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Discussion Would you care if Metroids were absent from a Metroid game?

Title

  • Yes, I would be very upset

    Votes: 6 4.6%

  • I’d be slightly disappointed

    Votes: 22 16.9%

  • I don’t care at all

    Votes: 86 66.2%

  • I’d actually prefer if the series moved away from them

    Votes: 16 12.3%
  • Total voters
    130
Phendrift

Phendrift

Inkling
Moderator
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A point that occasionally comes up regarding the Metroid series is the fact that it is named after the Metroid creature, yet nearly all of them but one died in the second entry, and the last one died in the third.

Despite that, Metroids have still found their way into every single game past Super. In the Prime games by virtue of them being wisely set before Metroid II, and in the main series through conspiracies with cloning them.

So the question comes up - do they need to keep appearing by virtue of them being the titular character? Do you not necessarily like or care about them but believe the series’ title warrants an appearance in each game? Do you simply just love Metroids and want them in each game, title be damned?

Or are you okay with them taking a backseat for the sake of expanding lore/story possibilities, and the title isn’t important? Do you view certain story developments in Dread a clever way to continue justifying the title while being able to move past Metroids being involved in every game?

Let’s discuss!
 
Pretty sure they weren't in Hunters, just a similar creature, so it's not unheard of.

I'm honestly fine if some games don't try to force them in, especially for post-Metroid II games.
 
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I may have utterly forgotten, but.... but there were no Metroids in Dread, right?

Like, yes, Samus is part Metroid, but there's no flying jellyfish monsters in that one
 
Personally, I don’t care if they aren’t in a Metroid game. And I made this thread because I believe most feel the same way.

Much of the discussion on this comes from fans thinking Nintendo wouldn’t dare make one without them - yet I never hear any fans saying they’d be upset. And if fans wouldn’t, then why should Nintendo?
 
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Ever since Fusion, I've figured there was a clear direction to solve this problem, one which also opens up further potential interesting story avenues.

Samus is the titular Metroid.​

When one of these games again opens with
The last metroid is in captivity
The galaxy is at peace
Click to expand...
things are going down.
 
There isn't an option that reflects how I feel. But, I'd like them to step away from them for a bit, but I wouldn't mind if they show up again sometime if it makes sense.

I'd be pretty upset if the next game undoes Samus' metroid DNA though.
 
Yeah, I don't really care that much. Between "Metroid" being Samus's proper designation at the end of Sakamoto's timeline, "Metroid Prime" being the title of the titular antagonist of Retro's trilogy of games (no matter her/its form), as well as a catchall Chozo phrase for "ultimate warrior", it seems safe to presume that what it means to be a Metroid is something that is both malleable and doesn't necessarily have to involve the floating space suckers.

That said?

I always wondered if Sylux preparing to take off with a Metroid in FedForce's stinger was at all a hint that maybe there's plans to revisit the "Humetroid" concept from the original Metroid Prime 2 pitch.

Sci-fi body horror and a way to, again, allows us to play around with the definition of a "Metroid"? I always dug that idea. Bonus points if Prime 4's story, somehow, kicks off at a point in time where Samus is part-Metroid herself, and really make this interesting.
 
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They’re more important to the plot than they are to the gameplay, so if the plot moves on, which it looks like it’s going to, then they can go for a while. However, I do hope that the ending of dread
implies that samus will have more control over her Metroid powers, not that they’re gone completely. Seems like it could go either way.
 
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You wouldn’t have a Zelda game if you weren’t playing as that guy named Zelda would you? Therefore, you can’t have a Metroid game without metroids.

Seriously though, I don’t really care one way or the other. I do think there is lots of plot devices that work out with them in the games but think Dread has resolved most things. Would be good to have a new driving force behind future stories
 
So many Metroid threads lately. I'm in paradise!

I voted "don't care" (because Dread didn't feature a single one of the creatures themselves), but I think it's important to remember that Metroids don't just happen to be the aliens you shoot in these games. Rather, they share a lot in common with Samus herself, to the point of being a mirror. They're thematically relevant across the entire series.
  • Both were genetically engineered by the Chozo, in order to serve a grand purpose: galactic peace. Metroid is the Chozo word for "ultimate warrior", and Samus so happens to be just that.

