Areas in the Metroid series
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This article is about various areas in the Metroid series.
- 1 Alimbic Cluster
- 1.1 Celestial Archives
- 1.2 Alinos
- 1.3 Vesper Defense Outpost
- 1.4 Arcterra
- 1.5 Stronghold Void
- 1.6 Infinity Void
Alimbic Cluster
The Alimbic Cluster is a fictional series of planets and space stations located in the Tetra Galaxy. It is featured in . There are 4 areas in the Alimbic Cluster: the Celestial Archives, Alinos, the Vesper Defense Outpost, and Arcterra.Celestial Archives
The Celestial Archives was once a great thriving space station, but a massive object collided with it, causing it to become ruined. It orbits above the planet Alinos and was once the primary repository of the combined knowledge of Alimbic scholars, scientists and historians. It is covered with portals to other parts of the station.Items
- Volt Driver
- Shock Coil
- Missile Expansion x2
- Energy Tank x2
- UA Expansion x4
Alinos
Alinos was once a beautiful thriving planet, but the planet's core exploded, making the entire world a lava filled ruin. Alinos is a very dangerous zone filled with many lava filled coridors and deadly creatures. There are also many ancient Alimbic ruins on Alinos. The great Alimbic Cannon is on Alinos.Items
- Magmaul
- Missile Expansion x3
- Energy Tank x2
- UA Expansion x2
Vesper Defense Outpost
The Vesper Defense Outpost is a former Alimbic fueling station and munitions dump located on the outer edge of the Alimbic Cluster. The space station is kept at extremely low temperatures to prevent the various weapon and engine systems from overheating. A toxic fuel leak on the station caused it to leak radioactive gases into space. The Alimbic Guardians are kept in stasis in this station.Items
- Battlehammer
- Missile Expansion x2
- UA Expansion x2
Arcterra
Arcterra is the outermost planet in the Alimbic Cluster. It is covered with ice and snow. Arcterra is an inhospitable wasteland with many tunnels and passages beneath its icy surface. There are ancient Alimbic ruins present on Arcterra as well.Items
- Judicator
- Imperialist
- Missile Expansion x2
- Energy Tank x2
- UA Expansion x4
Stronghold Void
The Stronghold Void is not in the Alimbic Cluster, instead, it is in another dimension. The only way to access the secret area is to obtain 3 Alimbic Artifacts and enter a Stronghold Portal. The tiny area holds the great Cretaphid and Slench which are the guardians of the precious Octoliths.An interesting feature of the Stronghold Void is its material. The nameless substance that makes up the Void is the same as the lining of Oubliette's (see below) interior. Also, the Void doesn't have a map (like Oubliette) and is in another dimension. This implies that the Stronghold Void is part of Oubliette, or at least in the Infinity Void.
Items
- Octolith x8
Infinity Void
The Alimbics were also deep into the science of "extra" dimensions. One of these was the "Infinity Void" a dimension of infinite space and volume. By using the Alimbic cannon, large quanities of matter-antimatter are fired beyond light speed. When approaching this speed the matter-antimatter blast forms a large explosion that creates a dimensional rift, this rift was dubbed the Infinity Void. The Infinity Void acts as a sort of a prison to a prison. The horrible creature Gorea was locked up in a space prison called the "Oubliette". This prison was then sent into the Infinity Void, which was then sealed away from the rest of the universe, for the Alimbics did not want Gorea to once again rise and wreak destruction upon all living things.The Infinity Void remained forever closed until Gorea sent out a telepathic message to the galaxies which attracted Bounty Hunters. Samus Aran, by gathering the eight octoliths, fired the Alimbic cannon which opened up the dimensional rift once again. However, it seems that after the destruction of Gorea and the Oubliette the Infinity Void closed once again, never to be opened.
