List of cameos and crossovers in other games

This article is written from the Real Life point of view

For a list of cameos in the Metroid series itself, see List of cameos in the Metroid series.

Samus's Suit redirects here. For the actual Power Suit worn by Samus Aran, see here.

This page lists a number of cameos and crossovers that the Metroid series has made in other video games, in television or in films.

In games

Famicom Wars

In this Japan-only game, the Red Star commander on Donut Island is called Samasuun, and her face on the result screen is the helmet of Samus Aran. This is the earliest known cameo of Samus in any form of media.

Kid Icarus series

The first two games also both ran on the Metroid and Metroid II: Return of Samus engines, respectively. Each were created by mostly the same team following the previous Metroid game's development.

Komayto enemies in all three Kid Icarus titles look unmistakably like Metroids, flying around in groups of four at Skyworld in Kid Icarus (seen in Uprising in a location above the clouds, presumably Skyworld) and in the Sky World Tower in Of Myths and Monsters. They attack by ramming Pit, and not latching onto the head and draining Energy as most Metroid variations do (except in Kid Icarus Uprising). The creatures are said to have come from another planet, which may in fact be the Metroid homeworld SR388. Their appearance was drastically altered in the second game to only have a single tooth, but returned to its Metroid-like appearance in the most recent installment, Kid Icarus: Uprising, and are capable of sapping Pit's energy. The name Komayto comes from Kometo, short for Kometoroido, meaning Metroid Child in Japanese. The in-game idol description of Komaytos in Kid Icarus Uprising also contains a reference to the opening of Super Metroid, stating "While this creature resembles a certain alien life-form, the last Komaytos are not in captivity and Skyworld is not at peace." A re-skinned version of the creature that lives in Hades is called the "Cellular Komayto." Both are only susceptible to melee attacks in this game, referencing the Metroid's impermeability to most weapons in early games. This similarity was highlighted in a trailer, a loading menu, and an in-game conversation:

Viridi: And here comes the eighth wave."

Pit: It's just a few Underworld Komaytos. ...And another ORNE! Oh, no!

Viridi: This could spell trouble. Stay away from the Orne and keep taking out the Komaytos.

Pit: You know, Komaytos look an awful lot like little Metroids.

Viridi: No! Shhhh! Stop right there!

Pit: What's the matter? All I said was that Komaytos look like little Metr—

Viridi: Hmm hmm HMMMM hmm! I can't HEAR you!

Pit: Hey, what's your problem?

Viridi: This game universe and that game universe have NOTHING to do with each other! So don't go around spreading rumors!

Also, Viridi's humming in this scene is a reference all on its own, being the first 4 notes of the theme that plays when Samus obtains an item.

Uprising also features Space Pirates, using a design resembling a stylized version of their Metroid Prime appearance. They also come in a Sniper and Commando variant with a grenade launcher and arm cannon. In chapter 8, "Star Ship of the Heavens" a Galactic Fiend Kraken is attracted to the three-way war between the Space Pirates, Underworld Army, and Pit. Space Pirates are introduced as being responsible for stealing the Three Sacred Treasures. This is likely a reference to the use of the Sacred Treasures being the collective second-to-last upgrade of Metroid: Zero Mission, referencing the game's sister series. The Plasma Beam, Space Jump, and Gravity Suit, all collected at once, stand in for the Arrow of Light, Wings of Pegasus, and Mirror Shield, each in a single Sacred Casket in Uprising. They also travel around the "Galactic Sea" robbing constellations, similar in nature to the marauding Space Pirates in the Metroid games.

A character named "Dark Lord Gaol" is revealed in Uprising to be a blonde woman after defeated early in the game, somewhat similar to Samus Aran. All of the above characters have physical AR Cards that are made available in limited quantities and distributed in different ways.

Tetris

In the Nintendo version of this Nintendo Entertainment System game, Samus appears playing the upright bass after the player wins a B-type game of level at least nine and height at least 2. She appears along with multiple other Nintendo characters.

F-1 Race

Samus appears waving for the player with four other women before Course 7.

Galactic Pinball

Cameo gp01 — Samus's Gunship and a Skree.

"You are the pilot in the Space Federation investigating the mysteries of the Milky Way. Many dangers await you including Space Pirates. Use your pinball skills to solve the mysteries."

This was a pinball game for the Virtual Boy, marking Samus' only appearance on that console. Samus' ship as well as several other Metroid enemies make cameo appearances in the minigame Cosmic. It is generally believed that Metroid Prime Pinball is a spiritual successor to Galactic Pinball.

In the minigame, Samus must destroy 50 Metroid enemies, including Skrees. To start the mini game, the plunger that is underneath the three bumpers at the top right of the screen must be hit. A message that says "Bumper Clash" will appear. During this time, after a bumper has been hit a certain number of times, it will explode. If all three bumpers are destroyed, a Screw Attack icon will appear. When the icon is hit with a puck, Cosmic will trigger.

The D-Pad must be used to control Samus's Gunship, with the A button used to shoot. Each killed enemy is worth 5,000 points. If the gunship is hit once, the mini-game ends. If it does make it to the end of the mission, a "Mission Complete" message will be shown.

If every single enemy is defeated, a Perfect will be achieved. The prize for a perfect is an extra puck. This was carried on to a similar mini-game in Pinball. During the minigame, a remix of Theme of Samus Aran, Space Warrior plays, which can be downloaded here: Pinball.

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars

There are two Metroid cameos in this game. The first can only be viewed after Mario and his party defeat Yaridovich and returns to Mushroom Castle before going to Land's End. Mario will find Samus sleeping in the guest room bed. When spoken to, she answers: "...... I'm resting up for Mother Brain." A Samus doll also appears in a toy box in Booster's tower.

