Samus’s Story: My Introduction to Metroid

It was 2004. My mom got me a Game Boy Advance for my birthday, and along with it, a copy of hack-and-slash action game The Revenge of Shinobi. As it was the only game I owned at the time, I played that until I couldn’t play it any more. But around Christmas that same year, I wound up getting two more GBA games — one was a Jimmy Neutron game, and the other was Metroid: Zero Mission. Little did I expect Zero Mission to become my most played game on that platform.

At the time, I was completely unfamiliar with the lore of Metroid. But I read the instruction booklet back and forth, and I developed a new hyper fixation to match that of Power Rangers and Sonic the Hedgehog. My love for the Metroid franchise grew when I finally got myself a GameCube, which my father gifted to me. The one game I knew I wanted was Metroid Prime, but unfortunately at that time, my mother couldn’t afford it — neither of my friends had it either. So I was stuck with Metroid: Zero Mission for the time being, though I did watch plenty of Prime and Echoes gameplay to make up for it.

Fast forward to 2011. My family and I were homeless, and I no longer had my Game Boy anymore. I had to fill the time with drawing and music to make my situation less dull. There was, however, a tenant at the shelter we stayed at that did have a GameCube, and along with it, a copy of Metroid Prime. I told this tenant that I had never played it before, so she let me play it for the first time. It made my day being able to experience it, sitting in front of an old CRT TV that the shelter pulled out just for us to play it on.

My love for the Metroid franchise has grown deeper and deeper since that day. The older I got, the more opportunities I had to play Metroid, often through emulation. Once I got my first-ever smart phone, I downloaded a GBA emulator to replay Zero Mission and I got the chance to try out Metroid Fusion for the first time. The story and ambiance of Fusion struck a particular chord, making it a perfect game for me.

As time has gone on, I have added even more Metroid games to my belt, always eager to play any of the newer titles that come out. Each game means something to me, and I’m often taken back to the time I first remember playing Metroid. This franchise has been with me my whole life, and I’m grateful for the journey it took me through. With Metroid Prime 4: Beyond out this very instant, I’m eager to add another memory.

To Yoshio Sakamoto, Gunpei Yokoi, and Nintendo, I thank you for putting out one of the best franchises of all time. Through all the ups and downs, I stood with this franchise to this very moment. We, the fans, are appreciative of all the work you’ve put in, and I couldn’t express that enough. To all the friends and people I’ve met along the way, I’m happy that we can share this moment together.

See you next mission, bounty hunters. Take care of yourselves and each other.

-Samus

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Samus Dreamcast

Samus Dreamcast, also known as Zyndetta, is a music producer and a variety content creator. They’ve been a fan of the Metroid series since 2005 with Metroid Zero Mission being their first Metroid game. Samus likes having fun, chilling, horror movies, wrestling, and skateboarding.