Oubliette
The Oubliette is a prison ship located within the Infinity Void. The Alimbics used the process known as "essence transference" to trap Gorea in the Seal Sphere and imprison it in the Oubliette, and banished it to the alternate dimension, the Infinity Void. However, by using essence transference all remaining Alimbics transformed their bodies into pure concentrated psychic power to seal Gorea, this is responsible for the Alimbics unknown disappearence. After Gorea sent the telepathic message to the hunters, he was freed when Samus fired the Alimbic Cannon and opened the Infinity Void. Oubliette also holds the Alimbic's ultimate weapon, the Omega Cannon, a weapon of such power and destruction they saw it as much as an abomination as Gorea and sealed it away with him so none would ever have the chance to use it.Items
- Omega Cannon
- Energy Tank
Biologic Space Laboratories
The BSL space station is the setting for Metroid Fusion. It was used to research life on SR388 and mimic the planet's habitat. It housed creatures for research and had its own restricted area where scientists secretly cloned Metroids. When the X-parasite outbreak occurred, everyone onboard was killed by the parasites. The station was finally destroyed when it fell to SR388, the planet it was researching.SRX
Sector 1 (SRX) is the first breeding environment Samus encounters on the B. S. L. research station in Nintendo's Game Boy Advance video game, Metroid Fusion. SRX was designed to simulate the environment present on the Metroid home planet, SR388 for biological research.Samus is instructed by her ship's computer CO to investigate SRX soon after clearing out an X gathering on the main deck. The computer informs her that the X have begun to infest the breeding environments and are taking control of the atmospheric stabilizers in SRX. She travels through the sector, quickly eliminating the X contaminating four of the stabilizers until she engages a Core-X deep within the environment. Upon its destruction, Samus reaquires one of her abilities: the Charge Beam. She then proceeds to clear out the last stabilizer and leaves the sector.
Samus was later forced to revisit this habitat near the end of Metroid Fusion. Upon escaping the Restricted Area, Samus had to navigate through a previously unexplored part of SRX. She engages an X-fused Ridley. Samus's victory in this battle nets her the last power-up: the Screw Attack. This power-up allows her to return to the main-deck entrance to SRX.
Samus and her computer CO have a discussion when she arrives at the navigation room. The computer explains the Galactic Federation's plans for researching Metroids for their energy and how the SRX environment was designed for the sole purpose of raising Metroids in their natural environment. Now that the Federation knows the power of the X parasite, they also plan to send a research party to study them on the station. Knowing that this could only lead to more trouble, Samus decides she must destroy the B. S. L. station via the self-destruct mechanism to prevent what she know would end in a catastrophe. The computer locks her in the navigation room, and Samus pleads for the computer to let her go. She accidentally called the computer "Adam," in reference to an old CO from whom she had once taken orders in the past. The computer develops some sympathy for Samus and realizes the importance of what she intends to do. It explains to Samus the flaw in her plan and tells her she must include the atmosphere of SR388 in the blast radius to erradicate the X parasites on the surface of the planet. Samus leaves Sector 1 (SRX) and proceeds to complete her mission.
Items
- Charge Beam
- Screw Attack
- Energy Tank x3
- Missile Expansion x6
- Power Bomb Expansion x3
TRO
The station's Tropical sector is home to some creatures previously found in Brinstar in Super Metroid. This sector is home to many plants, and even Kihunters appear later in the game.PYR
PYR stands for pyro, the Greek word for fire. This sector is a heated environment, containing areas that cannot be entered without the protection of the Varia Suit, as well as scalding pools of lava. This sector contains many strange, sphinx-like creatures, as well as iron-like Sidehoppers.AQA
This is the Aquatic sector. Initially, all the water is electrified due to X Parasite activity. Samus discovers that Serris, a creature resembling Botwoon from Super Metroid, has become infected by the X, and Samus must stop its rampage and recover her Speed Boost ability. Samus returns here later for more exploration of the deepest portions, which resemble Maridia from Super Metroid.ARC
The Arctic sector cannot be explored until Samus acquires the Varia Suit, which protects her from the damage caused by the sub-zero temperature. Samus finds enlarged, blue X Parasites here, which have adapted cold as a weapon against her - eventually, it becomes possible to absorb them like normal X Parasites. Wavers and Aqua Pirates are other common enemies.NOC
The Nocturnal sector is home to puffers and many other wall crawlers. Samus also finds X parasites from the Arctic sector in this dark, damp area, so she has to be extremely careful. In this sector, Samus recovers her Varia Suit.Quarantine Bay
A room where Samus's infected suit was sent after being removed. This is where the SA-X forms and then escapes using a Power Bomb.Command Deck
This area contains the main controls for the entire station. Samus must travel here first to acquire her missiles, and later to change the orbit of the station. The SA-X is encountered here for the last time.Habitation Deck
Later in the game, Samus goes up the to top floor in search of life signs Adam detected there. Instead of human crew members, however, she finds her old friends from Super Metroid, the Etecoons and Dachoras.Restricted Area
Samus inadvertently stumbles into this area after recovering her Wave Beam and becoming trapped in the lower area of the NOC Sector. Within, she discovers the Galactic Federation's secret Metroid cloning/breeding program, where they have successfully recreated all of the Metroid's SR388 life cycle stages. The SA-X invades this area after following Samus, and after she does significant damage to it, it is automatically jettisoned into space and explodes. However, the SA-X killed in the explosion was likely only one of the dozen or so SA-X that are said to have asexually reproduced in the station.Ceres Space Colony
The Ceres Space Colony, named after the Roman Goddess, is mentioned in the prologue of Super Metroid. It is a large metal structure in an unnamed Asteroid field, with notable scientific equipment on-board.
