Nepedia
Back to Discover
Advanced Reader
🎨

Metroid

arts Maturity 5-7 Next article →

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

Metroid Logo 2017
Metroid Logo 2017

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.

Metroid Samus Returns gameplay
Metroid Samus Returns gameplay

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.

NES Metroid
NES Metroid

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.

Metroidprime10101
Metroidprime10101

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.

659 words

Where will your curiosity go next?

Keep exploring at your chosen reading level.

🖼️ Images & Media (4)
File:Metroid Logo 2017.svg
Metroid Logo 2017.svg
File:NES Metroid.png
NES Metroid.png
File:Metroidprime10101.jpg
Metroidprime10101.jpg
File:Metroid Samus Returns gameplay.jpg
Metroid Samus Returns gameplay.jpg
More to explore

🔬 Go deeper

More advanced topics to explore

🪜 Step back

Simpler topics to build understanding

What is Nepedia?

A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.