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Blue Door unused scan

A Door (or Hatch) is a pathway which leads Samus Aran into new rooms. They have appeared in every Metroid game to date except Metroid Prime Pinball. Doors almost always feature low-level energy shields that can be disrupted by weapon fire. The most common type of door is the Blue Door, which can be opened with any type of weapon.

Many doors are covered with Blast Shields, which must be destroyed with a certain type of weapon before the door itself can be opened. The most common blast shield is the Red Blast Shield, which requires Missiles to open. Certain games also feature Green and Yellow Hatches.

In Metroid: Zero Mission, many Chozodia rooms have open doors that do not need to be shot.

In Super Metroid, aboard the Ceres Space Colony, there are doors that automatically open if someone is nearby. They do not require to be shot to open. They do appear to have a fail-safe protocol and automatically lock themselves, seen during the battle with Ridley.

In Metroid Fusion, the security hatches in the BSL station do not require specific weapons to open. Instead, Samus had to unlock each type of hatch in special Security Rooms hidden in various parts of the station. After each type of security hatch was unlocked, they could be opened with any weapon.

Aboard the BOTTLE SHIP in Metroid: Other M, doors are either green, red or orange. Green doors are doors that can be opened, red are doors that cannot be opened, and orange doors require a certain action to open. There are also types of Super Missile shields, Seeker Missile shields, and Missile Shields. Doors now open automatically once unlocked and do not need to be shot, like to those in the aforementioned Ceres Space Colony. It is likely that the doors on both facilities do not have to be shot open because the personnel do not carry weapons.

In Metroid: Samus Returns, doors are colored yellow. In addition to blast shields, some doors are unpowered or blocked by obstructions that require the Charge Beam, Wave Beam, Spazer Beam, or Plasma Beam to open: Charge Doors, Taramargas, Gigadoras, and Gryncores respectively.

Doors[]

Blue Door[]

Bluedoor

A Blue Door in Metroid Prime.

Encountered in every game except Metroid Fusion and Metroid: Other M these basic doors can be opened with any weapon. Metroid: Samus Returns and Metroid Dread uses yellow-colored doors but nonetheless retain the same function as the blue doors.

Metal Door[]

Encountered in Metroid: Zero Mission, Super Metroid, and Metroid: Samus Returns. These doors will not open until a specific task has been completed, such as in Tourian, where the doors lock when there are Metroids to be defeated. When encountering a Metroid in Samus Returns, the door instead appears similar to the normal doors but with a red hue.

Purple Door[]

Violet doors that are opened with the Wave Beam. Found in Metroid Prime.

White Door[]

White-fringed doors that are opened with the Ice Beam. Found in Metroid Prime.

Red and Orange Doors[]

These red or orange doors are opened with the Plasma Beam. Found in Metroid Prime and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, respectively.

White hatch[]

White-colored doors that are opened with the Light Beam. Found in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes.

Purple hatch[]

Obstacle blackdoor

A Purple Hatch in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes.

Purple-colored doors that are opened with the Dark Beam. Found in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes.

Striped door[]

Black-and-white-colored doors that are opened with the Annihilator Beam. Found in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes.

Green Door[]

Green-colored doors that are opened with the Nova Beam. Found in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption.

Blast Shields[]

Blast Shields are found covering normal Blue Doors throughout the Metroid series. While some are indestructible, there are several varieties that all require Samus Aran to use different weapons to destroy them. Once they have been destroyed, however, all Blast Shields are gone for good.

Red Hatch[]

These red-colored blast shields are found in Metroid, Metroid II: Return of Samus, Super Metroid, Metroid: Zero Mission, Metroid Prime, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Metroid: Samus Returns. These doors are opened with 5 normal Missiles (in Metroid, Return of Samus, and Super Metroid) or a single Missile (in Prime onward). They can also be opened with 1 Super Missile.

Green Hatch[]

Greendoor

A Green Hatch from Metroid Prime 2: Echoes.

Green Hatches from Super Metroid, Metroid: Zero Mission, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, and Metroid: Samus Returns. These require one Super Missile to open.

Multi-Lock Blast Shield[]

Blast shields that can only be destroyed by hitting all of the locks simultaneously with Seeker Missiles. Found in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, and Metroid: Other M.

Yellow Hatch[]

These blast shields can be found in Super Metroid, Metroid: Zero Mission, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, and Metroid: Samus Returns. They can be opened with a Power Bomb.

White Blast Shield[]

These blast shields are found in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. They are vulnerable to the Ice Missile and possibly other cold-based weaponry, although this has yet to be proven.

Mounted Blast Shield[]

Blast shields that are destroyed by using the Grapple Lasso to generate enough stress to pull them from their mounts. Found in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption.

