Eyons are immobile, energy-producing organisms that can be found on walls and ceilings throughout Tallon IV, mainly in the Chozo Ruins.
Eyons produce a focused energy beam which moves and will do minor damage if Samus comes into contact with it. Why it produces this beam, other than to hinder movement, is a mystery. If any form of weaponry is fired near or at the Eyon, a membrane will close over its "eye" and disrupt the energy beam. A charged shot can destroy it completely. A Power Bomb or charged Plasma Beam shot will cause them to incinerate as well.
It is possible that the Eyons are not biological organisms at all, but cybernetic security systems designed by the Chozo. However, the Chozo are said to have traveled to Tallon IV to eschew technology and return to a simpler way of life, suggesting that the Eyons are bio-engineered, much like the Cyrlic trees found on Tallon IV. The Eyon's organic appearance supports this theory.
In appearance, Eyons resembles gigantic eyeballs. They are largely tan-colored, have little to no coloring in their iris, and have a vertical pupil like that of a reptile or a cat. They seem to have some sort of root system that attaches them to surfaces. Various carvings very similar in appearance to Eyons appear on some walls of the Ruins. It is unknown if these are "inactive" Eyons or simply creations made in their likeness.
The Eyon Tunnel room in the ruins is named after this creature. In addition to that room, other rooms containing Eyons include the Watery Hall and Energy Core Access.
In Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, mechanoids known as Corrupted Sentreyes have an identical role to the Eyons.
Official Data[]
Logbook entry[]
Eyon
Metroid Prime
Morphology: Eyon
Immobile organisms entirely composed of ocular tissue.
Immobile organisms entirely composed of ocular tissue. Capable of launching sustained energy beams when active, the Eyon is sensitive to light and will close shut if a bright flash ignites nearby.
Metroid Prime and Metroid Fusion: Prima's Official Strategy Guide[]
- Eyon
- "These one-eyed baddies shoot lethal laser beams that slice through Samus's armor. Fortunately, a bright flash from your Power Beam causes them to temporarily shut their eye and gives you a chance to dart through. Once you get the Charge Beam, you'll be able to destroy them."
- Eyon
- Found In: Chozo Ruins
- Recommended Weapon: Charge Beam
- "Eyons are mounted on the walls of Chozo Ruins. Their sustained energy beams wave around in random patterns and are lethal. The bright flash from any of your weapons is enough to shut them down for a short time. To destroy Eyons, you must use the Charge Beam."
Metroid Prime: The Official Nintendo Player's Guide[]
- EYON
- "A solid mass of optical tissue, Eyons are a bizarre sight for even the most hardened of explorers. Eyons fire deadly green lasers from their single eye, but you can make them shut their lids with the Power Beam. Once you've earned the Charge Beam, you can use it to destroy Eyons."
Metroid Prime Official Strategy Guide[]
- EYON
- MORPHOLOGY
- "An immobile organism that's entirely composed of ocular tissue. The Eyon is capable of launching sustained energy beams when active. However, the Eyon is sensitive to light and will close shut if a bright flash ignites nearby."
- COMBAT TIPS
- "Eyon can be destroyed with a Charge Beam, however, like Reaper Vines, they can be disabled temporarily by hitting them with a Power Beam (or other Beam weapon). The light from the Power Beam overwhelms the ocular tissue-heavy Eyon and it will close its lids for a few seconds, thus allowing Samus to get past untouched."
Metroid Prime Official Perfect Guide[]
- EYON
- "Eyons emit scanning green lasers that cause great damage if they make contact. Blast the Eyon to turn off its beam--but don't linger around as the pods will open back up and start to emit fresh beams. It takes something stronger than the normal Power Beam to truly eradicate an Eyon."
Development notes[]
The texture of the Eyon's eye is reused in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes as the eye of a creature known as a Webling.
Jack Mathews revealed in a 2015 livestream that the Eyons originally had no gameplay purpose, and were created by one of Retro Studios' artists purely for decoration. Their laser projection abilities were added in later, to give them a more interesting role.[1]
An unused alternate Logbook entry for the Eyon exists internally in Metroid Prime Remastered. Its wording is different from that in the finished game.
Eyon
Morphology: Eyon
Organism capable of channelling energy through its ocular tissue.
Capable of launching sustained energy beams when active, the Eyon is sensitive to light and will close shut if a bright flash ignites nearby.
Trivia[]
- The name "Eyon" may be a portmanteau of the words "eye" and "ion."
- The Corrupted Sentreyes were built by the Luminoth, who are known to have met the Chozo from Tallon IV at some point in the past. This leads to theories that both sentient races exchanged cultural information, thus possibly allowing the Luminoth to create a mechanoid based on the Eyon.
- The Watery Hall is the only place where deactivated Eyons can be seen; they appear to be dormant until Samus obtains the Charge Beam, at which point they spring to life.
- In the North Atrium, there appears to be a fossilized Eyon.
- Ironically, Eyons close their eyes when hit by a Charge Combo attack. This bug was corrected in Metroid Prime Trilogy.
- While Eyons normally die silently, killing them with charged Plasma Beam shot will make them release a roar as they burn away. It's unclear how they produce this sound given apparent lack of any vocal organs.
Gallery[]
References[]
- ^ (2015, December 7). Extra Life 2015 (Part 2) [Stream]. Crackdown. Twitch. Archived from the original on June 11, 2022.