Metroid Musing: Would You Want A Top-Down Metroid Game?

Metroid was born as a 2D side scrolling game, while years later, Metroid Prime revolutionized the formula by adapting the gameplay to a 3D first person perspective. But is there room for a third perspective?

With game development costs and cycles forever on the rise, a new top-down or isometric style Metroid could be a solution to both issues. Whether sticking closely to traditional fast paced 2D side scrolling gameplay (the Blaster Master series comes to mind), or inventing a new way to play Metroid, such as a more tactical turn based combat system, it could pay off and add diversity to Metroid by having the games take place from a different perspective. If nothing else, these hypothetical games would be smaller in scope and quicker to develop and ship in between “mainline” Metroid releases. It may be unlikely for Nintendo to devote three separate developers to the Metroid franchise, but stranger things have happened.

Would you be open to a top-down Metroid experience? Is this too big a departure from traditional Metroid, or something else entirely? Let us know your thoughts on our socials or down in the comments below!