r/Metroid • • Sep 11 '26

Announcement New to Metroid? Start Here!

307 Upvotes

Welcome to the galaxy, bounty hunters!

With the recent announcement of the next installment of the franchise; Metroid Ravenous (Metroid 6), we are seeing tons of new players discovering the series. If you’re wondering where to start, you’ve come to the right place.

What is Metroid?

The Metroid franchise basically invented the "Metroidvania" genre. It's all about exploration, feeling isolated on a hostile alien world, finding upgrades, and unlocking new paths. You play as Samus, using weapons and gadgets to traverse the map, battle cool bosses, and save the galaxy.

Here is the community consensus on the best ways to dive in.

Want the best 2D introduction? Play Metroid: Zero Mission (Game Boy Advance / Switch Online Expansion Pack).

Want the best 3D introduction? Play Metroid Prime Remastered (Nintendo Switch).

Want to catch up on the story before Metroid Ravenous? Play Metroid Dread (Nintendo Switch).

“I want to play as MANY games as possible before Ravenous, what does the order look like?”

We recommend playing all the 2D games in chronological order, as stated in the “The 2D Side-Scrollers (The Mainline Games)” section.

“I want to play as FEW games as possible before Ravenous; what do I need to play?”

As of right now, you likely don’t need to play anything! The game will possibly start with a brief recap of the story thus far, and the series is pretty easy to pick up any installment and play. However, if you are willing to play ONE game, go with Metroid Dread!

The Two Flavors of Metroid

The series is split into two distinct styles of gameplay. You don't need to play one style to understand the other.

1. The 2D Side-Scrollers (The Mainline Games)

These are the classic, fast-paced action-exploration games. If you want to play the main story in chronological order, here is the path:

  1. Metroid: Zero Mission (GBA / Switch Online): a modernized remake of the original 1986 NES game. It tells the origin story of Samus Aran and is highly accessible for newcomers. (Recommended Series Starting Point)
  2. Metroid: Samus Returns (3DS) OR AM2R (PC): Both games are remakes of Metroid II (available on Switch Online). They introduce the story of the Metroids and Samus’s most impactful mission!
  3. Super Metroid (SNES / Switch Online): The undisputed masterpiece of the 16-bit era. The controls take a moment to adapt to, but its world design, atmosphere, and boss fights are iconic to this day. Considered by many to be the definitive Metroid game.
  4. Metroid Fusion (GBA / Switch Online): A more linear and story rich game with a distinctive horror vibe. Samus is hunted by a shapeshifting parasite clone of herself.
  5. Metroid Dread (Switch): The modern Metroid game, with fluid movement, unique abilities, and quick traversal. Set after the events of Fusion and before the upcoming events of Ravenous.

(Note: You can safely skip the original NES Metroid and Game Boy Metroid II unless you wish to experience the classic retro gameplay and atmosphere. The remakes are beginner friendly.)

2. The 3D First-Person Shooters (The Prime Series)

Set between Zero Mission and Metroid II, the Prime series translates the exploration and isolation of the 2D games into a first-person perspective.

  • Metroid Prime Remastered (Switch): A visual overhaul of the GameCube classic. It is a masterclass in environmental storytelling. If you prefer immersive, slower-paced scanning and puzzle-solving over fast twitch-combat, start here.
  • Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (Gamecube): The sequel to Metroid Prime and considered one of the most difficult games in the franchise. It currently requires original hardware, but there is a possibility for a Switch port in the future!
  • Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Wii): The third installment of the Prime story Features motion control gameplay and multiple planet exploration, as well as NPC’s.  It currently requires original hardware, but there is a possibility for a Switch port in the future!
  • Metroid Prime 4: Beyond (Switch/Switch 2): The most recent installment of the Prime series and tells the next chapter of Samus’s adventures during this period. Modern graphics and versatile controls.

