Metroidis a franchise of high highs and low lows, with a roller coaster release history that never finds a consistent footing. After the acclaimedSuper Metroidin 1994, it seemed like the franchise would be hitting the big leagues as one of Nintendo’s top IPs. Little did fans know, it would take another eight years to receive the next release inMetroid Prime(as well as GBA adventure inMetroid Fusion). After riding high on the success of theMetroid Primetrilogy, it once again seemed like the series was back at the forefront, only to fizzle out not long into the Wii era.
TheMetroidfranchise is once again attempting to build itself up withMetroid Prime 4and the surprise revival ofMetroid Dread. For those unaware,Metroid Dreadwas a game long thought to be shelved following several development hiccups. It wouldn’t have been the first troubledMetroidproject however, as Intelligent Systems (the studio behindPaper MarioandFire Emblem) was at one point tasked with developing a new game during the Wii generation that never saw the light of day. Considering the more RPG/strategy roots of the developer it’s an unexpected choice for an action-adventure series, so it’s interesting to ponder what could have been.
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Metroid - The Wii Era
For context,theMetroidserieswas in a good place at the start of the Wii generation, firing on all cylinders withMetroid Prime 3: Corruptionlaunching in 2007. The game used the first-person perspective of its predecessors with a stronger emphasis on action, plus the added immersion of aiming using the Wii remote. With the iconic trilogy concluded, it seemed likeMetroidwas free to experiment with what came next for Samus.
It would be safe to assume that at the time, a fast-paced third-person action game from Team Ninja ofNinja Gaidenfame was the last things players expected, butOther Mproved Nintendo wasn’t shy about trying new things, and was open to new ideas for what aMetroidgame could be. After all, just a few years prior to this, afirst-personMetroidgameseemed unthinkable, but theMetroid Primeseries proved that wrong. Case in point, according to a recent leak, Intelligent Systems was at one point tapped to try its hand at making a newMetroidexperience for the Wii.
The Intelligent Systems Treatment
Intelligent Systems has a good relationship with Nintendo, having created some of its most popular and successful games during the past few generations.Paper Mariooffered a humorous RPG spin on theSuper Marioseries, whileFire Emblemgarnered a bevy of fans thanks to its in-depth strategy systems. Whatever itsMetroidproject was is rumored to have been in development several years before the critically acclaimedFire Emblem: Awakeningon 3DS.
It is likely thatIntelligent Systemswas hard at work on whatever concept it had cooked up. Perhaps the plan was to return the series to its roots, with a 2D exploration game similar to whatMetroid: Samus Returnswould end up being years later. Despite the love theMetroid Primeseries had gained, there were still gamers who generally preferred the classic 2D style and felt that was best for the franchise. Maybe Intelligent Systems recognized and agreed with this philosophy, wanting to tap into that audience while taking a stab at the originalMetroidformula.Super Paper Mariowas released around this time, and it too had elements which harkened back to older Mario games, specifically with 2D platforming.
Intelligent Systems could have additionally been doing a 3D action game more in line with the recentMetroid Prime Trilogyor even similar toMetroid: Other M. Maybe it was too similar and shelved for that reason, with Nintendo not wanting too many similar titles at once. The most interesting hypothetical would be if Intelligent Systems was planning to stick to its guns and make a fully fledgedMetroidRPG/strategy game. Whether the gameplay would have beenreal-time combat likeKingdom Heartsor more turn-based is anyone’s guess, but the immense talent at Intelligent Systems likely would have cooked up something memorable for theMetroidfranchise.
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