Arena area of Chozo base

The arena area of Chozo base is a room in Metroid II: Return of Samus and Metroid: Samus Returns.

Description
As the name implies, the arena area of Chozo base is a room in the depths of Area 1 beneath the Chozo ruins, and is the setting of a Metroid battle. During her mission to exterminate the Metroids, Samus Aran is required to enter this room and kill the Alpha Metroid that resides in it.

The layout of the room remains almost unchanged between Return of Samus and its remake. It consists of four raised platforms above brambles of red plants. As she battles the Alpha Metroid in this arena, Samus must carefully jump between the platforms to avoid falling into the red plants and taking damage. Although the floor has several safe places to stand in Return of Samus, it is entirely covered with red plants in Samus Returns.

With the improved graphics of Samus Returns, the black background has been replaced with a fully detailed environment, showing beams of architecture presumably supporting the Chozo base directly above. The arena area is coated with Metroid webs, presumably left behind by the Alpha Metroid inhabiting this room.

In Samus Returns, once the Alpha Metroid is killed, Samus can return to the arena area to find it inhabited by Gulluggs and a Gravitt. This demonstrates the shifting balance of the SR388 ecosystem: lesser prey are allowed to thrive while the apex predators are driven to extinction by Samus.

Return of Samus

 * 1 Alpha Metroid

Samus Returns

 * 1 Alpha Metroid
 * 1 Gravitt
 * 2 Gulluggs

Nintendo Power Volume 31

 * PHASE 3 CONTINUED (pg. 61)
 * ALPHA METROID
 * "Watch for the dangerous bushes as you're going after the Metroid that is holed up in this corner."