Metroid Ravenous Announced: New Side-Scrolling Adventure Looks Dark and Amazing
At today’s Nintendo Direct, many were hoping for news of a new Mario game, but instead, they got a look at Metroid Ravenous, the newest game in Nintendo’s dark sci-fi series. Sure, some might be disappointed at the lack of Mario news, but Metroid fans can salivate at the prospect of exploring and fighting aliens with their hero, Samus Aran. So, what will this new game have to offer?
The First Look at Metroid Ravenous
The first Metroid Ravenous trailer, which debuted during September 9th’s Nintendo Direct, begins with the Metroid heroine, Samus Aran, narrating in a voiceover. She says that she was “attacked by unknown assailants and sustained grave injuries,” as black-and-white footage of hostile robots plays. Samus knows nothing about where she is, but of course, she won’t go down without a fight. She appears to be trapped in the bowels of an unknown moon, where her odds of escaping “are slim at best.”
Suddenly, there’s a burst of neon violet encasing her hand, and there she is in all her full-color glory. Samus takes out aliens and robots in several short clips of side-scrolling action. Yes, this is a new side-scrolling Metroid game, the first since 2021’s Metroid Dread. We see Samus using her classic abilities such as the morph ball and the shield. She also fights some cloaked creatures on the surface. These creatures seem to be hiding their faces, and they’re wearing helmets that look like shields.
Then one of the creatures impales Samus! What? Is this the end for our beloved space bounty hunter? It doesn’t look like it, since she grabs the creature’s laser sword. Another scene shows her touching an alien and absorbing its pink energy until it disintegrates. There’s some more side-scrolling action before Samus declares that “I will survive. And I will make it home.” An alien robot says (in subtitles), “Brave warrior, become my flesh and blood.”
“Eat or Be Eaten”
Samus screams, and she seems to go through a metamorphosis where her suit grows bigger and sprouts its own laser sword. So, will there be transformations in this game? Will absorbing enemies’ energy give Samus the ability to turn into a super form of herself? It looks like it. Now, will these super forms be a regular ability, or will they only show up at certain parts of the game?
Samus will definitely survive, “even if I have to feed on my enemies to do so.” The trailer ends with Samus reaching into an alien’s mouth to absorb its energy, her voiceover narration saying, “It’s eat or be eaten.” Her eyes start glowing just before “Metroid Ravenous” flashes on the screen, the sickening sound of crunching in the background. We get one final shot of Samus kicking an enemy before everything fades to black, and we get the release date: January 28th, 2027.
As you can tell, the trailer is packed. Metroid has always been the franchise that allows Nintendo to really dwell in its darker side, and Metroid Ravenous looks like it will continue in that tradition. Of course, since Metroid Prime 4: Beyond was released just last Christmas, some might wonder if releasing another Metroid game barely a year later is overkill. However, this will be a side-scrolling game, meaning it will have a whole different feel from the first-person shooter Metroid Prime series.
Bring on Metroid Ravenous!
Metroid Ravenous looks like it will be full of heart-pounding action that feels both familiar and fresh. Samus’s classic abilities are here, along with her new ability to feed off of her enemies. The graphics look beautiful and atmospheric, and atmosphere is always something that the Metroid games pull off very well. Metroid Ravenous looks like it will be a worthy continuation of the Metroid side-scrolling tradition. The game will be released on January 27th, 2027.