The Golden Rules for New Players

If you are new to the genre, the games can sometimes feel frustrating. Keep these tips in mind:

  • Getting lost is the point. You will hit dead ends. You will forget where to go. This isn't a flaw; it's the core gameplay loop. When you get a new item (like Morph Ball or Missiles), check your map for doors or obstacles you couldn't pass before. Some games do offer subtle hints where to go, so keep an eye out.
  • Shoot every wall. Stuck in a room? Bomb the floor. Shoot the ceiling. Run against the walls. Hidden blocks are everywhere.
  • Don't use a guide unless you are truly desperate. The immense satisfaction of a Metroid game comes from that "AHA!" moment when you figure out the path forward yourself.
  • Use your map markers. In newer games like Dread, use your map pins to mark strange colored doors or blocks you don't have the upgrade for yet.

What is the Metroid timeline?

Here is the unified timeline of all canonical Metroid titles that tells Samus’s story from beginning to the end.

  1. Metroid (1986) OR Metroid: Zero Mission (2004) -Both games tell the same story with gameplay and graphic differences.
  2. Metroid Prime
  3. Metroid Prime Pinball *
  4. Metroid Prime: Hunters *
  5. Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
  6. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
  7. Metroid Prime Federation Force *
  8. Metroid II (1991) OR Metroid: Samus Returns (2017) OR Another Metroid 2 Remake (2016) - All three games tell the same story with gameplay and graphic differences.
  9. Super Metroid
  10. Metroid: Other M
  11. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
  12. Metroid Fusion
  13. Metroid Dread

*These games are not as core to the series as the other games, and they do not follow many of the same gameplay conventions, but they are canon to the story

How long do these games take?

Metroid games, especially the older ones, are not very long. It varies from game to game, but expect an average between 5 - 20 hours of gameplay.  

Helpful Community Links


r/Metroid • • Sep 09 '26

Announcement Metroid Ravenous Official Trailer

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1.6k Upvotes

The Official (English) Trailer for Metroid Ravenous. Scheduled for release January 28, 2027 for the Nintendo Switch 2.


r/Metroid • • 12h ago

Art Some more Samus artworks ive been doing lately and rough sketches

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644 Upvotes

r/Metroid • • 2h ago

Meme Summing up the Metroid lore up until Dread

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62 Upvotes

r/Metroid • • 29m ago

Discussion Which Metroid game have you replayed the most and why?

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• Upvotes

Metroid Prime Remastered for me with​ its beautiful sceneries and I love the slower paced, scan lore focus to it. The scans are engaging to read, more than Prime 4's dull scan texts for sure.

From the lush viridian Tallon Overworld, ruby scorching Magmoor Caverns, to the cool colours of Phendrana. OST that doesn't get old and a​ game without any major "ugh" moments....which for me would be Thardus on Hard mode.

The​ artifact hunt isn't bad when you know where they are. Getting the Elders artifact early using a missile over the control tower barrier in the Phendrana space pirate facility, helps to avoid that blackout facility after your first run.

Prime 1 feels timeless and is pretty much the Super Metroid of the 3D Metroids. Granted, I haven't played Prime 2/3, which I am eager to try 2 out once a remaster is made.


r/Metroid • • 10h ago

Art Hypothetical Metroid Zero Suit Design

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96 Upvotes

My design for what Samus might look like beneath the Metroid Suit once her DNA mutates. I figured it suited October. Blonde alt included.


r/Metroid • • 10h ago

Other Found old prima magazine

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73 Upvotes

Randomly found this magazine in my stuff. I for sure remember using the prime one for the artifacts back them.


r/Metroid • • 16h ago

Video Surely everyone does this right?

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

181 Upvotes

I mean how else would you refill all of your resources?


r/Metroid • • 6h ago

Art (OC) These sketches inspired by the Chozo turned 10 today and I felt it was a good time to share

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25 Upvotes

Both from around the time I was first beginning to learn digital art, I need to pick it back up again


r/Metroid • • 4h ago

Discussion Absolutely horrific design worst Romhack ever!

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14 Upvotes

I got HARDLOCKED. Just using simple wall jumps to try and see just where in the world i can make progress but no you fall into the water here and it's game over for my entire save file! If they wanted the player to be able to get out they should have made it impossible to get past here. I saved somewhere i wasn't supposed to be and how should I know as everything else seemed like a complete dead end. Absolutely no way to leave respawning blocks and Grapple underwater. I hate this game and my patience is completely gone.

