It’s a known fact that Metroid games 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 the Metroid titles 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 mainline Metroid game from worst to best!
11. Metroid: Other M
By far the worst title in the entire Metroid franchise, Other M basically 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.
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.
10. Metroid II: Return of Samus
Metroid II is 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.
9. Metroid (NES)
One of the core issues with Metroid (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.
8. Metroid: 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.
7. Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
It’s quite difficult to craft a sequel to a genre-defining game, but Metroid 2: Echoes does an impressive job. The game expanded upon the solid FPS mechanics established by Metroid Prime 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.
6. Metroid Dread
Metroid Dread was under development for over a decade, but it managed to deliver in the end. Combining the best aspects of Metroid: Samus Returns and Metroid Fusion, the game proved that Metroid was still a franchise to be reckoned with within the modern gaming landscape. Metroid Dread features fast and fluid gameplay and isn’t afraid to wreak you and make you desperate.
5. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
Back when Metroid Prime 3: Corruption was 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 allowed Metroid Prime 3: Corruption crucial fluid motion controls that were never seen in the franchise before.
The game’s linear progression allowed for better moments that allowed us to witness what an action-centered Metroid could be.
4. Metroid Fusion
We need to give credit to Nintendo for adding new horror elements to Metroid 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.
3. Metroid Prime
There’s no doubt that Metroid Prime was the title that ended up defining the franchise. Not only was it an incredible sequel to Super 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.
2. Super Metroid
Super Metroid is one of those gems that you need to give a shot before dying. Originally released on the SNES, Super Metroid brought a unique world to adventure across that ended up settling the standard for how to explore in 2D worlds.
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 that Super Metroid played a crucial role in popularizing the idea of speedrunning.
1. Metroid Zero Mission
What makes the Metroid franchise so unique is its world-building and exploration elements. However, no game in the entire franchise does these aspects better than Metroid 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?
