Current Events > What's the best way to get into the Metroid series in 2022?

(+) Yeah! (+)

So, Metroid has been on my list of classic series to get into for years and sadly I've never followed through. I think I might have played the GBA Zero Mission briefly but don't think I made it very far. I picked up Metroid Prime on GameCube many years ago and never got around to giving it a try. At this point, the Prime trilogy is so old that I am wondering if a remaster or a remake might be imminent. I think I heard rumors about that this summer.

If I wanted to get into the series, should I start with the original version of Prime? Maybe go back and play some of the early 2D games? Or would the newest Metroid game for Switch, Metroid Dread, be a good starting point?

Do you have Switch online? Play Super Metroid.

Metroid Prime is the first Metroid game I played and its pretty freaking great. Wii or original GameCube version is fine.

rexcrk posted...

Metroid Prime is the first Metroid game I played and its pretty freaking great. Wii or original GameCube version is fine.

Isn't that a FPS?

Melzargard posted...

Isn't that a FPS?

Yup. Pretty good, all the 2d shit holds up real well tho. Even the OG nes game.

Dread, or any other 2D game

Super Metroid is probably your best entry point. The first two games are quite effectively summarized in the opening act, so it's a good starting point plot-wise. It also more-or-less lays definitive groundwork in key gameplay mechanics and major enemy encounters, something that subsequent games build off of.

The overall plot of the franchise is rarely so dense that you can't jump in to any game you choose. However, to a greater or lesser degree, nearly every game that comes after Super plays off the first three games, either by plot / lore callbacks, or subversions of expectations in gameplay. So you'll probably get the most out of the subsequent games by playing Super first.

If Super isn't an option, Metroid Prime would be my second choice. And I would definitely play Prime after playing Super; both are among the best games ever made.

On my Wii U I have almost all the Metroid titles downloaded.

Have the Prime Trilogy and Other M on disc.

Super is amongst my favorite games, but the 'floaty' jumping would be hard to go back to, so if you do this I'd recommend it first (or second if you tackle the original Metroid for NES)

Planning on borrowing a Switch at some point just to play Dread

Super, fusion, and dread are all fantastic and pretty much the only ones you need to get the full story. In that order.

If 3 games sounds daunting, just grab one. It's not too hard to fill in the gaps to understand what's going on. Maybe just the final moments of dread may be a bit confusing.

Zero Mission

I haven't made it very far into Dread yet so I can't comment on that one, but definitely don't play Fusion first. You'll be able to piece together the plot well enough, but from a gameplay standpoint, Fusion is specifically designed to subvert expectations of the franchise up to that point, and you won't get nearly as much out of it without at least having played Super first.

Zero Mission
Samus Returns
Super
Fusion
Dread

Play them in that order

I also agree with Super Metroid. It still holds up well today.

Super is kinda the core Metroid experience with the added benefit of it being pretty easy so it isn't likely to filter newer players. It's also basically available on all Nintendo systems in some capacity or another.