Metroid Ravenous Seems to Be Making One Big Evolution From Dread
The latest Nintendo Direct showed off a variety of new games from Nintendo’s established IPs, including Metroid Ravenous, the latest 2D Metroid title coming out in January 2027. The development of this title is being handled by MercurySteam, the same group behind 2021’s highly praised Metroid Dread. That game was a revival of 2D Metroid in many ways, so players like me are very excited to see how the series’ next traditional game builds upon what Dread established.
Already, the brief gameplay shown for Metroid Ravenous shows that it will be a familiar experience for veterans of the franchise, with returning protagonist Samus Aran once again exploring a strange alien world. Much like Metroid Dread, this game seems to begin with Samus losing a big fight, with her abilities being stripped away to have players start a new journey from scratch. However, while players will undoubtedly have to scour around a new environment to unlock progression skills, you might have a better starting point.
Metorid Ravenous Once Again Starts With Many Of Samus’ Abilities Being Taken Away
The Metroid Ravenous trailer shows Samus fighting a group of mysterious warriors, being stabbed in the process on some sort of moon. It seems like after her defeat, those warriors throw Samus into a hole, where she awakens weakened but determined to survive. This reflects Metroid Dread‘s intro, where Samus had her abilities stripped away from the boss Ravenbeak, who later turned out to be the game’s final opponent. The same case is likely for the warriors in Metroid Ravenous, but it will be a long adventure before Samus is ready to face those foes again.
The small flashes of gameplay from the trailer show that Samus is not completely helpless after her defeat, as she still has access to her power suit’s basic abilities. This includes a primary blaster attack and missiles, giving Samus her basic arsenal. However, players are also able to parry incoming attacks, which lead into cinematic opportunities to eliminate smaller monsters you encounter. This simple skill is a great starting option, representing an element of Metroid Dread‘s combat that was integral to boss fights and battles against other dangerous enemies.
Yet, those three options seem to be it when you start, with Metroid Ravenous likely following the series formula of having certain abilities locked behind progression or exploration. For example, Metroid Dread didn’t let players access the iconic Screw Attack for Samus until they found it in a particular area. That being said, the gameplay shown for Ravenous indicates that a player’s starting abilities in this game are more diverse than Dread or other 2D Metroid titles have allowed.
Some Skills Gained In Metroid Dread Seem To Be Default Mechanics In Ravenous
The starting point of Metroid Ravenous seems to be more extensive than players might think, as indicated by some of the gameplay revealed. For starters, players have noticed a strange part of the game’s UI, where a wheel of pink and blue energy seem to be gathered as a resource. This is likely tied to Ravenous‘ new “consumption” or “eating” mechanic that game seems to be centered around, but that innovative feature could also have an indirect impact. Since players may work at improving a new system, abilities and skills from Metroid Dread may not be something you need to earn again.
Although this is a speculation, some players have theorized that Samus starts Metroid Ravenous with some of the abilities she gained in Metroid Dread. This would make sense, as some skills that were novel and new in Dread would feel redundant to work for again in Ravenous. Already, players have noticed Dread‘s Blink Dash being used against bosses, along with other mobility features from the last 2D series game. While some important skills, like the aforementioned Screw Attack, will likely need to be unlocked again like every Metroid game, some Dread specific skills could be yours to use immediately.
Less Backtracking For Older Abilities Gives Ravenous Room For New & Interesting Ability Unlocks
By making a few Metroid Dread abilities available for Samus at the start of Ravenous, it opens up the rest of the game to hide some truly innovative skills behind traditional unlocks. This is especially true when you consider how the “eating” system could have a variety of abilities tied to it, instead of just a grab attack shown after counters in the trailer. When combined with some beloved abilities from Metroid‘s history, some Ravenous exclusive mechanics would be more interesting if they were rewards from big fights, rather than just all the familiar Metroid Dread skills.
With rumors of remakes circulating alongside this newly announced title, seeing a fresh starting point would help set this game apart from what came before. Exploration might feel better too, feeling like you are less limited within the first couple of hours of gameplay. With players already noticing how good Samus’ abilities look in Metroid Ravenous, expanding upon them would be much easier without having to backtrack down Dread‘s memory lane.