List of cameos and crossovers in other games

This article is written from the Real Life point of view

For a list of cameos in the Metroid series itself, see List of cameos in the Metroid series.

Samus's Suit redirects here. For the actual suit worn by Samus Aran, see Power Suit.

This page lists many cameos and crossovers that the Metroid series has made in other video games, on television or films.

In video games

1080º Avalanche

Default high scores for the stages feature many Nintendo references, with Ride Easy Railways: Dazzlin' Teaser stage's scores being "MET" "ROI" "D P".

AR Games

A Samus AR Card is included with the Nintendo 3DS console and has several poses which can be viewed in Star Pics. When an AR Card is scanned, Samus will appear from the card based on the pose she takes in Metroid: Other M concept art (landing after a long jump) and the Prime series version of Samus Aran's Appearance Fanfare plays. Her poses are firing a shot, standing with her hand on her Arm Cannon, taking another pose from concept artwork (and ingame when she uses Concentration) where she crouches slightly and holds her cannon up, the first-mentioned pose taken after landing in Other M, and finally her Morph Ball. All poses can be controlled as long as the AR Card is in view. Additionally, a Samus template is available in Graffiti.

Samus Nintendo.jpg

Samus' AR Card.

Star Pics

Graffiti

Club Nintendo Picross Plus

Some of the game's puzzles include Metroid imagery, such as the Energy Tank.[3]

Custom Robo

A boy, when guessing what the "Z" in "Z Syndicate" stands for, suggests Zebes among other words which include various Nintendo references.

Dead or Alive: Dimensions

In this game made by Team Ninja, the Geothermal Power Plant has been made into an arena, with Ridley himself serving as a stage hazard. The Metroid: Other M variant of his battle theme, Nemesis Ridley, is the stage song. The Power Plant platform is slightly different than it is in Metroid: Other M, however, as parts of the stage are destroyed, and Ridley destroys another part of it with his fireballs before the match. He will join the fight at certain points to unleash more fireballs at the combatants. If one is thrown over the edge then it is an instant KO as Ridley will scrape them against the wall much like in Other M, before killing them with a fireball. In the end, Samus, in Morph Ball form, also makes an appearance, killing Ridley with a Power Bomb. Samus is not playable,[4] and Yosuke Hayashi claimed that the reason for this was because "she was too busy with her job". [5]

Official render.

Official render.

Official render.

Official render.

Official render.

Official render.

Official render.

Official render.

Official render.

Official render.

Samus places a power bomb.

Donkey Kong Country Returns series

Developed by Retro Studios, the company that created the Metroid Prime trilogy, has several Metroid cameos.

Metroid Prime Trilogy A.I. as well as a heavily modified version of the game's camera was involved with the original creation of the game and helped get the project moving in the early stages. In 7-1, "Foggy Fumes", a structure greatly resembling Crocomire's skull is visible in the background.

In level 6-7, "Tippy Shippy", the beginning of the level has creatures similar to Parasites (or possibly Leviathan Infants) embedded into the walls. In 7-R, "Lift-Off Launch", there is a large gyroscope with three spinning rings around a core; this is a reference to the Main Dynamo present in the Metroid Prime 2: Echoes room Main Gyro Chamber, along with another similar device in the Minigyro Chamber. The core resembles a Portal. Both were located in the Sanctuary Fortress.

Samus's Gunship can be seen in the background of the silhouette level, Busted Bayou in Tropical Freeze. The Main Dynamo from Echoes and Donkey Kong Country Returns returns as well.

In Tropical Freeze, a Metroid can be found underwater in level 4-3, Amiss Abyss. To have the Metroid appear, Donkey Kong must activate a mechanism underwater and swim past it out of the chasm, then turn around and return to the signpost with an arrow pointing right. A Metroid larva will then appear in the background, swimming upwards. Donkey Kong also needs more than one heart at that point to trigger the Metroid. This cameo is present in both the Wii U and Nintendo Switch versions of the game, and was discovered on August 2018, four years after its initial release. The Metroid was placed into the level by Matt Manchester, who was also an artist for Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. According to another artist on the game, Eric Kozlowsky, the team took a vow of silence to not reveal the Metroid's existence, as they wanted players to find it for themselves.

The Gunship in Busted Bayou

The Metroid in Amiss Abyss

Dynasty Warriors Vs.

Dynasty Warriors Vs. costumes.

Dynasty Warriors Vs. is a 2012 Nintendo 3DS game that has the Zero Suit and Skyward Sword's Knight Academy uniform as costumes.

F-1 Race

Samus appears waving for the player with four other women before Course 7. Characters from other Nintendo properties also make similar cameos before various courses (barring Course 1).

Famicom Wars

In this Japan-only game, the Red Star commander on Donut Island is called Samasuun, and her face on the result screen is the helmet of Samus Aran. This is the earliest known cameo of Samus in any form of media.

Fatal Frame series

The Zero Suit can be unlocked as an alternate costume in two of the most recent games in the series. In Fatal Frame IV: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse, the Zero Suit is unlocked by photographing 200 ghosts on the ghost list. It uses its appearance from Brawl and Corruption, which were the most recent depictions at the time. Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water features the Other M Zero Suit as a costume.

The Zero Suit in play.

Video

Maiden of Black Water

Galactic Pinball

Samus's Gunship and a Skree.

"You are the pilot in the Space Federation investigating the mysteries of the Milky Way. Many dangers await you including Space Pirates. Use your pinball skills to solve the mysteries."

This was a pinball game for the Virtual Boy, marking Samus' only appearance on that console. Samus' ship as well as several other Metroid enemies make cameo appearances in the minigame Cosmic. It is generally believed that Metroid Prime Pinball is a spiritual successor to Galactic Pinball.

In the minigame, Samus must destroy 50 Metroid enemies, including Skrees. To start the mini-game, the plunger that is underneath the three bumpers at the top right of the screen must be hit. A message that says "Bumper Clash" will appear. During this time, after a bumper has been hit a certain number of times, it will explode. If all three bumpers are destroyed, a Screw Attack icon will appear. When the icon is hit with a puck, Cosmic will trigger.

