Red Phazon

A large amount of red Phazon. Phazon Core, Impact Crater.

Red Phazon is a more dangerous kind of Phazon than the blue Phazon that was seen on planet Tallon IV. Though not identified as Phazon in-game, Metroid Prime and Metroid Fusion: Prima's Official Strategy Guide refers to it as "red Phazon" in one instance. In Metroid Prime: The Official Nintendo Player's Guide, it is merely referred to as "radioactive sludge" or "ooze".

Description

This Phazon was encountered by Samus Aran deep in Tallon IV's Impact Crater during Metroid Prime. Although Samus' Power Suit was corrupted and turned into the Phazon Suit, the red-orange Phazon in the Impact Crater was still able to damage her. According to the Scan Visor, its mutagenic properties are at least 86% stronger than standard blue Phazon. Despite the name, it is actually closer to orange in color.

Its origins and relation to the blue Phazon are unknown, but it is possibly just high concentrations of Phazon trapped in the Crater. Other explanations are that the color is due to the decay of the deceased Leviathan, or that radiation from the planet's core colored it red. It is interesting that Samus did not see pure red Phazon on the planet Phaaze other than similarly colored organic growths, suggesting that it was a new kind of Phazon unique to the Tallon IV Leviathan. However, it is also possible that red Phazon makes up part or all of Phaaze's subterranean makeup, similar to magma in the Earth's mantle; this is supported by the fact that it is only encountered near the core of the Leviathan, which is essentially a miniaturized version of Phaaze itself. Another supporting factor to the last theory is that Aurora Unit 313 is not only coloured red, and given the fact that the organic super computer had a spinal structure connecting it to an unseen location further below the surface of Phaaze, it may have been exposed to red Phazon.

Red Phazon could possibly be a natural mutation within the normal Phazon. Since Phazon can be seen almost like a living being in and of itself, there is the possibility that there could be mutations during the birthcycle, which might have created a stronger red Leviathan.

Possible Connections

A variation of normal Phazite, known as Red Phazite, appears in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, along with the previously mentioned orange/red growths seen on Phaaze. These substances may or may not be linked to red Phazon, as both Red Phazite and the red growths were also rare in Corruption, and were stronger than their blue variants, similar to Red Phazon.

In the same game, there is a rare being made of Phazon called the Red Phaazoid in which its scan reveals that its unnatural color is the result of an unstable core being present during its creation. The rarity of these red Phazon forms suggests that the red Phazon in the Impact Crater was simply the result of an unstable Leviathan, or something similar.

Official data

Scan

"Limited data on unknown material available. Material is highly radioactive. You will take damage from direct contact. Mutagenic qualities at least 86% greater than Phazon. Unshielded bioforms below index level P will suffer fatality within moments."

The Official Nintendo Player's Guide

"The radioactive sludge inside the Impact Crater is so toxic, it will eat through even the Phazon Suit. Keep yourself in the air as much as possible by using double jumps, and try to land on safe surfaces only. A good rule of thumb - if it's glowing, stay away. (That's good advice at any time.)"

Prima's Official Strategy Guide

"Enter the next hall on your way to the Phazon Core. Blast a path through the Lumigeks and hop across the room. Beware of the red Phazon. Your suit won't protect you from this deadly energy."

Trivia

• Red Phazon crystals also appear in the Metroid Prime Pinball Mini-Game "Phazon Frenzy". The object of the game is for Samus to control two balls, one red and one blue, with each ball collecting crystals of the Phazon with their respective colors.
• Red Phazon in the Phazon Core bubbles up and spawns Fission Metroids, counting it as a hive.

Gallery

Red Phazon mixed with blue Phazon.

A bubbling part of red Phazon, spawning a Fission Metroid.