Metroid

Metroid (1986) is a series of running, jumping and exploration games where you play bounty hunter Samus Aran who protects the galaxy from the Space Pirates. It includes the platforming of a Mario game, but the focus is more on fighting enemies, finding new equipment and gaining access to new areas. You start with minimal weapons and slowly gain these as you progress.

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You fight a range of different aliens to get to new rooms and gain power-up upgrades. It's frantic action at times, but once the enemies are dead the play switches to exploring and mapping the room-based environments. It's a simple loop that is used to build tension and discovery. With a foreboding soundtrack and often dark visuals, you make your way forward against the odds.

Metroid games have endured over the years with over 18 million games sold. The original side-scrolling platform games are:

• Metroid (1986) NES, Gameboy Advance
• Metroid II: Return of Samus (1991) Gameboy
• Super Metroid (1994) SNES, 3DS and Wii U
• Metroid Fusion (2002) Gameboy Advance
• Metroid: Zero Mission (2004) Gameboy Advance, Wii U (remake of Metroid)
• Metroid: Other M (2010) Wii
• Metroid: Samus Returns (2017) 3DS (remake of Metroid II: Return of Samus)
• Metroid Dread (2021) Switch

Because of the remade games on newer systems, you can play through the games chronologically as follows on modern systems:

• Metroid: Zero Mission on Gameboy Advance
• Metroid: Samus Returns on 3DS
• Super Metroid on 3DS or Wii U
• Metroid Fusion on Gameboy Advance
• Metroid Dread on Switch

The series moved into 3D platform games with the Metroid Prime games:

• Metroid Prime (2002) Gamecube, Wii
• Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (2004) Gamecube, Wii
• Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (2007) Wii
• Metroid Prime Hunters (2006) DS
• Metroid Prime: Federation Force (2016) 3DS
• Metroid Prime 4 (TBA)

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Our examiner, Ellen Robertson, first checked Metroid 4 years ago. It was re-examined by Thom Robertson and updated 12 days ago.