This guest article was written by SG fan Magcargoman3.
Warning: While most of the content in this article is factual, there is some speculation towards the end of it.
Statistics
Now that every stage from the Metroid series has been discussed, I will now provide some statistics showing which games have had stages and how many times in a table below. Despite its rather humble amount of stages, the series has had more games covered than other series that have had just as many stages.
| Game | Year of Release | Stages | Smash game debuted in |
| Main Series | |||
| Super Metroid | 1994 | Planet Zebes
Brinstar Brinstar Depths Norfair |
Super Smash Bros.
Super Smash Bros. Melee Super Smash Bros. Melee Super Smash Bros. Brawl |
| Metroid: Other M | 2010 | Pyrosphere | Super Smash Bros. for Wii U |
| Prime Series | |||
| Metroid Prime | 2002 | Frigate Orpheon | Super Smash Bros. Brawl |
The next table I have provided focuses on how many Metroid stages each game in the Super Smash Bros. series has had. Unlike previous series I’ve covered like Mario, Zelda and Kirby, Metroid does not have any stages shared by both Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U.
| Game | New Metroid Stages | Returning Metroid Stages | Total Stages |
| Super Smash Bros. | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Super Smash Bros. Melee | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Super Smash Bros. Brawl | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Super Smash Bros. for Wii U | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U (combined) | 1 | 2 | 3 |
Grand total of Metroid stages in the Super Smash Bros. series: 6 Stages
And to conclude these statistics, we have one last table that shows how many times each console has had stages based on its games in Smash.
| Console | Number of Stages |
| SNES | 4 |
| GameCube | 1 |
| Wii | 1 |
Trivia
– The oldest Metroid game represented is Super Metroid (1994) and the latest is Metroid: Other M (2010).
– Super Metroid is the only Metroid game to have more than one stage, having four stages.
– Super Smash Bros. Melee is the only game in the series to feature an unlockable Metroid stage.
– Brinstar being an exclusive stage in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS could possibly be a nod to Metroid: Zero Mission, which is a handheld exclusive remake of the original Metroid.
– Frigate Orpheon is the only Metroid stage that is not themed around acid/lava.
– The remaining main series Metroid games that have never had a stage in Smash at the time of 3DS/Wii U are Metroid, Metroid II: Return of Samus, Metroid Fusion and Metroid: Zero Mission.
– Metroid Prime is the only game in the Prime series to have had a stage in Smash.
– There has never been a stage in Smash based on a handheld Metroid game.
– The Metroid series is one of only two series (the other being Donkey Kong) that had two new stages in Brawl, but none in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.
– None of the playable Metroid characters have had a stage based on their debut game
Notable Absences
While the Metroid series was on top of covering the franchise during the first two Smash games, when the series had many new titles released after Melee it became harder for the series to keep up with representing them all, especially due to how few stages the franchise gets in each game, particularly Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U where there was only one new stage in the Wii U version and none at all in the 3DS version. Here in this section I will talk about a few of the most notable Metroid games that have not have a stage in Smash yet.
Metroid II: Return of Samus is the first sequel to the original Metroid and introduced many improvements to the gameplay formula, as well as many recurring elements like Samus’ gunship and the iconic Varia Suit’s design. Yet despite its significance, there has never been any references to it in Smash beyond some mere trophies, and even then those were of things that had appeared in other games besides it. It just seems like it missed its opportunity to get a stage during the first two games, when so few Metroid titles were around. Fortunately, Metroid II has been thrust back into the spotlight thanks to its 3DS remake, Metroid: Samus Returns, which was only released last year. With this new-found relevance, maybe Metroid II will finally be acknowledged with a stage in the next Super Smash Bros. game.
Samus faces off against the SA-X, who is vying to be a clone character in Smash.
Metroid Fusion was the first Metroid game to be released after Melee and is chronologically the latest game in the series. Not only did it mark the return of the franchise after a long eight-year hiatus, but its story ended on a cliffhanger that has left fans clamouring for a follow-up since. However by the time of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Fusion was overshadowed by more recent titles like Zero Mission and the Prime games. Because of this, it did not get a stage, but did receive a smaller amount of content which included a remix of Sector 1, appearances of the Fusion Suit through one of Samus’ palette swaps and a trophy, and a small selection of stickers. While it was understandable why it missed out on getting a stage in Brawl, that it was ignored again in the 3DS version of Smash 4 despite the focus on handheld games is a rather missed opportunity. Because of the release of several new Metroid titles since Smash 3DS/Wii U, it’s likely Fusion won’t get a stage in the next Smash Bros. game, but hopefully it does get some more acknowledgements like a few more songs and trophies.
