Metroid Ravenous Revealed: MercurySteam’s Next 2D Metroid Turns Samus Into a Predator
Nintendo closed out its September 2026 Direct with one of the show’s biggest surprises: Metroid Ravenous, a brand new 2D entry in the Metroid series developed by MercurySteam, the studio behind Metroid Dread and Metroid: Samus Returns. The game is coming exclusively to Nintendo Switch 2 on January 28, 2027, and its first trailer suggests this will be the most aggressive, and most vulnerable, we’ve ever seen Samus Aran. For everything else revealed during the same show, including a new Zelda anniversary showcase, check out our full Nintendo Direct September 2026 recap.
A Crash Landing Samus Won’t Walk Away From
According to Nintendo’s official description, Samus’s ship crash lands on a remote moon, where she’s ambushed by a group of five mysterious, cloaked assailants before she can even get her bearings. Severely wounded from the attack, she’s forced to navigate a hostile underground world and claw her way back to the surface, picking up new abilities along the way just to survive. It’s a rare moment of real vulnerability for a character usually defined by how overpowered she becomes by the end of a run, and MercurySteam is clearly leaning into that shift.
It’s Eat or Be Eaten: Samus’s New Feeding Ability
The reveal trailer’s tagline doubles as the game’s core mechanic: “It’s eat or be eaten.” Samus can now tap into her latent Metroid powers to drain energy directly from the creatures she defeats, turning her into the kind of predator she’s spent most of the series hunting. It’s the first time the mechanic has been built around feeding rather than simply absorbing pickups, and it reframes combat as a resource players have to actively take from enemies instead of one they passively find. The five cloaked figures from the opening ambush also return later on as one-on-one boss encounters.
New Moves: Water-Running, Wall Warps, and a Returning Parry
Alongside the feeding ability, Samus gains a handful of new traversal tools, including the ability to run across water and a short-range dash that warps her through walls. The parry mechanic introduced in Metroid Dread also makes a return, giving Ravenous a similar rhythm of precision counters mixed with fast exploration. One more notable change: Samus actually speaks in this game, trading her usual silence for spoken dialogue that reflects just how dire her situation has become. If you’re new to what separates a Metroid-style game from its many imitators, our metroidvania genre guide breaks down exactly where the formula comes from.
Release Date, Rating, and Amiibo
Metroid Ravenous is rated PEGI 12 for violence and launches January 28, 2027, exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2. Nintendo has also confirmed a Samus amiibo in the Metroid Ravenous style alongside a Chozo Statue amiibo, plus a special edition of the game, though pricing and full contents for either haven’t been detailed yet. With MercurySteam returning for a new 2D entry so soon after Dread, Nintendo clearly isn’t slowing down on the franchise anytime soon.
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Picture Source: Nintendo