General
The Station is where Samus Aran, after the events of , has deposited the only remaining Metroid larva for study by the Galactic Federation. In the game's intro sequence, a distress call is received from the station and Samus investigates. It is later revealed that the Space Pirate Master, Ridley, has broken into the station. The crew is deceased and the Metroid larva is missing. At the end of a short series of rooms, Samus encounters Ridley in a pseudo boss battle. After the battle is concluded, a timer appears in the corner of the screen, beginning at 1 minute. This is the self destruct timer, and Samus must escape within that time. When the player escapes, a scene shows the colony detonating and Samus' ship flying away from it.Notes on the Boss Battle
The fight against Ridley has two rules that make it unique in Super Metroid. Ridley can be defeated either by being shot 100 times or if Samus' energy is reduced below 30. However, Ridley is only 'defeated' in the sense that he grabs the Metroid larva and retreats. The boss 'battle' is more like an interactive cutscene in that it has a set outcome which cannot really be altered by the player.Other notes
There are approximately 104 unique tiles composing Ceres station. Each tile is a 16x16 pixel object that can be flipped and rotated. The musical loop for Ceres is approximately 4.26 seconds long. While Samus is in the station, but before meeting Ridley, the screen has a bluish tint on the front. This blue follows a specific pattern: The bottom 56 pixels have their blue value (on the RGB pixel format) increased by 112. Above that, each 16 pixels has their blue values decreased by 16 every 16 pixels, creating a blocky fade. The three scientist corpses in the room where the Metroid larva was shown in the introduction have purple hair, though it appears blue with the filter applied by the SNES.K-2L
K-2L is a mining colony from Earth that was destroyed by the Space Pirates, led by Ridley. The most famous and only survivor from the lost colony was a young Samus Aran, who was rescued by a bird-like race known as the Chozo. The entire story of this occurrence was told in the Metroid e-manga.SR388
SR388 (sometimes SR-388, rarely SR 388) is the setting of for the Game Boy. It is the Metroid creatures' home world. The Chozo had their own civilization on the planet at one point in time. Metroid Fusion takes place in a research station in orbit around this planet.
SR388's surface is rough, dry, and rocky. This world has many dangerous creatures and killer robots. Ancient ruins can be seen in the SR388 Underworld, which is what the lower levels of the planet are called. The ruins were built by the Chozo and destroyed by the Metroids.
At the time of Metroid II, the planet is overrun with all sorts of indigenous species as well as the Metroids. Samus's mission was to wipe out every last Metroid by exploring this vast, cavernous world. It may be hard to imagine any species being able to survive very long on the Metroids' home world – it is almost completely composed of rock, and the depths of the planet are full of deadly lava. There is also intense gamma radiation in SR388 which acts as a mutagen for the Metroids, causing them to metamorphose from their simple jellyfish-like shape into even more dangerous Metroids.