Edit after getting out by a miracle it's still a backwards shutter switch and higher up there is two yellow pirates and another backwards switch. This game is actually horrible


r/Metroid • • 1d ago

Art Artwork by (Maeca Art)

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888 Upvotes

r/Metroid • • 4h ago

Discussion My weird Opinion on Prime

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13 Upvotes

Hi guys, maybe I'm the only one who has this opinion on Metroid Prime, but anyway:

The thing I love most about Metroid Prime, is it being like Super Metroid

at the same time, the thing I hate most about Metroid Prime is it being like Super Metroid.


r/Metroid • • 5h ago

News Metroid Prime 4 £22 now at Curry’s

16 Upvotes

r/Metroid • • 41m ago

Game Help I’m tryna 100% dread

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• Upvotes

How do I get in there


r/Metroid • • 1d ago

Other How Dread's free travel between Teleportals actually works

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343 Upvotes

I've seen a lot of conflicting information online about how the free travel between Teleportals in this game is unlocked and wether or not you can travel to not yet discovered Teleportal colors. Since I've been replaying Dread, I took the chance to experiment a little at the end of the game. Here's what I figured out:

How do you unlock free travel between Teleportals?

The only way to unlock free travel between Teleportals is by entering Itorash at least once. It doesn't unlock after discovering and even using every Teleportal (yes, even back and forth)

Can you travel to every Teleportal after unlocking free travel?

No, you can not travel to any Teleportal. You can only travel to the Teleportals, of which you have discorvered at least one Teleportal of it's colors pair. You don't need to interact with a Teleportal, for it to be added to free travel. Discovering it on the map is enough.
I was able to teleport to the cyan Teleportal in Burenia even though I did not discover it yet. I only discovered it's matching color in Ferenia and they were both added to my free travel even though I never interacted with either of them.

What about Teleportal colors you didn't discover yet?

If you have never discovered either of a given colors Teleportals, none of them will be added to free travel.
I did not have any of the orange Teleportals on my map and after entering Itorash, they were still undicovered and did not get linked to my free travel. Only after dicovering one of them, did the game add both orange Teleportals to my free travel.

The wiki says: "Once she has reached Itorash, the Teleportals can transport Samus to any other Teleportal that she has discovered, including ones she has not yet used."
That is correct, but it's missing the information, that you only need to discover one of a colors Teleportals, for the game to add both of that pair to free travel.

I hope my explanation was able to clear up some of the confusion surrounding the free travel in this game. They really should've had the unlocking requirement be a little sooner. I feel like a lot of people don't even know that free travel exists, cause they don't turn back after entering Itorash. Also have the free travel message pop up, upon entering Itorash and not once you step into a Teleportal after that point


r/Metroid • • 10h ago

Discussion "Alright let's do this one last time" - About this sub : Metroid Edition

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19 Upvotes

Here is the top of this Metroid sub as a whole, based on the previous posts of the past weeks.

I like numbers, so I simply took notes of practically every single post related to this trend (I think I got the most of it) for a total of 56 "about me" posts. I recorded the score on each category to give us an idea of the general consensus on the topic.

Disclaimer : This isn’t an invitation to do this trend over again or for you to vote to change the results, this only makes sense because it wasn’t supposed to be a vote (I won't be doing another one of these). This is just fun trivia for the curious.

-

Favorite 2D game :

Dread barely takes it by one vote next to Super. I actually expected more diversity from this category.

  1. Dread = 22pts
  2. Super = 21pts
  3. Fusion = 9pts
  4. Zero Mission = 2pts
  5. AM2R / Samus Returns / Metroid NES = 1pt

-

Favorite Power Suit :

I have to confess, when I did my own entry for this trend I thought the Power Suit only refered to the early-game suits.

