There are many secrets for Metroid Dread players to discover on their adventure through planet ZDR. While players take down all of the dangerous EMMI robots and the bosses, they are sure to come across many objects and locations that they can't get or access just yet. Something that's been boggling the minds of Metroid Dread players are the groups of blue butterflies that seem to randomly appear on the map. Besides flying away from Samus after she approaches them, there's nothing players can do to interact with them, but the butterflies might be in the game for a specific reason.
What are the Blue Butterflies in Metroid Dread?
Several online threads for Metroid Dread on sites like Reddit and Resetera have brought up the blue butterflies. While there seems to be no use for them in the game, some players believe that the butterflies are there to lead the way to lost gamers. A Reddit user named Quaitgore thinks the development team over at MercurySteam put the bugs there to guide players, showing the way to points of interest or the critical path on the map to continue the narrative. Others believe that they are there to guide folks to the Central Unit rooms, which are used to gain the Omega Cannon to defeat the EMMI robots.
Considering that Metroid Dread is one of the most difficult games in the Nintendo franchise, it would make sense for the dev team to sneak this little hint system into the game without giving players an explanation on them. Many players wind up getting very lost in Metroid Dread after obtaining the game's many power-ups and abilities like the Phantom Cloak and the Gravity Suit. By using the butterflies, players could rely on them to show them the way.
Of course, this is all speculation and guesswork from the Metroid community, but it could very well be true. If players really pay attention to the blue butterflies, they might notice that they mostly appear near unexplored paths and doorways. Even if it's not what fans think it is, it's still a neat premise that could possibly be used in future games to help players unfamiliar with Metroid games.
Metroid Dread is now available exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.
