In the list of Nintendo’s foundational video games, fans would be hard-pressed to miss the impact of the Metroid franchise. As a side-scroller, the original game challenged players to rethink the traditional task of always running to the right. Unlike many other games that dominated this genre, Metroid featured a unique non-linearity that would go on to define an entirely new subgenre known as Metroidvania.
Given its genre-defining status, it’s no wonder that Metroid went on to spawn a successful series of games. But, as with any big franchise, fans often find themselves searching for the entries. Whether it’s figuring out which games have the best music, the best abilities, or the best bosses, there is always something that sets each game apart. Though Metroid games may not be well-known for their narrative underpinnings, here are the games in the series with the best stories.
8 Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
The last title in its trilogy, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption has a satisfying and interesting conclusion to the Prime subseries arc. Like its predecessor games, it focuses on the mutagenic substance of Phazon and its potential to poison and corrupt the universe. This game strays from tradition and does not strip Samus of her powers at the beginning, but instead introduces a Phazon-based Hypermode.
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption has several key elements of its dark storyline that make it a compelling narrative. Learning the complex backstory of the planet Bryyo is of particular interest, as is the introduction of other Bounty Hunter characters like Gandrayda and Rundas. However, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption is ultimately a paler story in comparison to its richer predecessors.
7 Metroid: Zero Mission
As a remake of the original Metroid game, Metroid: Zero Mission certainly had a big legacy to live up to. Fortunately for Nintendo, it achieved this goal well. Bringing the classic story to the Game Boy Advance, Metroid: Zero Mission brought with it plenty of new elements to refresh the gameplay. These included new items and explorable areas as well as enhanced movement.
Being an enhanced version of the classic Metroid story, Metroid: Zero Mission is a compelling opener for the franchise. It introduces viewers to the Metroid creatures, the Space Pirates, and the greatest Bounty Hunter of all time, Samus Aran. Its new features keep the story from feeling too stale and make the game an excellent entry point for the series.
6 Metroid: Samus Returns
Another reimagination of the classic games is Metroid: Samus Returns, which serves as a remake of the franchise’s second game, Metroid II: Return of Samus. Much like Zero Mission, Samus Returns updates the classic gameplay and storyline by adding new features, items, abilities, and movement capabilities. Though it was originally intended as a sequel to the first game’s narrative, it takes place after the Prime series and is the sixth entry in the overarching timeline.
Like some of the best entries in this popular franchise, Metroid: Samus Returns draws its strength from its environmental storytelling rather than relying on exposition. The plot of the game is fairly straightforward – Samus has been sent to the planet SR388 to destroy every last Metroid upon it. As she travels deeper into the planet, the atmosphere of the game intensifies and darkens. This game also has one of the most memorable endings in the series and introduces the Metroid hatchling that Samus refers to as the "Baby."
5 Metroid Prime
This game is the first title in the aforementioned Metroid Prime trilogy and was released for the GameCube in 2002. Not only did this game mark the franchise’s first step into 3D gameplay, but it was also the first to feature a first-person perspective. Despite heavy skepticism from fans, the game went on to be regarded as one of the best in the franchise and even earned a remastered version for the Switch in 2023.
Metroid Prime reveals its story primarily through the use of the Scan Visor on Samus’ surroundings. The game doesn’t give everything away in one fell swoop, and instead relies on mystery and drips of information as players progress. Mystery is Metroid Prime’s greatest strength, as its core subject matter, Phazon, takes on a mystical and ominous role that is not fully explained.
4 Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes does well to build on the success of its previous iteration and even follows in its footsteps to bring something new to the table – multiplayer mode. Though the multiplayer mode has little impact on the story, its addition is a fun bonus for many Metroid fans. Metroid Prime 2: Echoes more effectively introduces Dark Samus, Samus’ evil doppelganger, and the overarching villain of the Prime series.
Though Metroid Prime 2: Echoes reveals its story through lore in much the same way that Metroid Prime does, its core storyline has a touch more texture to the narrative than its predecessor. The conflict between the Luminoth and Ing races and the split between Aether and Dark Aether as a result of Phazon create a rich narrative environment around the player.
3 Super Metroid
As one of the best entries in the franchise for its predominantly wordless storytelling, Super Metroid is a key name in this list. It’s a fan favorite for a number of reasons, including its handling of pace and tension within the gameplay. It offers little in the way of cutscenes or tutorials, but it allows players to figure things out and piece things together on their own.
Environmental narrative elements are plentiful in Super Metroid, seen mostly through the visual details of the game or elements of its mechanics. Picking up from the conclusion of Metroid II, the game features the Metroid hatchling, or Baby as Samus refers to it. She is tasked with retrieving the Baby after it was stolen from a research facility and placed into the clutches of the Space Pirates. The ending of Super Metroid is one of the most emotional in the franchise’s history, earning it a high place in this list.
2 Metroid Fusion
Following the timeline of events from the widely disliked Metroid: Other M game, Metroid Fusion focuses on the threat of the X Parasite. These parasitic organisms have the ability to kill and mimic their host, making them a powerful threat to the universe. After being infected with the X Parasite, Samus is given a vaccine that allows her to absorb the X instead.
The storyline of Metroid Fusion is widely regarded by fans as one of the most memorable in the series. Its writing was more in-depth, and the game explored and expanded on established lore. Samus’ monologues offer relevant insight at key points in the game and the plot is more character-driven than other titles. Moreover, the game shows that there are grave consequences for the eradication of certain species, which is a fantastic contrast to traditional sci-fi tropes.
1 Metroid Dread
Being the most recent entry in the series certainly gives Metroid Dread an extra leg up in comparison with its older titles, but newness isn’t its only strength. The game builds upon the successful elements of previous games, specifically the free aim and melee attack capabilities of Samus Returns, and adds new elements like stealth encounters to make things interesting. Metroid Dread also completes the overarching story that began with the very first game decades prior.
It begins with a retelling of the stories that came before it and establishes Samus’ mission to investigate whether there is an X Parasite still alive. While on this mission, Samus travels to the planet ZDR where she is confronted by a Chozo foe known as Raven Beak. As Samus works to thwart Raven Beak’s plans, the game reveals some astonishing plot revelations that will have Metroid fans reevaluating the series in a new light. Moreover, it sets the stage for new Metroid games to answer some big questions left hanging in the game.