The directional pad must be used to control Samus's Gunship, with the A button used to shoot. Each killed enemy is worth 5,000 points. If the gunship is hit once, the mini-game ends. If it does make it to the end of the mission, a "Mission Complete" message will be shown.

If every single enemy is defeated, a Perfect will be achieved. The prize for a perfect is an extra puck. This was carried on to a similar mini-game in Pinball. During the minigame, a remix of Theme of Samus Aran, Space Warrior plays, which can be downloaded here: Pinball.

Geist

Geist

Samus' helmet and red clothing are seen in a locker within the women's locker room at Volks Corporation. A Nintendo GameCube can also be seen in a different locker.

Interactive Multi-Game Demo Disc

Version 7, 8, and 9 include a demo and trailer for Metroid Prime, while earlier versions include content from Super Smash Bros. Melee. Version 14 and 15 feature a Metroid: Zero Mission trailer. Version 19, 20, 21, and 22 include a demo and trailer for Metroid Prime 2: Echoes while 23, 24, 25, and 26 only have a demo of the game.

Jam with the Band

Brinstar (Metroid) (by Nindori) is one of the downloadable songs available since the initial day of release in the European version. It is a medley of the Brinstar, Title and item acquisition themes. Because there is no region lock on Nintendo DS games, it can be downloaded from any country, provided the player owns the game. It is #10 on the list of 370 DLC songs, runs for 01:48, and has 7 instrumental parts. (NES1, F. Guitar, NES2, NES3, NES4, NES 5, and S. Drums)

In the unlockable instrument trivia, Vs. Ridley is played to demonstrate the synth bass, Item Acquisition Fanfare is represented by the pipe organ, Title (Metroid) is represented by the vibraphone, and Theme of Samus Aran, Space Warrior can be heard with the horn.[6]

Jump Rope Challenge

A free update to this app on July 1, 2020 added several costumes to this app, including one based on Samus, for the "playable" bunny protagonist. The costume appears to be based on her suit's appearance in Other M.

Kiki Trick

This Sakamoto-produced game features a sound-matching minigame in which the player has to match a sound to a video screen. The sound is Mario Kart, but Tennis for the NES and Super Metroid (Ridley holding the baby on Ceres scene) are incorrect options.

Luigi's Mansion 3

A Metroid Prime: Federation Force poster depicting a Space Pirate and Federation Force soldiers appears in the hallway at the beginning of the Paranormal Productions level. Both Federation Force and Luigi's Mansion 3 were developed by Next Level Games and under the direction of Kensuke Tanabe, and the same hallway contains posters based on other titles from Next Level Games.

Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate

“	When you think of Samus as a character and when you think of Metroid games, the first thing that comes to mind is the arm cannon, which is such an integral part of the character. We knew we wanted to do not just armour but also a weapon that was themed after Metroid, and go in that direction. And then it came down to what specific type of weapon would be a match for that, visually and gameplay wise. We decided on the Bowgun because we thought it would look really cool if when, as you readied your weapon, the actual arm parts of the suit transformed. There is the aspect of the Metroid games where the arm cannon does change a bit when you fire different types of attacks, and that would be cool to explore—how it would look and how it would change shape when you’re about to use it. So, it seemed like a natural fit for that kind of weapon. I've always been a huge fan of Metroid myself ever since the original NES days, and especially Super Metroid from the SNES days. Super Metroid left such an impression on me that I thought, 'wouldn’t it be great where even if visually it's a 3D polygonal model in our game, what if we could use the old sound effects and make it sound a bit synthesized?’ We worked with Nintendo, who were on board and excited about it as well, so you’ll be able to hear synthesized SNES-style sound effects that go along with it, which I thought was kind of a nice homage to that title.	„
—Series creator Kaname Fujioka

A DLC pack released in April 2015 features content based on Metroid. The Varia Suit and Zero Suit are available as costumes, taking their appearances from Metroid: Other M. The costumes are split into parts (ex. Zero Suit Ponytail, Tights, and Boots). An enlarged Arm Cannon is also available as a weapon. The pack comes with two quests, Metroid: Special Mission and Metroid: Looming Shadows. Sound effects and music from the Metroid series are included as well, such as Samus Aran's Appearance Fanfare from Super Metroid, the item acquisition jingle (which plays after a monster is defeated) and Nemesis Ridley.

“	Something is plotting to steal the galaxy's most powerful weapon! Scanning... That beak, that ominous purple skin... No way, is it him?! Hunter! Hurry to the Arena before it's too late!	„
—Message from HQ

Metroid: Special Mission is set in the Arena, and the objective is to hunt a Frenzied Yian Garuga. A subquest requires the player to wound the Yian Garua's back. Completion of this quest rewards the Weapon Data needed to make the Arm Cannon. The name of this mission is similar to Metroid: Zero Mission.

“	We're being attacked by an unknown force, and just when we thought we had it down, it starts to multiply. What is this thing?! If this continues, we can't protect the legendary suit! Please help!	„
—Mail from the Barracks

Metroid: Looming Shadows is again set in the Arena. The objective here is to hunt all Shrouded Nerscylla. Completing this mission rewards the Function Module needed to make the Varia and Zero Suit Armor Sets.

A Metroid Costume Trailer was released to promote the Metroid DLC.

Guild Card Background based on Super Metroid.

Nintendo Badge Arcade

File:Metroid Badge Arcade.png

This Europe-exclusive game has several Metroid badges to collect. Most of them are modeled after sprites from the NES game, but one features Samus as she appears in Metroid: Other M, in a chibi style.[7]

Nintendo GameCube Preview Disc

"Samus Aran lands on a derelict space station above the unexplored planet of Tallon IV and discovers a sinister Space Pirate operation. Samus is once again thrust into the mayhem."

-Description for the Metroid Prime section of the Nintendo Gamecube Preview Disc.

Among other games, Metroid Prime is featured on this press DVD. It features two trailers and a chronicle of the then-five Metroid games, similar to the Metroid Prime 2: Echoes Bonus Disc.

Notably, the trailer appears to have taken footage from an earlier build of the game, as there is footage of the following:

• A Burrower popping out of sand in the Chozo Ruins (in the final game, Burrowers are completely absent from the Ruins, and the data necessary to load them is not present).
• Samus fighting Flaahgra with the Wave Beam.
• Different font for scanned text and HUD messages. When scanning a Logbook entry, the text notifying that it has been added to the Logbook is different and in a brighter white. It says "A new [Creatures] logbook entry has been acquired."
• Samus' damage grunts are different.
• The mature Sheegoth fires ice projectiles much slower.
• Two Plated Beetles being fought at once in the Main Plaza.

