Metroid Musing: Would An Open-World Metroid Game Really Be That Different Than A Traditional Metroidvania?

I know, I know, some Metroid fans shudder at the idea of our favorite franchise losing its identity and falling victim to the mainstream appeal of open-world gaming, but I’m here to suggest that Metroid has been somewhat adjacent to the open-world concept since the beginning.

Now no one is going to confuse the original Metroid or Super Metroid for that matter with a “choose your own path” game like Breath of the Wild or The Elder Scrolls games, but if the concept of an “open-world” game means you can explore *most* of the map, complete objectives in different orders, but are still somewhat restricted from what’s considered high level or end-game content, then I would like to re-examine these two iconic Metroid games under this definition.

In the original Metroid on the NES (as well as the GameBoy Advance remake Metroid: Zero Mission), you are dropped onto Zebes and are essentially free to explore from the jump. There is no required order to beat the game, you just eventually need enough power ups to beat Kraid, Ridley, & Mother Brain. While there are barriers and power-specific obstacles, you can basically choose your own path from the get-go. In the remake, with sequence-breaking (a key factor in all this), you can explore and power up basically as much or little as you want. Ballsparking to get early Super Missiles, or grabbing the Screw Attack early drastically changes how the game plays out in fun and novel ways, letting you choose (if you’re capable) how you want your adventure to play out.

Super Metroid has so many possibilities for sequence-breaking, it would take too long to list them all here, but the same concept obviously applies. There are a crazy number of paths to take and upgrades to get or skip, while some people are even talented enough to do the bosses in reverse order, which begs the question how is this that much different than the boss or power-up structure of any given open-world game?

Metroid has already maintained its core formula while sprinkling in some of these open world features, could some more obvious open-world mechanics fit the series going forward as well? How do you feel about Metroid’s history with what are considered open-world features? Would you be open to seeing more of this emphasized in future Metroid games? Let us know in the comments below!

Metroda

Hey I’m Kendall or Metroda. I first saw Samus on Smash 64 but never played any Metroid until getting Fusion & Echoes 20 years ago and it’s been my favorite series ever since. I also love Zelda, Elder Scrolls, Civilization, and most 2D platformers. When I’m not hanging with my kids or gaming I also love basketball, reading, and I will talk your ear off about biology, astronomy, archaeology, or history.