Nintendo’s latest edition to the Metroid franchise, Metorid Ravenous, was announced at the beginning of September, spotlighted during a Nintendo Direct presentation. The news of Metroid Ravenous, which is set to release in January 2027, is already stirring up speculation about what could be upcoming for Switch 2 ports.
Both Nintendo games and third-party titles have done exceedingly well when ported to the handheld console, from Pikmin 4 and Cyberpunk 2077 to Resident Evil, but what’s next? Some fans are pointing to other Metroid titles, namely Metroid Dread, which has skyrocketed in popularity since Metroid Ravenous was announced. Let’s unpack why this is and what we could expect from the game’s future Switch 2 port if it happens.
Metroid Ravenous’ Impending Release Is Thrusting Metroid Dread Back Into the Zeitgeist
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Image via Nintendo -
Image via Nintendo -
Image via Nintendo
We are only months away from Metroid Ravenous‘ release, and the news of the title has reignited a passion for Metroid, bringing fans out of the woodwork. While fanatics seem to be very excited about this next chapter, it is also making them nostalgic for past entries, specifically Metroid Dread, which launched back in 2021. While it might seem random to the uninitiated, the older titles’ surge in popularity has almost everything to do with Metroid Ravenous.
Put the consoles in the correct order.
This interest in the title can already be seen, rippling through the gaming community. Metroid Dread has returned to the Nintendo eShop charts, a move that pushes the game out to new and longtime fans. Additionally, GamesRadar+ reported that news surrounding Metroid Ravenous has amplified the demand for new and sealed copies of Metroid Dread, with pricing skyrocketing well above the OG retail value at $100 or more. That number doesn’t even include the game’s special edition. The article posted by the publication reads,
Recent sold eBay listings for Metroid Dread have been creeping higher and higher in price. A few lucky buyers have managed to pick the game up for ‘only’ its original retail price, but other listings – especially for new, sealed US copies – have landed well above $100. A handful have gone for as much as $170. And if you’re looking to pick up the Special Edition these days, you can expect to pay even more than that.
As it turns out, Metroid Dread, and even Metroid Fusion, serve as an exact link to the story in Metroid Ravenous, the 2021 game’s plot influencing some of the gameplay footage we have already seen come out via Nintendo. Our story continues right after the ending of Metroid Dread, wherein our heroine Samus Aran fully awakens her dormant and ever-powerful Metroid DNA to defeat the Chozo warlord Raven Beak. Once Raven Beak is thwarted, Samus finally escapes Planet ZDR just before it explodes.
What would a Metroid game be without a planet exploding in a fiery spectacle? Those Metroid abilities unlocked in Metroid Dread become a main plot point in Metroid Ravenous, as Samus learns to control her newfound powers. This introduces a new gameplay mechanic, similarly found in Metroid Fusion, where Samus must feed off the life force of enemies to ensure her survival, embracing her inner Metroid instincts.
This is quite ironic, given Samus’ whole career thus far has been centered around dispatching these life-force-sucking alien predators, ensuring that they won’t ruin a planet’s ecosystem. She must become what she once hated, which is pretty cool.
Another tie to Metroid Dread is the developer team behind Nintendo’s latest project. The company has enlisted the help of MercurySteam, an independent studio that has partnered with Nintendo in the past, with credits on Metroid Dread and Metroid: Samus Returns. The independent studio will be taking on lead production duties, taking the same care that they did with the other two titles. As the story relates to Metroid Fusion, the Metroids were an artificial species created by the Chozo as a counter-predator to something known as the “X-Parasite.” Like something out of an intergalactic horror flick, the X infects their hosts, absorbing their DNA, abilities, and memories.
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Image via Nintendo -
Image via Nintendo -
Image via Nintendo
This essentially allows them to pose as their host, shapeshifting physically and mentally into something that might look like a friend, but is actually a foe. Back at the very start of Metroid Fusion, Samus is infected by the X-Parasite and given a vaccine that utilizes DNA from the last surviving Metroid, essentially making the intergalactic bounty hunter part Metroid. The effects of this don’t really come to fruition until Metroid Dread‘s end and the beginning of Metroid Ravenous.
Lots of deep lore ties all three of these games together, but in Metroid Dread, we see the direct consequences of Samus’ Metroid DNA come to fruition. No wonder the title has received more interest within the past few months. People invested in the series want to gain more knowledge of the situation and keep themselves up to speed on all the happenings in the world of Metroid before the new game releases.
The story in Metroid Dread directly impacts the story of the new title. In this new title, Samus has gone full-on Metroid with an “eat or be eaten” philosophy, making me wonder if this will be the end of Samus’ original story as we know it, taking audiences in a new direction that focuses primarily on Samus’ new Metroid being. Like the Metroid species, gameplay shows Samus absorbing life force energy from downed enemies. The bounty hunter must grapple with the being she is becoming. It will be interesting to see how Nintendo’s next Metroid title shakes out with that knowledge in mind.
What Changes Could We Expect from a Metroid Dread Switch 2 Port?
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Image via Nintendo -
Image via Nintendo -
Image via Nintendo
It has been around five years since Metroid Dread was released, and still no Switch 2 port. With the title now back in the zeitgeist, many are calling for Nintendo to bring the dormant title to the Switch 2. The port, like ports Nintendo has brought in the past, will likely smooth out graphics and fix any issues from the OG title. What I can glean from this desire to be ported is that fans don’t want an overhaul of the game necessarily, just a port that will allow people wielding Nintendo Switch 2s to play the game on more updated tech.
A push for a Switch 2 port seems like a strict accessibility issue that could be fixed by porting to a new console, since Metroid Dread was exclusively released for the Nintendo Switch.
Personally speaking, I never found much of an issue with gameplay or graphics. Yes, some sections, especially the Raven Beak fight, could be excruciatingly hard, but I found more difficult sections a welcome challenge rather than a burden. In fact, many of the bosses in Metroid Dread are pretty hard, but with enough grinding, I found myself able to get through unscathed, save for sweaty palms.
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Image via Nintendo -
Image via Nintendo -
Image via Nintendo
E.M.M.I. encounters were also challenging but added a stealth aspect that made me genuinely scared, feeling similar to sections of Metroid Fusion where Samus is meant to sneak around the ever-frightening antagonist SA-X. Some also believed the game was too linear, something that could be fixed by adding more of an exploration mode that allows Samus to traverse Planet ZDR in full. Many Metroid titles are non-linear, while others feature a guided linear structure.
In general, though, the key to most of these games is exploration, which allows players the ability to stumble across boss battles or find things like suit upgrades or extra goodies hiding in plain sight. Metroid Dread and even Metroid Prime 3: Corruption feature a hybrid that guides players on a path while still offering clever, developer-intended alternate routes that break the monotony. If Metroid Dread were ported to the Switch 2, there’s a chance that pacing could be changed, but it is so thoroughly ingrained in the DNA of the game that it doesn’t seem like a main priority.
This is especially true since the main priority for Nintendo seems to be launching the game on other platforms to allow more people to play. I can’t say for sure that Metroid Dread won’t get a port anytime soon, because Nintendo has frankly been on a roll with porting older titles. Pikmin 4 was just added to the Switch 2 with a seemingly positive response, along with third-party AAA titles like Cyberpunk 2077, Elden Ring, and Final Fantasy 7. Nintendo’s Switch 2 ports often tweak gameplay slightly or add new features that make an older game more exciting to newer audiences. If Metroid Dread receives this treatment, it’s likely fans will be ecstatic.
- Released
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January 28, 2027
- ESRB
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Teen / Animated Blood, Violence
- Publisher(s)
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Nintendo