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption was the finale of Retro Studios’ Metroid Prime trilogy and the last game of the sub-series for a long time. It came out a bit too soon before Brawl‘s release but there was only one new Metroid game released between Brawl and Smash 4, so it was still a relevant title in the series. However, in Smash Wii U only one Metroid stage was added, that being from Other M, while Corruption received no representation at all beyond the design and attacks used for Dark Samus, with not even a song or trophy to its name. With many games under its belt the Prime series is certainly deserving of more representation, and to not have it appear prominently alongside the main series in Smash Wii U as it did back in Brawl is rather short-sighted.
Predicting the Future
As with past analysis articles, I will now make my predictions for what kinds of stages we might see in the next Super Smash Bros. title for the Nintendo Switch. As before with all other series with the exception of Kirby, Metroid will receive a stage from one of the newer titles that has been released after the previous Smash game. However, unlike other series, the latest game isn’t always guaranteed. Brawl went with a stage from the first Metroid Prime rather than the more recent Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, and the Norfair stage was based on Super Metroid‘s iteration despite being the setting being recent due to Metroid: Zero Mission. Another recurring theme with Metroid stages is that with the exception of one, all stages from the series are themed around lava or acid. However I don’t think this will have any bearing on what stages will be chosen in the next game.
Samus didn’t just return to being playable, she returned to her former glory.
– A Metroid II: Return of Samus/Metroid: Samus Returns stage
The first new game, Metroid: Samus Returns is a remake of Metroid II and the game that brought the Metroid series out of a long slump. Being the latest game in the series, and one of only two released after Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U, it is extremely likely we will get a stage based on its setting; the Metroid homeworld SR388. However, there is a possibility it may not be based off Samus Returns visually, and instead could be based off the original Metroid II like how Norfair in Brawl was based off Super Metroid and not Metroid: Zero Mission, or even be based on its brief appearance in Metroid Fusion. Either way, the release of Metroid: Samus Returns definitely bodes well for the chances of seeing a visit to the Metroid homeworld in the next Smash, something that is long overdue.
Most developers create hype with a trailer. Nintendo did it with just a logo.
– A Metroid Prime 4 stage
At Nintendo’s Spotlight E3 2017 event, the next title in the Metroid Prime series was teased, Metroid Prime 4. Although nothing was shown but a logo, it is likely we will see this game release within the next two years, and we could even see gameplay at this year’s E3. If that is the case, Nintendo may want to capitalise on this by having a Prime 4 stage appear in the new Super Smash Bros., similarly to how Sakurai implemented a Yoshi’s Woolly World stage in Smash Wii U when that game had not been released yet. As we know nothing about the game’s settings, what location they could choose would be a very exciting mystery indeed.
– A Metroid Prime 3: Corruption stage
Conversely, Metroid Prime 4 being only announced last year could work against it, as it may be too far off from release to be included in the next game, at least in the launch stage line-up. If that is the case, than Sakurai may want to go back to previous Prime title instead, and due to how it was the latest console game in the series, that candidate would more than likely be Metroid Prime 3. What location would be chosen is unknown, but there are many different locales that would make fantastic set-pieces, such as SkyTown, the Space Pirate Homeworld, or even Phaaze, all of which have a unique aesthetic unlike any other stages in the series.
Conclusion
And with that comes an end to this analysis on the Metroid series stages present in the Super Smash Bros. franchise. Despite its small amount of stages, the series has gotten a decent amount of coverage with it stages (arguably better than some other series), some of which have many smaller details that may go unnoticed to many. The amount of representation it got through stages in the fourth instalments for 3DS and Wii U however were rather lacking with only one stage in Wii U and none at all in the 3DS version, but hopefully this will be fixed in the next game due to the series’ recent reinvigoration. Originally I had only planned to do the first four most-represented series for these analysis articles, but after Metroid‘s big comeback since last year, I thought it would be a really good opportunity to do one now, especially regarding predictions for new stages. With E3 just around the corner, we’ll be seeing what new stages will appear in the next Super Smash Bros. soon. Maybe one of those revealed at the event will be from Metroid! I hope you all enjoyed this analysis, and maybe even were inspired to go back and read my previous ones. Thanks for reading, and hype responsibly!
