Metroid is one of the most popular and important gaming franchises around. After all, this series — along with a franchise by the name of Castlevania — sparked the rise of a whole new genre of gaming that is still relevant to this day. Perhaps this is why so many people were eagerly anticipating the release of Metroid Dread.
Samus has come onto the mainstream gaming scene once again, with Metroid Dread establishing itself as one of the best Metroidvania games ever made. The protagonist is one of the biggest reasons why this game is so iconic in the first place, with her patented Zero Suit outfit being one of the most notable aspects of her character design. Here are some things about this iconic suit that gamers might not be aware of.
8 It Appeared For The First Time In Metroid: Zero Mission
There was a time when Samus was restricted to very few clothing options aside from her iconic suit. However, this changed in 2004 with the release of Metroid: Zero Mission.
All of a sudden, Samus was sporting a brand new light blue bodysuit that served as a fresh change of pace from the usual suit she had worn in games up until that point. Using this character with this suit was certainly one of the more enjoyable moments in Metroid: Zero Mission.
7 This Decision Was Made At The Very End Of The Game
For the longest time, Metroid: Zero Mission was meant to be a title where Samus was only meant to use her patented Power Armor and nothing else. However, after some contemplation, the Zero Suit was also added to freshen things up a bit.
Yoshio Sakamoto, the co-creator of the Metroid series, stated that he wanted players to feel vulnerable and hunted during one particular portion of the game, as Samus in her Power Armor feels powerful and well-defended. Suffice to say, he definitely succeeded in his goal.
6 The Zero Suit Appears In Most Game Over Scenes
While most Metroid games are challenging, players won't really encounter a Game Over screen unless they play on brutal difficulties or just don't pay attention to what's happening. This is perhaps why many players aren't familiar with the Game Over screens in the Metroid games.
Since Zero Mission, most Game Over screens feature Samus in her Zero Suit for a split second before the Retry screen appears. It's a small detail, but it's striking that most people aren't aware of this fact.
5 Metroid: Other M Features The Most Appearances Of The Zero Suit
The Zero Suit has seen sporadic appearances across most Metroid titles. Often, it suit is reserved for the most special occasions (barring the Game Over screens, of course) such as secret endings and the like.
Metroid: Other M is the only game to feature the Zero Suit regularly throughout the gameplay. This is especially apparent in the story cutscenes, where Samus is featured heavily in this suit.
4 The Suit Was Not Meant To Have Such Prominent Heels
Given how the Zero Suit is meant to promote mobility, it's a given that this outfit should not feature anything ridiculous like extremely high heels. This was the case in Metroid: Zero Mission, where the heels of the suit weren't all that high.
However, this was done away with in Metroid: Other M, where Samus' Zero Suit features massive wedges that are completely impractical. It's clear that this particular aspect of the suit's design was meant mostly for fanservice, as it heavily detracts from its realism.
3 Zero Suit Samus Is Among The Fastest Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Characters
Samus appears in three forms in the popular Super Smash Bros. fighting games. The first form features the character in regular Power Armor, the second is Dark Samus, and the third iteration of her character appears in a Zero Suit.
This latter version of Samus is the fastest Metroid character in Super Smash Bros. and one of the fastest characters in the entire game. Players can blast through opponents with this character, and dart away from any potential damage.
2 Concept Art From Other M Showed A Fascinating Lighting Feature
As mentioned above, Metroid: Other M featured the Zero Suit heavily. Considering this, it's unsurprising that the game's concept art also experimented with unique designs for this suit as well.
One such piece of concept art showed the Zero Suit's back lighting up whenever Samus faced a stressful situation. Unfortunately, this concept never saw the light of day, and didn't make it to the final product.
1 The Zero Suit Resembles Deunan's Datasuit In Appleseed
Many people consider the Zero Suit's inspiration to come from the movie Appleseed. However, some fans might not know about this post-apocalyptic anime film that features gorgeous visuals and striking character designs.
Speaking of character design, it's impossible to not mention the striking Datasuit worn by the film's protagonist, Deunan Knute. The similarities between this outfit and the Zero Suit is clear for everyone to see.