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It’s a known fact thatMetroidgames are some of the best titles under Nintendo’s belt. Its overall premise, game design, and gameplay are so iconic that it gave birth to the Metroidvania genre. On top of these amazing things, Samus Aran is considered one of the best protagonists in the entire gaming world who also broke ground by being one of the first female main characters.
While most of theMetroidtitles have managed to hit the mark, some have yet to catch up to the successful formula established by Nintendo over the years. Yet, the series’ popularity remains unfazed, at least for the moment.
So, with that in mind, here is our ranking of every mainlineMetroidgame from worst to best!
11Metroid: Other M
By far the worst title in the entire Metroid franchise,Other Mbasically puts Samus Aran on ice for several years. While the ideas are there to make it a top installment, featuring pleasant Wii graphics and high-octane set pieces that the franchise hadn’t witnessed before, it was a disaster from both gameplay and narrative aspects.
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Trying to develop a complex game function on a single Wiimote turned out to be a nightmare, and the narrative completely ruined Samu’s character and made no logical sense.
10Metroid II: Return of Samus
Metroid IIis often criticised due to the fact that it debuted way back in 1991 on the original Game Boy handheld. As such, the game is limited by the hardware of the time. Players find it frustrating that multiple crucial aspects of the game are directly ripped off or recycled from its predecessors, with no major additions to the formula.
9Metroid (NES)
One of the core issues withMetroid (NES)is the fact that its overall direction is a bit unclear. You’ll spend most of your time adventuring around a world that’s tough to navigate, grinding for resources to have a slight chance at survival, only to be met with a brick wall of a final area that’s literally impossible to beat unless you carry enough missiles. Even though it kicked off the open-ended level design era, it didn’t master it.
8Metroid: Samus Returns
Samus Return‘s release came at a very strange time for Nintendo. The game was released on 3DS right after Switch came out, hurting its overall reception. That’s not to say the game was great, either. It had rough edges, such as inconvenient backtracking, an unbalanced combat system, and an ending that felt arbitrary. However, the game still manages to come together pretty well as compared to previous entries.
7Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
It’s quite difficult to craft a sequel to a genre-defining game, butMetroid 2: Echoesdoes an impressive job. The game expanded upon the solid FPS mechanics established byMetroidPrime and brought its own additions to the formula, including the light-world and dark-world mechanics that gave players two separate environments to explore. It’s a great game, but it’s just a bit less impactful.
6Metroid Dread
Metroid Dreadwas under development for over a decade, but it managed to deliver in the end. Combining the best aspects ofMetroid: Samus ReturnsandMetroid Fusion, the game proved thatMetroidwas still a franchise to be reckoned with within the modern gaming landscape.Metroid Dreadfeatures fast and fluid gameplay and isn’t afraid to wreak you and make you desperate.
5Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
Back whenMetroid Prime 3: Corruptionwas released, it was hailed as one of the best entries in the franchise. Now, its reception is quite tempered but still has its own merits. The Wii allowedMetroid Prime 3: Corruption crucialfluid motion controls that were never seen in the franchise before.
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The game’s linear progression allowed for better moments that allowed us to witness what an action-centered Metroid could be.
4Metroid Fusion
We need to give credit to Nintendo for adding new horror elements toMetroid Fusion, which allowed the Gameboy Advance title to shine on its own merits. While its exploration aspect is limited, the game brings a highly compelling narrative and tension. The game’s story became much more prominent and showed us how imposing the BSL Station and the X Parasites are. It’s one of the hardest games in the series.
3Metroid Prime
There’s no doubt thatMetroid Primewas the title that ended up defining the franchise. Not only was it an incredible sequel toSuper Metroid, but it was also a first-person shooter, a genre that was finding it troublesome to adapt to GameCube. The game featured a dark and engrossing world with fluid, and engaging gameplay, made ten times better by future remasters.Metroid Prime‘s world-building and sound design are truly some aspects that need to be admired and shown respect.
2Super Metroid
Super Metroidis one of those gems that you need to give a shot before dying. Originally released on the SNES,Super Metroidbrought a unique world to adventure across that ended up settling the standard for how to explore in 2D worlds.
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It’s a game that laid the building blocks for the Metroidvania subgenre of titles and gave players unprecedented levels of exploration and freedom. You might be surprised to know thatSuper Metroidplayed a crucial role in popularizing the idea of speedrunning.
1Metroid Zero Mission
What makes theMetroid franchise so uniqueis its world-building and exploration elements. However, no game in the entire franchise does these aspects better thanMetroid Zero Mission. It expands on what made the first game so beloved and adds even more areas and features to explore.
Whether it’s taking down tough bosses, the Zero Suit sequence, or just solving environmental puzzles, there’s something for everyone. It’s truly Nintendo’s best creation, and it can be picked and enjoyed by anyone.
What do you think about the ranking? Would you change it at all?
Dhruv Bhatnagar
Articles Published :1195
With over 4 years of experience in content writing and more than 1,000 articles published for FandomWire, Dhruv is a seasoned writer when it comes to the gaming space. He’s deeply passionate about titles such as GTA Online, Forza Horizon, and Pokémon Go, committed to bringing readers deep dives and latest updates.
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