Kirby series

In both Kirby Super Star and Kirby Super Star Ultra, Kirby can randomly become a Samus statue when he uses his stone ability. Also, the Screw Attack icon (called the Screw Ball in the original game, but named correctly in the remake) is a treasure in the Great Cave Offensive.

In Kirby's Dream Land 3, level 5-2 contains six Metroids. If Kirby defeats them all using his ice power, Samus will appear at the end of the level without her helmet and grant Kirby a Heart Star. The Metroids cannot actually harm Kirby by draining his energy. This is likely because Kirby does not have a health bar, instead possessing health segments.

Both games (except Ultra) are included in Kirby's Dream Collection on Wii.

Wario Land II

The reward for level 49 is a Metroid.

Super Smash Bros. series

Samus appears in all four games as a playable character. In Brawl and Smash 4, she is playable in her Zero Suit.

Nintendo GameCube Preview Disc

"Samus Aran lands on a derelict space station above the unexplored planet of Tallon IV and discovers a sinister Space Pirate operation. Samus is once again thrust into the mayhem."

-Description for the Metroid Prime section of the Nintendo Gamecube Preview Disc.

Among other games, Metroid Prime is featured on this press DVD. It features two trailers and a chronicle of the then-five Metroid games, similar to the Metroid Prime 2: Echoes Bonus Disc.

Notably, the trailer appears to have taken footage from an earlier build of the game, as there is footage of the following:

A Burrower popping out of sand in the Chozo Ruins (in the final game, Burrowers are completely absent from the Ruins, and the data necessary to load them is not present).
Samus fighting Flaahgra with the Wave Beam.
Different font for scanned text and HUD messages. When scanning a Logbook entry, the text notifying that it has been added to the Logbook is different and in brighter white. It says "A new [Creatures] log book entry has been acquired."
Samus' damage grunts are different.
The mature Sheegoth fires ice projectiles much slower.
Two Plated Beetles being fought at once in the Main Plaza.

When viewing the Chronicle, the footage, with the exception of Metroid Prime (which has the music from the preview trailer playing in the background), shows several scenes spliced together with unedited audio from the sourced scenes, with the footage looping. In addition, there is a brief musical theme playing in the Metroid portion of the chronicle where Samus gets an item from the Chozo statue that wasn't actually present in the NES version.

After viewing all games in the Chronicle, clips of Samus and Baby Sheegoths in gameplay are displayed, along with concept art of both that shows the development of the model, as it goes from a wireframe to the detailed figure in the game. The scene also depicts a slightly different entry for the scene where the adult Sheegoth appears after the Baby Sheegoth are killed, as well as showing Samus apparently being killed in a slightly different manner to how it's depicted in the game (namely, she doesn't scream at all, and the visor just enters static without shutting off). After these play, concept art is viewable, some of it exclusive to this disc, before going back to the main menu.

Footage from the disc can be found here: [5]

Animal Crossing series

"Mabel's Comment: They say the suit makes the bounty hunter. Try on this Samus suit and find out!"

In Animal Crossing-e Series 2, there is an e-Reader card named Samus's Suit. If a Nintendo GameCube Game Boy Advance Cable is used, a pattern can be uploaded to Animal Crossing that gives the player a Power Suit pattern on their shirt and helmet on their hat. The pattern can also be put on umbrellas, floor tiles, and wallpaper.

In Animal Crossing: Wild World, a Metroid is available as a furniture item. It is based on Samus' Baby from Metroid II and Super Metroid, and features it in its signature capsule. When touched, it plays a few seconds of the Super Metroid theme. Like a number of rare items, copying data from Wild World to Animal Crossing: City Folk does not retain the Metroid in the catalogue, though the Metroid can once again be obtained. However, in City Folk it plays the entire theme of Super Metroid. In both games, it is acquired randomly by shooting down Gulliver. The Metroid in City Folk appears to be based upon its appearance in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

City Folk also contains two additional items, a helmet named Samus Mask and a T-shirt named Varia Suit. Both are obtained through the Tom Nook Point Tracking System. Similar to the Metroid, both the Samus Mask hat and the Varia Suit shirt resemble their Brawl appearances. The mask can be purchased for 6000 points and the Varia Suit for 5000. The design of the main body of the shirt is partly based on Samus's Suit from Animal Crossing, though it has different sleeves and back as it is a shirt and not a pattern anymore. If both clothing items are worn in conjunction, Kicks the shoe-shine skunk will change the character's shoes to yellow if the option "Go by color" is chosen when Kicks asks how the player wants their shoes shined.

New Leaf for Nintendo 3DS contains the past Metroid items as special prizes, though the Varia Suit is split into smaller pieces of clothing due to the addition of pants and shoes, as well as fortunes that go with them. Each article of the suit is categorized into the "rock 'n' roll" style of clothing. The fortunes are as follows:

Samus Mask (#10: "She who foregoes a hat and grabs a helmet knows not the sting of lava.")
Varia Suit Pants (#42: "She who wears lava-proof pants is dressed for any occasion.")
Varia Suit Shoes (#43: "She who wears laceless shoes is probably busy with space monsters.")
Varia Suit (#46: "She who wears armor today is she who may wear armor tomorrow.")
Metroid (#47: "Wise men say the brain is a terrible thing to waste.")

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Master Quest

OoT trailer — *The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Master Quest* (video starts when clicked)

Includes a trailer for Metroid Prime, among other games. Notably, the trailer features the Cloaked Drone being visible with the X-Ray Visor, which indicates that at one point it could be collected before the fight without Sequence Breaking.

