Queen's nest

The Queen's nest is a room in Metroid II: Return of Samus and Metroid: Samus Returns.

Description
The Queen's nest is found at the center of Metroid hive in Area 8 of SR388. As such, it is the den of the Queen Metroid responsible for propagating the entire Metroid species. Samus Aran enters the Queen's nest during her mission to exterminate the Metroids, leading to the climatic battle against the Queen Metroid.

In Return of Samus, the Queen's nest appears to have artificial structures, likely remnants of the Chozo ruins now inhabited by the Metroids. In Samus Returns, it is redesigned with a much more organic aesthetic, with the floor and walls caked with Metroid webs. Her brood of hatched Metroid Eggs can be seen in the background, partially submerged in a pool of unidentified green liquid pouring out of large pulsating organic structures.

There are two sections of the Queen's nest. The right side of the room is where the Queen Metroid and her hatched eggs are found. The left side of the room is where a single unhatched Metroid Egg can be found. In Return of Samus, the latter is actually loaded as a separate room (connected directly to the tunnels leading to the Surface), but is made part of the Queen's nest in Samus Returns. When she first enters the Metroid hive at an earlier point, Samus passes through a narrow tunnel directly beneath the single egg.

It is a fairly long room, but the Queen Metroid's bulk takes up much of the room and leaves Samus with cramped, claustrophobic quarters to dodge incoming attacks. Although Samus drops into the room through a hole in the ceiling, she cannot directly return to the room above through this entrance. In Return of Samus, there is a hole in the floor that Samus can use to escape if she needs to restock on energy and missiles; when the Queen Metroid is killed, this is covered up, preventing Samus from backtracking. In Samus Returns, Screw Attack Blocks in the ceiling allow Samus to return to the room above after killing the Queen Metroid.

After the Queen Metroid is killed, Samus walks into the left side of the Queen's nest, where she finds the last Metroid Egg just before it hatches into an Infant Metroid. Samus decides to spare the baby's life, and it assists her by clearing out crystals blocking their path back to the Surface.

While the Queen's nest can only be visited in Return of Samus and its remake, the scene where the baby Metroid hatches is revisited as a flashback in Super Metroid and Metroid: Other M. These games depict the Queen's nest as a natural cave with stalactites.

Connecting rooms
In both games, the Queen's nest is entered through a corridor directly above the room, and the left side of the room connects to the tunnel network leading back to the Surface (in Return of Samus, the Metroid Egg is part of the latter). In Return of Samus, an opening in the floor leads to a room with a Big Energy Ball and Missile Battery.

Inhabitants

 * 1 Infant Metroid (baby)
 * 1 Queen Metroid

Metroid: Samus Returns Official Guide

 * QUEEN METROID (pg. 200)
 * PHASE 1
 * "The Queen's nest is long and narrow; there isn't much in the way of ceiling space here. The Queen's attacks take up large portions of the room, and the Queen itself moves forward and backward, either pressing you against the wall or giving you a good bit of wiggle room. Space is a constant issue, so always be mindful of potential safe spots and escape routes to avoid taking damage."