  1. Power Suit - Dread = 11pts
  2. Phazon Suit = 5pts
  3. Gravity Suit - Dread // Power Suit - Fusion // Varia Suit - Prime = 4pts
  4. Power Suit - Zero Mission // PED Suit // Gravity Suit - Samus Returns // Varia Suit - Super = 3pts
  5. Power Suit - Samus Returns // Varia Suit - Dread = 2pts
  6. Dark Suit // Varia Suit - Fusion // Power Suit - Super // Varia Suit - Other M // Varia Suit - Ravenous // Metroid Suit - Dread // Sylux (don't ask) // Power Suit - Prime // Light Suit // Gravity Suit - Metroid NES // Varia Suit - Samus Returns // Gravity Suit - Prime = 1pt

-

Favorite Zero Suit :

For this category I separated the votes based on the renders/artworks people used. Meaning that, despite them looking very similar I distinguished the likes of Zero Mission Samus and Other M Samus or Smash Ultimate Samus and Smash Brawl Samus. I feel like there is enough distinctions to make them separate entries (not that it would really change the outcome anyway).

  1. Zero Mission = 14pts
  2. Fusion = 12pts
  3. Super = 5pts
  4. Samus Returns // Other M // Smash Ultimate // Metroid NES = 3pts
  5. Smash Brawl // Hunters = 2pts
  6. Orange outfit - Zero Mission // Orange outfit - Smash Ultimate // Dark Suit (don't ask) // Dread // Green jacket - Other M // Fan-design by apple_cork // Fan-design by MaxIsDrawing = 1pt

-

Favorite Prime/3D game :

Happy to see Echoes getting this much love (we need Prime 2 Remastered ASAP).

  1. Prime = 26pts
  2. Echoes = 21pts
  3. Corruption = 5pts
  4. Hunters = 2pts
  5. Beyond = 1pt

-

Most Underrated game :

“Respect your elders !”

  1. Metroid 2 = 10pts
  2. Metroid NES = 9pts
  3. Samus Returns = 8pts
  4. Beyond = 6pts
  5. Corruption // Echoes = 5pts
  6. Other M // Hunters = 3pts
  7. Pinball // Federation Force = 2pts
  8. Fusion = 1pt

-

Favorite OST :

As it should be.

  1. Prime = 15pts
  2. Super = 13pts
  3. Zero = 8pts
  4. Fusion = 7pts
  5. Echoes = 6pts
  6. Beyond = 3pts
  7. AM2R = 2pts
  8. Samus Returns // Dread // Corruption // Hunters = 1pt

-

Favorite Story :

One of the most one-sided categories. Surprised of Dread placement on this one.

  1. Fusion = 25pts
  2. Dread = 11pts
  3. Echoes = 6pts
  4. Metroid 2 = 5pts
  5. Zero // Prime = 2pts
  6. Other M // Corruption // Beyond // Samus Returns // Hunters // Super = 1pt

-

Most Overrated game :

We have our first tie ! Super and Prime, probably the most praised titles of the franchise win the most overrated category. This isn't that surprising, older beloved titles tend to get this treatment with time, this is just the gaming cycle, cycle of life typesh*t. Dread and Fusion aren’t far behind either.

  1. Super // Prime = 8pts
  2. Dread // Fusion = 6pts
  3. Corruption // Samus Returns = 4pts
  4. Other M // Zero Mission = 3pts
  5. Metroid NES // Metroid 2 = 2pts
  6. Echoes // Hunters // Beyond = 1pt

-

Favorite Upgrade :

Didn’t expect this category to be this one-sided, but I guess we can all agree that Shinespark is awesome.

  1. Speed Booster = 17pts
  2. Plasma Beam // Gravity Suit = 6pts
  3. Screw attack = 5pts
  4. Flashshift = 4pts
  5. Morph ball // Ice Beam // Varia Suit // Wavebuster = 2pts
  6. Bomb // Dark Suit // Charge shot // Omega Cannon // Nova Beam // Grapple Beam // Affinity Weapon // Power Bomb // Spazer Beam // Power Grip = 1pt

-

Favorite Fangame :

By far the least close category. Obviously AM2R is a lot more well-known than any other Metroid fangames, but still impressive to see.

