STACK #254 December 2025

GAMING FEATURE

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Since her 1986 debut in Metroid on the Nintendo Entertainment System, Samus Aran has become one of gaming’s most enduring icons.This month sees her much anticipated return in Metroid Prime 4: Beyond , so it’s the perfect time to look back at her life so far, and at what to expect from her hot new outing… Words Amy Flower R aised on the Earth colony K-2L, Samus’s childhood was rocked when Space Pirates, led by Ridley, destroyed her the mythology, as Samus returned to Zebes to rescue the captured infant Metroid from kidnapper Ridley and face Mother Brain once again. This sacrifice cemented Samus as a hero that wasn’t driven by orders, but rather empathy. SAMUS IT EVER WAS!

BEYOND!

Developed by Metroid Prime series developers Retro Studios and produced by series veteran Kensuke Tanabe, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is set to deliver atmospheric exploration, intense action, and top-notch visuals. It will see the return of legendary bounty hunter Samus Aran in what’s being billed as her most daring mission yet. After finding herself in the lush, ruins-strewn world of the planet Viewros, Samus must unearth the secrets of an ancient civilisation, while also battling hostile aliens and confronting rival bounty hunter Sylux, whose grudge against both Samus and the Galactic Federation threatens to unleash chaos. Armed with new psychic abilities and a very sleek, very cool high-tech bike known as the Vi-0 La, Samus will manipulate the environment, solve puzzles, and engage in fast-paced combat with fresh strategic depth. These new powers hint at a deeper connection between Samus and the mysterious forces of Viewros – what can it all mean? Coming for both the Switch and Switch 2, players on the latter system will experience enhanced visuals and frame rates – and will also be able to get their Joy-Con 2 mouse control happening.

home and killed her parents. Rescued by the ancient, birdlike Chozo race, she was infused with their DNA and trained in their ways, granting her superhuman agility and resilience. Outfitted with the Chozo Power Suit, she set out into the galaxy as a bounty hunter, her mission often intertwined with the mysterious, parasitic lifeforms known as Metroids. In the original NES Metroid

The saga continued in the Game Boy Advance’s Metroid Fusion (2002), where Samus, infected by the shape-shifting X Parasite, was saved through a vaccine made from Metroid DNA. This instilled within her new powers – and bound her even closer to her former enemies.

Phazon, and also introduced her evil doppelganger, Dark Samus. Throughout 2010’s Metroid: Other M on the Wii and various handheld Prime spin-offs,

and its 2004 Game Boy Advance remake Metroid: Zero Mission , Samus infiltrated the Space Pirates’ home planet Zebes to eliminate Mother Brain, their leader, and the corruptor of the Metroids. The 1991 Game Boy sequel,

Fusion ’s sequel, Metroid Dread (2021), finally brought the Samus story full circle. Pursued by reprogrammed E.M.M.I. robots and haunted by the Chozo’s

Samus’s character continued to evolve, becoming the strong yet compassionate heroine that we know

legacy, she embraced her hybrid nature and emerged even more powerful than ever. As for spin-offs, the Metroid Prime trilogy, which originally ran from 2002-2007, explored earlier chapters of Samus’s career, set between the original Metroid and Metroid II . These first-person adventures delved into the mysteries of the Chozo and the corruptive substance

today.

Ultimately, across nearly four decades now, Samus Aran has remained one of gaming’s most complex, trailblazing,

Metroid II: Return of Samus , saw Samus tasked with exterminating the Metroid species – only

to spare a lone hatchling, which mistakes her for its mother. This compassionate act formed the series’ emotional core. 1994’s Super Nintendo outing Super Metroid expanded upon

and appealing protagonists.

• Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is out Dec 4

DYK?

Nintendo of Japan imagined bounty hunters as selfless heroes, not mercenaries who hunt fugitives for money.

DECEMBER 2025

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