Spores are a unit of asexual reproduction used by fungi and certain plants. Some enemies, usually bosses Samus Aran encounters in the Metroid series release spores, which usually function as a weak attack rather than for reproductive purposes.
Variants[]
- The Spore Spawn is perhaps the most notable of these creatures. Its primary method of attack, other than swinging its body, is releasing spores into the air, which fall in a swaying motion. They deal little damage to Samus if she hits them, and can be destroyed for Energy Capsules or Missile Ammo.
- Botwoon is also known to use spores: when it slithers into a hole after swimming around for a period, it will stick its head out of one hole and spit five spores in a buckshot-like spray in whatever direction will hit Samus.
- The ensnared Kiru Giru, due to the Tangle Vines, releases spores much in the same way as Botwoon, however, unlike Botwoon the spores spread in a downward direction, and the spores are released every couple of seconds.
- In the Bioweaponry Lab on the Vesper Defense Outpost, the Alimbic race cultivated toxic spores in a Spore Farm. Because the Alimbics are extinct in physical form, the spores have expired by the time Samus visits the station.
- The Nettori plant shares a room with Samus Eater Buds that defend it using spores fired directly at Samus, which serve to knock her into the Samus Eater plants. After the buds are destroyed with significant damage dealt to Nettori, the Eaters begin to spit out pollen of their own, although Samus can avoid it by standing on a raised platform.
Trivia[]
- On Easy Mode in the Japanese version of Metroid Fusion, the Buds are closed and do not release any spores.
- Blob Swarms released by Blob Throwers are similar. Though never directly stated to be a type of spore, they are referred to as the Thrower's "dangerous offspring" by Metroid II: Return of Samus's Virtual Console manual.
- Bulls are called "spore creatures" in Metroid: Other M Premiere Edition.