TheMetroidfranchise began in 1986, and even in the earliest entries in the series, players were introduced to a darker side of Nintendo games. Despite the series' mainstream appeal, it is notable for featuring grotesque monsters, dramatic storytelling, and unsettling suspense. It’s even become notable for its eerie, low-key soundtracks.
Throughout all theMetroidgames, many moments push boundaries that are otherwise left untouched by Nintendo’s other properties. It may be fair to say that orange-suited protagonist Samus Aran boldly goes where no Nintendo character’s gone before. These moments are among the most disturbing in the entire series.
10Crocomire’s Death
Super Metroid, released for the Super Nintendo in 1994, isone of the most beloved entries in the entire series. Simultaneously, it also features a lot of creepy imagery that definitely scarred many young players. One of these moments involves the boss battle with Crocomire, a red dragon who Samus Aran encounters on Norfair.
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Though Crocomire’s design is grotesque in itself, the fight gets more disturbing after Samus pushes Crocomire into a pit of lava. Players get to see Crocomire’s skin gruesomely melt off as the creature drowns in flames. However, the fight’s not over yet, as Crocomire’s skeleton surprises Samus with the second half of the boss battle.
9Ridley Attacks Ceres Space Colony
Metroidfans know that Ridley is Samus Aran’s biggest nemesis in the series.Before the purple dragon finally made it toSuper Smash Bros Ultimate, it made a chilling appearance inSuper Metroid, showing off its vicious, bloodthirsty personality. It all starts with Ridley’s brutal murder of the scientists at Ceres Space Colony.
Samus returns to the space colony to find it eerily in shambles, a remnant of human life. Encountering Ridley, Samus unsuccessfully fights it in an attempt to rescue a Baby Metroid, but Ridley activates the colony’s Self Destruct before fleeing. Samus is forced to again abandon Ceres and chase the homicidal dragon to the planet Zebes.
8Mother Brain’s Second Form
Crocomire and Ridley are far from the most disturbing parts ofSuper Metroid. That honor is saved for Mother Brain, the game’s final boss and one of the main antagonists in the series. Its first form is creepy all by itself, as a disembodied brain sitting in a glass case, shooting difficult-to-dodge laser beams at Samus.
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However, it’s Mother Brain’s second form that really cements itself as horrific. After the player defeats its first form, Mother Brain rises from the ground, boasting a tall, cyborg-like body. Not only is this a grotesque image, especially for a Nintendo game, but it also makes the once-immobile Mother Brain a much more challenging final boss.
7The SA-X Chase
Metroid Fusionreleased for the GameBoy Advance in 2002, alongside the popular GameCube titleMetroid Prime. This game updates and improves its 2D-sidescrolling roots, and overall is a lot more colorful and vibrant than its predecessor. However, disturbing moments are not absent, as seen with the enemy SA-X.
SA-X debuts inMetroid Fusionas the game’s main antagonist, a parasite that’s taken onthe form of Samus’s iconic Power Suit.Metroidfans remember SA-X from its chase sequence near the end of the game, in Sector 2. Being chased by any enemy is scary enough, but an enemy that looks exactly like oneself adds another level of eerieness.
6Chozo Ghosts
Metroid Primewas a breath of fresh air for the series, being the first title in the franchise to adopt a 3D, first-person gameplay style. In line with the rest of the series' tone, this new take onMetroidallows for even more horror aspects. The game becomes more exploration-based, allowing for some truly creepy discoveries.
One of those discoveries takes place on the planet Tallon IV, which Samus travels to in the game. Once a home for the Chozo, it has since become abandoned after a meteor impacted it. While exploring, players may be frightened by the appearance of Chozo Ghosts, who lurk the planet’s ruins and violently attack a lone Samus.
5Dark Samus
Metroid Prime’s success sparked a renewed interest in the franchise, leading to its sequel,Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, which released in 2004. This sequel is notable for introducing another iconic character to the franchise: Dark Samus. This doppelganger was created when the final boss ofMetroid Primeabsorbed Samus’s Phazon Suit.
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Much like SA-X inMetroid Fusion, Dark Samus provides a uniquely frightening experience as an enemy that resembles Samus herself. Furthermore, the fact that its inhuman give a creepy, biological design to its suit. However, this disturbing character makes for a great Echo Fighter inSuper Smash Bros Ultimate.
4The Mystery Of Sylux
Metroid Prime Huntersis one of the few spin-offs in theMetroidseries, taking place in between the originalMetroid Primeand its sequel. Released for the Nintendo DS in 2006, the game follows Samus Aran as she faces off against several bounty hunters. One of these hunters is Sylux, who makes quite an impression on the franchise.
Harboring a strong hatred for Samus as well as the Galactic Federation, this enigmatic alien appears several times inHunters. However, what’s even more disturbing is when Sylux’s ship follows Samus in a Special Ending ofMetroid Prime 3: Corruption. It’s likely the hunter will re-appearin the much-anticipatedMetroid Prime 4.
3The Game Over Screen
The firstMetroidgame to be released for the Wii,Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, features many of the franchise’s classic disturbing elements. However, this game goes above and beyond in showing players a bit too much when it comes to graphic content. This is particularly true forthe game’s very violent game over screen.
In the third installment of theMetroid Primeseries, the game over screen is simple yet eerie. The screen will show a drop of blood slowly oozing, growing larger. This gives a tragic, very disturbing end to Samus Aran’s story. Hopefully, players can remain alive long enough to avoid seeing this screen in the game.
2Battling The Vorash
Metroid: Other Mwas released for the Wii in 2010, and faced heavy criticism for its narrative. However, one thing it keeps in line with other entries in the series is its love for grotesque boss battles. Among all the difficult-to-look-at enemies throughout theMetroidfranchise, it doesn’t get much creepier than Vorash.
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The flying lava fish appears in Pyrosphere, a simulated environment that Samus encounters in the game. Throughout the fight, the Vorash attempts to devour Samus, not allowing players a lot of leeway to avoid this fate. Thankfully, defeating the enemy will send it back into the lava where it came, and players won’t have to see the Vorash anymore.
1The Metroid Suit
The most recent installment in the series,Metroid Dread, released for Nintendo Switch in 2021. This game sees a return to the 2D side-scrolling gameplay that made the series iconic in the first place. Naturally, it continues to push the boundaries of how disturbing aMetroidgame can get, despite its more cartoonish graphics.
The Metroid Suit is Samus’s final suit upgrade in the game, though the process of gaining it is very upsetting for longtime fans. As a result of a DNA transplant, the Metroid Suit is gained asSamus begins her transformation into an actual human Metroid. After all the space explorer has been through, this kind of tragic direction for the character seems undeserved.
