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[Darkmakaimura]

Metroid just seems like a really underrated franchise. It's one of Nintendo's big ones but it only seems like we get one every few years and as far as the AAA 3D game like Metroid Prime, we almost never see.

It's weird and how such a well loved series gets so neglected. Even just a 2d game would be nice. Now I know there was a 2d game that was released just a year or two ago but they still seem pretty far apart.

In an age when we get yearly Mario games and Zelda games, it just seems like Metroid is someone under looked. It's one of the few Nintendo games that actually takes itself very seriously and I kind of like that. There's a lot of lore and there's an ongoing storyline for the most part which is something you don't see in many Nintendo games.

With Metroid on everybody's head, wouldn't you like to see more?

 

[MLSabre]

It's one of Nintendo's big ones

For the West, maybe. Not so much for Nintendo's home market.

 

[Geometric-Crusher]

metroid died on the snes, they (nintendo) have many women as consumers of its platforms and this hinders games like Metroid during the game's ideation phase as its games need to be universal.

 

[kunonabi]

After Dread's ending I don't really want more Metroid. It's also pretty clear that proper exploration isn't coming back to the series and the linear approach is going to continue being the focus so much of the appeal for me is just gone now

 

[bender]

I haven't loved a Metroid release since Zero Mission.

 

[REDRZA MWS]

metroid died on the snes, they (nintendo) have many women as consumers of its platforms and this hinders games like Metroid during the game's ideation phase as its games need to be universal.

Samus is a female. Nintendo just doesn’t give a fuck about its best franchises. They completely ignore Metroid, ruined Zelda with the switch versions. They care about bs Mario party games.

 

[Doggyred]

Even though the games are usually critically acclaimed they don't sell as well as other Nintendo IPs so they don't focus much of their resources on the series.

 

[IAmRei]

Also metroid is hard game to make. Assets and system is not much, these days. But the game designs are very hard.

 

[Bridges]

Look at the sales data for each game in the series and it'll make more sense. Despite being critically acclaimed and considered a "top franchise" by fans and media, the games don't tend to be ultra high performers. Obviously exceptions for Super Metroid and Prime (and now Dread too thanks to the Switch bump), but as a whole the series is far down the list of Nintendo IP when it comes to who is actually buying and playing them

 

[Deerock71]

metroid died on the snes, they (nintendo) have many women as consumers of its platforms and this hinders games like Metroid during the game's ideation phase as its games need to be universal.

 

[Kabelly]

Metroid: Other M ruined the series. Put Samus in ice for years. Hurt as a fan. The prime trilogy was such a feat then we got pixel hunting and shitty controls. A single sideways** controller even though we have the nunchuk? Someone deserves a punch in the throat for that decision. Plus Metroid wasn't a big seller.

Now, we were supposed to get Metroid Prime 4 by now but that game has been literally rebooted to the point that Nintendo publicy apologized. It must have stunk so bad. Dread is cute, but it's a 2D game when Mario and Link are getting huge budget games 3D games. I will say the very last few seconds of the Prime 4 trailers gives me the feeling this will be Samus's BOTW/Odyssey moment.

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

Seems like Retro ain’t what they used to be sadly

 

[Pyral Phoenix]

We had dread two years ago, Prime 4 next year and a billion indie metroidvanias in between

 

[Codes 208]

Samus is a female. Nintendo just doesn’t give a fuck about its best franchises. They completely ignore Metroid, ruined Zelda with the switch versions. They care about bs Mario party games.

Um, what? You mean the two best selling zelda games of the franchise? with botw one of the best sold switch games in general?

In what way did nintendo not give a fuck about them or ruined them?

 

[Darkmakaimura]

Wait Metroid was not that popular in Japan?

 

[lh032]

metroid is walmart castlevania

 

[Fess]

Metroid Dread sold 3 million copies and was the best selling Metroid game, the IP isn’t as big as Nintendo’s big ones.

But Metroid Prime 4 is coming, could be a launch title for Switch 2, and we’ll definitely get another side-scrolling Metroid from MercurySteam.

 

[Hawk The Slayer]

Metroid Prime or rather the Metroid franchise needs a huge revamp and changes if they wanna appeal to a much larger crowd and get way more sales. After Metroid Prime 4, they should make a Metroid game that's much bigger budget and make it more like a grand galactic story game where Samus actually talks and interacts with people more. This could easily allow a Metroid game to be a 10 million plus copies seller.

