Metroid

Metroid is a science fiction action-adventure video game franchise published by Nintendo. It centers on Samus Aran, a lone bounty hunter who wears a powered suit and investigates dangerous alien worlds. The series is renowned for its emphasis on exploration and backtracking, in which players acquire new abilities and equipment that unlock access to previously unreachable areas.

Gameplay blends platforming, puzzle-solving, and combat. A distinctive feature is its non-linear design, often described as metroidvania, a label applied to a style later popularized by the Castlevania series. Players explore expansive environments, collect upgrades such as the Morph Ball, missiles, and energy beams, and defeat recurring adversaries such as Ridley and Mother Brain.

First released in 1986 on the Nintendo Entertainment System, Metroid spawned numerous sequels and reimaginings. Notable entries include Metroid II: Return of Samus (Game Boy), Super Metroid (Super NES), Metroid Fusion and Zero Mission (Game Boy Advance), the Metroid Prime trilogy (Nintendo GameCube and Wii) which shifted the series to a first-person perspective, and Other M (Wii). In 2021, Metroid Dread for Nintendo Switch continued the 2D tradition with a modern design. Development of Metroid Prime 4 began at multiple studios with Retro Studios and underwent a restart in 2019 after a development review; no release date has been announced.

Metroid has had a significant impact on video game design and is considered one of Nintendo's most influential franchises. The term Metroidvania, used to describe a genre of exploration-focused games, reflects the series' enduring influence on game design and level structure.