Metroid turns 40: The art of being completely alone

On August 6, 1986, Nintendo released the original Metroid for the Famicom Disk System in Japan. (North America got it on the NES a year later.) It was one of my first NES games. I still think about it all the time. I play through it at least every other year.

Metroid is lonely by design, and it comes at you from every angle at once. It's a solitary game by nature; you don't hand the controller to a friend for a quick round, because exploring is the point. Samus is completely alone on Zebes. No dialogue, no friendly NPCs checking in. Just you, a hostile planet, and the map in your head. And then there's the music. Hirokazu Tanaka wrote a top-three NES soundtrack by focusing on what the audio doesn't do: the long rests, the empty space between melodies, the silence. You don't notice it at first. You just notice you've never felt this alone in a game before.

The map in your head

The original 1986 game defined the structure we now call Metroidvania. That term makes me puke in my mouth. It's "gated exploration", right?! Anyways, you explore, you find permanent power-ups, and you backtrack to open new paths. I remember subscribing to Nintendo Power just to get the maps and strategy guides. You needed them to figure out where to go. Or you just bomb every pixel.

A fresh coat of paint for Zebes

Nintendo eventually remade the original as Metroid: Zero Mission for the Game Boy Advance in 2004, and it's a fantastic remake. The visuals and gameplay got the obvious upgrades, but the real draw is the extra areas and the story expansion. If the 1986 original feels too hostile today, this is the version to play.

Turning the isolation up to 11

I actually skipped Super Metroid when it launched in 1994. I thought the original game was already perfect. I was terrified a sequel would ruin the experience. I eventually came back to it, and I am incredibly grateful I did.

Super Metroid added modern conveniences like an automap and an inventory screen, then cranked everything else to 11. The atmosphere got thicker, the music moodier, the map more tangled, the freedom wider. Indie developers are still tracing that blueprint today.

First-person isolation

During the Nintendo 64 generation, everyone expected a new Metroid game. Nintendo never shipped one. The developers simply did not have concrete ideas or a control scheme that felt right for 3D.

Then Metroid Prime arrived on the GameCube in 2002. First-person Metroid was a daring choice, and Nintendo knew it, framing the game as a "first-person adventure" rather than a shooter. The gamble worked. I'll never forget the first time I saw Samus's eyes reflected in her visor after a bright flash. It blew my mind.

The MercurySteam revival

Metroid: Samus Returns launched on the 3DS in 2017 after a surprise announcement at the E3 Nintendo Treehouse Live event. It is a remake of the 1991 Game Boy title Metroid II. MercurySteam added a melee counter and free aiming. Samus Returns walked so Metroid Dread could run. I heard a lot of complaints about this game. But I really enjoyed it! I feel like any of the hate should have been directed at the console, not the game itself.

MercurySteam returned for Metroid Dread on the Switch in 2021. Samus Returns walked so Dread could run. The project was originally a long-rumored DS concept from the mid-2000s. The final product is a modern 2D masterpiece. The E.M.M.I. Robot pursuit sections are legitimately scary. This might be my favourite Metroid game. It was terrifying.

The mandatory pinball detour

We also have to talk about Metroid Prime Pinball. It hit the Nintendo DS in 2005 bundled with the Rumble Pak, the first time that accessory shipped for the system. You could nudge the table with the touchscreen. Multiple tables, a multiplayer mode, and a surprisingly good palate cleanser.

The rest of the bounty board

There are plenty of games I'm shortchanging here. Metroid II put Samus on the Game Boy in 1991, and Fusion did the same for the Game Boy Advance in 2002. It's still one of the best in the series. Fight me. Echoes (GameCube, 2004) and Corruption (Wii, 2007) kept the Prime run going, and Hunters squeezed multiplayer shooting onto the DS in 2006.

Nintendo bundled the 3D games into Metroid Prime: Trilogy for the Wii in 2009. Other M arrived on the Wii in 2010 to a mixed fan response, which is being generous. Federation Force brought co-op Galactic Federation action to the 3DS in 2016, sparking intense fan debate. Finally, Metroid Prime Remastered brought the GameCube classic to the Switch in 2023.

Spoilers: Samus is a girl. -Justin Bailey