Blast from the Past: Ranking the Top 10 Metroid Games
Brace yourself, intergalactic bounty hunters, because we're about to travel across the cosmos and celebrate one of gaming's most iconic franchises: Metroid! Since its inception in 1986, the Metroid series has taken us from 2D side-scrolling adventures to jaw-dropping 3D worlds and back again, influencing a universe of 'Metroidvania' games in its wake, including the beloved Hollow Knight and Ori and the Blind Forest. And let's not forget its unique ventures into pinball and even soccer!
Now, with Metroid Prime 4: Beyond on approach, it's the perfect time to blast back into the past and revisit the gems that made the series legendary. Here are our top 10 Metroid games based on level design, progression, innovation, and, of course, their lasting impact on gamers everywhere!
10. Metroid 2: Return of Samus
Developer: Nintendo R&D1 | Publisher: Nintendo | Platform: Game Boy | Release Date: November 1991 (NA)
In an age where map screens are expected like power-ups in a Metroid game, Metroid 2: Return of Samus dared to be different. Arriving on the beloved Game Boy in 1991, this game sent Samus on a gritty, no-map, no-nonsense mission across SR388 to annihilate every single last Metroid. Sure, it was challenging, but that enigmatic atmosphere and Samus’s full arsenal from the NES debut made it unforgettable!
If you navigated with your trusty hand-drawn map or a magazine-foldout from Nintendo Power, you unlocked a portable Metroid experience with its tense chiptune soundtrack and colossal character sprites on that greenish screen. And for the modern Metroid hunters craving a new twist, the 3DS remake from MercurySteam in 2017 ups the ante with contemporary features. But hold on—more on that remastered marvel later!
9. Metroid
Developer: Nintendo R&D1, Intelligent Systems | Publisher: Nintendo | Platform: NES | Release Date: August 15, 1987 (NA)
Combining inspiration from Ridley Scott’s seminal Alien and Nintendo's own powerhouse titles like Super Mario Bros and The Legend of Zelda, the OG Metroid blasted onto the NES with more swagger than a space pirate at a bounty hunter convention! It melded genres with gusto, presenting expansive maps and seamless horizontally and vertically scrolling screens!
Samus controlled like a dream through uncharted territories, unlocking iconic power-ups such as her morph ball and the devastating Screw Attack. Even the rogues' gallery from Kraid to Ridley came to life in a way that ensured they’d return to haunt us, game after game!
But Metroid didn't stop there—it set a benchmark for mind-blowing twists and nail-biting finales. Its multiple endings, culminating in the revelation that Samus Aran was female, shocked and delighted players worldwide, solidifying its place in gaming lore as one of the first—and most unforgettable—frontier-defying experiences of its kind!
Stay tuned as we continue our countdown through the adventures of Samus Aran, the space-faring legend we all know and love!