Interactive Multi-Game Demo Disc

Version 7, 8, and 9 include a demo and trailer for Metroid Prime, while earlier versions include content from Super Smash Bros. Melee. Version 14 and 15 feature a Metroid: Zero Mission trailer. Version 19, 20, 21, and 22 include a demo and trailer for Metroid Prime 2: Echoes while 23, 24, 25, and 26 only have a demo of the game.^[1]

WarioWare series

For a complete list of cameos in the WarioWare series, see here.

1080º Avalanche

Default high scores for the stages feature many Nintendo references, with Ride Easy Railways: Dazzlin' Teaser stage's scores being "MET" "ROI" "D P".

Custom Robo

A boy, when guessing what the "Z" in "Z Syndicate" stands for, suggests Zebes among other words which include various Nintendo references.

Geist

Samus' helmet and red clothing are seen in a locker within the women's locker room at Volks Corporation. A Nintendo GameCube can also be seen in a different locker.

Tetris DS

Catch Mode is based on the original Metroid.

The purpose of the game mode is to collect tetrominoes into contiguous blocks, by using a single solid block. The tetrominoes fall from top in various positions, and only the solid block can be rotated. Once a large block has been collected, it will detonate, destroying everything in its path. Several Metroids in containers similar to the Baby's also fall from the ceiling; destroying them in detonations will net a bonus. The player loses a small amount of health if the blocks hit the bottom of the screen. Colliding the collected blocks with the Metroid containers will cause a big health loss and destruction of some collected blocks. The game is over once player loses all health.

The play area is a shaft resembling Brinstar, but with a more realistic, bat cave-like background. Samus sprites can be seen in the background in different poses. These include aiming up at a Ripper, in Morph Ball, on a ledge in front of a Blue Door, jumping and aiming at a Geemer on the bottom of a ledge, Spin Jumping from one ledge to another, a Ripper and Geemer alone, and then it cycles over.

The theme is a remix of the classic Brinstar theme, which can be heard here: [6]. When the detonation block activates and before it explodes, a faster remix of the Brinstar theme is heard.

Level 12 of Marathon Mode is also Metroid themed. The level contains the Brinstar theme, Mother Brain in the background and a rapidly rotating sprite of Samus that moves when points are accumulated. On the top screen, Samus can be seen jumping around in the starting point of Brinstar, but the Morph Ball is missing and the background is colored red, failing to match the blue rock scenery of Brinstar.

Finally, Samus can be seen running around on the title screen shooting tetrominoes.

Picross DS

Samus Aran is the solution to puzzle 11-M.^[2]

Fatal Frame series

The Zero Suit can be unlocked as an alternate costume in two of the most recent games in the series. In Fatal Frame IV: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse, the Zero Suit is unlocked by photographing 200 ghosts on the ghost list. It uses its appearance from Brawl and Corruption, which were the most recent depictions at the time. Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water features the Other M Zero Suit as a costume.^[3]

Phantasy Star Ø

Phantasy Star Arm Cannon — The Arm Cannon in *Phantasy Star Ø*.

Samus's Arm Cannon is one of several available Nintendo weapons.

Jam with the Band

Brinstar (Metroid) (by Nindori) is one of the downloadable songs available since the initial day of release in the European version. It is a medley of the Brinstar, Title and item acquisition themes. Because there is no region lock on Nintendo DS games, it can be downloaded from any country, provided the player owns the game. It is #10 on the list of 370 DLC songs, runs for 01:48, and has 7 instrumental parts. (NES1, F. Guitar, NES2, NES3, NES4, NES 5, and S. Drums)

In the unlockable instrument trivia, Brinstar Depths (Melee) plays when the vibraphone is selected, Vs. Ridley is played to demonstrate the synth bass, Samus Victory! is represented by the pipe organ, Title is represented by the vibraphone, and Theme of Samus Aran, Space Warrior can be heard with the horn.[7]

Donkey Kong Country Returns and Tropical Freeze

Developed by Retro Studios, the company that created the Metroid Prime Trilogy, has several Metroid cameos.

Metroid Prime Trilogy A.I. as well as a heavily modified version of the game's camera was involved with the original creation of the game, and helped get the project moving in the early stages.[8] In 7-1, "Foggy Fumes", a structure greatly resembling Crocomire's skull is visible in the background.

In level 6-7, "Tippy Shippy", the beginning of the level has creatures similar to Parasites (or possibly Leviathan Infants) embedded into the walls. In 7-R, "Lift-Off Launch", there is a large gyroscope with three spinning rings around a core; this is a reference to the Main Dynamo present in the Metroid Prime 2: Echoes room Main Gyro Chamber, along with another similar device in the Minigyro Chamber. The core resembles a Portal. Both were located in the Sanctuary Fortress.

Samus's gunship can be seen in the background of the silhouette level, Busted Bayou in Tropical Freeze. The Main Dynamo from Echoes and DKC Returns returns as well.

