Last week’s Nintendo Direct packed plenty of reveals and updates, but it was still largely overshadowed by the The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Direct – including the official unveiling of that coveted special edition Switch 2 console – that aired the day prior.
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But for fans of a certain female galactic bounty hunter, it was the more vanilla broadcast that brought the week’s biggest Nintendo news: The reveal of a new 2D Metroid title. Dubbed Metroid Ravenous, the game was not only announced, but was accompanied by a slick-as-hell trailer and a not-too-distant release date of January 28, 2027.
It seems Samus Aran’s fans, both existing and entirely new, were excited enough by this reveal to revisit – or discover for the very first time – the long-running sci-fi series’ previous 2D side-scrolling entry, Metroid Dread. Spotted by GamesRadar, the 2021 title has been climbing Nintendo’s eShop charts since Ravenous‘ reveal six days ago.
Surging past the likes of Super Mario Galaxy and its sequel, and even The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Metroid Dread is clearly having a moment some five years after it originally released to adoring fans and critical acclaim. To be sure, the game racked up plenty of positive reviews, including being called one of 2021’s best titles in ComicBook’s own review, to ultimately chart an 88% aggregate review score average on Metacritic.
Of course, the response to Ravenous – and the resurgence of Dread – isn’t all that surprising given the franchise’s loyal fanbase and, particularly, its soft spot for the series’ 2D entries. The sci-fi action-adventure, which helped spawn the popular “Metroidvania” genre along with Konami’s side-scrolling Castlevania games, got its start in the 8-bit era, debuting in 1986 on the original Nintendo Entertainment System.
The franchise has also found great success with its first-person, 3D Metroid Prime entries, though its lower-fi installments – which started as spin-offs on Nintendo’s Game Boy handhelds – have continued to claim a rabid following. In fact, its Game Boy Advance entries, 2002’s Metroid Fusion and 2004’s Metroid: Zero Mission, rank among the series’ highest-rated.
Aside from some more experimental efforts, like Metroid Prime Pinball and Metroid Prime: Federation Force, Samus’ portable alien-eliminating exploits took over a decade off, returning in 2017 with the aptly titled Metroid: Samus Returns. A remake of the Game Boy’s Metroid II: Return of Samus, Samus Returns was a big enough success to ensure the side-scrolling series’ future, which brings us back to Dread, released in 2021.
The high anticipation for Ravenous and renewed interest in Dread is further fueled by the fact that developer MercurySteam is returning. The trusted studio behind both Samus Returns and Dread has become synonymous with the franchise’s beloved 2D games, so it certainly works in Ravenous’s favor that the team’s continuing to be the stewards of its side-scrolling spin-offs.
Of course, it also doesn’t hurt that Dread, along with Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and Metroid Prime Remastered are currently part of Nintendo’s customer appreciation sale, bringing their regular prices down by 30%. So whether you’re prepping for Ravenous or just want to revisit Dread, you can currently don Samus’ Power Suit and fire up her Arm Cannon for $41.99.
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