after Super Metroid and Metroid: Other M. Samus is now a body guard for Galactic Federation members back on the planet SR-388, but quickly discovers that now that she has destroyed every last living Metroid, the X Parasites, the Metroids only prey, have invaded the planet. The X invades Samus' suit, which almost kills her, until she takes a vaccine using Metroid cells to heal her, which gives her Metroid DNA. She is then sent to the Biologic Space Laboratories research station to investigate an explosion and discovers that it too has been invaded by the X. Guided by the gunships computer (which reminds her of Adam,) she destroys all of the X but soon discovers that this laboratory was created for the purpose of cloning Metroids in their home environment. She battles SA-X, which is an X parasite that invaded her old suit, and sets the ship to self destruct before she encounters a genetically engineered Omega Metroid. She sets the ships course for SR-388, and barely escapes as the ship and the Metroid's former home planet is destroyed for good, and the X Parasite ceases to exist.
Primary suit: Fusion Suit
Main Antagonist: SA-X
Final Boss: Omega Metroid
Villainous Faction: X Parasites
Setting: B.S.L. research station, SR-388
System: Game Boy Advance
Released: 2002
Metroid Dread (2021)
Metroid Dread (2021)[]
Also known as Metroid 5, it is a sequel to Metroid Fusion. Following the destruction of the B.S.L. research station and the planet SR388, the X-Parasites had been believed to be extinct. It wasn't until the Galactic Federation received a mysterious video message showing a live X-Parasite on the planet ZDR. The Federation sent their E.M.M.I. drones to investigate and terminate this X, but they lost all contact. Samus was sent to ZDR to find out what happened, but loses consciousness when she arrives. When she awakes she discovers a heavily armored Chozo Warrior with intense power. Samus narrowly escapes, and is forced to navigate through ZDR to find her ship and escape, avoiding the hacked and dangerous E.M.M.I. along the way. She discovers that the Chozo she fought was called Raven Beak, the leader of a Chozo warrior tribe hell-bent on using the Metroids for bioweapons. She learns that he originally was going to SR388 to take them for himself, but Samus had already gone there and genocided them all, and in the process, some of his soldiers were infected with the X. He then turned his plan to extracting the Metroid DNA inside Samus, using the E.M.M.I. to do so. She finally meets Raven Beak, when he reveals that he exchanged DNA with Samus... and she is his daughter. His plan was already in motion, as he is going to have an army of clones of the most powerful Metroid: Samus Aran. They fight it out, and in the battle Samus' Metrod DNA fully completes, and she becomes a full Metroid. Using her new powers she destroys Raven Beak and ZDR, and flies away.
Primary suit: Power Suit
Main Antagonist: Raven Beak
Final Boss: Raven Beak X
Villainous Faction: E.M.M.I.
Planet: ZDR
System: Nintendo Switch
Released: 2021
Metroid Prime Series[]
The Metroid Prime games are all set in between Metroid and Metroid II. At this point in the timeline, Samus has destroyed the Space Pirate base on Zebes and halted their plans from rebuilding Samus with Metroid DNA.
Takes place between Metroid and Metroid II: Return of Samus. After receiving a distress call from a space station, Samus arrives to find it in disarray, but also that it is a trap by the Space Pirates to kill her. Her Varia Suit is stripped from her, and she has to venture to Tallon IV to get it back. She retrieves her stolen armor and weapons, as well as uncovering the 12 Chozo Artifacts, while discovering that the Space Pirates have been experimenting on Metroids with a substance known as "Phazon," a great poisonous material that landed on the planet years ago killing off the Chozo that lived there. The Metroids that developed with the powers of Phazon were dubbed the Metroid Primes. Samus destroys the Metroid Prime, and escapes off the planet. Meanwhile, goop that was once the Metroid Prime merged with Samus's Phazon suit turns into a copy of Samus... Dark Samus is born.
Primary suit: Power Suit
Main Antagonist: Meta Ridley
Final Boss: Metroid Prime Core
Villainous Faction: Space Pirates
Planet: Tallon IV
McGuffins: Chozo Artifacts
System: Nintendo Game Cube
Released: 2002
Metroid Prime Remastered (2023)
Takes place between Metroid and Metroid II: Return of Samus. After receiving a distress call from a space station, Samus arrives to find it in disarray, but also that it is a trap by the Space Pirates to kill her. Her Varia Suit is stripped from her, and she has to venture to Tallon IV to get it back. She retrieves her stolen armor and weapons, as well as uncovering the 12 Chozo Artifacts, while discovering that the Space Pirates have been experimenting on Metroids with a substance known as "Phazon," a great poisonous material that landed on the planet years ago killing off the Chozo that lived there. The Metroids that developed with the powers of Phazon were dubbed the Metroid Primes. Samus destroys the Metroid Prime, and escapes off the planet. Meanwhile, goop that was once the Metroid Prime merged with Samus's Phazon suit turns into a copy of Samus... Dark Samus is born.