Dead or Alive: Dimensions

In this game made by Team Ninja, the Geothermal Power Plant has been made into an arena, with Ridley himself serving as a stage hazard. The Vs. Ridley theme is the stage song. The Power Plant platform is slightly different than it is in Metroid: Other M, however, as parts of the stage is destroyed, and Ridley destroys another part of it with his fireballs before the match. He will join the fight at certain points to unleash more fireballs at the combatants. If one is thrown over the edge then it is an instant KO as Ridley will scrape them against the wall much like in Other M, before killing them with a fireball. At the end, Samus, in Morph Ball form, also makes an appearance, killing Ridley with a Power Bomb. Samus is not playable,[9] and Yosuke Hayashi claimed that the reason for this was because "she was too busy with her job". [10]

AR Games

A Samus AR Card is included with the Nintendo 3DS console and has several poses which can be viewed in Star Pics. When an AR Card is scanned, Samus will appear from the card based on the pose she takes in Metroid: Other M concept art (landing after a long jump) and the Prime series version of Samus Aran's Appearance Fanfare plays. Her poses are firing a shot, standing with her hand on her Arm Cannon, taking another pose from concept artwork (and ingame when she uses Concentration) where she crouches slightly and holds her cannon up, the first mentioned pose taken after landing in Other M, and finally her Morph Ball. All poses can be controlled as long as the AR Card is in view. Additionally, a Samus template is available in Graffiti.

StreetPass Mii Plaza

Samus' helmet and a Metroid hat are among the many hats that can be unlocked in Find Mii. The latter is unlocked on the second playthrough. If worn, the Mii will always be seen wearing it anywhere in StreetPass Mii Plaza. A Samus Aran puzzle is available in Puzzle Swap. Once completed, it unlocks a 3D model viewer of her that was first shown at E3.

Nintendogs + Cats

AR Cards can be used in this game, including Samus Aran. This puts her helmet on the Nintendog or cat when taking photos.

Pushmo (NTSC) / Pullblox (PAL)

One stage consists of a Samus Aran sprite from Metroid. This is stage 212 in the Bonus Nintendo Murals.

Kiki Trick

This Sakamoto-produced game features a sound-matching minigame in which the player has to match a sound to a video screen. The sound is Mario Kart, but Tennis for the NES and Super Metroid (Ridley holding the baby on Ceres scene) are incorrect options.

Nintendo Land

For more information about cameos in Nintendo Land, see here.

Dynasty Warriors Vs.

Link-and-Samus-Dynasty-Warrios-VS — *Dynasty Warriors Vs.* costumes.

Dynasty Warriors Vs. is a 2012 Nintendo 3DS game that has the Zero Suit and Skyward Sword's Knight Academy uniform as costumes.^[4]

Tekken Tag Tournament 2: Wii U Edition

A Zero Suit Samus costume is available to complement several other Nintendo costumes and a Mushroom mode. ^[5]

NES Remix 2

For more information about NES Remix 2, see this article.

Tomodachi Life

Miis can occasionally be seen playing games such as Metroid Blast on Nintendo Land, with sound effects matching the characters' movements. [11] Two videos for the game featured Samus Aran as a Mii.

Bayonetta 1 & 2

The Power Suit is available as a costume, based on early artwork of it from Metroid. It has Morph Ball functionality. The costume was designed by Yong-Hee Cho, who stated "I'm really into mechanics, so I had the most fun designing this costume." His first design, which based the outfit off of Metroid: Other M, was viewed as too "contemporary", and so it was decided to base the design off of its appearance in the original game. This was somewhat of a challenge for Cho, who had to study the in-game sprite and package artwork.[12]

"Samus has gone through more than a few powered suits in the Metroid series, but we ended up using the first game as our motif, per Kamiya’s request. Fans of the series should be able to tell looking at the shoulders.

"One special feature that comes with the Samus suit is the ability to put the visor up or down during cut scenes. I think you’ll be surprised how fun this is. See how good it feels to slam your visor down right after telling an enemy off, or discover the amusement in endlessly going up-down-up-down during the game’s more serious moments. This can put the game’s cut scenes in whole new light!"[13]

Bayonetta 2 - Galactic Bounty Hunter Cosplay (Wii U)

Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate

The Power Suit and Zero Suit are available in a DLC quest as costumes, taking their appearances from Metroid: Other M. Both costumes utilize an enlarged Arm Cannon as their weapon. Series creator Kaname Fujioka had this to say about the costumes:

"When you think of Samus as a character and when you think of Metroid games, the first thing that comes to mind is the arm cannon, which is such an integral part of the character. We knew we wanted to do not just armour but also a weapon that was themed after Metroid, and go in that direction. And then it came down to what specific type of weapon would be a match for that, visually and gameplay wise.

We decided on the Bowgun because we thought it would look really cool if when, as you readied your weapon, the actual arm parts of the suit transformed. There is the aspect of the Metroid games where the arm cannon does change a bit when you fire different types of attacks, and that would be cool to explore—how it would look and how it would change shape when you’re about to use it. So, it seemed like a natural fit for that kind of weapon.

I've always been a huge fan of Metroid myself ever since the original NES days, and especially Super Metroid from the SNES days. Super Metroid left such an impression on me that I thought, 'wouldn’t it be great where even if visually it's a 3D polygonal model in our game, what if we could use the old sound effects and make it sound a bit synthesized?’ We worked with Nintendo, who were on board and excited about it as well, so you’ll be able to hear synthesized SNES-style sound effects that go along with it, which I thought was kind of a nice homage to that title."

Club Nintendo Picross Plus

Some of the game's puzzles include Metroid imagery, such as the Energy Tank.[14]

Nintendo Badge Arcade

File:Metroid Badge Arcade.png

This Europe-exclusive game has several Metroid badges to collect. Most of them are modelled after sprites from the NES game, but one features Samus as she appears in Metroid: Other M, in a chibi style.[15]

Miitomo

To celebrate the release of Metroid Prime: Federation Force, Metroid-related items were added to Miitomo and were available until September 15th. They included wearable Samus, Zero Suit Samus and Federation Force costumes, a Metroid hat, a shirt with the 8-bit Samus on it, Ridley and Metroid pets, a Super Metroid shirt and the Zero Mission Ending Outfit.

amiibo-compatible games

Mario Kart 8

Using the Samus or Zero Suit Samus amiibo figures intended for Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U rewards a Samus costume for Miis.

