The Hidden Horrors of Metroid

This video is a deepdive look at to how the Metroid Franchise uses hidden horror to make the games more interesting and unsettling then they would be without. But this will be mainly looking at the horrors within 2D Metroid only, not as much into the 3D onesas that's a whole different thing to deal with. I hope you enjoyed this video, and if you wanna speak to me make sure to join the discord.
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Time Stamps:

[@DJCHURKLE]

Not sure if it was context dependent - but playing OG Metroid in the 80s was super freaky because of the unknown suspense and isolation that was never done b4 in a game. The music was also haunting AF.

[@ABAShortfilms]

I've heard the same about stuff like doom, that while they aren't really creepy now, they were extremely for the time.

[@Florjb0rjTheFloorboard]

You should *definitely* play Dread. There's good reason it's named that way

[@rhatala27]

Fusion was my first Metroid as a kid, and it definitely terrified me back then

[@ABAShortfilms]

Same, it was the first one I ever played and the SA-X has always stuck with me

[@Sharkluvr127]

@@rhatala27 it was my first metroid game too!

[@canisblack]

I'd seen friends play OG Metriod and Super Metroid but Fusion was also MY first Metroid game.

[@joeflosion]

9 years old me seeing the SA X for the first time was terrified

[@Sharkluvr127]

@ABAShortfilms I actually had a nightmare about the SA-X...

[@nathanwall37]

I haven't thought about it in a long time, but as a kid when I played Super Metroid, the Norfair music scared the crap out of me. Great atmosphere and environment building.

[@ABAShortfilms]

@@nathanwall37 the atmosphere in Super Metroid is amazing, I love it lol

[@theakiwar9118]

You seriously should play Dread. Insanely good Metroid game

[@Novastar.SaberCombat]

As a child, I *LOVED* the music. "Kraid's Lair" was especially creepy, and people have to remember that back then... it was *JUST YOU AND THE GAME*. No internet, no save states, no cheat codes, no history of people having completed it years prior... nope, just you, the cruddy 14" CRT, and the NES.

[@kal8563]

pretty good video dude, i absolutely agree that fusion was the best use of horror elements in the metroid series with dread being second in my opinion

[@ABAShortfilms]

Still have to play dread, but love the way fusion does horror, its one of my personal favroties despite it's flaws.

[@kal8563]

@@ABAShortfilms the only flaws i can think of is how cryptic the path forward can be at times but tbf fusion was my first metroid game so i probably wasnt used to the gameplay

[@ABAShortfilms]

No, that's valid, some of the paths forward have been criticized as being to vague in the past. It makes sense, there are some points where you are supposed to shoot a random wall and it doesn't tell you.

[@10191927]

Metroid Dread is an incredible game, don’t sleep on it! Samus handles so well, she’s like a parkour free runner and the gameplay is buttery smooth.

[@calculateddeclination5534]

When I saw the sa-x's face in that cut scene as a kid it freaked me out so bad I turned off my gba and didn't play for a day lol. I think that sound in combination mixed with the face reveal did the trick. Now a days it's just like whatever but it was really freaky as a kid. Good times haha.

[@WilliamWilliamWilliamWill]

@@calculateddeclination5534 same here haha

[@KeyserTheRedBeard]

Splendid creation, ABA Shortfilms. Can't wait see more posts from you. I pounded your thumbs up symbol on your video. Always keep the good work.

[@ABAShortfilms]

@@KeyserTheRedBeard thank you! Glad you liked it!

[@DoonisNoonis]

I won’t kill you. But play Dread now. Now. Like now. No pressure. Now.

[@matthall7359]

Wonderful video! I feel like you could also add Tourian from zero mission here, the introduction of the Metroid is straight out of Alien and the corpses of the space pirates the metroids have been feeding on litter the hallways, there’s even a section where you fall into a pit that’s covered in corpses like a mass grave and 4 or 5 metroids descend on you.

[@Kobold_Green]

Can't wait to see your take on horror in 3D Metroid. Prime 1 started strong with phazon and its destructive mutagenic effects, then Prime 2 immediately cranked it way up with the Ing and Dark Aether.