Brown Blast Shield[]

First encountered in the Celestial Archives, Brown Blast Shields replace Red Hatches in Metroid Prime Hunters and, like in the rest of the Prime games, they require one Missile to destroy. There is only one in the entire game, as well as the entire series.

Green Blast Shield[]

First encountered in the Celestial Archives, Green Blast Shields are only vulnerable to the Battlehammer.

Purple Blast Shield[]

First encountered on Alinos, Purple Blast Shields are only vulnerable to the Judicator, though they may also be vulnerable to other cold-based weaponry.

Yellow Blast Shield[]

First encountered in the Celestial Archives, Yellow Blast Shields are only vulnerable to the Volt Driver, although they may also be vulnerable to other electricity-based weaponry.

Orange Blast Shield[]

First encountered on Alinos, Orange Blast Shields are only vulnerable to the Magmaul, but may also be vulnerable to other fire-based weaponry. They are similar to the Orange Doors in Corruption.

Red Blast Shield[]

Red Blast Shields in Metroid Prime Hunters are encountered on Arcterra and the Vesper Defense Outpost. They are vulnerable to the Imperialist.

Biologic Space Laboratories research station Doors[]

Instead of having Doors or Blast Shields that require different weapons to open, the BSL station is equipped with various levels of security hatches. Areas that are hazardous or are crucial to the station's operations are often placed behind high-level hatches. In order to open them, Samus Aran must first find the appropriate Security Room and manually unlock the security level. Some hatches may be destroyed and either function as open passages or impassable barriers.

Gray Hatch[]

This is Security Level 0; hatches of this level are gray in color, and are the most common hatch seen on the station. Adam is able to unlock this level at the beginning of the game.

Blue Hatch[]

This is Security Level 1; hatches of this level are blue in color. Adam asks Samus to unlock the Blue Hatches in Sector 2 (TRO) so she can reach the Bombs.

Green Hatch[]

This is Security Level 2; hatches of this level are green in color. Adam asks Samus to unlock the Green Hatches in Sector 3 (PYR) so she can reach the Super Missiles.

Yellow Hatch[]

This is Security Level 3; hatches of this level are yellow in color. Adam asks Samus to unlock the Yellow Hatches in Sector 5 (ARC) so she can reach the Ice Missiles. They do not exist outside of Sector 5.

Red Hatch[]

This is Security Level 4; hatches of this level are red in color. Adam never authorizes Samus to open Red Hatches in Sector 4 (AQA), but she is forced to do so in order to get the Diffusion Missiles and return to a Navigation Room.

Special Hatch[]

Certain doors can be closed by an untitled sixth kind of hatch, colored with purple or grey hazard striping. They are most commonly found in Navigation Rooms where they appear with a solid purple striping and a yellow triangle at the center and will open and close without any interaction from Samus. Adam has the authorization to lock and unlock these doors; normally he does so to prevent Samus from wandering off without listening to briefing, and during the climax of the game Adam uses the hatches of a Navigation Room to imprison Samus on the Galactic Federation's orders. These are notably the only hatches seen in Navigation rooms, which otherwise have no hatches preventing exit (though they typically have hatches on the outside)

All grey ones also be found either in rooms with bosses or other powerful enemies or to seal off certain areas late in the game. They generally replace hatches of other colors at specific points in the story. These operate similar to the Metal Door in other games in that Samus cannot open them herself until a specific task has been accomplished, typically killing the boss or enemy in question. Once the conditions are met, the hatch will begin to flash between a variety of colors to show it is active, at which point it will open automatically when approached. Some grey hatches cannot be opened at all (e.g. during the escape sequence), some late game ones notably don't appear on completed game files (those with a Metroid icon), and most that can be opened are replaced with other hatches or hatch-less doorways if Samus returns to the room after unlocking them.

Miscellaneous Doors[]

De-energized Door[]

This door appears in Metroid Prime and Corruption. Occasionally, some doors will not be active and Samus cannot use them. To restore power, she must energize one or more Power Conduits in the area with her Wave Beam in Prime, or weld back the missing wires with her Plasma Beam in Corruption.

Echo Gate[]

This door appears in Echoes. It is invulnerable to all weaponry. To open the door, Samus must activate the nearby Echo Key Beam system to lower the gate and destroy the Echo Key Beams.

Leviathan Door[]

This organic door appears in Corruption. They appear in Leviathan Seeds, and have a bone plate that retracts when shot.

Magma-eruption port[]

More or less a hatch, Anthony Higgs is ordered by Adam to destroy this door and let the Lava flow. Samus destroys it with her Super Missiles.

Morph Ball Door[]

This door is a small hatch that only the Morph Ball can access. It appears in multiple games in the Prime Series.

Phaaze Door[]

This organic door appears in Corruption. It is a maw and appears only on Phaaze, hence the name, and is similar to a Leviathan Door.