When viewing the Chronicle, the footage, except for Metroid Prime (which has the music from the preview trailer playing in the background), shows several scenes spliced together with unedited audio from the sourced scenes, with the footage looping.

After viewing all games in the Chronicle, clips of Samus and Baby Sheegoths in gameplay are displayed, along with the concept art of both that shows the development of the model, as it goes from wireframe to the detailed figure in the game. The scene also depicts a slightly different entry for the scene where the adult Sheegoth appears after the Baby Sheegoth are killed, as well as showing Samus apparently being killed in a slightly different manner to how it's depicted in the game (namely, she doesn't scream at all, and the visor simply enters static without shutting off). After these play, concept art is viewable, some of it exclusive to this disc, before going back to the main menu.

Footage from the disc can be found here: [8]

Nintendogs + Cats

AR Cards can be used in this game, including Samus Aran. This puts her helmet on the Nintendog or cat when taking photos.

Phantasy Star Ø

The Arm Cannon in Phantasy Star Ø.

Samus's Arm Cannon is one of several available Nintendo weapons.

Picross DS

Samus Aran is the solution to puzzle 11-M.

Pushmo (NTSC) / Pullblox (PAL)

One stage consists of a Samus Aran sprite from Metroid. This is stage 212 in the Bonus Nintendo Murals.

Rocket League

The Nintendo Switch version of the game features an exclusive Battle Car modeled after Samus's Gunship. It is unlockable within the game at random and comes with two color schemes for the orange and blue teams. The blue team's color scheme is a "classic" variant, with the color resembling the Fusion Suit. The car's Rocket Boost is called Wave Beam. The car is not compatible with any decals and its paint color cannot be changed.

In the trailer for the game, the Metroid: Samus Returns Title theme plays as this car is introduced. This costume replaces the Breakout car in other platform versions of Rocket League.

The Wave Beam Rocket Boost.

Blue team variant.

Splatoon 2

To promote the recently-released Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the theme of Splatfest #20 was Heroes vs. Villains. Samus was one of the characters representing the Heroes team, while Ridley was one of the characters representing the Villains team. The Heroes won the popularity vote (62.89% to 37.11%), but the Villains beat the Heroes in normal (52.21% to 47.79%) and pro (53.51% to 46.49%) clout, winning the overall Splatfest.

StreetPass Mii Plaza

File:Samus Puzzle Swap.jpg

Samus puzzle

Samus' helmet and a Metroid hat are among the many hats that can be unlocked in Find Mii. The latter is unlocked on the second playthrough. If worn, the Mii will always be seen wearing it anywhere in StreetPass Mii Plaza. A Samus Aran puzzle is available in Puzzle Swap. Once completed, it unlocks a 3D model viewer of her that was first shown at E3.

Tekken Tag Tournament 2: Wii U Edition

Tekken

A Zero Suit Samus costume is available to complement several other Nintendo costumes and a Mushroom mode.

Tetris

In the Nintendo version of this Nintendo Entertainment System game, Samus appears playing the upright bass after the player wins a B-type game of level at least nine and height at least 2. She appears along with multiple other Nintendo characters.

Tetris DS

Catch Mode is based on the original Metroid.

The purpose of the game mode is to collect tetrominoes into contiguous blocks, by using a single solid block. The tetrominoes fall from the top in various positions, and only the solid block can be rotated. Once a large block has been collected, it will detonate, destroying everything in its path. Several Metroid larvae in containers similar to the infant's also fall from the ceiling; destroying them in detonations will net a bonus. The player loses a small amount of health if the blocks hit the bottom of the screen. Colliding the collected blocks with the Metroid containers will cause a big health loss and destruction of some collected blocks. The game is over once the player loses all health.

The play area is a shaft resembling Brinstar, but with a more realistic, bat cave-like background. Samus sprites can be seen in the background in different poses. These include aiming up at a Ripper, in Morph Ball, on a ledge in front of a Blue Door, jumping and aiming at a Zoomer on the bottom of a ledge, Spin Jumping from one ledge to another, a Ripper and Zoomer alone, and then it cycles over.

The theme is a remix of the classic Brinstar theme, which can be heard here: [9]. When the detonation block activates and before it explodes, a faster remix of the Brinstar theme is heard.

Level 12 of Marathon Mode is also Metroid themed. The level contains the Brinstar theme, Mother Brain in the background and a rapidly rotating sprite of Samus that moves when points are accumulated. On the top screen, Samus can be seen jumping around in the starting point of Brinstar, but the Morph Ball is missing and the background is colored red, failing to match the blue rock scenery of Brinstar.

Finally, Samus can be seen running around on the title screen shooting tetrominoes.

"Steer a flying core into falling Tetriminos in this Metroid-themed mode." - Manual

Catch Mode

Marathon Mode

Tomodachi Life

Miis can occasionally be seen playing games such as Metroid Blast on Nintendo Land, with sound effects matching the characters' movements. [10] Two videos for the game featured Samus Aran as a Mii.

Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3

Some of the sound effects in the game were reused from Metroid II: Return of Samus (in particular, the sounds used when Samus hits the Metroids with missiles was used for when Wario jumps on the final boss's head).

Wario Land II

The reward for "Story 4: Don't Shock The Owl!" of "Final Chapter: Mysterious Factory!" is a blue Metroid larva.

The Metroid larva being rewarded.

The full inventory of treasures (the Metroid is the penultimate icon in the bottom row).

amiibo-compatible games

Ace Combat 3D Cross Rumble +

Using the Samus amiibo unlocks a Samus-themed paint job for the YF-23. The aircraft will have Samus' artwork from Other M on it, as well as the Metroid series logo.

amiibo tap: Nintendo's Greatest Bits

This compilation game allows 3-minute demos of NES and SNES games, including Metroid and Super Metroid, to be accessed with the use of the Samus and Zero Suit Samus amiibo figures.