Primary suit: Power Suit
Main Antagonist: Meta Ridley
Final Boss: Metroid Prime Core
Villainous Faction: Space Pirates
Planet: Tallon IV
McGuffins: Chozo Artifacts
System: Nintendo Switch
Released: 2023
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (2004)
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (2004)[]
Sometime after defeating the Space Pirates on Tallon IV, Samus receives yet another distress call to planet Aether from Space Federation members who visited the planet following a Space Pirate convoy. She arrives there to find that they have all been taken out by Ing, an invasive species that arrived on Aether some time ago that also wiped out the native species on that planet. The last remaining member of their race tells her that the Ing's arrival split Aether in two, the Light and the Dark World. Samus's new goal is to take back the Energy Module's from the Ing's side in the Dark World and restore light to the true world. At her arrival, she also comes face to face with Dark Samus, who was birthed on Tallon IV. Samus successfully regains the Energy Controllers from the Ing, destroying the Dark World, when she has a final face-off with Dark Samus. It is destroyed in hand-to-hand combat, and Samus saves the planet of Aether and flies off. Little does she know, the Phazon left behind pulls itself back together in the form of Dark Samus, planting the seeds of corruption...
Primary suit: Power Suit
Main Antagonist: Dark Samus
Final Boss: Dark Samus 4
Villainous Faction: Ing
Planet: Aether
McGuffins: Energy Controllers
System: Nintendo Game Cube
Released: 2004
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (2007)
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (2007)[]
Samus and three other Bounty Hunters are sent to Norion to investigate Space Pirate activity when they are suddenly invaded. During the invasion, three meteorites infested with Phazon crash land on the three planets in the solar system. Samus manages to stop one of them, but the two other planets, Bryyo and Elysia, have both been struck. Samus and the other Bounty Hunters go to each planet to destroy the meteorite before it infects more things -- however, Samus and the others are knocked out and absorb a lot of Phazon, prompting the Federation to deck Samus out in a new Phazon Enhancement Device (PED) Suit. Samus destroys the three seeds on all three planets, and finally is able to make it to the home world of Dark Samus, Phaaze. There, she destroys Dark Samus for good, and takes out a corrupted Aurora Unit inside, detonating the planet and destroying all known sources of Phazon. Samus leaves, after mourning the loss of the other Bounty Hunters on this mission, and is followed by an unknown and mysterious ship...
Primary suit: PED Suit
Main Antagonist: Dark Samus
Final Boss: Aurora Unit 313
Villainous Faction: Space Pirates
Planets: Norion, Bryyo, Elysia, Space Pirate Homeworld, Phaaze
McGuffins: Energy Cells
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond (2025)
System: Nintendo Wii
Released: 2007
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond (2025)[]
Harness Samus Aran's new psychic abilities to survive the mysterious planet of Viewros and find a way home.
Primary suit: TBA
Main Antagonist: Sylus
Final Boss: TBA
Villainous Faction: TBA
Planet: Viewros
McGuffins: TBA
System: Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2
Released: 2025
The Ridley Timeline[]
He is a part of the Space Pirates and killed Samus' parents and shit
In Metroid Ridley is just his big 'ol self. He was killed by Samus in his lair.
In the Metroid Prime Trilogy, Ridley's corpse is uncovered and slowly regenerated using cybernetic enhancements. For the majority of the trilogy he is known as Meta Ridley. When you fight him for the final time in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, his enhancements are almost complete, and is called Omega Ridley.
In Metroid: Samus Returns, he returns as Proteus Ridley, almost fully regenerated from his previous appearance, and he is defeated and left on SR-388.
In Super Metroid Ridley returns again this time fully regenerated. When he is killed in this game this is considered his true death.
In Metroid: Other M, Samus encounters a Mysterious Creature which turns out to be the clone of Ridley using DNA taken back from Samus' suit.
In Metroid Fusion, the corpse of Ridley's clone is sent to the B.S.L. research station and is infected with the X Parasite that becomes Neo Ridley.
Samus vs. Metroids arc synopsis[]
In Metroid and Metroid: Zero Mission, Samus is sent to Zebes, the planet she was raised on to destroy the Space Pirates and stop them from using the Metroids as biological weapons. She successfully destroys the Mother Brain and leaves the planet with her mission successful.
In Metroid II: Return of Samus and Metroid: Samus Returns, the Galactic Federation realizes that the Metroids cannot be left alive, and they send Samus to their home world of SR-388 to dispose of them for good. She does so, and discovers a Baby Metroid, which thinks she is its mother, and she spares its life leaving it as the last Metroid alive.
In Super Metroid the Baby Metroid Samus saved is kidnapped by Ridley and brought to Zebes, so Samus journeys there to save it. On Zebes she discovers that the Space Pirates are using the Baby's DNA to clone more Metroids. She defeats the Space Pirates once again, but at the expense of the Baby Metroid's life. She is able to narrowly escape Zebes before it self-destructs, making it so the last Metroid left alive is finally dead.
In Metroid: Other M, Samus journeys to the BOTTLE SHIP and discovers that the Galactic Federation was cloning Metroids that are immune to the cold for "peaceful gains." Adam Malcovitch, her former CO, helps her get rid of them and sacrifices his life to get rid of the ice-proof Metroids. Samus destroys the BOTTLE SHIP, along with the other cloned Metroids, and escapes.