Presence door[]

This door appears in Metroid Dread and react to Samus's presence. They lock when she is visible to the naked eye, forcing her to cloak herself and slowly walk through them.

Sealed Door[]

This door appears in Hunters. It looks like a typical door, but with a spinning red lock on it. They behave exactly like Blast Shields.

Shutter[]

This appears in most 2-D Metroid games, but is different from actual doors. Shutters are triggered to open or close when a switch or a certain location is shot.

Stronghold Door[]

This door appears in Hunters. Arguably the largest door in the Metroid series, it has an electronic force field and behaves like any normal hatch. When shot, the color will dull, and it will slowly open. It most resembles a Leviathan/Phaaze Door.

Translator Door[]

This door appears in Echoes. It is a gate with a hologram of a message written in Luminoth (that reads GATE), and must be opened by scanning it. As Samus continues on, she will have to continually upgrade her Translator Module to read the hologram, which is in different colors (violet, amber, emerald and cobalt).

Telekinetic barrier[]

This door appears in Echoes. It appears to be a Luminoth-made door, as it only appears if Samus tries to leave the area she is in without returning the Energy to the Energy Controller, or if, in the Great Temple, she tries to avoid speaking to U-Mos.

Yellow and Purple Doors[]

Orange and Purple Blast Shields

There are two unique doors in the original Metroid that require 10 Missiles to open. The Yellow Door[1] appears in Tourian at the bottom of the first shaft, while the Purple Door appears in Ridley's room, blocking the way to the reliquary.

Empty Door[]

Appearing primarily in Metroid Fusion, it is simply a door without any hatch or covering on it. Samus can easily walk though these doors without the need of firing her weapons (these doors are usually asociated with Shinesparking).

Charge Door[]

Appearing in Metroid: Samus Returns and Metroid Dread, these unpowered doors require the Charge Beam to power up and open, hence its name.

Taramarga[]

Appearing in Metroid: Samus Returns, the Taramarga is a purple door-blocking creature that is equipped with a large rock as a defensive measure. The obstruction can be bypassed using the Wave Beam to hit the creature directly.

Gigadora[]

Appearing in Metroid: Samus Returns, the Gigadora is a purple three-eyed door-blocking creature. It can only be destroyed with simultaneous shots to its eyes, which the Spazer Beam can accomplish.

Gryncore[]

Appearing in Metroid: Samus Returns, the Gryncore is a green door-blocking creature possessing a sturdy shell that is impervious to all but the Plasma Beam.

E.M.M.I. Zone Door[]

Appearing in Metroid Dread, E.M.M.I. Zone Doors lead to the aforementioned E.M.M.I. Zones. Unlike traditional doors, Samus can simply walk through them without the need to fire first. If Samus is seen by an E.M.M.I., it will lock the doors and force Samus to flee until it gives up its chase. The doors also lock for a few seconds after Samus leaves the E.M.M.I. Zone. Once the E.M.M.I. in the zone is defeated, the doors remain open permanently.

Official data[]

Metroid Virtual Console manual[]

Gate
"To open a blue gate, shoot it with any weapon. To open a red gate, hit it with five missiles. Some gates require 10 missiles."

Super Metroid manual[]

OPENING DOORS
"The doors on Planet Zebes were designed to prevent intruders from moving freely through the areas of the planet. Samus must break down these doors in order to move on to the next area."

Super Metroid Nintendo Player's Guide[]

DOORS AND GATES: A HOW TO
"Throughout the Planet Zebes there are doors and gates that connect one room to another. To open them, you must pay attention to colors. There are some doors and gates that Samus will not be able to open until she has collected certain Items or has defeated certain enemies."

Metroid Fusion manual[]

HATCH
"Security doors designed to keep out intruders. They can be opened by disarming security, shooting them, etc."
HATCHES
"The hatches in the space station are open or locked depending on the station conditions. Shoot hatches to open them. Some hatches may require that locks be deactivated remotely before they will open."

Metroid Fusion: The Official Nintendo Player's Guide[]

HATCH INFORMATION
"The status of the Security Hatches--locked or open--is shown in the upper-right corner. You'll unlock the hatches by finding Security Rooms."

Metroid: Zero Mission manual[]

Hatch
"Security doors have been installed throughout the fortress to keep intruders out. They can be opened by firing at them with beam weapons, but some can only be opened by Missiles."
HATCHES
"Samus will need to use a variety of weapons to open the different hatches in the fortress on Planet Zebes."

Metroid Prime Hunters scan[]

"A weak energy shield surrounds the door to keep out roaming creatures. Any weapon will open this door."

Metroid Prime Hunters manual[]

Opening Locked Doors
"Locked doors can be opened by shooting them with the appropriate weapon. Scan the door with the Scan Visor to determine which weapon to use."

