Metroid Maker Should Be Next to Get a Super Mario Maker Treatment
Super Mario Maker 2 has been out for more than 3 years now, and we have not heard anything about a sequel or spinoff since. One thing fans have been clambering for is a Zelda Maker, but to be honest, I think that is a bit difficult to deliver considering Zelda’s history and wildly different styles. I mean, a Zelda dungeon maker could work, but I think another spinoff would be even better: Metroid Maker.
Since the release of Metroid Dread, the Metroid series is the hottest it has ever been, and it does seem like Nintendo is high on the series once again. Giving the series a “Maker” game could do something that Super Mario Maker did as well, and that is introduce different styles to younger gamers and possibly encourage them to check out the games the styles are inspired by.
Either way, I think there are a few great reasons to invest in a Metroid Maker that would exceed the other franchises, including The Legend of Zelda, so let’s dive in and talk about why!
A Natural Continuation of the Maker Formula
One thing that makes the Mario Maker franchise so good is that it returns to the bare bones of a Mario game and reminds us why we love the series so much. However, in both Super Mario Maker and Super Mario Maker 2, sprite limitations and stage size can be a bit of a bummer, but considering it is Super Mario, stage size is normally small-to-medium is size naturally.
However, the Metroid series is known for large and complicated areas filled with mystery, terror, and intrigue, and this seems like something the Maker series can naturally grow in. Imagine giving the community access to Metroid blocks, doors, enemies, and items to create their own Metroid games, or at least give them enough to create their own areas in the same vein as Brinstar and Norfair, for example.
One area that Mario Maker players complain about is the lack of space, but I think giving Metroid fans in Metroid Maker a larger space or maybe even access to quadrants that they can build different interconnected areas with would be amazing. Since Metroid games do not run on a timer like Super Mario, Metroid Maker stages could be built in a way that allows players to take their time and enjoy the built world.
Differing Styles
One of the things that makes the Mario Maker franchise so exciting is that I can change the visual style with the click of a button at any point. In Metroid Maker, the same thing could apply, as we have Metroid (NES), Metroid II: Return of Samus (Game Boy), Super Metroid (SNES), Metroid Fusion (GBA), and Metroid Dread (Switch). Sure, Metroid Dread would probably not work, considering it is a brand new title, but giving us access to four different 2D Metroid art styles over the course of its history would be exciting!
Metroid: Zero Mission is basically a Metroid Fusion version of the original NES Metroid, but imagine being able to recreate Metroid II in the style of Super Metroid or vice versa. Not only that, but each game and style has its own unique properties to separate themselves from the others, which makes changing styles even more unique than simply graphical presentation.
I think Metroid Maker would give fans access to tools from each game that could even help them to appreciate how the original creators were able to accomplish so much with so little, which is exactly what the Mario Maker series has been doing. But at the same time, seeing what creative directions the fan community can take the series based on the tools provided is even more thrilling. Imagine getting to play new Metroid games on the daily set in the graphical style of a Metroid game you thoroughly enjoyed at one point in your life. This just feeds the creators and the players.
Proper Boss Fights
One area of Super Mario Maker that is incredibly lacking are the boss fights. Sure, the amount of enemies included in the game is awesome, and the creative way to implement them can be a lot of fun. However, bosses rarely feel like bosses in the Mario Maker series, and often times they can be ignored.
However, in something like Metroid Maker, a boss tool could give us access to Kraid, Ripley, Crocomire, and so many more in the Metroid series and allow us to create proper boss fight scenarios. Since Metroid has a mechanic that locks the doors when something important pops up, giving creators the ability to put bosses in a room that locks the doors so you are forced to fight them makes a lot of sense. Also, since the Metroid series is all about progressive powerups, putting a powerup inside of a boss that rewards you with said item upon defeat gives even more purpose to the inclusion of bosses and killing them.
Nintendo would not even have to include a ton of bosses, as even just Kraid, Ripley, and Mother Brain would satisfy most Metroid fans, but if they included mini-bosses too so that we got some of the more memorable ones from Super Metroid and Metroid Fusion would expand things even greater. Also, I would absolutely love to see some of these bosses in game styles they have never appeared in, like Kraid in Metroid II.
Metroid Maker
It will probably never happen because it will be too much of a risk, but Metroid Maker honestly makes the most sense in regards to easy-to-create 2D styles, recognition, and evolution in the Maker series. It would also serve greatly in exposing older Metroid games and styles to a younger audience, and OG gamers will buy this no matter what.
When thinking about all of the ways Nintendo could expand upon what they have created with Super Mario Maker and Super Mario Maker 2, Metroid Maker could benefit from all of the possible upgrades, especially in regards to map size, doors and locking doors, meaningful and challenging boss fights, and so much more.
What the community will be able to create with the right tools is exciting in and of itself, but as a long-time Metroid fan, just knowing I could pop the game in at any time and try out someone’s created world, whether or not it is hot garbage, is an exciting prospect.
Make it happen, Nintendo. We need this.
Thank you for stopping by Nintendo Link for all of your gaming news and updates! What do you think of the idea of a Metroid Maker? Would you be interested in playing and creating? Let us know in the comments below! Happy gaming, everyone.
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