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Super metroid green gate

Samus on the right side of a green shutter in Maridia.

Shutters,[1][2] also known as Metal Poles,[3] are a type of mid-room barrier that appear in Super Metroid, Metroid Fusion, Metroid: Zero Mission, and Metroid Dread.

Description[]

Shutters block progress (usually directly in front of a door or hall) until an upgrade or path around them is found. If Samus has the Wave Beam in Super Metroid and Metroid Fusion, it will penetrate the barrier and can open it from the "wrong side".

In Super Metroid, there are also shutters with green lights, indicating they can be opened with a Super Missile. The Hyper Beam can destroy shutters with one shot, as witnessed in a room behind Mother Brain's chamber.

A shutter in Metroid Fusion

In Metroid Fusion, they appear in various locations throughout the Biologic Space Laboratories research station. They glow with a fixed light pattern decorated on the side of the wall, and although the light itself glows a different color comprised of red, blue, and yellow, they can be hit by any beam shots (Missiles have no effect). There is also a larger variant of the shutter which behaves the exact same way. It is possible these were used to denote the presence of a high security room. Very curiously, all shutters with the light on the left side have a gold colored base, while all lights positioned to the right of the shutter are silver based.

In Metroid: Zero Mission, they appear throughout Chozodia and the Space Pirate Mother Ship, blocking Zero Suit Samus's way when the Pirate Alarm System is active. They cannot be lifted by Samus. Instead, she must wait for the Zebesian Space Pirates to lose sight of her, at which point they will automatically open.

In Metroid Dread, Shutters are marked with lights that glow yellow when open and red when closed. Certain Shutters lock off rooms when Samus encounters Twin Robot Chozo Soldiers in Ferenia and Burenia, preventing her from escaping. These Shutters automatically reopen once the robot enemies are destroyed. Other Shutters are triggered by pressure-sensitive Shutter Platforms,[2] which close the door when Samus steps foot on them and only reopen a few seconds after she steps off the platform. Shutter Platforms can only be bypassed with the Flash Shift or by fast Space Jumps, though the latter option is slower and less reliable in general. In various E.M.M.I. Zones, Shutter Platforms can either be exploited to block the path of a pursuing E.M.M.I., or they may hinder Samus while she is trying to escape. The E.M.M.I. themselves do not trigger Shutters even if they step on the associated platforms.

Official Data[]

Super Metroid manual[]

OPENING DOORS
"There are several metal poles in the passages of Zebes. The color of the lights above these poles should give you an idea on how to make them move out of the way."

Super Metroid GamePro Strategy Guide[]

Open Up
"The sliding doors use the same light trick as the tunnel gates. Check the color of the light at the top of the door and then use the appropriate weapon."

Metroid Fusion manual[]

SHUTTERS
"Shutters can be opened by shooting the lamps with beams."

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

Shutter
"Blast the switches with your Beam."

Development notes[]

Shutters with red and yellow lights have been discovered in Super Metroid through datamining, and are accessible via the Super Metroid Integrated Level Editor (SMILE). However, neither of these two shutter variants are used in the game.

There is an unused animation of both types of shutters in Metroid Fusion closing, and a vertical pillar retracting. In-game, shutters can only open.[4]

Trivia[]

  • There is a glitch in Super Metroid commonly known as the "Green Gate Glitch", where Samus must run up to a green-lighted shutter, jump and shoot diagonally at a certain spot to open it the wrong way. This is used in many instances, such as getting the Screw Attack early. However, this glitch only works on gates with left-facing lights.
  • A similar obstacle to shutters appears in Metroid: Other M during the final Countdown sequence, though they are gates instead of poles. They appear in two hallways and are consistently closing. Zero Suit Samus is required to slide under them, but if she cannot make it, she can fire a charged shot of the Paralyzer or multiple uncharged shots.

Gallery[]

References[]

  1. ^ Metroid Fusion manual
  2. ^ a b Metroid Dread Map
  3. ^ Super Metroid manual
  4. ^ biospark. Metroid Fusion - Unused Sprite Animations. YouTube. June 21, 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGnwul2oWMc (starts at 2:32)



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