 

[Toons]

Samus is a female. Nintendo just doesn’t give a fuck about its best franchises. They completely ignore Metroid, ruined Zelda

Lmfao

Stopped reading here

 

[Robb]

Probably all about sales and not knowing how to go forward with the franchise. They did try to change things up and go in a new direction with Federation Force on 3DS, but failed miserably.

The good news is that Metroid Dread is the best selling game in the entire franchise, so we’re pretty much guaranteed to get more Metroid going forward.

Hopefully Metroid Prime 4 can achieve the same level of success for the 3D titles so that we at least get another trilogy.

 

[drotahorror]

Um, what? You mean the two best selling zelda games of the franchise? with botw one of the best sold switch games in general?

In what way did nintendo not give a fuck about them or ruined them?

I'm sure it's just their opinion, nothing more.

I agree though, Nintendo ruined LoZ for me. BotW and TotK are definitely not the direction I like my LoZ games.

Obviously I'm being subjective here. I did play BotW for 15 or 20 hours though maybe longer. Couldn't play 20 min of TotK.

 

[JimboJones]

Metroid Dread was a great entry in the franchise, we got an incredible remake of Metroid Prime Remastered and Metroid Prime 4 is looking pretty awesome from the trailer.
For a series that doesn't pull in the numbers like Mario and Zelda I'd say it's doing ok?

 

[Bloobs]

We havent had a new 3D Mario platformer since Odyssey! Thats 7 years ago today!

 

[Team Andromeda]

We havent had a new 3D Mario platformer since Odyssey! Thats 7 years ago today!

Or a new Mario Kart since 2014 that's 10 years ago.

Ninteno's productivity is worse now than ever.

 

[NeoIkaruGAF]

The problem with Metroid is that 30 years ago they made a game so good, it spawned more imitators than Mario. And some of those are very good. The effort to make something that stands out from the crowd while still guaranteeing good sales would have to be colossal.

And the other problem is, Metroid was never a great seller. The games are mostly excellent and some are among gaming’s finest ever, but they don’t sell. Just like F-Zero, you know.

It’s a waste of time, money and talent for Nintendo to make new games in a series that requires top-notch game design but gets very disappointing sales, while also being scrutinised down to the tiniest detail and compared to whatever is the favorite Metroidvania of the YouTuber dissecting the latest Metroid game.
Also, there’s only so much you can do with the Metroid setting and lore. Samus’s story has been told. It’s already been retold, even. And the games have been about re-acquiring the same powers again and again. Seeing how Metroid Dread ends, Metroid 6 would probably be better as a badass run-and-gun game than a classic Metroid. But change one iota to the series, or try to do anything really new, and see how the fans react (Federation Force, anyone?).

What’s going on with Metroid? It backed itself into a corner, that’s what. It set a bar so high, it’s impossible to jump it in such a vastly different gaming landscape. Super Metroid is a masterpiece, one of the best games of 1994, and it barely registered in its time. Metroid Prime is a crowning achievement of game design and possibly my favorite game of all time, but it never rocked the charts. And with so many imitators on the market, we don’t exactly lack ways to scratch that Metroid itch.

 

[cireza]

The problem with Metroid is that 30 years ago they made a game so good, it spawned more imitators than Mario. And some of those are very good. The effort to make something that stands out from the crowd while still guaranteeing good sales would have to be colossal.

And the other problem is, Metroid was never a great seller. The games are mostly excellent and some are among gaming’s finest ever, but they don’t sell. Just like F-Zero, you know.

It’s a waste of time, money and talent for Nintendo to make new games in a series that requires top-notch game design but gets very disappointing sales, while also being scrutinised down to the tiniest detail and compared to whatever is the favorite Metroidvania of the YouTuber dissecting the latest Metroid game.
Also, there’s only so much you can do with the Metroid setting and lore. Samus’s story has been told. It’s already been retold, even. And the games have been about re-acquiring the same powers again and again. Seeing how Metroid Dread ends, Metroid 6 would probably be better as a badass run-and-gun game than a classic Metroid. But change one iota to the series, or try to do anything really new, and see how the fans react (Federation Force, anyone?).

