Metroid

Metroid
Logo since 2017
Genre(s)	Platform Action-adventure First-person shooter Side scroller Pinball
Developer(s)	Nintendo R&D1 (1986–2004) Intelligent Systems (1986–1994)[1] Retro Studios (2002–present) Fuse Games (2005) Nintendo Software Technology (2006) Team Ninja (2010) Nintendo SPD (2010) Next Level Games (2016) MercurySteam (2017–present) Nintendo EPD (2017–present)
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Creator(s)	Satoru Okada Gunpei Yokoi Hiroji Kiyotake Yoshio Sakamoto
Platform(s)	Famicom Disk System NES Game Boy SNES Game Boy Advance GameCube Nintendo DS Wii Nintendo 3DS Nintendo Switch
First release	Metroid August 6, 1986
Latest release	Metroid Dread (Original entry) Metroid Prime Remastered October 8, 2021 (Original entry) February 8, 2023

Metroid^[a] is an action-adventure game franchise created by Nintendo. The player controls the bounty hunter Samus Aran, who protects the galaxy from Space Pirates and other malevolent forces and their attempts to harness the power of the parasitic Metroid creatures.

Metroid combines the platforming of Super Mario Bros. and the exploration of The Legend of Zelda with a science fiction setting and an emphasis on nonlinear gameplay. Most Metroid games are side-scrolling, while the 3D games use a first-person perspective. Players battle hostile alien enemies and obtain power-ups as they progress through the game world. The series is known for its isolated atmosphere, featuring few non-player characters.

The first Metroid was developed by Nintendo R&D1 and released on the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1986. Metroid II: Return of Samus was released for the handheld Game Boy in 1991. Super Metroid (1994), released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, received acclaim and is considered one of the best games on the console. After a hiatus, Metroid Fusion (2002) and Metroid: Zero Mission (2004) were released for the Game Boy Advance.

The first 3D Metroid game, Metroid Prime (2002), was developed by Retro Studios for the GameCube and received acclaim. It was followed by Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (2004) and the Wii game Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (2007). Metroid: Other M (2010), developed by Team Ninja for the Wii, received weaker reviews. After another hiatus, MercurySteam developed a remake of Metroid II: Return of Samus, Metroid: Samus Returns (2017) for the handheld Nintendo 3DS, followed by Metroid Dread (2021) for the Nintendo Switch.

As of September 2012, the Metroid series had sold over 17.44 million copies.^[2] It has been represented in other Nintendo media, including the Super Smash Bros. series. Additional media includes soundtracks, comic books, and manga. Along with the 1997 Konami game Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, the early Metroid games defined the Metroidvania subgenre, inspiring other games with continuous, explorable side-scrolling levels. Samus was one of the first prominent female video game characters.

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