How Metroid Prime 5 Can Advance The Series

Let The Robot Cook

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I’ll spare the cumbersome overview and launch straight into the matter. I want Samus to be an actual bounty hunter.

What if instead of only getting work from the Galactic Feds and being glued to one central mission Samus was able to jump between a few worlds and pick up various types of work? Sure, there would still need to be an over-arching storyline with main quests, but we need Samus to break into the wonderful world of side-quests.

I’ve been playing through Star Wars Outlaws recently and can’t help but think, “how cool would it be to have a larger adventure like this in the Metroid universe?!” Samus could buzz around different worlds, picking up contracts, living her best life. How would you get these contracts and what would you even be doing? Great question.

Open For Work

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The key thing to preserve when it comes to Metroid is the atmosphere. That feeling of being on your own as you venture into these worlds. “Well, wouldn’t speaking to people in towns or villages break that immersion?”, you ask. Maybe there’s another way.

· Help Wanted

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Instead of having to rely on verbal contracts there could be a network of terminals setup throughout the galaxy where bounty hunters pick up work, like a digital “help wanted” board. I was reminded of my SilkSong play-through and how you could clear an area then come back to the “wish boards” and pick up side quests. A similar setup would allow Samus to operate mostly alone and only have to find the terminals to manage her missions. Shove an arm cannon into a slot, pick up some work.

Of course there would be some occasions, like the mainline story quests, that would have interaction with others. But the majority of the game would be Samus alone, out in the wilds, overcoming the environment and enemies to accomplish her goal.

· Never A Dull Moment

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These contracts could be to find a missing individual, hunt down treasure / lost parts, or to take out baddies. Adding to the draw of contracts, perhaps you need to complete a certain quest in order to obtain a specific power-up and then come back to another main story line piece to advance. Like a real Metroidvania!!

Some of the contracts could be for the Feds. There could be bases on some of the planets that get overrun with pirates and they need to be cleared out. Or maybe there are pirate camps, hijackings, or any other pirate related fun to run into as you work your way through the galaxy. Other contracts could be working for individuals or various groups around the galaxy, allowing the chance to expand the world of Metroid in a controlled way.

But … what do you accomplish with these missions? Just the satisfaction of helping out others? Hardly!

My Suit Needs An Oil Change

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There is plenty of room to expand beyond the “Samus has to hunt down and regain all her power-ups from Chozo Statues” setup that we’ve grown used to. Yes, mainline power-ups like Morph Ball and such could be found at Chozo locations across the planets. However, it would be great to have a list of parts needed to upgrade weapons and other aspects Samus’ suit and even her Gunship. Along with the required parts you would need some currency and to find the right person to perform such upgrades.

Now we have some valid reasons to pick up contracts. Find parts, get money, locate Chozo ruins, and maybe even rescue someone who can upgrade our stuff (maybe we run into our old buddy Myles again).

Does This Thing Have NOS?

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I want to fly the Gunship. You want to fly the Gunship. Let us fly the Gunship.

Even if there are no major dog fights in space, just getting to pilot Samus’ Gunship for small periods when jumping between planets or even to dock with a space station or two would be incredible. Maybe there are pirates on a space station near one of the planets and we have to head up there and reclaim the station. Maybe fire a missile or two… who knows. Any way you look at it just getting a taste of flying the Gunship, however briefly, in the next Prime would be a step that hopefully would lead to seeing more if it in future titles.

· Other Forms Of Traversal

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In addition to flying the Gunship, there are more opportunities for Samus to pilot other vehicles in her adventure. I would imagine Vi-O-La would be a super handy thing to have when crossing larger maps on each of the worlds versus being relegated to an empty desert. The vehicle could adapt to each landscape and be useful in many areas of the game.

Companions

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Not going too deep on this subject as it is a hotbed of emotion for some. The main point I wanted to cover was the presumed need for additional NPCs to drive the story or give hints as you move through the game. While I would be on board with Samus running into NPCs who add to the game in some way I feel the main “companion” would be Samus’ suit. Throughout the series Samus’ suit holds the map, keeps record of story quests, and picks up distress beacons. This could be the main way Samus potentially gets hints and finds quests / contracts that are triggered at specific parts of maps. No need to make the suit fully sentient like a Navi wearable… keep it cool.

Finally, Let’s Set The Stage

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Why not wrap up with where these events might take place? Who wants the scene to be set at the beginning? Sounds like a format for spoilers…

While I don’t have names of actual locations thought up (for now anyway), there are some pretty obvious choices for the types of places Samus would travel. Seems likely there would be 3 - 4 planets with various climates / environments and Samus would travel between them to fulfill contracts, gather materials, and advance the storyline.

There has to be an ice planet, a volcano planet, and a jungle planet. It’s not a proper Metroid without those ingredients. There could be a fourth planet that is desert, grass lands, or is more open in general that serves as the tutorial and “home base” if one is needed. Though that could be folded into part of the “jungle” planet.

Each planet would have a decent sized map with various amount of density and places that would be more populated given where the story progression is or what contracts have been taken (empty spot now has an alien enemy later when I pick up a contract to eliminate the nuisance).

And of course … there should be space just outside each planet where we get to pilot the Gunship.

I Know You got Thoughts

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Have I just completely insulted you and everything this franchise stands for? Or possibly generated a few sparks inside your mind leading to additional thoughts? I don’t have a comment system setup here (yet) but feel free to hit me up on socials.

[End Rant]