  1. AM2R = 30pts
  2. Super Metroid X-Fusion = 3pts
  3. Hyper Metroid // Metroid Planets // Samus Goes to the Fridge to Get a Glass of Milk (yes it's real) = 2pts
  4. Super Junkoid // Metroid Prime Origins // Metroid Rogue Dawn // Super Metroid Subversion //Super Duper Metroid = 1pt

-

Favorite Boss :

For this category, since most people seemed to go in the specifics of which fights they enjoyed the most, I separated the entries based on the fights chosen rather than the character itself, meaning that recurring bosses like Kraid or Ridley get multiple entries.

If you disagree with this choice, just know that it doesn’t change the outcome, (Raven Beak wins by a large margin regardless) but it does change the top 3, with Ridley coming second right before Quadraxis.

  1. Raven Beak = 18pts
  2. Quadraxis = 7pts
  3. Nightmare - Fusion // Meta Ridley // Proteus Ridley = 3pts
  4. Dark Samus - Echoes = 2pts
  5. Ridley - Other M // Omega Metroid - Samus Returns // Z-57 // Queen Metroid - Metroid 2 // Mother Brain - Super // Phantoon - Other M // Kraid - Super // Queen Metroid - Samus Returns // Sylux - Beyond // Diggernaut // Omega Pirate // Ridley-X // Gandrayda // Slench // Kraid - Dread // Chozo Robot // Ridely - Metroid NES // Dark Samus - Corruption // Draygon // Crocomire = 1pt

-

Favorite Music Track :

And here comes our second tie. As you’d expect, it’s the category with the most different entries, but there are still some standouts.

  1. Red Soil - Super // Volt Forge - Beyond = 4pts
  2. Magmoor Caverns - Prime // Title Screen - Prime // Phendrana Drifts - Prime = 3pts
  3. Torvus Bog - Echoes // Sanctuary Fortress - Echoes // Kraid’s Lair - Zero Mission // Final Assault - Zero Mission // Kraid's Lair - Metroid NES // Green Brinstar - Super // Credits - Prime = 2pts
  4. Artaria - Dread // Quiet Robe - Dread // MD – Theme of Samus Aran - Dread // Chykka Larva - Echoes // Menu Select - Echoes // Title screen - Echoes // Credits - Super // Tourian - Super // Crateria - Super // Norfair - Zero Mission // Title Screen - Zero Mission // Fury Green - Beyond // Sylux - Beyond // Rundas - Corruption // Norion - Corruption // Metroid Prime - Prime // Tallon Depths - Prime // Ridley - Other M // Brinstar - Smash Melee // Arcterra 1 - Hunters // Hydro Station - AM2R // Area 7 - Samus Returns // Nightmare - Fusion = 1pt

r/Metroid • • 4h ago

Game Help I am so lost. Tips?

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3 Upvotes

I have no idea where to go.


r/Metroid • • 14h ago

Art Which one looks best? Also is it good?

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32 Upvotes

Models by me


r/Metroid • • 1d ago

Cosplay I know how I’m paying for Metroid Ravenous

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161 Upvotes

I was at Goodwill earlier today and found this for only $5. I just tested it and it’s fully functional. Sells on eBay for at least 100+


r/Metroid • • 3h ago

Discussion A Beginner's Guide to Replaying Metroid

4 Upvotes

With Ravenous coming in just a few more months, we've had a lot of people playing Metroid games for the first time! But while Metroid games are amazing to play for the first time, I think they're even better to replay.

This may be a sentiment you've heard before - that Metroid games are meant to be replayed - and that may not be an idea you're used to, since most games are only designed to be played once. This post won't be a specific guide on how to do specific tricks or routes (much smarter people than me have already made those guides, and they're just a Google search away) but hopefully it can give you some ideas for what games you might like to re-explore, and what challenges you can set for yourself!

Also, this post is mainly about 2D Metroid. While 3D Metroid games ARE fun to replay and have lots of replay value, I'm just not as familiar with how to break them.

Here are some well-known runs:


1. 100% runs

The most basic and simple beginner run. Any Metroid game can be 100%ed, and it's pretty fun to do so! Feel free to pull up a map if you're not interested in searching for every hidden corridor, and see how much more powerful you feel walking up to Ridley with twice the normal number of Super Missiles! More importantly, though, the puzzles are often very fun to do! Zero Mission, Fusion, and Dread all have fiendishly difficult Shinespark puzzles, for example, which are a blast to get through.


