Every Metroid Game, Ranked

This co-op shooter for the Nintendo 3DS is the rare Metroid title in which players don't control series protagonist Samus. Instead, you play as the elite soldiers of the Federation Force, which are modeled after Samus. A large portion of the criticism for this title stems from how fundamentally different it feels from the mainline Metroid games with its focus on action over exploration, though some reviewers claimed it's still genuinely fun as long as you can stop worrying about the brand name and enjoy it for what it is.

"This is definitely not what the fans wanted nor what they expected from a new Metroid game. But as a co-op shooter it is fairly decent nonetheless." —Jan Wobbeking, 4P

You may be tempted to assume this one is just a pinball game with a Metroid Prime flavor, like something you might find in a random bar. But Metroid Prime Pinball is actually more like an adaptation of the series that uses pinball mechanics, a bit like a pinball-based RPG. Critics seemed to enjoy the novelty of it, but it being a pinball game instead of a more typical Metroid game meant there was inherently less enthusiasm for it overall.

"The idea that the game of pinball may be used to simulate virtually any other challenging struggle is a good one (since pinball is cool), and Metroid Prime Pinball pulls it off very well--both by being a fun and great-looking pinball experience, and by being a faithful spin-off of one of the best Nintendo games of the past decade." —Greg Kasavan, GameSpot

Up until this one, Samus was more an avatar for the player than a true character in her own right. But Metroid: Other M was the first game in the series to delve into who she is as a person by exploring her backstory in flashbacks and even giving her voice lines. While reviewers tended to enjoy playing Other M, Samus's new personal story drew tons of criticism, both because of certain plot points it included and because it was delivered through lengthy, unskippable cutscenes—something that had never been a franchise hallmark before. There was essentially a hard split between critics who were into the new emphasis on storytelling and those who were annoyed by it.

"To put it in the simplest possible terms, Other M is largely a joy to play, and largely a torturous pain to watch, and you unfortunately cannot choose to experience one without the other." —Danielle Riendeau, GameShark

The Metroid Prime sub-series returns after 18 years with a game that critics say suffers a bit of an identity crisis. Reviewers feel that although Beyond definitely delivers that classic Metroid feel much of the time, the new game suffers from Nintendo's attempts to lessen friction with unnecessary hand-holding. Since much of the appeal of past Metroid games was in exploring the environment at your own pace, there is plenty of grumbling about how Beyond sometimes makes it impossible to do that. For now, the consensus is that Metroid Prime 4 is generally good but uneven.

"Metroid Prime 4: Beyond feels like a game stuck between two worlds. When it's emulating previous entries, Beyond is a blast, with excellent boss battles, and some truly gorgeous environments to explore. But this is eventually bogged down by out-of-place additions, awkward storytelling, and overly aggressive hand-holding that spoils the discovery." —Andy Robinson, VGC

This 3DS title is an enhanced remake of the second game in the series, the side-scrolling Metroid II for the Game Boy, with new graphics and some overhauled mechanics added with the aid of the developers at MercurySteam, which had recently put out a well-regarded Castlevania side-scroller for DS. Critic opinions tended to vary based on how much affection they already had for the original, but the consensus was still that Samus Returns makes for one of the better Metroidvania-type games by updating it just enough to make it feel modern without compromising its classic vibes.

"Yoshio Sakamoto had the right idea when he decided to have MercurySteam involved in the development of Metroid: Samus Returns. It's a decent remake, whose major flaws are the same as the original, and there are some new gameplay elements that will please old and new fans." —Ollie Barder, Forbes

This Nintendo DS spinoff has more of a shooter bent than other Metroid Prime titles, but it included a novel control scheme that allowed players to shift their view with the DS touchpad in an attempt to emulate mouse look on PC. A lot of critics found that control scheme to be weird and difficult to deal with, especially those who prefer Metroid games to have more of a focus on exploration. But those reviewers who embraced it found a lot to like in Hunters, which was one of the few Metroid games to include online multiplayer.

"Precise controls and a worthwhile multiplayer mode are the highlights of Hunters, a Metroid Prime game that feels more like a first-person shooter than the GameCube games." —Gamer 2.0

The first main franchise entry since Other M in 2010 was this side-scroller from the metroidvania masters at MercurySteam–a clear attempt to take Metroid back to its roots after all the grumbling related to Other M. And that ploy worked really well, judging by the reviews. While there was some criticism directed at its punishing boss fights and a few accusations that the game hews too closely to the franchise's past, critics largely praised the way the MercurySteam developers were able to innovate the franchise even while staying true to what the series is known for. 