What’s going on with Metroid? It backed itself into a corner, that’s what. It set a bar so high, it’s impossible to jump it in such a vastly different gaming landscape. Super Metroid is a masterpiece, one of the best games of 1994, and it barely registered in its time. Metroid Prime is a crowning achievement of game design and possibly my favorite game of all time, but it never rocked the charts. And with so many imitators on the market, we don’t exactly lack ways to scratch that Metroid itch.

Good post. I believe that there is some hope in the 3D department though. 2D is saturated and difficult to innovate for sure (especially if development is given to Mercury Steam), but 3D is a different story. Retro made a great trilogy on GC and Wii, with every episode introducing news ideas that offered new ways to progress. Prime 2 feels really different from Prime 1. Prime 3 remains the best use of the Wiimote in my opinion.

So I believe that Prime 4 can start another trilogy in the same vein as before. Let's support the series, especially if Prime 4 turns out good (and I believe it will, Retro Studios are among the very best developers out there).

 

[KungFucius]

We havent had a new 3D Mario platformer since Odyssey! Thats 7 years ago today!

Bowser's Fury was a new 3D Mario platformer. Granted it was only DLC sized, it was still great and really the perfect length for a weekend.

 

[Bloobs]

Bowser's Fury was a new 3D Mario platformer. Granted it was only DLC sized, it was still great and really the perfect length for a weekend.

You know damn well Super Mario 3D World isnt part of the main 3D games.

 

[tommib]

Dread was amazing, Prime Remaster was amazing, it’s just that they don’t sell in the numbers of other Nintendo IPs. At all.

We’re lucky MP4 is releasing. They’re super clever games with amazing dark atmosphere - which doesn’t make them pop icons like Zelda or Mario.

 

[NeoIkaruGAF]

So I believe that Prime 4 can start another trilogy in the same vein as before. Let's support the series, especially if Prime 4 turns out good (and I believe it will, Retro Studios are among the very best developers out there).

The problem with the Prime trilogy is that Corruption already showed that there was almost nowhere new to go when they couldn’t play the “oh noes, Samus lost each and every one of her upgrades AGAIN!” as usual. There’s very little innovation in the game, and it’s a bit embarrassing to see how most of the powers you get from the bosses are barely used to get past barriers of some kind. The clever use of motion controls made the game feel fresher than it really was. Design- and gameplay-wise though, it was a blatant step back from the first two Prime games.

That’s the fundamental problem with Metroid: it’s a game about locks and keys. Corruption and Dread introduced new keys to new locks, but the effort to come up with something really new that smoothly integrates into the series’s consolidated gameplay is crystal clear in those two games. In Corruption you get a power that’s literally used only once to unlock the door to the final area. In Dread you get a half-jump that you’ll use for all of ten minutes before finding another power that makes it completely obsolete.

As half-assed as Other M was, it was at least an attempt at something different. And Mercury Steam’s games gave us some hectic battles reminiscent of bullet-hell games, that a lot of people admitted to finding even too hard. There’s a potentially outstanding action game stirring under Metroid’s classic formula. I’d be interested in them exploring its potential.

 

[cireza]

“oh noes, Samus lost each and every one of her upgrades AGAIN!”

This still has to be the basis of the games though. Otherwise they might as well do something else.

I make games on my free time. I have an idea in mind, not sure I will use it in any game though, but I thought it would fit well for Metroid. Rather than gaining abilities, you would actually lose them. You are in a vast world where you can explore freely (this is Metroid). You have X tools, and there are X+1 dungeons/regions. Using your tools make the dungeons easier : you reach the end more quickly and take shortcuts. The boss is easier as well. But each time you complete a dungeon, you lose one item (randomly). So the games become gradually more difficult as you progress. This means investing time in designing the dungeons to have several routes, but in a way, it is not that different from level-design seen in both excellent Curse of the Moon games, that are filled with shortcuts, and when you play with the hero alone and no upgrades, you always end up taking the longest, most difficult routes. This would lead to a good replayability and route planning on the players side. All interesting things to do.

In summary, there is enough of a working basis with powers and abilities to make something new. Getting rid of the linearity would be a first step.