Chibi-Robo! Zip Lash

Using an amiibo unlocks a figure of Chibi-Robo assuming the amiibo character's pose. Using either Samus amiibo unlocks figure #111. It has this description:

"Raised by the mysterious Chozo from a young age, she became an indomitable bounty hunter and intergalactic warrior. Every once in a while, she reveals her maternal side."

Miitopia

The Super Smash Bros. Samus and Zero Suit Samus amiibo, as well as the Samus Returns Samus Aran amiibo, can be used to unlock costumes based on Samus and Zero Suit Samus. They are virtually identical to the costumes offered in Miitomo.

New Style Boutique 2: Fashion Forward

Using the Samus amiibo unlocks the Visor, known as the "Galactic Visor". Using the Zero Suit Samus amiibo unlocks the Jet Boots, called "Bounty Hunter Boots" here. Both are wearable accessories.

Galactic Visor

Bounty Hunter Boots

One Piece: Super Grand Battle! X

The Samus amiibo unlocks a costume for Robin.

Yoshi's Woolly World

Both the Samus amiibo and the Zero Suit Samus amiibo unlock appropriate yarn colors for Yoshi.

Possible references

Mario series

Starting in Super Mario Bros. 3, Mario would be able to spin jump when he collected a Starman, and the pattern resembled the Screw Attack. This also happens in subsequent remakes and games. The Snoozorb enemy in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time also resembles the Nightmare, with both of their names about sleep. In addition, Bowser's defeat animation upon falling into the lava in New Super Mario Bros. resembled that of Crocomire falling into the same, right down to his second surfacing having the flesh stripped from the bone to have him turn into Dry Bowser.

Mario with the "Screw Attack", New Super Mario Bros. Wii.

Snoozorb

F-Zero series

Longtime playable character Jody Summer's appearance heavily resembles that of Samus at the end of the original Metroid, wearing a pink sports bra, thong, and boots, with a lightning bolt on her left breast and two shoulder pads, as well as brown hair. Like Samus, she works for a "Galactic Space Federation" to eliminate the criminal element in the F-Zero tournaments, has a deceased father and a supposedly also deceased brother, her chapter in F-Zero GX involves escaping from a time bomb, and in the anime, it is discovered that she was partially reconstructed as a cyborg. Jody Summer is in the vein of James McCloud and Mr. EAD as F-Zero characters who appear to reference other series.

The Wonderful 101

Jergingha, the game's antagonistic brain-in-a-vat, seems to be based on Mother Brain, including a transformed human-like form. This character may be a relic from early development when the game was intended to make use of various Nintendo characters. Immorta, another character, is a member of the Galactic Federation Police.

Third-party/unlicensed software

Axiom Verge

Trace wearing the Justin Bailey suit

A Metroidvania indie game that is heavily inspired by the Metroid series, from style to gameplay. The player character, Trace, can also obtain a password tool that allows him to use encoded password strings to alter reality. Entering the original Metroid password "Justin Bailey" causes Trace to don the same suit.

The developers asked Nintendo for permission to include a Samus costume for Trace, but Nintendo declined.

Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate

Several gameplay elements are similar to the Prime series from Metroid, including the detective mode resembling the Scan Visor in function (including markings indicating which objects have been scanned and which haven't and a description of the scans), the Case Files resembling the Lore scans in function, and the map (especially in the Deluxe Edition) and hint system resembling those used by the Prime series. This is most likely intentional, as the developers of the game, Armature Studios, were an offshoot of Retro Studios, the developers who made the Prime series. In the original release, the map also resembled those used in the 2D Metroid games starting with Super Metroid.

Blaster Master

Metroid larva-like enemies appear underwater in this Metroid inspired game. They bear 4 retracting mandibles, but no nuclei.

Bloodline: Champions

Video

One of the newest characters in this online game is called the Metal Warden, who possesses armor very similar to the Power Suit. The Metal Warden can charge her shots, perform a high jumping attack in the air, morph into a ball and fire a black hole with effects similar to a Power Bomb.

Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance

A comparison between the two skulls.

In the "Cave of Skeletons" area, there are skulls that bear a strong resemblance to Crocomire's and are used as ramps to get up to a higher ledge. In the second Castlevania title for the Game Boy Advance, Harmony of Dissonance, the player will eventually come to an area called the "Cave of Skeletons"; in it, there are giant skulls which can be used as ramps to get to the next part of the area. This homage was likely intentional because starting from Symphony of the Night, Castlevania games have borrowed a Metroid-like gameplay style. [11]

Castlevania: Sorrow subseries

In the games Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow and Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, the main character Soma Cruz is able to, after defeating various enemies, absorb their souls and copy their abilities, similar to how Samus was able to absorb various X Parasites and, to a certain extent, replicate any abilities they may have possessed in Metroid Fusion. Coincidentally, both also were reborn figures (Soma Cruz being the reincarnation of franchise villain Count Dracula, while Samus Aran was mentioned to be "reborn" after having the Vaccine "Metroid" save her life when she had previously been infected with the X Parasites).

Catherine

One of the characters that can be spoken to in the "Stray Sheep" bar is named Justin Bailey.[12]

Cave Story

Floating enemies called "Jellies" resemble Metroid larvae and also have a Queen (likely referencing the Queen Metroid) in this Super Metroid-inspired game.

Normal Jellies.

A Queen Jelly.

Crush Crush

This ecchi (hentai) dating simulation game on Steam features a girl named Mio who mentions Samus and finds her to be attractive: "I have such a girl crush on Samus. I mean, she can contort herself into a ball. She must bang like a tiger..."

Dragon Ball Z: Legacy of Goku 2

West City's electronics store features SNES games on display, including Super Metroid. [13]

Dungeon of the Endless

One of the characters is Sara Numas, a blond woman in a blue jumpsuit whose name is an anagram of Samus Aran. Like Samus (in her Zero Suit appearance), Numas is quite fast, but not as strong. She is described as a galactically-famous bounty hunter who is dedicated to seeing justice served, and tasked with the transfer of the leader of intergalactic pirates to a prison complex.