"Dread reimagines the Metroid format with confidence and care, and it trusts the player to make leaps along the way. While following its interwoven path of epic boss fights, satisfying upgrades, and otherworldly environments, all I could think was that this is the Metroid game I've been waiting for. It easily stands astride the best entries in the series, and I eagerly await a follow-up in the year 2040." —Russ Frushtick, Polygon

A remake of the very first Metroid game from 1986, Zero Mission adds new mechanics and new missions, was the first in the series to include difficulty settings, and even came with an emulated version of the original game as it existed back in the day. Critics really only had one major complaint with it: at just a couple hours long, Zero Mission was really short for a modern game. Beyond that, the praise was effusive for the way that this remake managed to bridge the gap in mechanics between the side-scrolling Metroid games and the 3D ones. 

"Every minute of that five hours was excellent, and Zero Mission takes its place as one of the finest titles in the GBA's already impressive pantheon of platformers. However, we can't help but wish that it had been longer." —Rob Fahey, Eurogamer

The finale in the Metroid Prime trilogy was a big deal at the time of its release—not just because it was the culmination of Samus' story to that point, but also because of its excellent use of the Wii's motion controls for the game's shooting mechanics. Critics tended to be of two minds on Metroid Prime 3–they loved the new control scheme, but felt the game was otherwise more of the same from the previous two Metroid Prime titles. But since they liked those other games a lot, that issue didn't drag the scores down too much.

"Metroid Prime 3 falls into the same category as Twilight Princess - the ultimate achievement of the series, yet in desperate need of an evolution." —Brett Elston, GamesRadar

The Metroid franchise took an eight-year break before returning with this side-scrolling Game Boy Advance title. Fusion was a little shorter and a bit more linear than past games thanks to an increased focus on telling a story, and those were the aspects of this one that drew the most criticism from reviewers. Not that they were throwing around much criticism to begin with, however, since Metroid Fusion was near-universally hailed as a delightful revival for a franchise that had been feared dead.

"Just too damn short! I logged in roughly six or seven hours and finished the game, though, those six or seven hours were some of the finest gaming hours of my life." —Kevin M. Jones, Gaming Age

The sequel to Metroid Prime delivered an experience that was pretty similar to its predecessor but with a deeper story, tougher difficulty, and a new local multiplayer mode. Reviewers weren't impressed with the multiplayer mode, and they generally found the increased difficulty to be cheap rather than an improved challenge. But neither of those factors significantly damaged their enjoyment of what was considered a brilliant single-player experience that told a very cool story.

"If you want more of what you enjoyed in the first Metroid Prime, expect to be pleased as it is duplicated here in vast quantity. High production values, solid gameplay and classic Metroid design combine to form another winner." —GameRevolution

Metroid Prime Remastered was largely just a visual spruce-up of the original game with better control scheme options–Nintendo didn't add a bunch of new story scenes or a new multiplayer mode or anything like that. But that was totally fine with reviewers, who seemed to agree that a bit of modernization was all that was really needed anyway. The prevailing thought was that the original experience had aged shockingly well, and the remaster might have turned out worse if Nintendo had done too much with it.

"Metroid Prime Remastered is what happens when one of the finest games ever made for a Nintendo console is given a modern, up to date treatment. Everything that was magnificent in the original game was the target of an impeccable work, from the breathtaking audiovisual environment to the exquisite control system, and it all fits perfectly in the Nintendo Switch. One absolutely indispensable game, Metroid Prime Remastered is the gold standard when it comes to remastering essential classics." —Joao Pedro, Starbit

Up to this point, Metroid had exclusively been a side-scrolling series. But with Metroid Prime the franchise took the leap into three dimensions. And reviewers liked the result so much that they made Metroid Prime one of the best-reviewed video games of all time. There were some mild complaints about the game's control scheme, but that was a common topic for all GameCube games thanks to the platform's odd controller. Otherwise, there was nothing but praise for Metroid Prime for delivering an incredibly atmospheric world that was impossibly fun to explore. 

"Prime is an excellent single-player game that successfully follows the classic Metroid formula while modernizing the graphics, atmosphere, and non-linear style." —Jeff Buckland, Atomic Gamer