Before the Chozo came to SR388, the destructive X Parasites were set to overrun the planet with their vast, insurmountable numbers. To keep them in check, the Chozo created the Metroids and let them loose on the planet. The Metroids did keep the X Parasites in check very well, but when Samus Aran eradicated the species in Metroid II because they were deemed too dangerous to ignore, the X came back in large numbers. One thing should be noted, as it may be a minor continuity issue: the X Parasites are first mentioned in Metroid Fusion, but they are never seen during the course of the Metroid II game. This could just mean that the Metroids regulated the X Parasites' numbers so well that there were relatively few left by the time of Metroid Fusion. It is also possible there were no full X Parasite colonies, which made them invisible to the naked eye. Another possibility is simply that the X Parasite storyline was made after Metroid II.
At the end of Metroid Fusion, Samus set the Biologic Space Labs (B.S.L.) station to impact with SR388, which caused an explosion that vaporized both the station and the entire planet, destroying the X Parasites in the process.
Tallon IV
Tallon IV is the planet on which the video game Metroid Prime is set. It also makes a small cameo appearance in as a part of a multiplayer stage's background.
The Chozo founded a colony here to live a more natural and less technological life.
According to the North American version of Metroid Prime, the Chozo colonists eventually left the planet and their bodies behind. However, a meteorite struck the planet in the future and brought with it a radioactive substance called Phazon. This infected the local wildlife and corrupted them, also calling the wandering Chozo spirits back to Tallon IV.
According to the European version of Metroid Prime, the Chozo never changed into incorporeal beings and were on Tallon IV the whole time, even when the meteorite struck the planet. The Chozo never meet the Zebesian Space Pirate, but this explanation has been stated to be non-canon by Nintendo
Areas
- Tallon Overworld
- Grassy area, the hub of the game where Samus' Ship is landed. Contains the crashed Pirate Frigate Orpheon, as well as the Chozo Artifact temple, the gate to the Impact Crater, and Metroid Prime.
- Chozo Ruins
- The Chozo home that has fallen apart since the departure of the Chozo. Many crumbling temples litter the vast areas of this region. The water here was also poisoned by the giant poison plant mutation, Flaahgra. Many Chozo logs litter the walls of this area. Many Chozo ruin areas are also home to the spectral entities called the Chozo ghosts. These entities protect the artifact of the Chozo which sealed the impact crater.
- Magmoor Caverns
- Reminiscent of Norfair from the original Metroid and Super Metroid, these caves contain lava magma and are home to the Magmoor, lava serpents that attack Samus with fire. These caverns house a geothermal power core that provides energy to various Space Pirate operations. It also has the same music as Super Metroid's lower Norfair and is the only place in the game that connects all the levels with the exception of the Impact Crater.
- Phendrana Drifts
- Icy area of Tallon IV with many different areas. This place also contains the Chozo holy grounds where they have buried their dead. Another large section of these vast wastelands is a large space pirate base. The base is used for containment and Metroid experiments. The last place is an area called Phendrana's Edge. This place contains underwater areas and many icy cave and cliffs.
- Phazon Mines
- The Space Pirates mine Phazon here. The mine is filled with Pirates and their drones. This area is where the Space Pirates experiment with Phazon the most. It is by far the largest base, containing thousands of Space Pirate troopers. This area is where they created the Phazon-mutated Elite Pirates and it houses most of the phazon experiments, who are all either dead or alive hibernating in a cryogenic cell. Most of this area is consists of laboratories, and half of the area is covered in total darkness with barely visible blue light shining from Phazon-filled mushrooms. The entrance to theses areas is blocked by a force field, to contain the metroid specimens kept within. Also in this area,the Omega Pirate is located and fought.
- Impact Crater
- The home of Metroid Prime (Whom the Chozo call 'The Worm'). The final boss fight happens here. This is the smallest area of the game. It contains orange phazon with potency 86% above regular blue phazon. Here is where the main meteor hit which brought Metroid Prime. It also contains Lumigek (a rare reptile-like creature), Fission Metroids and a Missile Station.
Space Pirates
The Space Pirates discovered Tallon IV and with it, Phazon. They planned to use the Phazon to further their society militarily and technologically. However, they were stopped when bounty hunter Samus Aran destroyed Metroid Prime, the creature that created the Phazon on Tallon IV.Aether
Aether is the fractured planet that is the setting for the video game for the Nintendo GameCube. It is located in the Dasha region, and is home to two warring races, the Luminoth of Aether and the Ing of Dark Aether. Additionally, in Greek mythology, "æther" was a substance that was proposed to fill all of the universe's space.