Escape from Puppy Death Factory

In this Adult Swim game, there are many references to the Metroid series. The canine protagonist Laika wears a Power Suit with an Arm Cannon and possesses a gunship (named MUTTNIK) that resembles her face, while exploring an abandoned planet to rescue her puppy brethren, similar to the baby (there is a message in the game that references Super Metroid as well: "The last puppies are in captivity...SET THEM FREE."). Collecting all 31 puppies also leads to the best ending in the game.

The menu screen bears a strong resemblance to that of Super Metroid.

The protagonist Laika, with the Power Suit-like armor.

Laika's gunship.

Evoland 2

Inside the Giro Lab, a capsule with a Metroid can be found. When examined, the characters have dialogue.

“	Fina: Oh, what a cute little critter! Maybe we should free it? Velvet: I don't think that's such a good idea...	„

Shortly after this, a large brain inside a glass capsule (resembling Mother Brain, albeit with the eye shut) must be fought. The brain is equipped with four floor-mounted turrets and two sentry drones with drill-like arms. The turrets and sentries must be destroyed before the brain itself can be attacked. When destroyed, a flash appears onscreen before the brain disappears.

“	Fina: What in the world is that ghastly thing? Looks like a giant slimy brain... Velvet: It must be the result of an experiment gone terribly wrong. I just hope this isn't a horror movie, because then we're all goners! Only the hero survives that kind of thing... Velvet: [guards appear] Apparently, those metal creatures have decided to protect it!	„

FNAF World

In this RPG spinoff of the popular "Five Nights at Freddy's", or more commonly known as FNaF, a specific minigame known as FNaF 57: Freddy in Space is a clear riff on the original NES Metroid, to the extent of even sharing the same death animation. The gameplay is much like that of any traditional Metroidvania in which you must collect cupcakes in order to upgrade your ray-gun that, like many beam upgrades throughout the Metroid series, increase projectile size, strength, speed, and each have their own color palette. FNaF 57 also features several rooms a with spherical, almost "bubbly" landscape, much like portions of Norfair. In addition, FNaF 57 also has a mechanical, linear, and much more difficult end-area reminiscent of Tourian, down to featuring a disembodied head in a jar that is clearly a parody of Mother Brain.

FNaF Freddy In Space 2

In the sequel to the previously mentioned game, It still retains the Metroidvania style of gameplay, but this time the anthropomorphic female chicken character nicknamed "Chica" is seen wearing a Zero Suit-esque jumpsuit and weilding a pistol similar to Zero Suit Samus's Paralyzer.

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York

SNES version.

In the NES and SNES versions, having Kevin McCallister get the bell item will have him when jumping spin around in a similar manner to Samus when using the Screw Attack, which also allows him to defeat foes by touching them while using this attack.

Guacamelee!

A statue depicting a Metroid larva is present. "Choozo Statues" are also featured, which are nearly identical both in name and appearance to Chozo Statues. When an item is obtained from one, the game states that "You got nothing!".

Heroes of the Storm

This online game from Blizzard Entertainment features a skin for the combat medic, Lt. Rosa Morales that resembles the Varia Suit in terms of color, and features a large green arm cannon as well as an even larger, orange shield. The cannon is on the left arm, unlike Samus. This skin is a Master variant, which requires effort to obtain.

Hollow Knight

Uumuu

Hollowknight is a Metroidvania game that features jellyfish-like enemies called Uoma, Ooma, and Uumuu. These creatures strongly resemble Metroid larvae, especially their original tentacled appearance in early Metroid artwork, which may be a homage to the Metroidvania genre's roots.

Horizon Zero Dawn

During the cutscene "The Good News", the silhouette of a Metroid larva is briefly seen as part of an evolutionary tree.

Kingdom of Loathing

A browser-based MMORPG with stick figure graphics and an "odd" sense of humor. Players can play a text-and-prompt-button minigame version of Metroid in the "Game Grid Arcade" area, by way of the "Meteoid" cabinet. Since mid 2014, Meteoid Steam Cards 1, 2, and 3 can be used together to unlock a stick-figure avatar of Samus for their character. The steam cards depict a Zeela, a Ripper II, and a Metroid Larvae. This is about Steam Trading Cards, however, Metroid is not available through Steam, but exclusively digitally distributed through the Nintendo E-Shop for use on the Wii, Wii-U, and 3DS.

League of Legends

This MOBA title from Riot games features among its playable characters a woman named Miss (Sarah) Fortune. Her back story is that of a child who witnesses her parents murdered by the leader of a gang of pirates, and so becomes a Bounty Hunter. Despite the game's fantasy setting, Miss Fortune can use a skin (Gun Goddess Miss Fortune) which puts her into a futuristic, Metroid-esque timeline, and equips her with technologically advanced alien power armour, which can alternate between various colours (much like Samus' Chozo power armour) over a form-fitting suit (similar to the Zero suit found in many Metroid titles.) Additionally, in certain situations, Gun Goddess Miss Fortune may say "And that is why you never leave a girl for dead on her Colony world" as a voice line - a reference to the events of Samus' childhood on K-2L.

Mighty Switch Force

This speed-run heavy platforming series stars a cyborg cop named Patty Wagon. Its gameplay, as well as death and ending sequences, are heavily influenced by the Metroid series, as acknowledged by the developers on Miiverse. (Mr.Bozon and Ivansmith)

Men in Black 3

The film's iOS and Android game adaptation features Samantha Aran, an agent that can be recruited from the Locker Room at MIB Headquarters. Both her appearance and name are obvious references to Samus Aran, and she is listed as having been a Counter-Terrorist. She is available when the player reaches Level 7 and purchases the first Locker Room upgrade, and costs 32 T-Pulse.

Perception

One of the achievements, Ceres, is gained by looking through a telescope in an upper room during chapter one. Its description reads "The galaxy is at peace", a dual reference to Super Metroid: the setting of the first chapter on Ceres Space Colony, and the famous narration by Dan Owsen: "The last Metroid is in captivity. The galaxy is at peace."