  • Metroids are highly adaptable creatures capable of following different evolutionary lines, which evokes the modular nature of the Power Suit.

  • The obvious parallel between the last Metroid, and Samus herself being the lone survivor of a Space Pirate raid.

  • Dark Samus was a Metroid learning to be human. Samus is a human learning to be Metroid.

  • Obviously the entire plots of Fusion and Dread, with these parallels coming full circle.
It's not that I feel each Metroid game absolutely needs to feature them, but they're more intrinsically linked to the overall series than I reckon most folks realize. It's irrelevant that they're "extinct" as of this game, or that game. Their influence will always linger throughout the series. I absolutely expect them to play a key part in Prime 4.
 
Metroid Prime games barely have anything to do with Metroid Prime anymore after the first game.
I mean sure Dark Samus basically is Metroid Prime, but spinoffs like Federation Force and Hunters show that it's just the subseries' title.

Metroid Prine Hunters was my first game in the series and that didn't even contain any Metroids, not even by technicality like Dread.
(The first Hunt demo they shipped on DS laucnh did though).

There were Quadroids, but they were more of a reference cause they aren't relevant to the story and just a similar creature made by the very Chozo-like inhabitants of the Alimbic Cluster.
 
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I'd be disappointed. I really like the Metroids as an enemy creature, as a sort of gameplay sign that we're getting near the end where shit goes down. I love their design, their whole aesthetic, and they are one of the few gaming enemies that still legitimately freak me out. If the series were to move away from featuring them (or drastically alter them like Prime 2's flying truffle metroids), then I'd feel a little something was lost, no matter how good the games were.

Like yeah, you could make a perfectly good Mario game without goombas but it wouldn't feel quite right to me.
 
I don't mind, but I would like to see the evolved Metroid line from Samus Returns make a comeback. Their designs are great and they only appear in one game (Also in Fusion but that's very minor). I'm secretly hoping to see them in all their glory in 3d in Prime 4. That'd be sick
 
DenkeyKong said:
I don't mind, but I would like to see the evolved Metroid line from Samus Returns make a comeback. Their designs are great and they only appear in one game (Also in Fusion but that's very minor). I'm secretly hoping to see them in all their glory in 3d in Prime 4. That'd be sick
Click to expand...
Lore-wise, I'm quite sure their evolutionary line from Metroid 2 can only occur as a result of SR388's atmosphere, and almost certainly involving Aeion. B.S.L.'s simulated SR388 environment was ideal for this, which is why they appear in Fusion. I agree that it'd be amazing to see them in 3D, so I hope they can reconcile it within the lore somehow, and give us an Omega Metroid boss battle in Prime 4.

We've seen what Aeion and Phazon do to a Metroid, both producing radically different results, so I'm curious to see what they'll come up with next.
 
I wouldn't be upset at all if some of the games didn't feature them, that said, I do genuinely really like the Metroids, and their evolutionary pathways and relationship with Samus are fascinating. I also genuinely quite like their unpredictable and untameable nature*. The series absolutely isn't hindered by them and they play well into one of its core themes, that is, the formidability of nature. I particularly loved how their dynamic with the SA-X** was brought to the fore following the extinction events of Metroid II, reminding players that there are no easy solutions when ecosystems are involved. There is certainly plenty of scope to further explore such themes in the context of the Metroids themselves.

In a gameplay and thematic sense: much, much left to do. I certainly have visions of an Omega Metroid in Prime 4. Love the idea of another horror sequence in which Samus follows the trail of destruction left behind by an unknown creature, with the scanning visor subtly hinting towards its sheer power and, of course, in true Metroid fashion, becoming the hunted, and then the hunter once more. Perhaps their could be some quiet comparison between Samus' own destructive nature.

I feel if 343i was making Metroid Prime 4, they'd have the Metroids team up with the Space Pirates or SA-X* in some needlessly dark, unrealistic storyline.

Aurc said:
Lore-wise, I'm quite sure their evolutionary line from Metroid 2 can only occur as a result of SR388's atmosphere, and almost certainly involving Aeion. B.S.L.'s simulated SR388 environment was ideal for this, which is why they appear in Fusion. I agree that it'd be amazing to see them in 3D, so I hope they can reconcile it within the lore somehow, and give us an Omega Metroid boss battle in Prime 4.