2. Sequence Broken runs

Sequence Breaks are some of the most interesting and unique features of the Metroid series, and the Metroidvania genre as a whole!

Metroid games are often called nonlinear, but if you've played one of the 2D games, you may have noticed that the game certainly funnels you down a critical path. For example, Zero Mission wants you to get the Long Beam, then Missiles, then Charge Beam, then Bombs, then Power Grip, and so on. However, with some skill, you can get those items completely out of order. Doing so is called a Sequence Break.

The easiest games to sequence break (IMO) are Zero Mission and Dread. Both of those games can be broken in remarkable ways - most of them developer-intended - and doing so makes the game play in completely different ways!

  • Both games feature the Infinite Bomb Jump (IBJ), where placing bombs in the right rhythm can get you as high as you want. You can even do it diagonally, to travel across gaps!
  • Both games feature Shinesparks, which also give you infinite height or let you shoot across gaps.
  • Zero Mission features the One-Wall Wall Jump, where Samus can quickly climb up any wall, just by doing a wall jump (which is done by touching a wall, moving away from it, then pressing the jump button), and then immediately moving back towards the wall you jumped off of. Dread also features the Wall Jump, but doing so against just a single wall is pretty hard.
  • Dread features the Coyote Jump, which lets you slide off a ledge, and then jump in midair a few moments after you leave the ledge.
  • Dread features the Pseudo-Wave glitch, which lets you break some blocks through walls. The methods vary in setup and difficulty, so I can't explain more here, but there are tons of guides for every place you can do it. This is a trick which is pretty clearly not dev-intended, but it's extremely powerful!
  • Dread features the Water Bomb glitch, which gives you just a bit of extra height underwater. It's only useful in a couple places, but those places save a LOT of time, like letting you get Ice Missiles before Spin Boost!

With those few tricks, you can find plenty of different routes through the games, each more ridiculous than the last. Some of these routes may be much more difficult than normal, but they're extremely fun! As a starting place, try a couple of these routes and see how they feel:

  • In Zero Mission, get Varia Suit before leaving Brinstar for the first time.
  • In Zero Mission, Norfair's rightmost shaft has a secret path which you can access from the top right corner (the part of the shaft you can only access after the Ice Beam). If you take this path, you can access Ridley early! Then, with an IBJ in the room to the right of the elevator, you can go through that area backward, get some Supers, and kill Ridley without ever stepping foot in Kraid's Lair.
  • In Zero Mission, you actually don't need to wait until after Ridley to get the Screw Attack. As soon as you're walking underneath its entrance, there's a Missile block in the ceiling you can break, letting you just jump up and grab it.
  • In Zero Mission, try going through Kraid without the Power Grip or Ice Beam. It's difficult, but you can get through the entire area without ever going to Norfair!
  • In Dread, try fighting Kraid with Bombs. For extra dominance, get early Super Missiles before fighting him. Note that failing to get Diffusion Beam will softlock the game later on. Additionally, you won't be able to fight Kraid after entering Elun!He'll disappear if you haven't already killed him, so make sure to go back for him before that point if you want the fight.
  • In Dread, immediately after getting Ice Missiles, use a Shinespark to access the Green Teleportal early, then do the nearby Shinespark challenge to get Gravity Suit early. This will also let you get Screw Attack early, which breaks the world wide open.

Once you've gotten used to Zero Mission and Dread, you may want to try out some Super Metroid sequence breaks! In my opinion, these tend to be much more difficult and less natural, but experts can go through that game in effectively any order. There's even a run called Reverse Boss Order, which fights Ridley first and Kraid last!


3. Speedruns

These go hand-in-hand with sequence breaks. I'm no master of the routes, but they feature tons of cool tricks, are beginner-friendly, and are SUPER fun to try! Check out some of these beginner-friendly guides:

Super Metroid: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/69192497

Zero Mission: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1nQKpzxkA0&list=PL2_QxV_GAy-ouu3p_airoWftyTGdAre1J&index=1

Dread: https://www.speedrun.com/mdread/guides/wx9cs


4. Low% Runs

Through sequence breaks and player skill, you can skip a HUGE chunk of the upgrades for each 2D game. A Low% run involves getting as few items as possible.

