The fifth, and final, installment of the Samus' dealings with Metroids was announced at E3 and will will release in October of 2021.
Metroid Dread takes a slightly different take on the series, pitting Samus against the E.M.M.I., powerful foes that are almost impossible to destroy.
The E.M.M.I. are supposed to instill fear in players as Samus is forced to run, hide, and find ways to either incapacitate them or make her way around them.
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The Metroid series has dabbled in such a foe before in Metroid Fusion with the SA-X, an enemy that Yoshio Sakamoto based the E.M.M.I. off of.
Metroid Fusions SA-X
Metroid Fusion pits Samus against a mysterious parasite called X that has spread due to the extinction of its natural predator, Metroids.
The X infect Samus, who is saved by a vaccine created from cells of the baby Metroid she saved back in Super Metroid.
Unfortunately this means Samus is now vulnerable to cold, but can now effectively battle the X.
The battle is not easy, as the X, having Samus' DNA, create a clone of Samus called the SA-X.
This clone has all the powers Samus normally has at her disposal.
Practically unstoppable, the SA-X chases Samus throughout the game, taking her out quickly if she is caught.
The chase scene up above is one of the most intense moments in the game, as the SA-X stalks Samus through several areas as players try to outmaneuver it and escape.
Eventually Samus defeats the SA-X, and uses it to help defeat an Omega Metroid the Federation had secretly been experimenting with.
A Sense of Dread
The heart pounding chase in Metroid Fusion is something that the series had not done before.
There were instances of Samus having to race a timer, but never ones where the intergalactic bounty hunter was actively being hunted by a superior opponent.
The moment is terrifying, and left many players shaking after encountering it for the firs time.
It also leaves players with an uneasy feeling, now knowing they are vulnerable when once they were the most powerful being in the game.
The rest of Metroid Fusion is spent with an underlying dread that the SA-X could pop up at any moment, and players would have to frantically try to escape it once again.
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Samus in the End
In the end, after successfully beating the SA-X, it comes to Samus' rescue in her battle against the Omega Metroid.
The reasons are not inherently clear.
Did it do so because deep down it had a part of Samus in itself, or is it because the X and Metroids are enemies?
Either way, after players think they have destroyed SA-X, it arrives once again.
Thankfully, its power grants Samus the strength she needs to save the day.
There was a brief moment in many player's minds where that dread crept back in, wondering what the formidable foe might do.
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