Metroid Hatcher

The Metroid Hatcher is a Metroid that can spawn Phazon Metroids. It has four long tentacles, which it can use to drain the life force of creatures, much like Hunter Metroids.

Battle
The Metroid Hatcher's membrane is protected by a Phazite-like shell; however, the same does not apply to its tentacles. If the tentacles are harmed enough, they will retract into the Metroid Hatcher's shell, at which point it will begin spawning Phazon Metroids from its mouth and violently spinning around the room. Before it does so, however, its mouth is vulnerable; if it is attacked enough, it will become stunned, allowing one of its tentacles to be ripped off with the Grapple Lasso. Ripping off all four tentacles will defeat it. The Hatcher can spin while any number of the tentacles are remaining, and can also use them to drain Samus' energy much like a Hunter Metroid.

During battle, the Metroid Hatcher has two stages: first it will have all four tentacles extended and attack Samus with them. It will also perform a spinning attack, which is the time when Samus must atack it. While it is spinning, Samus must hit it with a Screw Attack, which will cause it to draw in one of its tentacles. She must do this four times, until all the tentacles are withdrawn and the Hatcher enters its second stage. Also note that she must hit the Hatcher with the Screw Attack while it is spinning because once it stops, the Hatcher's Phazite armour will stop Samus before she can hit the tentacles. The Hatcher will then start spawning Phazon Metroids from its mouth when all tentacles are withdrawn. Its mouth will be open to do this, so Samus can take the opportunity to attack it during this stage. Once it is damaged enough, the Hatcher will be stunned and Samus can pull of one of its tentacles. Then the Hatcher will go back to stage one and must be attacked in the same way, except now it only needs to withdraw one less tentacle than before, so Samus only needs to hit it one less time than before to make it enter its second stage. Once all four tentacles are gone, the Hatcher will die.

Metroid Hatchers are fought at three locations: in the Metroid Creche on the Space Pirate Homeworld, in the Aurora Chamber on the Valhalla, and in Generator B on Norion. The one in the Generator B lives in a corrupted area, and can be fully healed by the phazon in it. Once Samus had received both the X-Ray Visor and the Nova Beam she can hit a Metroid Hatcher in its weak spot by locking on and aim for the Hatcher's heart, which glows red and yellow in the X-Ray Visor, and destroy it in one hit. All three Hatchers can be killed this way. This is the second Metroid Prime Boss that can be killed in one shot. The other is the Parasite Queen, that can be killed in one hit with the Phazon Beam.

Trivia

 * As mentioned above, Metroid Hatchers are capable of spawning Phazon Metroids. It is possible that Miniroids are constantly created and fed within the Hatcher, and are periodically released as the infants reach their mature stage.
 * Ilya Nazarov designed and modeled the Metroid Hatcher.


 * The Hatcher's body somewhat resembles a Leviathan, but the tentacles are reminiscent of the Hunter Metroid as well as early Metroid art in the original game and the Nintendo Comics System.


 * It is interesting that the three Metroid Hatchers can be ignored or skipped completely on a fast run: The wing containing Generator B on Norion is a completely optional area, so the Hatcher there can be ignored completely (however, this Hatcher MUST be defeated if the player wishes to obtain all 9 Energy Cells); the same goes for the one on the Pirate Homeworld, since its only necessary to destroy it to retrieve an Energy Tank and unlock a shortcut. The Hatcher in the Aurora Chamber on the Valhalla is automatically encountered after restoring power to the room's systems (by using 2 Energy Cells); however, it can be avoided by simply running to the upper exit of the room (doing this will cause the Hatcher to wait by the upper doorway until the player returns, when it can again be avoided by heading directly to the lower door).


 * Though rare, it seems that defeating the Metroid Hatcher at the moment that it latches onto Samus can cause a glitch where the game doesn't know that the Hatcher is dead and assumes that it is still latched onto Samus. The message to shake the Wii Remote and Nunchuk does not go away. This prevents Samus from being able to continue and forces Samus to restart the game.