In the grand pantheon of Nintendo's many hallowed series, Metroid stands alone. Unlike the vast majority of its games, Metroid has received much less critical reception than the likes of Mario and Zelda despite beginning in an earlier period. Many of the games are renowned, though there's not a strikingly large number of them.
Since its debut in 1986, Metroid has helped define a genre in Metroidvanias, leading to some of the most popular indie games in the modern age. But what about Metroid itself? How many Metroid games actually are there for the games to have built such a strong legacy? Let's find out.
How Many Mainline Metroid Games Are There?
The Metroid series began back in 1986 with the game of the same name for the NES. It was a relatively simplistic game, lacking much of the diverse colour palette and movement mechanics the later games are known for. Still, it built a great foundation for the games to build upon. And just how many games is that?
Title
Year
Platform
Metroid
1986
NES
Metroid 2: Return Of Samus
1991
Game Boy
Super Metroid
1994
SNES
Metroid Fusion
2002
Game Boy Advance
Metroid Prime
2002
Gamecube
Metroid: Zero Mission
2004
Game Boy Advance
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
2004
Gamecube
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
2007
Wii
Metroid: Other M
2010
Wii
Metroid: Samus Returns
2017
3DS
Metroid Dread
2021
Switch
At present, there are 11 Metroid games that have seen the light of day. Many would debate the mainline nature of games like Other M or the remake, Samus Returns, though they undeniably fall closer to the more commonly accepted mainline games than the spin-offs.
As you can likely see, there's a pretty significant jump between some of the games. After Super Metroid, Nintendo struggled to conceive new ideas for where to bring the series, allowing it to fall into hiatus for eight years until the simultaneous release of Metroid Fusion and Metroid Prime, a new 2D and first-ever 3D entries in the series.
Following Other M, it went on another seven-year hiatus until Samus Returns. You could even call it an eleven-year wait if you're only considering brand-new entries here. Regardless, the Metroid series seems to be back in fighting form once again with Metroid Prime 4 finally on the horizon.
How Many Spin-Off Metroid Games Are There?
Like just about every Nintendo property, Metroid has a handful of spin-offs. Well, perhaps a handful is a bit generous. While Kirby and Pokemon may be just as treasured in their spin-offs as mainline titles, Metroid is comparatively bare. Yet those spin-offs may prove essential to the series.
Title
Year
Platform
Metroid Prime Pinball
2005
DS
Metroid Prime Hunters
2006
DS
Metroid Prime: Federation Force
2016
3DS
As it currently stands, the Metroid series has a grand total of just three spin-offs. There's not much to say about Metroid Prime Pinball as the name conveys everything that the game is. There's nothing critical to be missed here. Unless you really like pinball.
Metroid Prime Hunters, however, features a story set between Metroid Prime 1 and 2, and introduces Sylux as one of the playable characters who just so happens to be an integral character to Metroid Prime 4. It also had a multiplayer mode and voice chat, a rarity for any Nintendo game.
Federation Force is a game best left unmentioned. Sylux features briefly at the end to set up his role in Metroid Prime 4, and that is about all that is worth mentioning there.
How Many Metroid Games Are There In Total?
Unlike the vast majority of Nintendo's games, Metroid has quite a limited selection of titles considering it has been around for almost 40 years. There are only 14 games at the moment. Considering Samus Returns is a remake of Metroid 2, and Zero Mission is a remake of Metroid, and Super Metroid is in many ways also a reimagining of Metroid, that cuts down the fully unique entires in the series quite a bit.
- There are 7 side-scrolling entries in the series.
- And there are also 7 non-side-scrolling entries, by wonderful chance.
Thankfully though, the side-scrolling entries were never superseded by the first-person Prime entries, with both co-existing. Perhaps following Metroid Prime 4, a successor to Metroid Dread will grace us. For the very time in a very long time, the future for Metroid seems quite bright.
NextThe Metroid Prime Timeline, Explained
It's the timeline within a timeline – here's how Samus' Prime adventures fit together!
Posts By Bobby Mills