We've seen what Aeion and Phazon do to a Metroid, both producing radically different results, so I'm curious to see what they'll come up with next.
Click to expand...

Ha, incredible, you typed this as I wrote my own reply, we're very much on the same page wrt Metroid.
 
Mega Spoilers for Metroid Dread:

It wasn't an issue with that game, much like Ridley's absence. Also, I guess we can all collectively say that the last Metroid is on the run...and while she may not necessarily crawl, she can slide and turn into a ball!

Metroid will always be more about atmosphere and exploration, than about the creatures/creature.
 
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I'm sure there will be bioengineered Metroids and all kinds of things in the future, but for the moment I think its a good point to give them a rest. I think a new game with Samus using Metroid powers would be interesting - That said, I think its time for Crocomire to come back.
 
Samus is the last Metroid and the X Parasite seems to be a bigger threat.

Prime 4 could feature the creature, but it isn't necessary for the game to be good.
 
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So...there's this idea that's so stupid that I can't help but think it might become true in that:

Ok so the Metroid Suit has Queen Metroid elements. Given the franchise's seemingly last cutscenes throwing everything we thought we did about the X and the consistent themes that extermination is wrong (we don't kill all the Metroids in Metroid II for instance), what if Metroids come back...but on our side? Yeah it's dumb but it'd be interesting and a way to bring them back without making is retread everything.
 
I want to nurture a bunch of Metroid hatchlings in Metroid 6, grow them into various stages of evolution, and then go around with a small army of Metroids to unleash hell upon the galaxy.
 
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I mean, there’s been Zelda games that don’t have Zelda in them… :D

But seriously, I don’t think it matters too much, as ‘Metroid’ goes beyond ‘floaty brain-eating parasite thing that looks like three spheres in a jellyfish’. It’s just that the original design is memorable, but the storylines have taken ‘what exactly is a Metroid’ way beyond that.
 
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No, not at all. I think it would be fun if at some point they bring them back. But having a future story without Metroid's as enemies would be great.
That said, having Samus being the last Metroid is also quite cool. It would be cool if the next game is going to focus on Samus and her Metroid DNA and that you will get skills through that in the story. So let's see what they gonna do.
 
chocolate_supra said:
Like yeah, you could make a perfectly good Mario game without goombas but it wouldn't feel quite right to me.
Click to expand...

It was called Super Mario Land and it ruled

Anyway, the solution is to replace Metroids with Mochtroids

SMetroidMochtroidScreen.png
 
To be completely honest, Metroids usually are the most boring enemy in the franchise.
They're a bit like a character in a movie saying the title of the movie. A novelty rather than an actual great foe. More of a nuissance than a threat.

So I wouldn't mind them not being part of a new Metroid game, but I'd much rather see them retooled to become an actual threat and not some annoying roadblocks at the end of each game.
 
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They already weren't in Dread and I found that pretty respectable to be honest. It's perfectly fine if they come up with some cool reason they return someday, but It's also fine if they let the series focus on other areas as well. Dread was a breath of fresh air here. I've already assumed some plot point would involve some extraction from Samus later to bring them back anyways, but they could at least do one more without that.
 
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I love them, but it's not a problem at all, including Prime saga.
At the end of the day, the name Metroid comes from Metro - Android, refering to the subterranean robot that the protagonist was supposed to be in the first game.
 
We never really did get a satisfactory explanation for why Metroids were so dangerous that they needed to be completely genocided, did we? I wouldn't mind if Prime 4 or some other midquel actually explored that. I'm assuming they show up in 4, based on the ending to Federation Force (disregarding if they're even treating that as canon - the general intent of 'Sylux + Metroids' seemed clear enough).

Going forward, Samus basically is part Metroid now, so there's no particular need to drag the out of the cupboard to 'justify' the branding.
 
I always liked the "shit just got real" moment when Metroids finally show up in the endgame but it did lose it's impact when it has been done so many times. I think they need to take the backseat for a while in order to make an impactful nostalgic return in the future.

I can't even remember if they were in Dread or not, so their presence definitely isn't required for me to enjoy the game.
 
