Hear Me Out: Why The Best Villain For Metroid Ravenous… Would Be Sylux!

The morale between the classic 2D Metroid series and the Metroid Prime sub-series could not be more different.

One has optimism, momentum, positive word of mouth, record setting sales, and a brand new game on the horizon that every Metroid fan seems stoked for. The other has uncertainty, consternation, disappointment, and two games – Federation Force and Beyond – that failed to meet most critics and fans standards considering what came before.

There are many reasons why Metroid Prime 4 is one of, if not the, most disappointing games I’ve ever played – believe me, I’ve tried putting into words how I feel and every time I do, I have to tell myself “too soon” and mean it – but one of the chief reasons why I felt so let down by the game was it’s story. There were a ton of elements I did not enjoy:

Nintendo spent all those years building up this encounter, investing time into this character, and getting fans excited with that initial trailer featuring Sylux flanked by Metroids to deliver… that.

The Lamorn were played so straight that they felt like a Chozo ripoff; Samus seemingly had a lobotomy at some after Metroid Prime 3 and forgot how to talk; the game being built around the Directors very questionable desire to end the game on a on a moral conundrum that only served to make Samus look bad; the absolute lack of the Fusion Metroids the trailers had introduced in any meaningful way; Myles and the rest of the good-intentioned-but-not-necessarily-wanted Galactic Troopers. You could take your pick among many offenders, but the thing that bugs me the most is Sylux.

Nintendo spent all those years building up this encounter, investing time into this character, and getting fans excited with that initial trailer featuring Sylux flanked by Metroids to deliver… that.

I know Metroid Prime 4 has its defenders and I’m not trying to take away from your enjoyment. If you liked how Sylux was portrayed in game, power to you. But I did not. Sylux was barely a part of the narrative, despite fighting him a few times. He hardly interacted with Samus (to be fair, Samus hardly interacted with anybody). When you did see him, it wasn’t even him, it was a Psy-Bots (I don’t remember what chicanery they came up with to explain how he could control these), The worst offender was the cutscene revealing his backstory; it was laughably bad, revealing nothing other than, ‘this Sylux guy is kind of a jerk’ – if anyone was expecting nuance, well, that wasn’t on the menu here. This is IF players even saw this backstory cutscene at all, which is unlikely, since this scene does not play in game; you have to search for it in the Extras Gallery.

Put plainly: the teased story set up from the post-credits of previous Metroid Prime titles really wasn’t the story that Metroid Prime 4 was interested in telling, and it kind of just feels to me like Sylux was inserted out of a sense of obligation.

Maybe the idea was to set up Sylux as this cool bad guy for a reveal in Metroid Prime 5, but I am just going to flat out state: Beyond was the game, it was the moment to make Sylux a significant character in the Metroid series, and they chose to tell a completely different story instead.

Sylux’s aura is completely gone post Metroid Prime 4. That, however, is where Metroid Ravenous comes into play.

I’ve talked to many Metroid fans who fear that after Beyond’s disappointment reception, both critically and commercially, Metroid Prime 5 might not even get made. I don’t think I feel that low about the state of the series, but I will say that I don’t know what you do with Sylux or the overall plot going forward.

Would I want to see Sylux in Metroid Prime 5? Ehh. Maybe. Am I excited about that possibility? Not really. I feel indifferent, which is not good. Nintendo took this character that they had built up for nearly twenty years (subtly, granted) and made him go from mysterious, cool, and dangerous to… kind of just a geek.

Again – I don’t want to yuck anyone’s yum. I know there are some who like how the character was handled in Beyond. To me though, I feel like his portrayal in Metroid Prime 4 really killed my interest in him, and I know that I am not alone in this sentiment. My intention with all the pre-text isn’t to beat up Metroid Prime 4; it’s to properly contextualize why I feel like drastic shift is needed.

Sylux’s aura is completely gone post Metroid Prime 4. That, however, is where Metroid Ravenous comes into play.

It should be noted: Sylux needs Metroid Ravenous more than Metroid Ravenous needs Sylux. But it could still be a really nice match!

All of our main villains in the 2D Metroid series – Mother Brain, Ridley, the X, the Metroids, Raven Beak – are all dead and defeated. There is a clear void in the lead antagonist department that needs to be filled. Of course, Nintendo could easily just create a new villain, and that would probably be very cool, but I think that you could basically do that and rehabilitate Sylux at the same time.

