Kraid's Lair

Kraid's Lair^[1]^[2], also known as Kraid's Hideout^[3], Mini-Boss Hideout I^[4], Brinstar Area F^[5], Brinstar Area G^[6], depths of Brinstar^[7], or simply Kraid^[8], were two distinct areas on planet Zebes. The first lair appeared in Metroid and its remake, while the second one, built in another location within Brinstar, was visited during Super Metroid. These places are where Samus Aran battles the Space Pirate enforcer, Kraid.

Kraid's Lair also appears in Super Smash Bros. Melee as a stage named Planet Zebes: Brinstar Depths.

Description

Both of Kraid's Lairs had their entrances decorated with a large statue of an unknown creature featuring a disproportionate head similar to a Geega. The statue's appearance remained mostly unchanged between Metroid and Super Metroid, but Zero Mission heavily redesigned it to resemble a reptile-like being with its mouth closed.

Metroid

In Samus's first mission on Zebes, Kraid's Lair was completely separate from Brinstar, and consisted mostly of structures crafted out of natural stones colored white. Despite this, vegetation was persistently growing in several segments of the region. Pools of acid were common hazards to be found; a few of these were actually illusions used to hide passages. Several isolated rooms, including Kraid's chamber, contained blue colored metals, while others featured Air Holes as well. As Samus reached closer to the Pirate's room, the surrounding environment was no longer built out of stones, but instead with green metal, panels and fences; Fake Kraid was located in these synthetic corridors. Both rooms outside and inside Kraid's chamber contained ceilings made to resemble eyes and sets of teeth. Noticeably, an extensive vertical shaft containing long rows of Fake Blocks can be found in this region, which required Samus to carefully shoot and move quickly before the blocks would reform on her.

Zero Mission

In the remake Metroid Zero Mission, the layout of Kraid's Lair was slightly changed. The background of the entire region now featured ruins and crumbled architecture. There was also sophisticated technology to be found in the area, such as zip lines and their power source, the ancient Chozo machine, along with Morph Ball launchers. One of the large pools of acid now contained a mini-boss known as the Acid Worm. Rooms with purple stonecraft seemingly replaced all blue colored rooms.

Thanks to Zero Mission's improved graphics and additional content, Kraid's Lair was ultimately revealed to have once been an important Chozo region before the gigantic Pirate settled in it, as it featured numerous ruins and destroyed structures, along with Chozo machinery.

Super Metroid

By the time Samus returns to Zebes during Super Metroid, the original lair belonging to Kraid was inaccessible, with its only entrance entirely closed off with Brinstar's blue cavernous rocks. Kraid was to be found in a new lair, located near the red swamp segment of Brinstar, though carefully hidden with Super Missile Blocks. It was largely industrialized, with scarce signs of greenery and plant life, save some vines and Kraid's chamber. Some rooms were built with the same synthetic, green metal seen during the previous mission on Zebes. Contrary to the original hideout that mostly featured dangerous wildlife, there was a large presence of Space Pirates in the form of green Kihunters and Green Zebesians which guarded Kraid and Mini-Kraid; the corridor containing Mini-Kraid featured a ceiling crafted into a threatening face similar to those found in the boss' chamber in the previous hideout.

Power-Ups

Main article: Kraid's Lair/Items

Metroid

2 Energy Tanks
4 Missile Tanks

Zero Mission

Super Metroid

Enemies

Metroid and Zero Mission

Baristute (Zero Mission)
Gadora (Zero Mission)
Geega
Memu (Metroid)
Mini-Kraid (Metroid)
Reo (Zero Mission)
Ripper
Sidehopper
Skree
Zeela

Super Metroid

Bosses

Acid Worm (Zero Mission)
Kraid

Music

In Metroid, Brinstar Depths plays throughout Kraid's Lair. The Zero Mission remake features a remixed and extended version of Brinstar Depths.

In Super Metroid, Lower Brinstar plays in the first few rooms of Kraid's Lair. Upon entering the long corridor containing Zebesians and Mini-Kraid, a tense theme will start playing up until the boss battle against Kraid; if Samus revisits these areas after defeating Kraid, Silence will play instead.

Official data

Super Metroid Players' Guide

Area F: "There's no rest for the wicked or heroic adventurers in this section. Virtually all the skills required in the game will be tested in the gruelling arena of section F. A tough challenge climaxes with Kraid and the battle for the Spazar [sic]."

Metroid: Zero Mission manual

"This is the lair of the largest boss in the fortress - Kraid."

Trivia

Kraid's Lair in Super Metroid contains the famous mysterious dead soldier, seemingly killed a considerable amount of time before Samus returned to Zebes.
In Super Metroid (the original version seen in Metroid is harmless), the ceiling made to resemble eyes and teeth in Kraid's second hideout can harm Samus if she were to jump and touch the sharp structures that make up the fangs. This is somewhat difficult to avoid as a result of Mini-Kraid launching its belly spikes from across the corridor.