By [ad_1]
Nintendo is responsible for a number of formidable first-party franchises, but for 35 years Metroid has been one of their most reliable performers. Metroid marked a major push forward for both science fiction video games, as well as action-adventure titles that put an emphasis on labyrinthine level design and exploration. Metroid’s iconic heroine, Samus Aran, has become a video game mascot who’s arguably as important as Nintendo’s Mario or Link.
There is still an unfortunate lack of female protagonists in video games, which has let Samus grow into even more of an influential figure for the genre. Plenty of gamers understand that Samus Aran represents the Metroid franchise, but the character has a rich history that can often get overlooked.
10 She’s Partly Based On Alien’s Ellen Ripley And Kim Basinger
Video games have evolved in such drastic ways that now it’s common to have actual actors provide the voices and motion-capture performance work to bring their video game counterparts to life. Obviously, Nintendo’s efforts were much more simplistic during the 1980s, but Metroid’s Samus Aran still pulled inspiration from some important pop culture figures. There have been endless comparisons between Samus and Alien’s Ellen Ripley, but Metroid’s character designers, Makoto Kano and Hiroji Kiyotake, took cues from both Ellen Ripley, but also Kim Basinger, specifically during her run in 9 ½ weeks and My Stepmother is an Alien.
9 She Doesn’t Have Just One Signature Gunship
Transportation is crucial in a series like Metroid and Samus sometimes travels between several planets within a single game. Samus has an iconic gunship that’s been present since the first entry in the series. That being said, Samus’ means of travel have differed and shown different designs at various points during her adventures. Samus has been in five different ships throughout the Metroid canon due to the wear and tear that her aircrafts experience. It’s unclear if each ship is totally new or if Samus has cobbled together ships from past hardware.
8 There’s Metroid DNA In Her
Metroid makes it clear that the Metroid are a parasitic threat that must be destroyed at all costs. This makes it quite compelling when Samus herself becomes infected with Metroid DNA as a controversial strategy to keep her alive. The biological cocktail inside of Samus grows more complex since there’s human, Chozo, and Metroid DNA coursing through her veins.
Samus has been able to prosper through her complicated relationship with the Metroid, but it’s also made her a target. Samus is repeatedly hunted by the robotic E.M.M.I. in Metroid Dread because of the Metroid DNA inside of her.
7 She’s Been A Member Of The Space Pirates
Samus spends a lot of her time with the Galactic Federation Army as she works to keep the universe safe from alien threats and renegade hunters. The Galactic Federation primarily wages war against Space Pirates, so it’s a major surprise when Samus becomes brainwashed and begins to work for the villainous group. Samus’ time with the Space Pirates is reserved for the Nintendo 3DS spin-off title, Metroid Prime: Federation Force, where Samus becomes the enemy instead of the ally, and players must control other skilled bounty hunters to survive.
6 Chozo DNA Makes Her A Natural At Combat
The mysterious and ancient Chozo species represent an important part of the series’ lore. Samus first deals with the Chozo after she lands on Planet Zebes, as an orphan. The Chozo don’t just look after Samus, but they inject her with superior Chozo DNA. Samus retains her humanity, but she benefits from many natural Chozo traits, like their excellence in combat. This hybridization of Samus lays the groundwork for her excellence as a bounty hunter and the many skills that she’s able to take on.
5 She Was Orphaned By Ridley
Part of what makes the Metroid saga so engrossing is that Samus encounters many of the same extraterrestrial menaces throughout her many adventures. Samus often has an extra amount of vitriol for Ridley, but it turns out it’s because the alien is responsible for the death of her parents, Rodney and Virginia Aran.
Ridley launches an attack on planet K-2L, which leads to the death of nearly all of its Earth colonists. Samus’ parents are reduced to collateral damage and the fallout is what leads to Samus heading to Zebes and aligning with the Chozo.
4 She’s Been Corrupted By Phazon And Survived
The Metroid Prime Trilogy are some of the best first-person shooters that appear on the Gamecube and Nintendo Wii, but they’re also proof that Metroid could thrive under such a drastic transformation in gameplay and genre. The Metroid Prime games tell a dense story that pushes Samus to her breaking point, especially during the dark events of Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. The entire game revolves around Samus’ Phazon infection, which nearly takes her over. Samus needs to destroy the living planet, Phaaze, to properly disable the Phazon threat, but she survives a level of synthesis that most don’t.
3 She Was Raised By The Chozo
Samus Aran is technically human, but she’s undergone such an extensive upbringing by the Chozo that she’s arguably even more a member of their race than she is a human. Their relationship is a testament to the peace that’s possible between humans and Chozo. Samus Aran overcomes severe adversity as a child and she becomes orphaned at an early age and would likely have quickly perished if she wasn’t soon taken in and raised by the Chozo. The Chozo are responsible for Samus’ rigorous upbringing, but they also construct her iconic Power Suit and prepare her for the outside world.
2 She Has Evil Clones
Samus is an extremely skilled bounty hunter who is often treated as if she has no equal, which makes it especially exciting when her own worst enemy becomes a duplicate of herself. Samus has to deal with renegade clones of herself on more than one occasion. The primary threat in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes is Dark Samus, an evil double that’s formed out of Phazon and Mother Brain fragments. However, Samus also has to contend with a determined doppelganger in Metroid Fusion, where the SA-X parasite co-opts Samus’ look thanks to the data that it has on her Varia Suit.
1 She Served Under Adam Malkovich In The Galactic Federation Army
Metroid does an effective job at presenting Samus Aran as a lone wolf, especially when she’s deep in the middle of any of the games in the series. However, it’s been established that one of the few humans who has left an impression on Samus is Adam Malkovich, her brash former Commanding Officer. Malkovich first comes up in Metroid Fusion, but gains a greatly expanded role in Metroid: Other M. Adam has recently returned as an AI system in Metroid Dread, which indicates Samus’ continued allegiance and how there’s some sense of solace found in receiving information from him.
About The Author
[ad_2]