Sylux’s character is such that it can still be developed to fit Ravenous’ needs. The character is still more or less a blank slate following Metroid Prime 4; we just know Sylux is a former Galactic Federation marine and holds a grudge against Samus and the Federation. I’m not sure post-Beyond that Sylux’s true identity means much anymore, so maybe you don’t even go there. Or maybe you do! 2D Metroid would be getting an established character, but one who’s story has barely been written, so they could do whatever they wanted with Sylux.

One of our podcast episodes after Metroid Prime 4 came out was titled “How can Nintendo make Sylux cool again?”. I think it’s this.

Seeing Sylux appear during Ravenous, or even in the post-game cutscene, would be shocking, it would be a fresh start, and it would be the first major crossover between the 2D and Prime series, something fans have been asking for for many years. This could be a natural way to introduce Metroids back into the 2D series as well, as we know that Sylux has previously bred Metroids. 

I think the idea of Sylux formulating this group of Assassins that we see during the Metroid Ravenous trailer is really compelling. I also like the possibility that Sylux, who notoriously stole his ship and equipment from the Galactic Federation, could somehow steal E.M.M.I. tech from Exelion Star Corporation to upgrade his own gear or even build his own Assassin E.M.M.I.’s. I also really like the thought that in 2D Metroid, the Galactic Federation is viewed with a little more suspicion that in the Metroid Prime series, which could really open up some possibilities given Sylux’s long established hatred of that organization and Samus’s encounters with the Federations underbelly in Metroid Fusion.

One of our podcast episodes after Metroid Prime 4 came out was titled “How can Nintendo make Sylux cool again?”. I think it’s this.

If Nintendo really wanted to be ambitious, they could even link Sylux and his grudge of the Galactic Federation to the events of Metroid Fusion somehow, perhaps tying in the seedy part of the Galactic Federation that is secretly breeding Metroids and trying to capture the SA-X to Sylux’s grudge. Seeing where Samus would fit in would be fascinating. Expanding on Excelion is also an option – maybe they’re a corrupt arms dealer actually working with Sylux – there are lots of interesting directions Sylux could take 2D Metroid in as lead villain.

I’m not even against Sylux playing the role of supporting character in the 2D series – something maybe akin to Hornet’s role in the first Hollow Knight. I would hope that Sylux would get a bit of a run in the 2D series as well; I’ve always thought Raven Beak was killed off too early, so being that supporting antagonist would allow Sylux to appear ideally over the course of a couple games. I just think that, in the 2D series, Sylux would be a big deal again.

What would this mean for Sylux in future Prime games? Well, probably just that him getting blown up with the Federation Troopers at the end of Beyond is his official goodbye in the Metroid Prime series, and honestly, would that disappoint many people at this point?

It helps that Sylux, mechanically and as a boss character (or dare I say even a playable character) players would fight, feels like he was made for 2D Metroid. Thinking of the ways the Lockjaw and Shock Coil could work in a 2D space feels really exciting. I’m imagining trip wire traps, Morph Ball boss fights maybe, the Shock Coil and Grapple Beam maybe being used against each other, the speed of which Sylux should be moving. It also doesn’t hurt thinking of MercurySteam taking a stab at Sylux’s suit design; their versions of Samus’s suits have been some of my favorite, and I’m sure the Delano 7 would look killer, too.

What would this mean for Sylux in future Prime games? Well, probably just that him getting blown up with the Federation Troopers at the end of Beyond is his official goodbye in the Metroid Prime series, and honestly, would that disappoint many people at this point?

Is this going to happen? Almost certainly not. I don’t even know if it could happen. Metroid Prime 5 featuring the long awaited backstory of Sylux could already be in development for all we know; maybe that game will even be awesome and make Sylux totally cool again. I would be the first to say Nintendo pulled off what I perceived to be almost an impossible task and I would be happy they did, apologize for ever doubting them, and bask in the joy of the fans. But I don’t see it. Not right now.

A move like this would take cojones, no doubt. But I think it would be such a power move.

Sylux needs a fresh start. The Metroid Prime series needs a reset. Metroid Ravenous needs a villain. It’s not so crazy when you think about it.

 

What do you think of this pitch? Hate it? Willing to go along with it? Let us know what you think! You can chat with us about your favorite game or your new entry to the series over on our Discord server!