Olbaps were animals kept as pets by Space Pirates along with Gronkats. All specimens within the Phazon Mines were force-terminated after they suffered negative effects from Phazon Fever. Since these creatures have not been directly encountered by Samus Aran, there is no further canonical information known about the species; however, a substantial amount of unused content indicates that they were intended for use as enemies until they were cut from the game.
Central Dynamo Scan[]
"The keeping of pets has been suspended until further notice. Domestic beasts have been deemed highly susceptible to Phazon madness, and are thereby a hazard to personnel. All Gronkats and Olbaps must be disposed of immediately. Failure to comply will result in the loss of pay for a cycle and reduced rations."
Development notes[]
Non-canon warning: This article or section contains information that may not be considered an official part of the Metroid series in the overall storyline by Nintendo.
A Sova from Metroid Prime's demo
Originally going by the name "Sova", Olbaps were some of the earliest designs seen in Metroid Prime's development, with concept artwork of the creatures being shown before any gameplay footage of Prime was released.[1] A scannable Sova corpse was present in Biohazard Containment in demo versions of Prime, confirming that the creatures were fully modeled. Also present in the demo's files are a set of sound effects, which can be heard here, and gameplay code for the Sova enemy type, apparently derived from the same "WallCrawlerSwarm" behavior used by Parasites and Scarabs. Like many other enemies in Prime, these creatures were later renamed to differentiate them from the enemies seen in the 2D Metroid games.
In the final game, most of the data related to Olbaps was removed; however, a few scraps still remain. The scan image used in the demo survived into the final game's concept art, along with a few other Olbap scan images not seen in the demo. 4 of the 17 sound effects from the demo are also still present in the game's data. Most notably, models of exploded Olbap chunks are among the files for the Chozo Ruins, and are loaded (but never spawned) in the room Dynamo. Despite these traces, no evidence of Olbaps is seen in-game, excluding their brief mention in scan data.
The release of Metroid Prime Remastered contained several unused scans in its data, which indicate that Olbaps were meant to be encountered as an enemy in Magmoor Caverns, with behavior similar to the Pillbugs encountered in Echoes. Filename hashes associated with these scans match up directly with files from early demos of Prime, confirming that Olbap was in fact the final name for the Sova enemy type.
Unused scans[]
Morphology: Olbap
Info >> Native of Tallon IV
Olbap
Morphology: Olbap
Insectoid scavenger. Instinctually attacks anything smaller than itself.
Olbaps are protected by a stout carapace of overlapping scales. They can only be attacked when flipped over. Olbaps will ignore large predators as they scour igneous surfaces for sustenance. In battle, they will roll into a highly maneuverable ball, then bludgeon their opponent.
Trivia[]
- Unspecified Pirate pets were referenced in Another Side Story, possibly referring to Olbaps.
- The name of this creature, if spelled backwards, is "Pablo."
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