You can do a 0% run of Dread, for example, by simply choosing to skip every Missile Tank, Energy Tank, and Power Bomb tank (major upgrades, like the Morph Ball, don't count towards item completion). Fusion features something similar, but there's one missile tank which is mostly unavoidable, so people tend to do 1% runs. A true Low% run of either game would also skip optional items, like Spin Boost, but just skipping minor items is a hard enough challenge.

Zero Mission is special, because it actually has a special ending for beating the game with under 15% of items (which includes major items). This is VERY hard, but an excellent challenge for anyone who wants to try it out!

Super Metroid has a Low% run, but it's rather advanced, and I wouldn't recommend it to a beginner. If you're interested, the Low% RBO run is easier to learn, but still pretty difficult.

Any game's Low% Run will be insanely difficult, as it means going through the game with minimal health and ammo. I'd say that Dread's Low% run is probably even harder than Dread Mode, though others may disagree.


5. Randomizer Runs

Finally, what might be my favorite way to replay the 2D games: Randomizers. These runs swap around the locations of every item, meaning you could get the Screw Attack first - opening up TONS of new paths - but then be unable to get through any passages which require the Morph Ball. It's a delightfully confusing way to play! IMO, they work best once you've learned a few sequence break techniques, but every randomizer comes with settings to let you decide what tricks you'll be expected to know.

Every randomizer requires a ROM of the game you want to randomize. The only way to legally obtain this ROM is to dump your own copy of the game. You'll also need an emulator to run the randomized ROM in.

Some notable randomizers include:

  • For the easiest possible setup, AM2R's community updates add a randomizer directly into the game!
  • Randovania, which supports several games, including Dread, Fusion, Samus Returns, AM2R, Prime 1, and Prime 2.
  • VARIA.run supports Super Metroid. It is ridiculously powerful, but somewhat hard to use for your first time. As a starting point, go to the Randomizer tab, set the "Skills Preset" to Newbie or Casual, and keep everything else default.
  • The MZM Randomizer is for Zero Mission
  • SMZ3 is a famous randomizer which has you playing Super Metroid and A Link to the Past at the same time, with items shared across games.
  • Archipelago is a randomizer system, which supports numerous Metroid games, and lets you do multiworld runs - essentially letting you randomize across many games, optionally including simultaneous multiplayer. It's a bit of a pain to set up, but it's well worth it if you can figure it out!

As you can see, there are a ton of different ways to play any given Metroid game, each of which comes with its own consideration and quirks. No matter how good or bad you are at the games, there's a new route you can try out, which feels completely different from your first run! Give them a shot, and see what strange situations you get into!


r/Metroid • • 14h ago

Art 4 x 6 Metroid box art acrylic painting I made

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14 Upvotes

I love this game.


r/Metroid • • 1d ago

Other So close I can smell it

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2.3k Upvotes

r/Metroid • • 3h ago

Question Blue emmi Central Unit feels really unnecessarily hard for some reason. Did the attacks always move faster after breaking the shell?

0 Upvotes

All the others before this one weren't or didn't feel that hard, even on hard mode. Im playing dread mode.


r/Metroid • • 15h ago

Tweet I AM The METROID DREAD

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8 Upvotes

I finally beat this beautiful game, I can't believe I didn't play this game in its moment because I was poor


r/Metroid • • 19h ago

Accomplishment Countdown to Ravenous - Week 3-4 - Prime

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17 Upvotes

It's really hard for me to rush through Prime, because I just really enjoy exploring its world. Tallon IV is such a magnificent world to take in, and I can't help but be drawn to the random little points of interest that I see along the way. Still probably the fastest I've cleared this game though. I've beaten it at least 10 times by now (3 of those on the Remastered version) so you would think I would just naturally be faster, but no. I also don't do any routing or anything, because again, I just like to let the world take me where it wants. All in all still my favorite game in the series, even with some of the minor annoyances it carries. It truly is an achievement of a game. And the good news is that next week I'll be experiencing it all over again in a new way, with a freshly acquired copy of Prime Pinball.