 

[keefged4]

There isn't a bad metroid game outside of Other M and Federation Force. Prime is my #1 of all time, and although I do wish Nintendo cared a bit more about the franchise, I'm glad that they haven't oversaturated it and turned it into an annual release. These games are so good because they had so much thought put into development and didn't just churn them out as an easy cash grab. I hate what Nintendo are these days, but by god am I still excited for Prime 4. It's going to be amazing, and you know it.

 

[Aldric]

It's weird and how such a well loved series gets so neglected.

It isn't neglected. It's one of the most consistent series in Nintendo's catalog when it comes to releases, even when it was considered on the way out it was because the games it got were of very poor quality like Other M and Federation Force. Since then though the series has seen Samus Returns (2017), Dread (2021), Prime Remaster (2023) and Prime 4 Beyond (2025). Not sure why anyone would expect more, it's not going to get yearly releases like Fifa.

As for why it's not as commercially successful as other Nintendo series, just look at the infamous David Jaffe debacle. The core gameplay of Metroid is too unintuitive and demanding for the super mainstream. Even the attempts at making it palatable to the Naughty Dog moviegame crowd like Other M only ended alienating the fans while being ignored by the larger audience. Just look at a series that has often been compared to Metroid like Dark Souls: only the very first episode has a structure and an exploration style similar to Metroid, every game released after becomes much simpler to navigate and shifts focus away from finding your way in a labyrinthine world to put the emphasis on boss fights and combat.

Personally as a huge fan of the series since the 90s I'm satisfied with the current state of Metroid. I really thought it'd end up like F-Zero but they managed to salvage it. Dread was genuinely excellent and I'm confident about Beyond.

 

[NeoIkaruGAF]

This still has to be the basis of the games though. Otherwise they might as well do something else.

I make games on my free time. I have an idea in mind, not sure I will use it in any game though, but I thought it would fit well for Metroid. Rather than gaining abilities, you would actually lose them. You are in a vast world where you can explore freely (this is Metroid). You have X tools, and there are X+1 dungeons/regions. Using your tools make the dungeons easier : you reach the end more quickly and take shortcuts. The boss is easier as well. But each time you complete a dungeon, you lose one item (randomly). So the games become gradually more difficult as you progress. This means investing time in designing the dungeons to have several routes, but in a way, it is not that different from level-design seen in both excellent Curse of the Moon games, that are filled with shortcuts, and when you play with the hero alone and no upgrades, you always end up taking the longest, most difficult routes. This would lead to a good replayability and route planning on the players side. All interesting things to do.

In summary, there is enough of a working basis with powers and abilities to make something new. Getting rid of the linearity would be a first step.

Oooh, that’s interesting! You seem to have been inspired by Mike Meginnis’s short story, Navigators, that I read in this anthology.

I agree that linearity is Metroid’s current biggest problem right now. Modern game design has made it somewhat mandatory to give too many hints on where to go next. I think it was done very well in Dread, but many people found it a bit too on the nose. Non-linearity would shake things up a bit - but also make many people complain, I’m sure.

 

[IAmRei]

metroid is walmart castlevania

say that again? it is not backward? metroid is placed first in METROIDvania, and definitely popularized genre first rather than castlevania. are you trolling? it is not funny dude

 

[Angry_Megalodon]

Metroid is not mainstream for Nintendo casual players the same as platformers aren't popular on Playstation.

Metroid is a saga that would be better off with current-gen graphics and narrative tone, then it would attract to people from other platforms that it will never be a system seller for Nintendo, regardless of quality.

Besides, to make something as impactful as Metroid Prime trilogy, you need a very powerful console and a high budget. For obvious reasons, Nintendo is not doing that.

 

[cireza]

Oooh, that’s interesting! You seem to have been inspired by Mike Meginnis’s short story, Navigators, that I read in this anthology.

I agree that linearity is Metroid’s current biggest problem right now. Modern game design has made it somewhat mandatory to give too many hints on where to go next. I think it was done very well in Dread, but many people found it a bit too on the nose. Non-linearity would shake things up a bit - but also make many people complain, I’m sure.

I don't know about this novel, but it would be pretentious to think that no one ever had the same idea anyway. We are in a world where having brand new ideas is a real challenge.

