Heads-Up Display

The Combat Visor provides Samus with all the mentioned features to the left.

The Heads-Up Display (HUD) of Samus Aran's Visors acts much like any HUD in video gaming, providing her with features that help her progress safely in the environment she is exploring. It can be customized to lessen or remove visor and helmet opacity completely, leaving Samus with nothing on her HUD.

The HUD provides Samus with a Radar, a Targeting Reticule, Charge Meter, Energy Meter, Missile Counter, Threat Assessment, boss life meter, obtained Visors and Beams (in the Wii versions of the Metroid Prime series, only the ones in current use are displayed). The HUD can be upgraded, at the cost of or addition of certain features, or even alteration. In Morph Ball mode, only the Energy Meter, Power Bomb counter, boss life meter and three circles representing Bombs are displayed.

The HUD message warning about low Wii Remote battery levels.

The HUD in the Metroid Prime trilogy has four blue lights at the top. In Metroid Prime 3: Corruption and the Wii versions of Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, they indicate the Wii Remote's battery life. If two lights remain, they become yellow, and red if one. A message will display on the red bar status, stating: "Warning: Wii Remote Batteries Are Low" and will continue to display this message every 20 seconds until the remote is recharged out of critically low levels.

In Corruption, Samus's Gunship contains a switch that, when scanned, says: "Switch primes the ship's weapon systems and activates the combat-targeting HUD."

Other characters

Each of the seven playable characters in Metroid Prime Hunters has their own unique Heads-Up Display. They can be seen in the gallery below. Multiplayer Mode removes the Visor Select button (as the Scan Visor cannot be used in that mode) and moves the Energy Meter to the left of the HUD for all Hunters except Samus, but otherwise keeps the interface mostly the same as in Adventure Mode.

The Federation Force of Metroid Prime: Federation Force have their own HUDs, used with their Mech suits. These feature an Energy Meter, Hover Gauge and points bonuses when earned.

The Diggernaut in Metroid: Samus Returns and the E.M.M.I. in Metroid Dread have robotic HUDs with a red tint, seen in certain cutscenes where they target Samus. The Diggernaut's HUD consists of a large ring with additional circular lines inside it, including Chozo letters with unknown meaning. A reticule to identify and focus on enemies. The E.M.M.I. use a different, thinner HUD with horizontal arrows that are similarly used to focus on Samus, although they remain fixed along the ordinate axis and do not function as a reticule. The Game Over screen in Dread resembles an E.M.M.I.'s HUD.

Official data

Metroid Prime manual

POWER SUIT INTERFACE

"Samus's Power Suit is technologically complex, but all of its diagnostic functions are projected on the inside of the visor for easy access. Knowing the status of the suit at all times may make the difference between survival and failure, so it's important to understand every part of the readout."

Metroid Prime 2: Echoes manual

SAMUS'S INTERFACE

"As you explore Aether from Samus's viewpoint, you'll need to master the visor interface. Every part of the readout is essential for survival."

Metroid Prime Trilogy manual

Metroid Prime/Metroid Prime 2: Echoes

Screen Layout (when using Combat Visor)

"This is the basic screen layout when you're using the Combat Visor. The Map Screen is displayed with the 1 Button, and the Pause Screen is displayed with the 2 Button.
Note: The screen layout may change depending on equipped items and Samus's status."

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption

Screen Layout (when using Combat Visor)

"This is the basic screen layout when you're using the Combat Visor. The information displayed here will help you in battle and while you are investigating your environment.
Note: The screen layout may change depending on equipped items and Samus's status."

Metroid Prime and Metroid Fusion: Prima's Official Strategy Guide

THE INTERFACE

"As you play, a great deal of information is displayed onscreen. These bits of information are the Power Suit's diagnostic functions. It's important that you understand the information you're seeing because it's vital to your survival.
Please note that the heads-up display's (HUD's) layout changes depending upon the visor being used. The layout discussed is that for the Combat Visor. The same information is displayed for other visors, but in different locations around the screen."

Development notes

Prior to the release of Prime, an anonymous Retro Studios developer(s) leaked details of the in-game HUD to IGN. They confirmed that the first-person perspective would place players behind Samus's visor, with the Energy Meter, Missile Gauge and other HUD items displayed in an LCD style. The insider(s) also confirmed that the visor would be affected by light, steam and rain, and it would be possible to see brief flashes of Samus's face at certain points.

This article or section contains information about an unreleased video game. The content may change dramatically as more information becomes available. Please do not add speculation to this article and try to provide a source for information you add.

For Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, Jon Wofford redesigned the HUD.

Gallery

Early version of Prime HUD.

Early version of Corruption Morph Ball HUD.

Final version.

Metroid Prime: Federation Force

The Diggernaut's HUD

E.M.M.I.-01P's HUD

E.M.M.I.-04SB's HUD

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond

Metroid Prime series

At certain points in the Metroid Prime series, Samus's reflection could be seen in her Visor, seen here in Metroid Prime.

Scan Visor

Thermal Visor

X-Ray Visor (Prime)

Dark Visor

Echo Visor

Command Visor

X-Ray Visor (Corruption)

In Prime, if Samus morphs at the right second before dying, the Radar, Visor and Beam Select will be in third-person mode.

Metroid Prime Hunters

Samus's HUD in Multiplayer Mode

Kanden's HUD

Weavel's HUD

Spire's HUD

Sylux's HUD

Noxus' HUD

Trace's HUD