Save Station


 * This article refers to the device. For other uses, see Save Station (Disambiguation).

Save Stations (called Save Points in Metroid II: Return of Samus or occasionally Save Rooms) are a recurring feature in the Metroid series. Save Stations allow Samus to save her progress (sometimes referred to in-game as a "data backup") during missions. Save Stations first debuted in Metroid II: Return of Samus and have appeared in every Metroid game since then, making the original Metroid and Hunters  the only games without Save Stations (instead, Metroid uses Passwords and Hunters uses the Gunship). In the games in which it is present, Samus Aran's gunship also functions as a Save Station that also refills health and ammunition, with the exception of Metroid II, where it only serves to restore health and ammo. In the Prime Series, Save Stations also act as Recharge Stations, allowing Samus to recover all her health even if she chooses not to save her progress. Federation Troopers refer to Save Stations as Recharge Stations too.

In Metroid: Other M, Save Stations are replaced by Navigation Booths which act as Save Stations and also allow Samus to download map data. It is implied that the other soldiers in the 07th Platoon use them to communicate when not together.

Design
Save Stations vary in design throughout the series. The original save station from Metroid II: Return of Samus is nothing more than an ornate pole with a glowing top. Super Metroid features a capsule-like design, but in Metroid Fusion and Metroid Zero Mission save points are weight sensitive platforms. Metroid Prime's (designed by Don Hogan ) and Metroid Prime 2: Echoes's have several "working fingers" that project beams of light that seem to restore Samus' suit energy. In Prime these are constantly extended, but in Echoes they descend for saving and ascend when the process is completed. In Metroid Prime 3: Corruption they appear revamped, with a more simplistic and sleek design which functions almost exactly the same as in Fusion. Metroid: Other M ' s 'Navigation Booths' are also simplistic touch-sensitive platforms, which restore energy in a similar way to the ones seen in Corruption. The varying designs can probably be attributed to the different planets they appear on, and the culture of the race that made them.

Trivia

 * During Echoes, Samus' shoulder pads "relax" when Saving, adopting a lower position closer to the shoulders. They do the opposite when Saving is completed, returning to their original higher position.
 * In Zero Mission, all the Save Stations aboard the Space Pirate ship and in the Chozo Ruins in Chozodia restore health and weapons, while no others (save Samus's gunship) do anything more than save the game. This may be due to the fact that Space Pirates do not drop Energy Capsules when defeated.
 * In Metroid Prime, if Samus loads the game at a Save Station previously visited, Samus can skip the scene. There is a glitch that makes the Save Station room "music" play throughout the area after she's done this, and exits the room quickly. (Excluding boss battles).
 * In Super Smash Bros. and Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Samus makes her appearance by emerging out of a Save Station.
 * In Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, the player never sees how Samus's gunship restores her health; instead green light is seen flashing through her ship's windshield while she recharges (though it is likely the lift has a role, as it is similar in appearance to a Save Station).
 * In Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, the Samus Aran's Appearance Fanfare does not play when starting a game or respawning unlike in Prime or Echoes. It does, however, play when Samus lands on a location.
 * A "capsule" similar to the Super Metroid save station can be seen in the background of Save Rooms in Metroid Fusion.
 * In Metroid Prime Hunters, there are no Save Stations. Instead, Samus's Gunship is used, possibly because each area is not as large as in the other games.