[@ABAShortfilms]

@@Kobold_Green I'll get to at some point, I think Prime 2 is excellent with how it handles horror :)

[@darklord3113]

Goated creator right here ❤️

[@ABAShortfilms]

Thank you!

[@sir_christmas_leopold_duckson]

Super Metroid is still in my top 5 favorite games of all time.

[@RandomizedYoutuber012]

@@sir_christmas_leopold_duckson same It’s soooo good

[@jejemiados1947]

Nice thoughts, but i can't forgive you for not mentioning two more horror aspects of the series 1. Maridia. Everything there is just off: the music, the mocktroids, Draygon. It's never mentioned again i think, tho sector 4 might be a replica of some parts of it 2. The fucking bugs man. The kiru giru in zero mission have to be one of the most nightmare fuel creatures in games. Samus finds 4 of these things and they all make yiur skin crawl: first the two live larva, then a decomposed one (DISGUSTING) and finally the one that you free from the vines and that eventually morphs into Imago. It's horrible.

[@ABAShortfilms]

For Maridia, that's fair, I really wasn't thinking about the horror aspects of the section, as I don't think anything their really stuck out to me as much as the other things that I had mentioned, as well as the music in maridia that really stuck out to me already was used in the fight with Spore Spawn. But I can see how that sticks with people, and shoulda prolly mentioned it. In all honestly I think I just forgot about Imago, as it's been a while since I've played Zero Mission lol. I think if I remember right I avoided talking about it due to me already covering the original, and a lot of the other elements are the same as other games, as well as wanting to end with Fusion as it's like the perfect end to all the aspects of the other games. Hope you still enjoyed the video though :)

[@darkrexkigntstone8773]

Sector 4 underwater is my favorite theme in the game.

[@dustanglx50]

How about Samus Returns (3DS)? Where they able to capture, or improve on the original's atmosphere? Same with Zero Mission. What about the additional area after Mother Brain? Don't overlook the remakes, they're not just a prettied-up version of the originals. If you haven't played them, I highly recommend them, especially Zero Mission.

[@ABAShortfilms]

For this video I was mainly just looking at the orignals, because the remakes used a lot of the same horror elements that the originals used. Also wanted it to all culminate into Metroid Fusion, which I believe summarizes the horror of the series best.

[@dustanglx50]

@@ABAShortfilms I reread my comment, and it sounds like I was being a bit critical. I wasn't trying to be. I liked the video. I thought it was well done, and thoroughly explained. I was just trying to say "If you haven't played the remakes yet, you should."

[@ABAShortfilms]

Thank you, I didn't read it as critical, don't worry :)

[@speertime]

Making a Metroid horror video without Dread nowadays should be a crime

[@donaldmaciver1792]

Yes, you do have a point about the Nightmare Creature being creepy. The one in Metroid Other M Game is down right the most scariest boss I had defeated in the pass. Not only I have to fight, it cries out at the beginning of phase 2 after I got the Gravity Booster in the game. 😱

[@ABAShortfilms]

I'll cover other M if I do a 3D metroid video sometime, I think nightmare and phantoon are horrifying in other M

[@isoito5927]

I almost pissed myself the first time SA-X spotted me

[@donaldmaciver1792]

Yes, I agree that some Metroid and Metroid Prime Games have some Horrifying Elements in them. 🙂

[@mttcoelho]

I know Super Metroid might not be the terrifying game it once was, but I was very terrified of the bosses I fought on that game. It also used time countdown, isolation, and suspense to create a lot of fear. Also, indestructible enemies do pop up from time to time in that game, forcing you to get a new weapon or skill to face them, making you somewhat vulnerable until you found the item you need. It is a very good game design to make the player feel terrified.