In Metroid Fusion, Samus is sent to SR-388 with a team from the Galactic Federation and discover that the X-Parasite, the Metroids prey, have become more abundant in the ecosystem after Samus eradicated them. The X-Parasites latch onto their prey and feed off of their energy, and one infects Samus. She is on the verge of death, the Federation gives her a vaccine using the DNA from the Baby Metroid to save her, making her part Metroid and immune to the X-Parasites. She enters the B.S.L. Laboratories and there discovers that the X-Parasites have invaded. She also learns of the Federations growth of even more Metroids, and discovers that they have perfected the Metroid's evolution process so that they can grow a full Omega Metroid in weeks. She encounters one of these, and destroys it, and sends the B.S.L. Station into self-destruct into SR-388, destroying the Metroids, X-Parasites, and their home world of SR-388 for good.
In Metroid Dread, the tale between Samus and the Metroids comes to an end. The evil Chozo Warrior, Raven Beak, is revealed to have broken off from the original Chozo faction in order to use the Metroids as biological weapons. It's discovered that Raven Beak originally intended to steal the Metroids from SR-388, but got there after Samus' genocide of the species, and in turn, his Chozo warriors were infected by the X Parasite. With his plan in shambles, he soon learned that Samus became half Metroid due to the Metroid vaccine she got and set his sights on stealing the Metroid DNA from her to create his army of Metroids to rule the galaxy. He lures Samus to his home world of ZDR, where he pits the dangerous E.M.M.I. against her. She makes her way through the caverns of the planet, and eventually her and Raven Beak have it out. He reveals to her that after she was adopted by the Chozo, him and her DNA were exchanged, contributing to her physical prowess as a warrior. He also reveals that his plan is already in motion and will create an army of clones of the most powerful Metroid: Samus Aran. Samus continues her fight, unlocking her entire Metroid abilities, becoming a full Metroid. She uses her newfound power to destroy Raven Beak and ZDR and manages to escape on her ship unscathed. On her ship she meets a friendly Chozo infected with an X, who lets her absorb him, turning her back to normal.
Samus vs. Phazon arc Synopsis[]
In Metroid Prime and Metroid Prime Remastered, Samus is marooned on Tallon IV after accepting a distress call that ended up being a trap from the Space Pirates. She discovers on this planet that it was once inhabited by the Chozo, but a meteorite landed holding "Phazon" that killed off the Chozo. The Space Pirates eventually arrived and began experimenting on the Phazon and the Metroids, creating a Metroid-Phazon fusion they dubbed Metroid Prime. In the time since Samus last saw the Space Pirates, Ridley has undergone cybernetic enhancements to regenerate his body after being defeated in Metroid. and returns as Meta Ridley to attack Samus. Samus ends up destroying the Metroid Prime and defeating Ridley once again and leaving the planet as it is. What she didn't know was that the Metroid Prime took over her Phazon suit and was born anew...
In Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, Samus is sent to the planet Aether to investigate a missing Galactic Federation frigate that was sent to investigate Space Pirate activity. When she arrives, she finds that it has been wiped out by the Ing, creatures from a dark parallel world known as Dark Aether. She discovers the Luminoth, a species that inhabits this planet, and is at war with the Ing over the light of Aether. She finds out that over 50 years ago a meteor struck the planet filled with Phazon, and due to the unique atmosphere of the planet, it created a dark parallel dimension that is home to the Ing. The Space Pirates were on the planet to collect more Phazon, but they too were destroyed by the Ing. Now tasked with ending the war between light and dark, Samus also meets her Phazon-made doppelganger, Dark Samus, who is the reincarnation of the Metroid Prime she defeated previously. Dark Samus is on Aether to spread Phazon, and considering there is a large amount of it here, it uses that to its advantage. Samus manages to restore the light to the four Aether temples and defeats Emperor Ing. Before Dark Aether is destroyed, she has one last battle with Dark Samus, and ultimately destroys it. It reaches one last hand out for her and disintegrates. Samus leaves the planet, restoring light and peace, but again, unbeknownst to her, the particles of Dark Samus reform in the space above Aether...
In Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Samus comes head-to-head with the source of all Phazon. It is discovered that the Phazon meteorites are being transported through giant ships known as Leviathans and are crash landing on planets through wormholes to spread Phazon. Samus journeys to three of the most recent victims of this and destroys the seeds before they can corrupt the whole planet and spread across the galaxy. During this mission she is also chasing out Dark Samus from corrupting her as well, as she already got a hold of the three other Bounty Hunters assigned on this mission. The Federation eventually tracks the Leviathans location to be coming from a faraway planet known as Phaaze, Dark Samus's home world. Samus and the Federation arrive there to take out the source of the madness, and Samus has one final confrontation with Dark Samus. She destroys her, and a corrupted Aurora Unit in the depths of the planet, causing it to detonate. Samus escapes unharmed, and after mourning the losses of the three other Bounty Hunters, flies away, putting all of the Phazon chaos behind her. Little does she know; a teal ship is close to follow behind her...