Ace Combat 3D Cross Rumble +

Using the Samus amiibo unlocks a Samus-themed paint job for the YF-23. The aircraft will have Samus' artwork from Other M on it, as well as the Metroid series logo.

One Piece: Super Grand Battle! X

Once again, the Samus amiibo unlocks a costume, for Robin.

amiibo tap: Nintendo's Greatest Bits

This compilation game allows 3 minute demos of NES and SNES games, including Metroid and Super Metroid, to be accessed with the use of the Samus and Zero Suit Samus amiibo figures.

Yoshi's Woolly World

Both the Samus amiibo and the Zero Suit Samus amiibo unlock appropriate yarn colors for Yoshi.

Super Mario Maker

Using the Samus amiibo changes Mario into Samus, whose sprite is created for the game instead of using the one from the original Metroid. This sprite is smaller, but more closely resembles her recent appearance. When spawned, a sped-up version of the Samus Aran's Appearance Fanfare from the Famicom version of Metroid plays, and when she jumps the jumping sound effect from Metroid is heard. After clearing a level, the item acquisition jingle from the Famicom Metroid is heard. A Zero Suit Samus costume is also available.

New Style Boutique 2: Fashion Forward

Using the Samus amiibo unlocks the Visor, known as the "Galactic Visor". Using the Zero Suit Samus amiibo unlocks the Jet Boots, called "Bounty Hunter Boots" here. Both are wearable accessories.

Chibi-Robo! Zip Lash

Using an amiibo unlocks a figure of Chibi-Robo assuming the amiibo character's pose. Using either Samus amiibo unlocks figure #111. It has this description:

"Raised by the mysterious Chozo from a young age, she became an indomitable bounty hunter and intergalactic warrior. Every once in a while, she reveals her maternal side."

Possible references

Mario series

Starting in Super Mario Bros. 3, Mario would be able to spin jump when he collected a Starman, and the pattern resembled the Screw Attack. This also happens in subsequent remakes and games. The Snoozorb enemy in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time also resembles the Nightmare, with both of their names pertaining to sleeping.

F-Zero series

Longtime playable character Jody Summer's appearance heavily resembles that of Samus at the end of the original Metroid, wearing a pink sports bra, thong and boots, with a lightning bolt on her left breast and two shoulderpads, as well as brown hair. Like Samus, she works for a "Galactic Space Federation" to eliminate the criminal element in the F-Zero tournaments, has a deceased father and a supposedly also deceased brother, her chapter in F-Zero GX involves escaping from a time bomb, and in the anime, it is discovered that she was partially reconstructed as a cyborg. Jody Summer is in the vein of James McCloud and Mr. EAD as F-Zero characters who appear to reference other series.

The Wonderful 101

Jergingha, the game's antagonistic brain-in-a-vat, seems to be based on Mother Brain, including a transformed human-like form. This character may be a relic from early development, when the game was intended to make use of various Nintendo characters. Immorta, another character, is a member of the Galactic Federation Police.

Third-party/unlicensed software

Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate

Several gameplay elements are similar to the Prime series from Metroid, including the detective mode resembling the Scan Visor in function (including markings indicating which objects have been scanned and which haven't and a description of the scans), the Case Files resembling the Lore scans in function, and the map (especially in the Deluxe Edition) and hint system resembling those used by the Prime series. This is most likely intentional, as the developers of the game, Armature Studios, were an offshoot of Retro Studios, the developers who made the Prime series. In the original release, the map also resembled those used in the 2D Metroid games starting with Super Metroid.

Blaster Master

Metroid-like enemies appear underwater in this Metroid inspired game. They bear 4 retracting mandibles, but no nuclei.

Bloodline: Champions

One of the newest characters in this online game is called the Metal Warden, who possesses armor very similar to the Power Suit. The Metal Warden can charge her shots, perform a high jumping attack in the air, morph into a ball and fire a black hole with effects similar to a Power Bomb.

Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance

Cameo hod01 — A comparison between the two skulls.

In the "Cave of Skeletons" area, there are skulls that bear a strong resemblance to Crocomire's and are used as ramps to get up to a higher ledge. In the second Castlevania title for the Game Boy Advance, Harmony of Dissonance, the player will eventually come to an area called the "Cave of Skeletons." In it, there are giant skulls which can be used as ramps to get to the next part of the area. It is likely that this homage was intentional because starting from Symphony of the Night, Castlevania games have borrowed a Metroid-like play. [16]

Catherine

One of the characters that can be spoken to in the "Stray Sheep" bar is named Justin Bailey.[17]

Cave Story

The floating enemy called "Jellies" resemble Metroids and also have a queen in this Super Metroid inspired game.

Dragon Ball Z: Legacy of Goku 2

West City's electronics store features SNES games on display, including Super Metroid. [18]

Dungeon of the Endless

One of the characters is Sara Numas, a blond woman in a blue jumpsuit whose name is an anagram of Samus Aran. Like Samus (in her Zero Suit form), Numas is quite fast, but not as strong. She is described as a galactically-famous bounty hunter who is dedicated to seeing justice served, and tasked with the transfer of the leader of intergalactic pirates to a prison complex.