I'm pretty sure Fusion and Dread have solved this issue, but I fully expect to see the actual Metroid creatures in Prime 4.
 
beaglor said:
We never really did get a satisfactory explanation for why Metroids were so dangerous that they needed to be completely genocided, did we?
Click to expand...
I feel like this is partly what Prime 1-3 already convey, and what Prime 4 will underscore even further. Metroid Prime / Dark Samus herself, coupled with various Metroid-related bioterrorism incidents, must've spooked the whole of galactic civilization quite a bit. Taking into account the events of Metroid 1, plus the Phazon crisis, and whatever else will go down in future games set between 1 and 2, it was only a matter of time before the Federation went after the Metroids on their home planet. In my mind, Samus would never have agreed to take such a drastic measure against an entire species unless she truly believed it was the only way. The Prime games add a lot of texture to the universe, and do well to contextualize the events of Metroid 2.
 
If I recall, Metroid Prime is implied to not even be a Metroid at all in the original release, but an ancient creature that predates the artificially created Metroids called the Worm, and likely originating from Phaaze. I believe this has since been retconned to Metroid Prime being a Metroid that was mutated into Metroid Prime through Phazon exposure, but I find that a lot less satisfying.
 
It didn't even register with me that they weren't in Dread. So I definitely don't care.
 
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Aurc said:
It's not that I feel each Metroid game absolutely needs to feature them, but they're more intrinsically linked to the overall series than I reckon most folks realize. It's irrelevant that they're "extinct" as of this game, or that game. Their influence will always linger throughout the series. I absolutely expect them to play a key part in Prime 4.
Click to expand...

There's some pretty good stuff here. The echo of the metroids should be able to reverberate in theme and in plot and even in character, regardless of their physical presence.

For any times where maybe this doesn't seem to otherwise be the case, the idea of The Last Metroid itself does some heavy lifting -- and easily pushes the metroids' influence on all these story elements going forward.


That, along with my initial post, said,
chocolate_supra said:
I'd be disappointed. I really like the Metroids as an enemy creature, as a sort of gameplay sign that we're getting near the end where shit goes down. I love their design, their whole aesthetic, and they are one of the few gaming enemies that still legitimately freak me out. If the series were to move away from featuring them (or drastically alter them like Prime 2's flying truffle metroids), then I'd feel a little something was lost, no matter how good the games were.
Click to expand...

I'd feel this. There's something to the creature's presence, how it's used, how it could be used.

There absolutely is something lost. But, in a way, that's the point. Those who have played the series -- and who are otherwise inclined to this -- will feel the absence, will experience that sense of loss after these creatures have been hunted to extinction. It feeds into ideas that have been present at least since Samus spared the hatchling metroid.

And, given the concept of The Last Metroid, it can fuel that sense of isolation, as Samus herself has become all that is left, the last of them, for all that entails.

While we're on the general topic, though, I do think Space Pirates could use a rest and Ridley might want to hold off on those resurrection elixirs (though I'm glad he made it into Super Smash Bros. before that). The worst element of those falling by the wayside would be that Samus' history with Ridley was never properly conveyed and explored in-game.
 
Lol, poor fellas, they're the title characters but people don't seem to care that much for them.

Still, it doesn't matter now that Samus is a Metroid that can crawl
 
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I love those little guys and I definitely missed them in Dread, but their disappearance didn't ruin the game for me. I do hope they are present in the series still in some form.

I've got my eye on anyone who doesn't care for us...
 
Metroid said:
I love those little guys and I definitely missed them in Dread, but their disappearance didn't ruin the game for me. I do hope they are present in the series still in some form.

I've got my eye on anyone who doesn't care for us...
Click to expand...
wow this is like when Kit Ellis jumped into the Kit and Krysta thread, how neat
 
They’ve overstayed their relevance in the plot, time to move on from them much like Space Pirates, Chozo, & Ridley. They’ll exist in some fashion but the less they emphasize it the better.
 
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I’d be glad if they moved away, even thoguh they parallel samus at some point th evseites has to move in (and given the direction so far it porbabaly has).

There should still be consequences of their existence in future games but as a species it seems like they are done as the plot moves toward a new era.
 
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