Metroid

Metroid is a space game.

You play as Samus. She is a brave hero. Samus fights space pirates. She also fights jellyfish creatures.

Samus finds new tools. One tool lets her turn into a ball. This helps her roll into small spots. She can also run very fast. These tools help her explore new lands. It is a big adventure in space.

Metroid is a famous series of space adventure games.

You play as a brave bounty hunter named Samus Aran. She wears a special suit to protect her. Samus travels through space to fight Space Pirates. She also fights creatures called Metroids. These creatures look like jellyfish. They eat life energy from other living things.

In these games, you explore big worlds. You find new tools to help you move. One tool is the Morph Ball. It lets Samus curl into a ball to roll into tight spots. Another skill is the Shinespark. This lets her run at very high speeds.

These tools help her find secret areas.

Some games show the world from the side. These are called side-scrollers. Other games let you see through Samus's eyes. These are called first-person games.

Many people love these games for their music. The music can feel dark and scary. But it can also feel happy at the end. Since 2012, people have bought over 17 million copies of these games.

Metroid is a famous series of science fiction adventure games.

Players control a brave bounty hunter named Samus Aran. She wears a special cybernetic suit to protect herself. Samus travels through space to protect the galaxy. She fights against the Space Pirates and their many enemies. One major threat is the Metroids, which are jellyfish-like creatures. These organisms feed on the life energy of other living things. Samus must use her skills to stop these dangerous creatures.

Exploring large worlds is a huge part of the gameplay. Players find new items to upgrade Samus's Power Suit. One famous tool is the Morph Ball. This lets Samus curl into a ball to roll through tight spaces. Another special ability is the Shinespark. This allows Samus to charge her suit with energy. She can then dash at very high speeds to break through walls. These upgrades help players find secret areas and new paths. The games often feel lonely because there are very few other characters to meet.

The first Metroid game was made by Nintendo R&D1. It was released on the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1986. Later, Metroid II: Return of Samus came out for the Game Boy in 1991. The game Super Metroid arrived in 1994 for the Super Nintendo. This game added many new tools and a much richer story. In 2002, Retro Studios released Metroid Prime for the GameCube. This was the first game in the series to use a first-person view.

Other games followed on the Wii and the Nintendo Switch.

Metroid games are known for their unique and interesting music. The first composer was Hirokazu "Hip" Tanaka. He wanted the music to feel like a living creature. Another composer, Kenji Yamamoto, wrote music for Super Metroid and the Prime series. He sometimes hummed his musical ideas while riding his motorcycle. The music can sound dark and scary during the adventure. However, it often becomes happy and uplifting during the end credits. This change helps players feel a sense of relief after their hard work.

This series has changed how many people think about video games. Early Metroid games helped create a style called "Metroidvania." This refers to games with large, connected worlds to explore. Samus Aran was also one of the first important female characters in games. Many people consider these some of the greatest games ever made. As of 2012, the series had sold over 17.44 million copies. You can even see Samus appearing in other games like Super Smash Bros.

Metroid is a celebrated action-adventure video game franchise created by Nintendo.

Players take control of Samus Aran, a skilled bounty hunter. Her mission is to protect the galaxy from the Space Pirates. These villains attempt to harness the power of Metroids. Metroids are predatory, jellyfish-like organisms that feed on life energy. The series combines platforming elements with deep exploration. It also features a science fiction setting and nonlinear gameplay. This means players can often choose their own paths through the world.

Gameplay relies on a cycle of exploration and empowerment. Samus wears a cybernetic Power Suit that she can upgrade. Players find items and power-ups to improve this suit. These upgrades are often found by exploring or defeating alien enemies. One essential tool is the Morph Ball. This allows Samus to curl into a ball to roll through tight spaces. Another famous ability is the Shinespark. This lets Samus charge her suit with energy to dash at high speeds. A successful Shinespark can even break through certain walls. This helps players reach secret areas or perform sequence breaking.

The series features different gameplay perspectives depending on the title. The classic series uses a 2D side-scrolling format. In these games, players move left and right across the screen. The Metroid Prime sub-series uses a 3D first-person perspective. This style uses first-person shooter mechanics to navigate the world. The 2010 title Metroid: Other M uses a third-person shooter format. These different styles allow the franchise to offer various ways to experience its worlds. Each style maintains the core focus on solitary exploration and atmosphere.

Metroid has a long and evolving history within the gaming industry. The first game was developed by Nintendo R&D1 in 1986. It was released on the Nintendo Entertainment System. In 1991, Metroid II: Return of Samus arrived for the handheld Game Boy. Super Metroid was released in 1994 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. This game significantly expanded the series' formula with more power-ups and a richer story. The 3D era began in 2002 with Metroid Prime by Retro Studios. This was released for the GameCube. Other notable titles include Metroid Fusion and the more recent Metroid Dread.

The scale of the franchise's success is quite large. As of 2012, the Metroid series had sold more than 17.44 million copies. Many publications have named it one of the best game franchises. Several individual games are even ranked among the greatest of all time. The series has also expanded into other media. This includes soundtracks, comic books, and manga. Samus Aran also appears in other Nintendo titles, such as the Super Smash Bros. series. This shows how much the characters are valued by fans.

The music of Metroid is a vital part of its identity. Hirokazu "Hip" Tanaka composed the original score. He wanted the music to feel like a living creature. He aimed to blur the line between music and sound effects. Kenji Yamamoto later composed music for Super Metroid and the Prime trilogy. He famously hummed some themes while riding his motorcycle. In the Metroid Prime series, developers worked with a strict 6 MB memory budget for sound. This required every sound effect to be of very high quality. The music often stays dark and scary to build tension. It frequently becomes uplifting during the end credits to provide catharsis.

Metroid has had a lasting impact on the wider gaming landscape. Along with Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, it helped define the "Metroidvania" subgenre. This term describes games with large, continuous, and explorable side-scrolling levels. The series is also notable for its protagonist. Samus Aran was one of the first prominent female characters in video games. The series connects to broader themes of science fiction and space exploration. It explores conflicts between the Galactic Federation and the Space Pirates. It also looks at the biological legacy of the Chozo, an advanced avian species.