The Nintendo Switch is becoming a hub forMetroid.Metroid Prime Remasteredrecently came out following 2021’sMetroid Dread, which not only revived the mainlineMetroidfranchise as the long-lost fifth entry, but also became one of its best-received titles. Across the Switch’s six years, the first three mainlineMetroidgames have also been added to the Nintendo Switch Online retro game libraries, withMetroid Fusionset to follow on March 9.
HavingMetroid 1through5available on a single console is something worth celebrating. Between the lack of new numbered entries and thePrimesubseries eclipsing it in popularity, it’s easy to forget thatMetroid Fusion’s radical story beats were left hanging for almost two decades. Even though MercurySteam’sMetroid2remakeon 3DS changed some details, the wholeMetroidcanon can be experienced on Switch. Many new fans should be keen to experience the missing link between the legendarySuper MetroidandMetroid Dread, asFusionintroduces a lot more than one would expect to help bridge the gap.
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Metroid Dread’s development staff built off of so many elements fromFusionthat it’s a wonder why the two entries don’t have4and5in their official titles.Looking back on theMetroidfranchisethus far, each game’s story feeds into the next so directly that it’s easy to imagine that Samus went from one adventure straight to the next.Metroid Fusionsees Samus Aran return to the planet SR-388, on which she wiped the Metroid population during the events ofMetroid 2: Return of Samus. Here she is infected by a new threat called the X-Parasite, but gets saved through an infusion of DNA fromSuper Metroid’s baby Metroid.
Samus' original suit remains infected, leading the shapeshifting parasite to create the dangerous SA-X. This infected Chozo power armor antagonist has echoes in the E.M.M.I. and Raven Beak fromMetroid Dread, right down to the moments whereSamus gains power from SA-X or Raven Beakto defeat a new final boss. Samus' new purple ship and the AI companion Adam carry over fromFusion,andDreadalso shares pivotal plot beats involving the destruction of either the Federation space station’s cloned Metroids or the Chozo’s quarantined X-Parasites.
The similarities deepen further around the concept of “dread” from whichMetroid 5takes its name.Metroid Fusionadded significant horror elementsto a largely non-horror title. While SA-X encounters were brief and scripted, they mimicked the sense of hiding from a powerful monster that one might expect out of a survival-horror game.Metroid Dreaddoubled down on this with E.M.M.I. areas, places in which Samus is constantly pursued by invincible adversaries until progression gates are passed.Dreadessentially took an idea thatFusioncouldn’t fully implement on the Game Boy Advance and fleshed it out using modern hardware.
Metroid Dreadis a more action-focused game thanFusion, and also includes nonlinear elements thatFusionwas once criticized for lacking. However, both the tone and nearly every story element is shared or built out when going fromFusionintoDread. From Adam being an untrustworthy figure to the relevance of thebaby Metroid and X-Parasites, it’s abundantly clear thatMetroid Dreadwas built throughMetroid Fusion’s example.DreadowesFusionfor its success, and fans will soon be able to experience both games on the same console thanks to Nintendo Switch Online.
Metroid Fusionreleases for Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack on March 9.
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