History
Golden Age
A nomadic but advanced race similar to the Chozo, the Luminoth settled on the planet after discovering that other races had homeworlds and claimed it as their own. They formed three regional governments in Torvus Forest, Agon Plains and the city stronghold known as Sanctuary Fortress. They also built a Great Temple in the center of the planet.When the planetary energy of Aether began to overflow and wreak havoc on the planet, the greatest minds of the Luminoth devised a method of storing and controlling the planetary energy, and thus Aether was sustained using three Energy Controllers in the temples of Torvus, Agon and Sanctuary Fortress. These were controlled by a primary Energy Controller in the Great Temple. These controllers brought great peace and prosperity to the Luminoth.
Meteor Impact
At the end of the Golden Age, the Luminoth detected a Phazon Meteor similar to that which crashed into the Chozo colony world of Tallon IV. They tried to stop it but their efforts were in vain. It altered the geography of the planet, but most crucially, the Phazon within the meteor caused the impact to release a tremendous amount of energy. And because of that a rift was torn in space and time which split Aether into a Dark World and a Light World.Eventually, the planet's atmosphere oxygenated once more and the Luminoth could venture out again. However, when they did, they discovered that half of the planetary energy had disappeared from the Energy Controllers, and the meteor and accompanying Phazon deposits were nowhere to be seen. Through scans and lore it is known that the Phazon Meteor as it impacted Aether quickly vanished and crashed into Dark Aether, which is why the planet of Dark Aether is severely cracked and has an abundant source of Phazon deposits.
Dark Age
As the Luminoth tried to repair their lands, the malevolent Ing attacked. The Ing were creatures born of the Dark World, and could move in and out of the two worlds at will. However, sunlight was deadly to the Ing, and all they could do was to possess the creatures already inhabiting the Light World. They used these indigenous creatures to attack the Luminoth when they were at their weakest, thus sparking off a war between the two.The War of the Worlds
Very soon, unstable portals seemed to appear on Light Aether. These portals led to the horrific Dark Aether, where the Ing sprung forth, attacking the Luminoth. The Luminoth themselves ventured to Dark Aether, but found that its atmosphere was fatal to them, as the Ing found sunlight fatal, so neither side could fully launch all-out war.The Luminoth eventually developed such weapons as the Dark Beam and the Light Beam to combat the Ing, and discovered where their main Energy Controller lay. They sent a team to this Sky Temple to capture the energy, but none returned. The Luminoth were not disheartened, however, as they continued their efforts to quell the Ing, using light crystals to penetrate the atmosphere of the Dark World.
Meanwhile, the Ing had been amassing forces to launch an all-out attack against the Luminoth. They attacked the temples at Agon, Torvus and finally in the Sanctuary Fortress. All of them fell, and the planetary energy was taken from the Light World and placed in the Dark World. The Luminoth withdrew, and lay dormant in the Great Temple to await their fate at the hands of the Ing, with only one Luminoth left conscious to watch over them.
This is where Metroid Prime 2: Echoes begins.