ReCore

This Xbox One-exclusive game released in late 2016 was developed by Armature Studio, which was founded by numerous developers who worked on the Prime Series. The game's trailers and boxart state that the game is from "Keiji Inafune and the makers of Metroid Prime". Mark Pacini, the director of the Prime games, also directed this game. Certain elements from Metroid Prime are present - as with Prime and Echoes, weapons are selected with the directional pad, and the weapons are color-coded. Certain enemies are colored in such a way that they are only affected by a specific weapon, akin to certain Prime creatures. Seth, a spider-like companion of the protagonist, Joule, can collapse into a ball and ride rails, much like the Spider Ball and Tracks in the Prime Series. Joule has a double jump ability similar to the Space Jump as well as a Log Book, separated into categories for personal logs, a bestiary of enemies and a Joule's Notes section with gameplay tips, similar to Samus's Notes in the Prime series Inventory. The Security Lattice enemy is similar to the Aeromines in Corruption as well.

Asked about any similarities between the games, Jack Mathews suggested the influences were more to do with the people working on ReCore than from the Prime series. He added that "Mark [Pacini] loves logbooks."

Shadow Complex

The Eye-like camera in Shadow Complex.

This Metroidvania game was heavily inspired by Super Metroid. In a similar role to the Eye, there is a security camera which shines on the protagonist, Jason Fleming, when he first enters the complex, and he can collect a Speed Booster-like upgrade called the Friction Dampener as well as Missiles and a "Foam Gun", which resembles the Ice Beam. The Friction Dampener has the added ability of being able to run up walls and on ceilings if timed properly. The obstacles are color-coded similar to Metroid. Red obstacles require Missiles, green requires Grenades, purple requires Foam, and blue requires the Friction Dampener. One of the extra achievements (which does not reward gamerscore or trophy points) is also called Jason Bailey, for completing the game with 100% in under 2 hours. Its icon is a pair of briefs.

Shantae: Half-Genie Hero

Wilbur

Wilbur bears an uncanny resemblance to the Charge Beam Beast since both bosses are giant centipede-like monsters with grayish-purple armor, large prominent mandibles, thorns lining their bodies, and a single large eyeball that serves as their weak point. Although Half-Genie Hero is more of a traditional platformer, most games in the Shantae series are considered part of the Metroidvania genre, so it's possible (albeit unconfirmed) that Wilbur's design is a tribute to the Metroid series.

Singularity

There are numerous references to Metroid in Singularity. Firstly, there is a message on the wall of a facility saying "Mother my brain hurts!". Entering a derelict ship similar to the Frigate Orpheon, an upgrade called the "Dethex Launcher" can be obtained, which fires small ball-shaped bombs similar to the Morph Ball that are used in one situation to navigate a maze to open up a locked door. Finally, there is a note in the hands of a dead body talking about a strange new specimen, signed by the initials "S.A.". To the left of the body, a Metroid larva-like creature can be seen inside a tube.[14]

The "Mother My Brain Hurts" message.

The note with the initials "S.A."

The Metroid larva-like creature.

The Dethex launcher in action.

Skullgirls

Two fighters from the 2D fighting game, Skullgirls, have interchangeable unlockable skins referencing Samus Aran. There are three Samus skins in total.

Parasoul Renoir

• Unlockable skin 18 out of 25. The skin is that of the Justin Bailey cheat code in the original Metroid (1986). The name of the skin is "Primed".

Robo-Fortune

• Unlockable skin 18 out of 25. This skin is that of Samus' Varia Suit.
• Unlockable skin 19 out of 25. This skin is that of Samus' Gravity Suit.

These two skins do not have a special nickname.

Parasoul (left) Robo-Fortune (right)

Profiles

Justin Bailey Parasoul vs Varia Robo-Fortune

Justin Bailey Parasoul vs Gravity Robo-Fortune

Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty

A Metroid larva is seen in a stasis tube much like the baby's. It is found in the 2v2 multiplayer map "High Orbit". [15]

Teslagrad

This sidescrolling Wii U adventure game features a seated bird statue holding an item. This reference was confirmed as a tribute to Metroid by the developer. In another part of the game you can find Samus's helmet on a shelf in a laboratory just before the fourth boss battle.

Cancelled cameos

Uniracers

In early promotional footage, the finalized course tour names are replaced by the Nintendo game series and character icons. One is "METROID", with a kneeling mirrored image of Samus Aran. [16] This became the Bounder (kangaroo) tour in the retail game.

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance

Chozo Blood Rights (video)

The game was intended to include Samus and Link as playable characters, but Nintendo ultimately refused to license them for Activision. A video shows Samus using many of her abilities from the Metroid series, and she appears to have been based on her Metroid Prime depiction. She is also seen using a new ability called Chozo Blood Rights. The appearance of this ability is short, and there does not appear to be any visible changes after activation, apart from a green glow around Samus. It would seem to increase benefits inherited from the Chozo blood Samus has. This ability might have granted Samus more power or better defense, as it does not appear to be an attacking move.

Presumably, the characters' removal was forced when Activision placed them on the non-Nintendo console versions of the game.

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga

Unused sprites from Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga

Samus was intended to appear at Starbeans Cafe among other Nintendo characters, during a scripted event. Dialog remains in the game's code - "Cashier: Whoa! A power outage? Yikes! Samus Aran! I see you're rocking and rolling as usual! ...Looks like your energy tanks are empty! Sorry, but can't you give your Hoolumbian to Samus? Oh! Feeling better?" She would then give the player an Energy Tank in exchange for the drink. Ultimately, most of the items were replaced with similar ones in the final game, though the Energy Tank became a Power Grip accessory.)

Scribblenauts Unlimited

Maxwell, the main character of this game, writes words into his notebook to summon the written object and solve various puzzles. This is achieved by having the player type out a noun (or adjectives and a noun) and the game's "dictionary" identifies and depicts the request along with the expected properties of it.

This version of the game has characters and objects from the Mario and Zelda series, but the developers originally intended to have a larger cast:

"We wanted a lot more IP, like Donkey Kong or Metroid or even Pokémon — Pokémon's huge, right? — but it was just about timing. We just didn't have a ton of development time to get everything done and shipped."