[@Chrisezo]

I kind of wish that they remade Fusion but with the same engine as Dread, because going back to fusion after playing Zero Mission and all the games that came after it, really makes Fusion feel like an old game, as it was basically the game that started the foundation to make Metroid more accessible to newcomers, because its linearity get people used to the game, and its very well made story and buildup as you said, it just makes people beg for more and even though there are a lot of haters out there, that despise Fusion because it doesn't have the same level of exploration as the earlier entries, but honestly if it hadn't been for Fusion making Metroid more accessible then we wouldn't have the same amount of fans, as myself included I couldn't get behind the Metroid series because as a kid I would get lost and have a difficult time in both the NES original and GB sequel, and even though Super Metroid was made easier than those 2 games, I hadn't played it because my family didn't own it and I didn't know anyone who I could borrow it from, so that's why the game that basically sold me on the series was Fusion, as it got me involved in the story and motivated me to want to play the other games, but my favorite game before Dread was Zero Mission, and it was mostly because it made the first game extremely accessible and it also let you play as Zero Suit Samus which no other game has been able to do again, and that's pretty much all of my experience with Metroid, because I can't really talk about the Prime games as I didn't own them, and the little bits that I did play of them were on a Wii at a friend's place, and the only game that I did play was Prime Hunters on the DS as it was pretty much the best multiplayer FPS on there, but besides that I literally have no experience with the Prime games even though I am well aware of its story since I've watched lots of KZbin videos about Metroid lore, I might start playing the Prime trilogy whenever Prime 4 eventually comes out, but that could be a while.

[@ABAShortfilms]

A fusion remake would be amazing, I would love that, as it's one of my favorites in the whole series.

[@Chrisezo]

@@ABAShortfilms Yeah, Metroid 2 has a bunch of fan remakes as well as an official Nintendo Remake, and then Metroid 1 has Zero Mission, and a bunch of romhacks and stuff, where one of them actually remade Super Metroid with the Zero Mission style, but unfortunately Fusion has not received the same kind of love from the community, despite a lot of games and stuff having the Fusion suit as an easter egg, and even the AM2R remake by DoctorM64 has a palette swap for the game, that lets you use the sprites from Fusion and stuff for that game, so clearly the game is still in the conversation for fans and stuff, but sadly no one has touched it for a full blown remake, and considering how good Dread is thats a major disappointment, as Fusion is literally the game before Dread, so a bunch of new fans are super hyped by what they played in Dread, only to be let down if they were to even look up Metroid 4: Fusion, because the game does not give you the same amount of freedom that Dread did, nor does it feel as good to play it since Dread had some very tight controls, so it might actually push away some fans unless they're really hardcore about Metroid.

[@Howardpower679]

Bro play dread Youre missing out

[@brandonbarefoot7588]

Stop everything you are doing, and go play Dread. It is amazing

[@cristalschroeder4485]

Play dread please

[@thegameslibrarian5264]

Yes play Dread

[@terpsidance.]

If i could offer some constructive criticism, you've written a good script, just take a little more time reading it and emphasize what parts you feel are important. It sounds a bit like you're rushing to finish reading the script, like you're a kid giving his book report who just wants to sit down so someone else can talk. Good video otherwise, and I'd buy you a switch and Dread if i could.

[@ABAShortfilms]

That's fair, I will work on that in future.

[@yozarian86]

Dread is a great game. But not a great Metroid game. It feels too rigid and linear. Precious games gave you the feeling of freedom and a less video game feeling environment. I don’t like most of Fusion, but to be fair it escaped my notice until Dread was announced as a sequel. My first reaction upon looking it up was horror at the color and art. Then watched some and found out about the abysmal health drop rate. And areas that you can get trapped in for hours trying to figure out how to get out. I eventually found the bosses and story are good and it adds little things like grabbing ledges.

[@RepublicTrooper125]

Hidden?

[@ABAShortfilms]

Hidden as in the games aren't directly horror however the games have a lot of horror elements

[@Crush_30]

Stop making Metroid videos and go play dread lol

[@Dug88]

You're not missing much with Dread. It's the only metroid game I stopped playing halfway through and have no interest in going back to finish. Super metroid is my favourite game of all time and I loved all the other 2d metroids but i didn't like Dread. The areas and enemies all felt generic and meh, the emmi sections are annoying and completely break the flow of the game and you're fairly limited in exploration.

[@sebeb-p6e]

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