Areas
Light World
The light world exists in normal space and time ie; in the same space and time as Zebes, Tallon IV and SR388.Great Temple
This area is almost untouched by the Ing. Here, U-Mos, the last sentinel of the Luminoth, guards the remnants of his people who reside in stasis. The Great Temple houses the primary energy controller.Agon Wastes
Scorched by the intense heat of the Phazon meteor, the formerly lush Agon Plains was transformed into Agon Wastes, a vast desert wasteland. This is also where the Space Pirates have set up a large base. Samus first battles Dark Samus here, in the Space Pirate base. Agon Wastes is home to the Agon Temple. Within Dark Agon Wastes, Samus acquires the Dark Suit from Amorbis, the first of the temple guardians.Torvus Bog
Formerly the Torvus Forest. When the Phazon meteor impacted the forest was irreparably flooded by the seas, creating an immense bog. Home to the Torvus Temple. Torvus Bog has an immense Underground Hydrodynamo base. Within Dark Torvus Bog, Samus aquires the Dark Visor from Chykka, the second of the temple guardians.Sanctuary Fortress
This is a cliffside fortress where the Luminoth developed new weapons for use against the Ing, but was captured by the Ing during the wars. The Ing have turned much of the Luminoth weaponry to their own advantage. Unlike Agon Wastes and Torvus Bog, the Sanctuary Fortress is like no other world. It is focused around technology and robotic creatures. Within the Ing Hive, Samus aquires the Annihilator Beam by defeating Quadraxis, the third temple guardian. Quadraxis is also the largest boss in Metroid history.Dark World
This dimension was created when the phazon meteor struck Aether. Organic matter and energy from Light Aether is rapidly corroded by the atmosphere here, including the shielding on Samus' powersuit. The harmful effects of Dark Aether's atmosphere are negated when inside the protective spheres generated by the light crystals placed around Dark Aether. The Ing thrive here.Sky Temple
The temple of the Ing where their Phazon-enhanced Emperor resides with the main Ing energy controller. Twinned with the Great Temple. Is protected by nine keys hidden around Dark Aether. Is a great source of Phazon, and therefore attracts Dark Samus.Dark Agon
A shadow of the already barren Agon Wastes, this is where the Ing have hidden one of the stolen Energy Controllers.Dark Torvus
A shadow form of Torvus Bog, much of this is underwater, but a lot of the water here is actually poisonous to Samus. The Ing have another Energy Controller hidden here.Ing Hive
The main base of operations of the Ing horde, this is a corrupted version of the Sanctuary Fortress. Much of the Luminoth weaponry has been taken here, and improved upon. Is home to the third stolen Energy Controller.Factions
Pacifist peoples of the Light World, driven to war by the Ing Horde.
Warmongering race of the Dark World seeking the annhiliation of the Light World and the Luminoth.
Zebes
Zebes is the fictional planet that hosts the headquarters of the Space Pirates in the Metroid video game franchise. Its name is sometimes spelled Zebeth due to ambiguous transliteration. Zebes is the locational setting of the original Metroid, its enhanced remake, , and Super Metroid. The Super Metroid manual refers to the Space Pirates as "Zebesians", but later games have revealed them to be nomads, not native to the planet. Zebes is pronounced ZEE-bess according to the [original US Metroid commercial].
Samus Aran, the heroine of the Metroid franchise, was raised on Zebes by Chozo after her home on an Earth colony, K-2L, was destroyed by Space Pirates.
Zebes is destroyed by the time bomb at the end of Super Metroid after Samus defeats the Mother Brain, barely escaping the planet with only seconds to spare.
There are mapping discrepancies between Metroid: Zero Mission and Super Metroid because of Space Pirate Mothership explosion at the end of Zero Mission. These are the basic areas:
Brinstar
In the context of the Metroid games themselves, Brinstar is often the introduction into the game in that it tends to be the first area the player explores which gives them a full feeling of the game. For example:
- In the original Metroid for the NES, and Metroid: Zero Mission for the GBA, the player starts immediately in Brinstar.
- In Super Metroid, the player enters Brinstar after a very short stay in Crateria which involves minimal combat or advancement.
It has been portrayed in several different ways between the Metroid games, but most thoroughly in Super Metroid, in which it was composed of three partitions. The first one the player encounters early in the game is a blue, rocky cave section which contains some of the portions of Brinstar in which Samus began her journey in the original Metroid. This section is often confused with being part of Crateria because of its similar setting, color scheme and the fact they share the same background music. The second area of Brinstar encountered is mostly green and resembles a jungle. The third and final area features red, rock surroundings and looks like a cave.
It should be noted that there is no definite demarcation between the latter two areas. The best indicator is probably the change in background music that occurs when the player enters the cave area, or the change in soil color to a deep red as opposed to the pale pink rock which is still considered jungle Brinstar. The change in soil color may be a result of the nearby volcanic region known as Norfair (see below).
Though it is not seen in-game, according to the official guide it is in Brinstar that Samus Aran defeats the Space Pirate general Weavel, which leads to him being put in a cybernetic body.
Brinstar has made appearances in other video games as well. Samus' stage in Super Smash Bros. Melee is called Brinstar, and you can also unlock a Brinstar Depths stage.