Escape from Puppy Death Factory

In this Adult Swim game, references to the Metroid series are rampant. The canine protagonist Laika wears a Power Suit with an Arm Cannon and possesses a gunship (named MUTTNIK) that resembles her face, while exploring an abandoned planet to rescue her puppy brethren, similar to the baby (there is a message in the game that references Super Metroid as well: "The last puppies are in captivity...SET THEM FREE."). Collecting all 31 puppies also leads to the best ending in the game.

Mighty Switch Force

This speed-run heavy platforming series stars a cyborg cop named Patty Wagon. Its gameplay, as well death and ending sequences, are heavily influenced by the Metroid series, as acknowledged by the developers on Miiverse. (Mr.Bozon and Ivansmith)

Men in Black 3

The film's iOS and Android game adaptation features Samantha Aran, an agent that can be recruited from the Locker Room at MIB Headquarters. Both her appearance and name are obvious references to Samus Aran, and she is listed as having been a Counter-Terrorist. She is available when the player reaches Level 7 and purchases the first Locker Room upgrade, and costs 32 T-Pulse.

Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword

A theme from the game very closely resembles Vs. Ridley.[19]

Shadow Complex

The Eye-like camera in *Shadow Complex*.

This Metroidvania game was heavily inspired by Super Metroid. In a similar role to the Eye, there is a security camera which shines on the protagonist, Jason Fleming, when he first enters the complex, and he can collect a Speed Booster-like upgrade called the Friction Dampener as well as Missiles and a "Foam Gun", which resembles the Ice Beam. The Friction Dampener has the added ability of being able to run up walls and on ceilings if timed properly. The obstacles are color-coded similar to Metroid. Red obstacles require Missiles, green requires Grenades, purple requires Foam, and blue requires the Friction Dampener. One of the extra achievements (which does not reward gamerscore or trophy points) is also called Jason Bailey, for completing the game with 100% in under 2 hours. Its icon is a pair of briefs.

Singularity

There are numerous references to Metroid in Singularity. Firstly, there is a message on the wall of a facility saying "Mother my brain hurts!". Entering a derelict ship similar to the Frigate Orpheon, an upgrade called the "Dethex Launcher" can be obtained, which fires small ball-shaped bombs similar to the Morph Ball that are used in one situation to navigate a maze in order to open up a locked door. Finally, there is a note in the hands of a dead body talking about a strange new specimen, signed by the initials "S.A.". To the left of the body a Metroid-like creature can be seen inside a tube.[20]

Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty

A Metroid is seen in a stasis tube much like the baby's. It is found in the 2v2 multiplayer map "High Orbit". [21]

Teslagrad

This sidescrolling Wii U adventure game features a seated bird statue holding an item. This reference was confirmed as a tribute to Metroid by the developer. [22]

Kingdom of Loathing

A browser-based MMORPG with stickfigure graphics and an odd sense of humor. Players can play a text-and-prompt-button minigame version of Metroid in the "Game Grid Arcade" area, by way of the "Meteoid" cabinet. Since mid 2014, Meteoid Steam Cards 1, 2, and 3 can be used together to unlock a stickfigure avatar of Samus for their character. The steam cards depict a Zeela, a Ripper II, and a Metroid Larvae. This is in reference to Steam Trading Cards, however, Metroid is not available through Steam, but exclusively digitally distributed through the Nintendo E-Shop for use on the Wii, Wii-U, and 3DS.

Axiom Verge

A Metroidvania indie game that is heavily inspired by the Metroid series, from style to gameplay. The player character, Trace, can also obtain a password tool that allows him to use encoded password strings to alter reality. Entering the original Metroid password "Justin Bailey" causes Trace to don the same suit.

The developers asked Nintendo for permission to include a Samus costume for Trace, but Nintendo declined. ^[6]

Cancelled cameos

Uniracers

In early promotional footage, the finalized course tour names are replaced by Nintendo game series and character icons. One is "METROID", with a kneeling mirrored image of Samus Aran. [23] This became the Bounder (kangaroo) tour in the retail game.

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance

The game was intended to include Samus and Link as playable characters, but Nintendo ultimately refused to license them for Activision. A video shows Samus using many of her abilities from the Metroid series, and she appears to have been based on her Metroid Prime depiction. She is also seen using a new ability called Chozo Blood Rights. The appearance of this ability is short, and there does not appear to be any visible changes after activation, apart from a green glow around Samus. It would seem to increase benefits inherited from the Chozo blood Samus has. It is possible this ability grants Samus more power or better defense, as it does not appear to be an attacking move.

Presumably, the characters' removal was forced when Activision placed them on the non-Nintendo console versions of the game.

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga

Superstarsagasprites — Unused sprites from *Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga*

Samus was intended to appear at Starbeans Cafe among other Nintendo characters, during a scripted event. Dialog remains in the game's code - "Cashier: Whoa! A power outage? Yikes! Samus Aran! I see you're rocking and rolling as usual! ...Looks like your energy tanks are empty! Sorry, but can't you give your Hoolumbian to Samus? Oh! Feeling better?" She would then give the player an Energy Tank in exchange for the drink. Ultimately, most of the items were replaced with similar ones in the final game, though the Energy Tank became a Power Grip accessory.)

Scribblenauts Unlimited

Maxwell, the main character of this game, writes words into his notebook in order to summon the written object and solve various puzzles. This is achieved by having the player type out a noun (or adjectives and a noun) and the game's "dictionary" identifies and depicts the request along with the expected properties of it.