In comics and manga

Mega Man Archie Comics

Although Metroid isn't referenced in the comic itself, a Halloween-themed blog by Ryan Jampole in 2013 featured the character Roll dressing up in costumes based on various franchises, with one of the costumes being based on Zero Suit Samus. The pose Roll adopted while dressed up as her is based on Zero Suit Samus's render artwork from Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Famiken Ryu

A Japanese manga with a similar premise to Captain N, following the gaming adventures of Kenpo and Famicom master Ryu, who is capable of using a special attack called Famiken. Volume 4 features a segment where Ryu ventures into the world of Metroid. Ryu's girlfriend Sayaka is abducted to be tortured by his nemesis, a brain-like computer named Cobra, who challenges him to get to Mother Brain in the original game. Cobra also produces thousands of clones of Ryu. Outfitted with her Power Suit sans the helmet, Ryu acquires many of Samus' power-ups but soon finds himself confused by the maze-like rooms of Zebes. He finds Sayaka about to use Famiken; because she is inexperienced with it the results could be disastrous. Ryu encounters and kills Ridley and Kraid, then heads for Tourian. However, when he arrives, he is shocked to find his Wave Beam does not work on Metroids. Just as Sayaka is about to be killed, the Ryu clones sacrifice themselves for her because of an override program placed in them by Sayaka's father, Dr. Madoh. Ryu backtracks to collect the Ice Beam, while Cobra destroys the remaining clones and combines their cells into a large brain. Ryu jumps in and fights his way through Super Xevious.

Mario vs. Wario

A super-deformed doll in Samus's likeness that Princess Peach desired drove the humorous plot for a Mario vs. Wario comic that was published in Nintendo Power before the Super Metroid comic. The doll in this comic was different from the doll depicted in Super Mario RPG. The titular characters Mario and Wario fight over who gets to buy the doll, using trickery to get ahead of one another. Ultimately, it is revealed that Luigi had bought the doll.

Duh Stoopid Bomb!

In the Mario series comic Duh Stoopid Bomb! published by the Nintendo Comics System, Mother Brain's name appears on a list of people who think King Toadstool is dumb.

N-Gang

Samus makes a cameo appearance at the end of the final issue of the comics, Die Hexe lacht um Mitternacht (The Witch Laughs at Midnight).

Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life

In this video game themed graphic novel, the titular character says, "I wish I could turn into a Morphing Ball and roll to the bathroom from here, instead of having to stand up." Scott's love interest Ramona Flowers then says, "I used to know a guy who could do that. He said it wasn't that great."

In television

Toys Я Us commercial

In a Toys R Us commercial that advertised NES games, a store in Tourian, labeled Kraid's Toy Shop, is shown to be sold out. A man and his son are seen there wearing Samus Aran's Power Suit as they bomb the floor into Toys Я Us.

Kool-Aid commercial

Kool-Aid commercial

Samus once appeared in a Kool-Aid Commercial that advertised a contest in which a copy of Metroid II: Return of Samus would be given away to the winner. An animated version of her is seen in the back of a school bus with two children.

Mystery Science Theater 3000

In episode #405 of the show, "Being From Another Planet," a troubled teen is alone in his room playing a little electronic game when two guys come in to bother him, at which point Crow says, "Could I go back to my game? I was up to the third level of Metroid."[17]

House

In the first season's third episode, "Occam's Razor", House can be seen playing his Game Boy Advance SP, with "the fourth level" of Metroid: Zero Mission shown on screen, though the sound effects are not from the game and entering the Morph Ball in the hands of a Chozo Statue kills all of the players in the show.[18] There is also mention of a species called "space bunnies", which may be referring to Reos.

In the fifteenth episode of the same show, "Mob Rules," House produces his Nintendo DS and holds it up to a comatose patient's ear. The footage on-screen is Metroid Prime Hunters: First Hunt, again with different sound effects.[19]

Occam's Razor

Mob Rules

GameCenter CX

One episode chronicles the completion of Metroid by Arino (season 2, episode 5). Episode 9 of the Nintendo Channel subseries features Super Metroid.

Spaceballs: The Animated Series

In the second episode of the show, Samus (with an exaggerated appearance and large breasts) fires a Super Missile at a tank driving down the street.

Code Monkeys

In the episode "Valley of the Silicon Dolls", Larrity searches for bounty hunters to kill the robotic teddy bear that Dave, Jarry, and Black Steve reprogrammed. Towards the end of the episode, a warped version of Samus's ship rises and Samus jumps out and kills the teddy bear. She then removes her helmet and reveals that she is actually Mary. She then morphs into a ball and rolls away. This version of Samus has the Arm Cannon on her left arm instead of her right, possibly due to copyright issues with Nintendo.

The warped version of Samus' ship.

"Samus" prepares to destroy the teddy bear.

"Samus" reveals herself.

"Samus" morphs into a ball and rolls away.

Corruption as depicted in One Tree Hill.

One Tree Hill

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption is briefly depicted in season 8 episode 14, "Holding Out for a Hero". Interestingly, it uses sound effects from Other M.

Supernatural

Season one, episode two ("Wendigo") opens with two boys playing Metroid Prime Hunters: First Hunt in a tent at night when they are attacked by a Wendigo.

Metroid Prime Hunters makes an appearance in the haunted house episode, "Family Remains," episode 11 of season 4.

Wendigo

Family Remains

Mad

Samus (in her Varia Suit and Zero Suit) and Ridley appear in season 1, episode 16, "Straight A Team / Gaming's Next Top Model" (a parody of America's Next Top Model), with on-screen mentions of Zebes and K-2L. In the short, Samus competes in a beauty contest against Peach and Zelda, while Mario, Tyra Banks, Mega Man and other man as judges. [20] Also appearing were Ganondorf, Bowser, a Lakitu and Zelda's Sheik form. The quickly dismissed characters include Tifa Lockhart, Felicia, Misty, Birdo, Lara Croft, and Amy Rose. Ridley appeared during the "villain photoshoot" portion of the competition, alongside Bowser and Ganondorf; his monstrous appearance horrified the cameraman, Lakitu, and shortly afterward Ridley managed to break free of his chains and capture Lakitu, only to be shot down by Samus' Zero Laser.

Humorously, the shoulders of Samus' armor are shaped like basketballs. In fact, in one picture from her photoshoot, she is holding a discarded shoulder like a basketball. Also, her eyes are brown.

Aoi Sekai no Chuushin de

An Anime series that reenacts the Nintendo/Sega "console wars" through medieval-styled characters based on game licenses. "Saroid" is a character that is a thinly-veiled reference to Samus Aran. [21]. She doesn't appear in the anime but she is in the manga.