Inhabitants
The following creatures are native to Brinstar in Super Metroid.- Geemers: Small semi-circular creatures with spikes along their backs. Their intelligence is limited to walking in set patterns along the terrain, meaning that Samus Aran must accidentally run or jump into them in order to be harmed.
- Zeela: Yellow creatures very similar to crabs. They behave exactly like Geemers.
- Rippers: Small brown turtle-like creatures which float back and forth at a set speed. Their shell is extremely hard; nothing short of a Super Missile can destroy them.
- *Rocket-Rippers: Variant of the Ripper, coloured red rather than brown, which travels much faster and produces an exhaust flame.
- Cacatac: Appears to be a plant but is actually animated. Swells to a larger size before expelling spike-shaped projectiles in all directions.
- Spore Spawn: This is the boss of this area, fought pretty early for the super missiles. He combines falling spores (hence the name) and a waving motion of his elongated plant-like neck to attack.
- Sidehoppers: These come in a couple sizes ranging from small, medium, large, and even large spiked ones only found in lower Norfair
- Zeb: Mysteriously, Brinstar (and many other areas in Zebes) are covered in green pipes which look similar to the pipes in Super Mario Bros., another Nintendo game. The Zeb flies out of these pipes at the enemy. However, it is very lightly armoured and does not do much damage. They continue to attack in infinite number, so standing in front of a pipe and repeatedly killing them for their health or missile powerups is an easy way to recharge in the absence of an energy station or missile station. There is a unique pipe enemy for each region of Zebes.
Music
Especially in the video game music subculture, Brinstar is famous for a few of its soundtracks. The theme from the original NES incarnation of Brinstar is perhaps the best known Metroid song of all and has been remade several times for other Metroid games such as ' and '. The Super Metroid Brinstar themes are not as popular, but are considered masterpieces by many game music enthusaists. The track used in the green jungle area was remade as the default BGM for the multiplayer mode in , while the track used in the red soil area was remade and used for the Hydrodynamo area in the same game. The Red Brinstar theme is also featured in a portion of Maridia.Crateria
This is the surface area of Zebes. In Super Metroid, it is expanded towards the Metroid escape shaft and Mother Brain's room, and a new area is created. It is featured in Super Metroid and , and Samus' ship is landed there in both games. Because of a steady stream of acid rain, few creatures live there, and plant life is apparently limited to moss and small grass. Some creatures in Crateria include the KiHunters, flying allies of the Space Pirates that glide with their wings through the air.
Chozo Ruins
This is the intermediate area between Crateria and Chozodia in Metroid Zero Mission. The first Unknown Item (Plasma Beam) and the Power Grip can be found here.Maridia
Maridia is the water-flooded area of Zebes in Super Metroid. This area is in between Brinstar, Crateria, The Wrecked Ship and Norfair. The player can get to this place from Crateria or Brinstar by elevator and glass bridge (break with a Power Bomb) respectively. This near-completely underwater place is home to many different creatures like; new pirates that can only be taken out with the new Plasma Beam, mini-boss Botwoon, a snake-like creature that constantly flows into and out of its hole in the wall to attack you, and the boss of the area, Draygon, which is a huge crustacian resembling a lobster (also has a skull formation on its forehead and on other various places on its body). Some fans think that parts of Maridia may consist of debris from the Mother Ship that Samus destroyed in Zero mission.
Creatures
Maridia is also home to many sand pits and, for being submerged, are now sinking sand pits. Samus also may find Mochtroids, the pirates' attempts at cloning Metroids (you can tell because these only have one nucleus). There is also a creature thats like a machine,(called the shaktool) with grinding gears for feet to cut through hard rock/sand, and creatures resembling shellfish.Norfair
Norfair is a fictional area present in many of the games in the Metroid series (Metroid, Super Metroid, and Metroid: Zero Mission). This area is a magma filled labyrinth, the lowest point in Zebes the player can explore. In Super Metroid, Norfair is divided into two sections, the upper portions being the Hot Lava Area, the lower portions being the Ancient Ruins Area, apparently an ancient Chozo civilization amidst the heat and fire. It is the home of Ridley, the most famous of the Metroid villains. In Metroid: Zero Mission, Ridley's domain is known as simply Ridley.The music from Lower Norfair (from Super Metroid) was remade for Metroid Prime's Magmoor Caverns.