 

[PauloRoberto]

Metroids idea is excelent, hence the term metroidvania.

Metroid as a game (or game series, for that matter) was NEVER the blockbuster some users claim to be. Simple.

 

[lakitu1982]

it'll never be mainstream if they don't push it will it! There's room for Metroid surely and F-Zero, c'mon!!!

 

[Akuji]

Nintendos big titles are still good but take way to long. as mentioned before. 10 years since the last mario kart, 7 since odyssey. Metroid was announced early in switch lifetime and is probably coming to switch 2 instead.
For a Company that drops statements that they wanna be diffrent, this feels alot like sony ...

I really hope within 5-10 years AI gets to a point where its drasticly improves the development time of games and actually increases quality while doing so. We need way more games from small studios ( 10-20 people )
90% of the great games are not the mainstream titles these days. so some think the industry has problems. nah the industry is fine, its the big studios that take 10 years to create shit that are in trouble. And rightfully so.

The increase in quality games these days is so insane that even nintendo is losing its competetiveness. Alot of games taking the Nintendo Spot as well lately. Good for Nintendo that games from small sutdios dont get to
the mainstream so easily or we would have way more fall guys kinda games that take away from the nintendo crowd. but it will happen eventually if they cant diffrenciate themselves.

 

[MagiusNecros]

Metroid is a niche IP that takes large inspiration from Alien franchise. Only Metroid fans care about Metroid games. Still waiting for a 1st person Survival Horror Metroid game. More stuff like GFS Valhalla from MP3 would be sweet.

I think if they made a Metroid game that didn't hold your hand they would cry less about linear game design even if Metroid games ARE linear by design.

 

[Woopah]

Other M and Federation Federation Force fucked things up, but now we are back to getting quality releases every few years. We shouldn't be expecting Metroid games every year as it's not popular enough for that.

 

[Pasta la Vista]

They keep handing it off to other studios and refuse to develope the games with their best talent. There are so many things they could do with Samus and her powers that would fit great with a strong world with physics interactions much like botw.

 

[MagiusNecros]

Federation Force's failing is being released after a 6 year hiatus after Other M featuring a cutesy artstyle, lackluster bosses, hyperfocused on multiplayer, poor use of Samus Aran herself and most not willing to give the game a chance after Other M.

Can you imagine not having a Metroid game for 6 years and they make a new game where you just play as a generic Trooper instead of a new character or Samus herself. The backlash was warranted.

 

[Aldric]

Federation Force's failing is being released after a 6 year hiatus after Other M featuring a cutesy artstyle, lackluster bosses, hyperfocused on multiplayer, poor use of Samus Aran herself and most not willing to give the game a chance after Other M.

Can you imagine not having a Metroid game for 6 years and they make a new game where you just play as a generic Trooper instead of a new character or Samus herself. The backlash was warranted.

Even ignoring the context of its release the game looked like total mediocrity. Remove the Metroid IP and that'd have been a nothing game like Tank Troopers that would have been instantly forgotten.

 

[Tams]

They simply just don't sell well enough.

 

[RoboFu]

Metroid dread 2021
Metroid prime remaster 2023
Metroid prime 4 2025

Seems pretty good to me. The big issue was prime 4s development issues and was rebooted.

 

[Madserb2023]

Not much to know. Isn't as popular as most other Nintendo franchises. Something like Zelda sells 10 times that of Metroid. I really want Capcom to make an Okami 2. It's the best non Zelda, Zelda game I have ever played. It's like what Astro Bot is to Mario Galaxy. It sold pretty poorly though.

 

[Astral Dog]

but really, Nintendo cares a lot about Metroid even if sometimes appears like they don't, i imagine planning a Metroid game is more complicated than a Mario or Zelda ,but there has always been one in development ,they finished the original Prime trilogy ,moved into Other M but that didn't worked out for them , then it took years to find a proper partner with Mercurysteam to work on the main series


They tried making Prime 4 with another developer, but failed to meet their quality standards and rebooted the project with Retro Studios.

It takes many years, but they care about the quality of the brand and i think its ok if Metroid is not a yearly series, they can work out the new Prime trilogy along with remasters and the 2D series, it will be fine

 

[rkofan87]

i just want prime 2 and 3 ports for switch.