For all the surprises that came out of E3 2021,Metroid Dreadstill managed to stand out from the crowd.Metroidfans know all too well that the core franchise hasn’t gotten a new game in about 20 years, mostly stepping back to make room for the 3DMetroid Primeseries. Even so,Metroid Dreadis releasing this October, reviving the 2D platforming gameplay that inspired the Metroidvania genre. What’s more,Metroid Dreadlooks more and more like its equal parts innovative franchise revival and nostalgia tour. The newest trailer for the game suggests that Kraid, a classic villain who appears as a boss in a ton ofMetroidgames, will make an appearance.
Kraid isn’t any old gigantic space lizard; he’s a Space Pirate historically in league with Samus' nemesis Ridley. Samus has defeated Kraid many times, with his most recent defeattaking place in 1994’sSuper Metroid.His disappearance from the series might have suggested that Kraid was gone for good, butMetroid Dreadsuggests that Samus' enemies won’t stay dead so easily. One wonders, then, what other villains could play a part inMetroid Dread.If Kraid is getting a second chance in the originalMetroidseries' return to form, then some other classic villains could very easily come back to haunt Samus.
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Metroid Villains Who Could Return With Kraid
When it comes to revivingMetroidvillains inMetroid Dread,there’s no choice more obvious than Ridley. Having murdered Samus' parents,Ridley is truly her greatest enemy, so it’d make sense for him to keep finding ways back into her life, continuing their endless conflict. Ridley has definitely been thoroughly killed before, and yet he’s also come back before.Metroid: Other MandMetroid Fusionfeatured a rogue clone of Ridley. The mere existence of cloning technology in theMetroiduniverse means Ridley may never be truly gone; a new clone could appear inMetroid Dread,perhaps implanted with Ridley’s memories and determined to get revenge for his original incarnation.
Beyond Ridley, there are some lesser expected enemies thatMetroid Dreadcould return to. For instance, one wonders if there’s any hope of Mother Brain making a comeback. Mother Brain is an antagonist to rival Ridley as a rogue AI created by the Chozo who joined the leadership of the Space Pirates.Mother Brain has also been destroyedmultiple times, but just like Ridley, that doesn’t mean she has to be out of the game forever.Metroid Dread’s newest trailer also suggests that there’s a major Chozo antagonist in the game. If that’s the case, this antagonist could construct a new version of Mother Brain and apply the AI to their schemes.
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It should be noted that Kraid isn’t the only sign of hope for these classic villains.Metroid Dread’s plot kicks offbecause of the X Parasite, a type of dangerous shapeshifting organism thatMetroidfans thought they destroyed at the end ofMetroid Fusion.It looks like the X Parasite could be making a major comeback, which is a bad sign for theMetroidworld. It’s a good sign forMetroidfans, though. Nintendo seems like it wantsMetroid Dreadto have deep, gratifying ties to the originalMetroidgames, and there are few better ways to do that than to involveMetroid’s most recognizable antagonists in the plot.
Metroid Dread’s use of known antagonistsis important for the franchise’s future. It suggests that Nintendo doesn’t want to start over; rather, it wants to dig deep intoMetroid’s roots and see what else it can do with the characters and plot threads it already put in place. In spite of a long hiatus,Metroidisn’t getting wholly rebooted. It’s just picking up from where it left off.Metroiddevelopers say there’s a new storyline coming up afterMetroid Dread,but even if it’s a totally new adventure for Samus, her old enemies could still get involved. It’s all up to how many of themMetroid Dreadrevives and what becomes of them by the end of the game.