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon

Reggie Fils-Aime has appeared on the show several times to demo games, once showing Nintendo Land's Metroid Blast.

The June 19, 2013 episode began with a title card based on the Metroid title screen.

Regular Show

In "Terror Tales of the Park VI", the Halloween-themed 2 part penultimate episode of the show's eighth season, Eileen dresses as Samus.

Heybot!

Samus's ship (colored blue) and Metroids appear briefly in episode 31.

In films

The Wizard

Metroid can be seen briefly (in a full-screen shot) on a PlayChoice-10. [22]

Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over

One scene depicts the main characters talking about lava always appearing in video games. One says "In Metroid, it's actually magma."[23]

Jarhead

When the marines are on their flight to their destination, Anthony (Jake Gyllenhaal) questions another marine (Lucas Black) about rather being a worthless civilian, playing Metroid, "trying to get to that 9th level." Another marine mentions how at the end, nothing happens, it just starts over.[24]

Press Start

One of the main characters' names is Sam, a blonde woman in a black sports bra and wristbands (similar to the Super Metroid Ending Outfit), who is a "space soldier". She possesses a spacesuit and is kidnapped by a man who removes the suit and is addressed as "Mr. Bailey" while wearing a "Justin" nametag.

Kong: Skull Island

Kong: Skull Island director Jordan Vogt-Roberts revealed in a tweet that his film contains video game references, including the soldier's helmets resembling Mega Man, Gundam and Metroid.

The Wizard

Sam in Press Start

In literature

Nintendo: My Play a Tune Book

This 1989 book came with an attached keyboard-like device, meant to be used to play classic songs which mostly included re-imagined Nintendo lyrics.

Must Be Metroid

(Tune: The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out...)

Lyrics: T. Ellis

My name is Samus, I'm on my way,

To find the Metroid and zap it away,

The Mother Brain will do her best

To put me to the ultimate test...

There's secret paths and hidden pits,

I must be careful and use all my wits.

Got to explore the awesome maze,

To save the galaxy, cleverness pays!

Mini-Boss Kraid will try to see

If he is able to finish off me.

But I've got Bombs and Screw Attack,

Ice Beam and High Jump to fight him back.

It won't be long until I'm there.

I'll soon be entering Boss Ridley's lair.

I'll use my beam and missiles too,

He'll be a goner when Samus is through.

Highouts [sic] are cleared, but I'm not done,

The final victory waits to be won.

When Mother Brain is history

A BIG SURPRISE will be waiting for me!

Club Nintendo Magazine

A Dutch edition of the magazine advertised the NES and NES Zapper in 1990, in the form of a comic featuring Mario and Luigi. The brothers were attempting to rescue Princess Peach, once again, from a group of aliens. After the surrender of their leader, Mario and the aliens are seen playing Metroid together in peace. The scene depicted is the Mother Brain battle.

How to Draw Nintendo Greatest Heroes & Villains

This book featured Samus on pages 26 to 27, in her appearance from Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (although Hunters artwork was present on the cover). Elements of page design seem to be drawn from Metroid.com's Metroid Prime page menu.

Cover.

Page 26.

Page 27.

The Art of Wreck-It Ralph

Concept art for an unused character that resembles Mother Brain in the film Wreck-It Ralph appears under "Desserted[sic] Characters". The design was drawn by Cory Loftis. It appears along with numerous other characters likely intended to evoke other Nintendo characters.

Other media

Ultra Beatdown

Artwork for DragonForce's 2008 Ultra Beatdown CD, which bears several similarities to Samus Aran.

The artwork on DragonForce's Ultra Beatdown album cover was created by Andrew Jones and depicts a female cyborg that has some Samus-like parts, particularly the shoulder and thigh.

Nintendo Monopoly

This spin on the classic board game featured the Metroid series, including Samus Aran (using her Echoes appearance), Meta Ridley (known as "Ridley"), and a Tallon Metroid (known simply as a "Metroid") on the orange properties. Metroid and Super Metroid can be seen in the background. The 2010 collector's edition uses updated artwork from Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, replaces the Metroid with the Morph Ball, the Blue Falcon's space with Samus' Gunship, and adds a player piece representing Samus' helmet.

The original box-art, picturing Samus.

The original game board (all three Metroid properties are at the top, upside down).

The 2010 Collector's Edition game board.

The 2010 Collector's Edition box-art, featuring Samus.

The new Samus helmet piece.

Nerdy Nummies

An October 2014 episode of this YouTube baking series has the host, Rosanna Pansino, making chocolate Metroid Cupcakes. Raspberries are used for the creature's nuclei, and cashews cut in half are used for the mandibles. Pansino states "We're just going to throw all of these things into the cupcake tray, and that's how the Pirates made the biological weapons, the Metroids." Throughout the video, she wears a Zero Suit Samus wig and costume made by her friend, special effects expert Greg Aronowitz. The Zero Suit costume does not have gloves.

Ingredient list:

• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2oz semi sweet dark morsels
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• Vanilla buttercream frosting, dyed green
• Green sugar sprinkles
• Cashews
• Raspberries

The video with detailed instructions can be viewed here: [25]

Rosanna Pansino's Zero Suit costume.

The cupcakes.

MyNintendo

On August 25, 2016, a Samus theme for the Nintendo 3DS was released as a reward for MyNintendo, the Nintendo rewards program. It features Samus as she appears in Other M against an orange background with the same music as every MyNintendo theme. It costs 200 Platinum Points.

LEGO

Video Game Champ

One of the figures released in Series 19 of the LEGO Minfigures collection is a Video Game Champ, who holds a game controller and a copy of "Space Game" for the "Play-Box". The cover of the game depicts the Cyborg, a female cybernetic heroine with shoulder pads, a chest plate, and a firearm, resembling Samus. The cover heavily resembles the cover of Metroid Prime in the character's pose, the hallway behind her, and the logo's format (the S in "space" even resembles the Screw Attack symbol).

The instruction booklet for 71374 Nintendo Entertainment System showcases multiple NES games, including the boxart of Metroid and a screenshot of Samus encountering Metroid larvae in the first Tourian vertical shaft.

Trivia

• Samus' movements served as a reference for the players in Tennis for the Game Boy.[26]