This version of the game has characters and objects from the Mario and Zelda series, but the developers originally intended to have a larger cast:

"We wanted a lot more IP, like Donkey Kong or Metroid or even Pokémon — Pokémon's huge, right? — but it was just about timing. We just didn't have a ton of development time to get everything done and shipped."^[7]

In comics and manga

Captain N: The Game Master

For a complete list of cameos in the Captain N: The Game Master series, see here.

Nintendo Comics System

For a complete list of cameos in the Nintendo Comics System series, see here.

Famiken Ryu

A Japanese manga with a similar premise to Captain N, following the gaming adventures of kenpo and Famicom master Ryu, who is capable of using a special attack called Famiken. Volume 4 features a segment where Ryu ventures into the world of Metroid. Ryu's girlfriend Sayaka is abducted to be tortured by his nemesis, a brain-like computer named Cobra, who challenges him to get to Mother Brain in the original game. Cobra also produces thousands of clones of Ryu. Outfitted with her Power Suit sans the helmet, Ryu acquires many of Samus' power-ups but soon finds himself confused by the maze-like rooms of Zebes. He finds Sayaka about to use Famiken; because she is inexperienced with it the results could be disastrous. Ryu encounters and kills Ridley and Kraid, then heads for Tourian. However, when he arrives, he is shocked to find his Wave Beam does not work on Metroids. Just as Sayaka is about to be killed, the Ryu clones sacrifice themselves for her because of an override program placed in them by Sayaka's father, Dr. Madoh. Ryu backtracks to collect the Ice Beam, while Cobra destroys the remaining clones and combines their cells into a large brain. Ryu jumps in and fights his way through Super Xevious.

Mario vs. Wario

A super deformed doll in Samus's likeness that Princess Peach desired drove the humorous plot for a Mario vs. Wario comic that was published in Nintendo Power prior to the Super Metroid comic. The doll in this comic was different from the doll depicted in Super Mario RPG. The titular characters Mario and Wario fight over who gets to buy the doll, using trickery to get ahead of one another. Ultimately, it is revealed that Luigi had bought the doll.

Duh Stoopid Bomb!

In the Mario series comic Duh Stoopid Bomb! published by the Nintendo Comics System, Mother Brain's name appears on a list of people who think King Toadstool is dumb.

N-Gang

Samus makes a cameo appearance at the end of the final issue of the comics, Die Hexe lacht um Mitternacht (The Witch Laughs at Midnight).

Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life

In this video game themed graphic novel, the titular character says, "I wish I could turn into a Morphing Ball and roll to the bathroom from here, instead of having to stand up." Scott's love interest Ramona Flowers then says, "I used to know a guy who could do that. He said it wasn't that great."

In television

Toys Я Us commercial

In a Toys R Us commercial that advertised NES games, a store in Tourian, labeled Kraid's Toy Shop, is shown to be sold out. A man and his son are seen there wearing Samus Aran's Power Suit as they bomb the floor into Toys Я Us.

Kool-Aid commercial

Samus once appeared in a Kool-Aid Commercial that advertised a contest in which a copy of Metroid II: Return of Samus would be given away to the winner. An animated version of her is seen in the back of a school bus with two children.

Mystery Science Theater 3000

In episode #405 of the show, "Being From Another Planet," a troubled teen is alone in his room playing a little electronic game when two guys come in to bother him, at which point Crow says, "Could I go back to my game? I was up to the third level of Metroid."[24]

House

In the first season's third episode, "Occam's Razor", House can be seen playing his Game Boy Advance SP, with "the fourth level" of Metroid: Zero Mission shown on screen, though the sound effects are not from the game and entering the Morph Ball in the hands of a Chozo Statue kills all of the players in the show.[25] There is also mention of a species called "space bunnies", which may be referring to Reos.

In the fifteenth episode of the same show, "Mob Rules," House produces his Nintendo DS and holds it up to a comatose patient's ear. The footage on screen is Metroid Prime Hunters: First Hunt, again with different sound effects.[26]

GameCenter CX

One episode chronicles the completion of Metroid by Arino (season 2, episode 5). Episode 9 of the Nintendo Channel subseries features Super Metroid.

Spaceballs: The Animated Series

In the second episode of the show, Samus (with an exaggerated appearance and large breasts) fires a Super Missile at a tank driving down the street.

Code Monkeys

In the episode "Valley of the Silicon Dolls", Larrity searches for bounty hunters to kill the robotic teddy bear that Dave, Jarry, and Black Steve reprogrammed. Towards the end of the episode, a warped version of Samus's ship rises up and Samus jumps out and kills the teddy bear. She then removes her helmet and reveals that she is actually Mary. She then morphs into a ball and rolls away. This version of Samus has the Arm Cannon on her left arm instead of her right, possibly due to copyright issues with Nintendo.

One Tree Hill

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption is briefly depicted in season 8 episode 14, "Holding Out for a Hero". Interestingly, it uses sound effects from Other M.^[8]

Supernatural

Season one, episode two ("Wendigo") opens with two boys playing Metroid Prime Hunters: First Hunt in a tent at night when they are attacked by a Wendigo.^[9]

Metroid Prime Hunters makes an appearance in the haunted house episode, "Family Remains," episode 11 of season 4.

Mad

Samus (in her Varia Suit and Zero Suit) and Ridley appear in season 1, episode 16, "Straight A Team / Gaming's Next Top Model" (a parody of America's Next Top Model), with on-screen mentions of Zebes and K-2L. In the short, Samus competes in a beauty contest against Peach and Zelda, while Mario, Tyra Banks, Mega Man and other man as judges. [27] Also appearing were Ganondorf, Bowser, a Lakitu and Zelda's Sheik form. The quickly dismissed characters include Tifa Lockhart, Felicia, Misty, Birdo, Lara Croft and Amy Rose. Ridley appeared during the "villain photoshoot" portion of the competition, alongside Bowser and Ganondorf; his monstrous appearance horrified the cameraman, Lakitu, and shortly afterward Ridley managed to break free of his chains and capture Lakitu, only to be shot down by Samus' Zero Laser.