Metroid Prime Trilogy manual[]

About Doors
"There are various doors in each area. If you shoot the corresponding beam or missile at the door, you can unlock it and open it. Once a door with a Blast Shield has been unlocked with a missile, it will change to a blue door."

Metroid Prime: Federation Force manual[]

Opening Doors
"Shoot and approach blue doors to open them."

Metroid: Samus Returns Official Guide[]

INHABITANTS & ECO SYSTEM OF SR388 (p. 25)
DOORS
"Brilliant though they were, the Chozo were rather impractical when it came to doors. You run into a variety of door types, each with its own unique method of access."

Metroid.nintendo.com[]

LOCKED DOORS
"There are many types of doors that require a certain weapon or ability to unlock. If you don’t have the means to open them yet, remember to return when more fully equipped. (Or see if you can find another way.)"

Trivia[]

  • Enemies generally cannot travel between rooms with Samus. In Metroid, nearby enemies can damage Samus while moving between doors, and some can follow into the next room, such as Reos. This is notably used in a Sequence Break to cross the Entrance to Tourian without killing Ridley or Kraid.
    • In the Metroid Prime series, a Metroid will explode instantly if it touches an open door. A Phazon Metroid from Metroid Prime 3: Corruption however makes any and all attempts to avoid contact with a Door, so it is unknown if a Door can kill a Phazon Metroid.
    • Space Pirates in Metroid: Zero Mission can spawn from behind a door and chase after Samus if she enters a room while they are pursuing her.
    • In Metroid: Other M, if an enemy somehow escapes their original room by exiting through an open door, they will attempt to return to their original room (provided they aren't attacking Samus) and "phase" through the wall.
  • The doors of Elysia in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption strongly resemble the doors of Metroid Prime. This is probably because both planets were old Chozo colonies.
  • The doors of the Pirate Homeworld in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption also bear much resemblance to the doors in the classic games.
  • Metroid Prime is the only three-dimensional game in which doors are placed vertically as well as horizontally. Super Metroid is the only two-dimensional game to have this feature.
  • According to Zoid Kirsch, the doors seen in Metroid Prime Remastered are incorrectly using the wrong alpha level.[2]

Development notes[]

As stated, only Prime has vertical doors in 3D. Vertical doors were removed in Echoes because of the Screw Attack. Using that item through such a door would always cause Samus to clip out of bounds, and a host of other glitches. Unable to fix them, Zoid Kirsch asked the designers to remove the three to four vertical doors that were in Echoes at that point.[3] He scripted all doors in the Prime series, and said "I still dream about" what the Screw Attack did to doors.[4]

The reason doors would often take a long time to open in Prime games is because they act as hidden loading screens. When a door is shot, the next room begins to load as previously the explored room unloads. This means that in rooms with multiple exits, only one door can be open at a time. Whereas in 2D games, doors would open instantly once shot, doors in the Prime series turn grey when shot and open once the room has loaded.[5][6]

Unused data in Metroid Prime Hunters reveals that all Blast Shield doors (for both normal and thin types of doors seen) can be loaded into any type of Blast Shield color. In the final game, there is only a limited type of Blast Shield colors used, leaving many unused.[7]

Gallery[]

References[]

  1. ^ Victory Techniques for Metroid pg. 171, as translated by Metroid Database
  2. ^ https://twitter.com/ZoidCTF/status/1623477699942686720
  3. ^ Kiwi Talkz. "#121 - Zoid Interview (Metroid Prime, Cameras, Scripting, Sequence Breaking , Programming etc.)" YouTube. January 22, 2022. Retrieved July 24, 2022. (starts at 17:04)
  4. ^ Zoid Kirsch (ZoidCTF). "Boats are your curse, mine was doors in Metroid Prime. I scripted all the doors which handled streaming, different weapon types, etc. In MP2, the Screw Attack would do all kinds of wacky things to doors. I spent weeks tweaking the door scripting. I still dream about it." 6 December 2021 6:12 p.m. Tweet. https://twitter.com/ZoidCTF/status/1467995272898695169
  5. ^ Zoid Kirsch (ZoidCTF). "I spent so much time working on doors. In Metroid Prime, you may have noticed that doors can sometimes take a long time to open--that’s because the room behind the door is still loading! There is at most two “rooms” loaded at once--the one you’re in and the one you’re going to." 7 November 2022 10:56 p.m. Tweet. https://twitter.com/ZoidCTF/status/1589829281647300614
  6. ^ Zoid Kirsch (ZoidCTF). "This is why in rooms with multiple exits, only one door can be open at a time. We went with the design of the blue force field on the doors that fades when shot to indicate the door is “ready” to open, but has to wait until the room behind is loaded." 7 November 2022 10:56 p.m. Tweet. https://twitter.com/ZoidCTF/status/1589829282939170817
  7. ^ https://tcrf.net/Metroid_Prime_Hunters#Unused_Beam_Doors



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