Being so close to the core of Zebes, Norfair, especially the innermost part, is the hottest natural region of Zebes. The extremely potent heat generated by the magma is capable of melting even the most resilient of metals, which neccesitates the obtainment of the Varia Suit. This upgrade protects Samus from intense heat, although not as well as the Gravity Suit, which in addition to providing protection from the heat, also enables Samus to swim through lava without losing energy (in Super Metroid, this is true only in the upper levels of Norfair).
Continuity discrepancies can be found when comparing the versions of Norfair as shown in Super Metroid and Metroid: Zero Mission, as the Super Metroid version is fairly consistent in its depiction of Norfair as a hot, somewhat hellish environment, where Zero Mission also shows Norfair as being hot and inhospitable, but not throughout, as some parts (such as where the ensnared Imago mini boss is fought), are more jungle-like, almost reminiscent of Brinstar from Super Metroid.
Inhabitants of Norfair include: Viola, Multiviola, Dessgeega, Holtz, Gamet, Polyp, Geruta, Nova, Dragon, Zebbo, Magmoor, Mella, and Squeept.
Wrecked Ship
It consists of a spaceship which has crashed into a body of water on the planet Zebes. Some people have speculated that the Wrecked Ship is the Space Pirate ship that is destroyed at the end of , however, there is an unnamed location in Chozodia in Metroid: Zero Mission that lies next to mother ship that has similar graphics of Wrecked Ship and even includes a few of the Wrecked Ship's enemies. The location in Zero Mission is also interesting in that some of the rooms before the section look vaguely like the rooms in Crateria in Super Metroid. The rooms before this section and the first part of the mother ship also have versions of the Wrecked Ship's music from Super Metroid (both areas have different versions). While Super Metroid director Yoshio Sakamoto has said that this ship is not the Space Pirate Mothership (see below), some fans believe otherwise. Featured in Super Metroid.Inhabitants
Environment
The ship is partially submerged. It is very heavily damaged and when Samus first arrives the electricity is not functioning. After defeating Phantoon, the power is restored and doors requiring power can be opened.Space Pirate Mothership
The spaceship which transported Ridley and some Space Pirates to Zebes in . Samus explores this at the end of the game. The ship is linked to Chozodia, which the Space Pirates are investigating. In Zero Mission, it was overrun by Space Pirates after being linked to their mothership by a Power Bomb-breakable tube. Contrary to popular belief, it did not appear in Super Metroid as the Wrecked Ship.Tourian
Subterranean fortress of Zebes and where the Mother Brain and the Metroids lurk; the only way to enter the Tourian is by defeating the bosses of Zebes: Kraid and Ridley, and, in Super Metroid, Phantoon and Draygon as well. Featured in Metroid, Super Metroid, and Metroid: Zero Mission(Metroid: Zero Mission has more of Zebes to explore afterward).While the rest of Zebes is formed from natural caverns, Tourian is entirely artificial. No creatures patrol the corridors except the Metroids, and Rinka projectors which line the floors and ceilings. Red Zeebetite barriers protect Mother Brain, who resides in her transparent case.
In Super Metroid Samus Aran is able to explore part of the old ruined Tourian from Metroid/Metroid Zero Mission as part of Crateria.
After defeating the Mother Brain, a self-destruct countdown commences, leaving Samus only a few minutes to reach the planet's surface, board her gunship, and blast off. In the original Metroid and Zero Mission, Tourian's destruction only damages a small part of Zebes, but Super Metroid's countdown leads to the destruction of the entire planet.
References
External links
| 2D games | Metroid | ' | Super | Fusion | ' | Dread |
| Prime subseries | Prime | Prime Pinball | ' | ' | |
| Characters | Samus Aran | Chozo | Dark Samus | Ing | Kraid | Luminoth | Metroid species | Metroid Prime | Mother Brain | Ridley | X Parasite | Space Pirates |
| Creatures | Metroid - Super Metroid | Prime - Zero Mission | Prime 2 - Prime 3 |
| Other | Gunship | Items | Areas | Phazon | Shinespark | Metroid Metal | Relics of the Chozo | Gunpei Yokoi | Satoru Okada | Metroidvania |
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