Humorously, the shoulders of Samus' armor are shaped like basketballs. In fact, in one picture from her photoshoot, she is holding a discarded shoulder like a basketball. Also, her eyes are brown.

Aoi Sekai no Chuushin de

An Anime series which reenacts the Nintendo/Sega "console wars" through medieval-styled characters based on game licenses. "Saroid" is a character that is a thinly-veiled reference to Samus Aran. [28]. She doesn't appear in the anime but she is in the manga.

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon

Reggie Fils-Aime has appeared on the show several times to demo games, once showing Nintendo Land's Metroid Blast.

The June 19, 2013 episode began with a title card based on the Metroid title screen.

Regular Show

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In "Terror Tales of the Park VI", the Halloween-themed 2 part penultimate episode of the show's eighth season, Eileen dresses as Samus.

In films

The Wizard

Metroid can be seen briefly (in a full-screen shot) on a PlayChoice-10. [29]

Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over

One scene depicts the main characters talking about lava always appearing in video games. One says "In Metroid, it's actually magma."[30]

Jarhead

When the marines are on their flight to their destination, Anthony (Jake Gyllenhaal) questions another marine (Lucas Black) about rather being a worthless civilian, playing Metroid, "trying to get to that 9th level." Another marine mentions how at the end, nothing happens, it just starts over.[31]

Press Start

One of the main characters' names is Sam, a blonde woman in a black sports bra and wristbands (similar to the Super Metroid Justin Bailey), who is a "space soldier". She possesses a space suit and is kidnapped by a man who removes the suit and is addressed as "Mr. Bailey" while wearing a "Justin" nametag.

In literature

Nintendo: My Play a Tune Book

This 1989 book came with an attached keyboard-like device, meant to be used to play classic songs which mostly included re-imagined Nintendo lyrics. ^[10]^[11]

Must Be Metroid

(Tune: The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out...)

Lyrics: T. Ellis

My name is Samus, I'm on my way,

To find the Metroid and zap it away,

The Mother Brain will do her best

To put me to the ultimate test...

There's secret paths and hidden pits,

I must be careful and use all my wits.

Got to explore the awesome maze,

To save the galaxy, cleverness pays!

Mini-Boss Kraid will try to see

If he is able to finish off me.

But I've got Bombs and Screw Attack,

Ice Beam and High Jump to fight him back.

It won't be long until I'm there.

I'll soon be entering Boss Ridley's lair.

I'll use my beam and missiles too,

He'll be a goner when Samus is through.

Highouts [sic] are cleared, but I'm not done,

The final victory waits to be won.

When Mother Brain is history

A BIG SURPRISE will be waiting for me!

Club Nintendo Magazine

A Dutch edition of the magazine ran an advertisement for the NES and NES Zapper in 1990, in the form of a comic featuring Mario and Luigi. The brothers were attempting to rescue Princess Peach, once again, from a group of aliens. After the surrender of their leader, Mario and the aliens are seen playing Metroid together in peace. The scene depicted is the Mother Brain battle.

How to Draw Nintendo Greatest Heroes & Villains

This book featured Samus on pages 26 to 27, in her appearance from Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (although Hunters artwork was present on the cover). Elements of page design seem to be drawn from Metroid.com's Metroid Prime page menu.

The Art of Wreck-It Ralph

Concept art for an unused character that resembles Mother Brain in the film Wreck-It Ralph appears under "Desserted[sic] Characters". The design was drawn by Cory Loftis. It appears along with numerous other characters likely intended to evoke other Nintendo characters.

Other media

Nintendo Monopoly

This spin on the classic board game featured the Metroid series, including Samus Aran (using her Echoes appearance), Meta Ridley (known as "Ridley"), and a Metroid (using its Prime appearance) on the orange properties. Metroid and Super Metroid can be seen in the background. The 2010 collector's edition uses updated artwork from Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, replaces the Metroid with the Morph Ball, the Blue Falcon's space with Samus' Gunship, and adds a player piece representing Samus' helmet.

Ultra Beatdown

The artwork on DragonForce's Ultra Beatdown cover was created by Andrew Jones and depicts a female cyborg that has some Samus-like parts, particularly the shoulder and thigh.

MyNintendo

On August 25, 2016, a Samus theme for the Nintendo 3DS was released as a reward for MyNintendo, the Nintendo rewards program. It features Samus as she appears in Other M against an orange background with the same music as every MyNintendo theme. It costs 200 Platinum Points.

Trivia

Samus' movements served as a reference for the players in Tennis for the Game Boy.[32]

References

[1] ttp://wiki.dolphin-emu.org/index.php?title=Category:Interactive_Multi_Game_Demo_Disc_series

[2] ttp://www.gamefaqs.com/ds/936532-picross-ds/faqs/46884

[3] ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9Vq2QZx2Ns

[4] ttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BwV1tw0tWk

[5] ttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCJAOaPiz5M

[6] ttps://mynintendonews.com/2016/09/06/samus-costume-almost-made-it-into-axiom-verge/

[7] [4]

[8] ttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVggPwECBwA

[9] ttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_8M2vnFtik

[10] ttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFmKSDT_kpg

[11] ttp://www.backofthecerealbox.com/2010/05/what-could-be-worse-than-eight-bit.html

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