TheMetroidseries is known for being one of Nintendo’s least-family-friendly franchises. Players take control of Samus Aran, a bounty hunter exploring the galaxy facing the threat of Space Pirates. One ofMetroid’s most significant aspects is its difficulty, which has often alienated new players from certain entries in the series.
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Whether the games are 2D sidescrollers or first-person exploration games,Metroiddoes not let its players rest easy. Some games feature levels that are not only horrific in their imagery but also very frustrating and challenging. These ten levels are agreed upon by someMetroidfans to be the hardest in the series.
10Brinstar (Metroid)
The firstMetroidgame released on NES in 1986. This was Nintendo’s first foray into sci-fi, taking inspiration from the filmAlien. As a result,the game pioneered the “Metroidvania” genre, which is often used to refer to side-scrollers likeMetroidorCastlevaniathat have significantly high difficulties compared to other genres.
That’s very much the case with the original title, which begins on the planet Brinstar. What makes this planet so difficult is that players will find themselves on it with no map or power-ups. Players must rely on their hand-to-eye coordination and ability to deal out damage to hordes of enemies to survive this gauntlet of a first level.
9Norfair (Super Metroid)
Super Metroidwas released for the SNES and is often considered one of the best entries in the series. The game finds Samus returning to many locations familiar to those who have played the originalMetroid, or its remakeMetroid: Zero Mission. However, Norfair poses a pretty steep challenge compared to its predecessor.
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InSuper Metroid, Norfair is where Samus encounters Ridley for the second time. In the lore of theMetroidseries, Ridley is Samus' arch-nemesis, having killed her parents when she was just a child. Ridley doesn’t hold back from putting up a good fight years later, as he’s impervious to many of Samus' strongest attacks.
8Biologic Space Laboratories Research Station (Metroid Fusion)
Metroid Fusionis one of the most linearMetroidtitles, yet it’s still one of the hardest as well. Most of that is thanks to the game’s primary antagonist:a parasitic clone of Samus called “SA-X.“The sequences where Samus encounters SA-X almost play like a horror movie, finding Samus running rather than fighting.
The first time Samus encounters SA-X, it’s on the Biologic Space Laboratories research station. Most of the game as a result takes place within the station as Samus outruns the clone, discovering many infantile Metroids in the process. Overall, this research station holds many bad memories for angryMetroidfans.
7Chozo Ruins (Metroid Zero Mission)
Metroid Zero Missionisan updated remake of the original 1986Metroidwhich released for the GameBoy Advance. The game is a proper remake in the sense that it replaces the original game in theMetroidseries canon. As a result, it also has some increased difficulty in certain sections of the game.
Near the end of the game, players will encounter the Chozo Ruins located on the planet Zebes. During this section, Samus often comes across many Space Pirates invading the ruins from a neighboring spaceship. It also includes the Ruins Test, which requires players to have fully-upgraded power-ups to even attempt.
6Phendrana Drifts (Metroid Prime)
Phendrana Drifts appears on the planet Tallon IV in the beloved titleMetroid Prime. This GameCube game reinvented theMetroidseries, turning Samus' latest adventure into a 3D, first-person action game. Some olderMetroidfans probably felt most of this game’s difficulty due to the sheer genre switch in the series.
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However, manyMetroidfans can agree about the difficulty of Phendrana Drifts. This area is home to a Space Pirate research station, where Samus encounters many Pirates as well as Metroids. When attempting to navigate Phendrana Drifts, players should make sure they’ve acquired all the best upgrades up to this point.
5Sanctuary Fortress (Metroid Prime 2: Echoes)
Metroid Prime 2: Echoesis a direct sequel toMetroid Prime, featuring some appropriately-raised stakes. This section also finds Samus facing some of her hardest enemies yet in a horde of mechanoids who are dead-set on killing Samus. Suffice it to say, this area finds Samus the target of many powerful foes.
What may give players some relief is that Sanctuary Fortress is also home toone of Samus' most iconic upgrades. Fans who are familiar with her appearances in theSuper Smash Brosseries will recognize the usage of the Screw Attack. This definitely makes fighting enemies in this area a much easier job.
4Phaaze (Metroid Prime 3: Corruption)
Metroid Prime 3: Corruptionis the third and final game in theMetroid Primetrilogy (excluding the yet-to-be-releasedMetroid Prime 4). The planet Phaaze also happens to be, at this point, the last level of the entire trilogy. Due to the planet’s history of corrupting other planets, it serves as the antagonist of the entire trilogy as well.
What makes this level so difficult is that the players' performance will influence the games' ending. As a result of increasing Phazon corruption, Samus is denied access to her Gunship for the rest of the game. If Samus fails to keep her Phazon corruption down during this section,she will eventually transform into another Dark Samus.
3Sector 2 / Cryosphere (Metroid: Other M)
A large portion ofMetroid: Other Mtakes place on the BOTTLE SHIP, an abandoned facility Samus explores throughout the game. All the different levels are different sections of the ship, including Sector 2, also known as the Cryosphere. This location was created to sustain life that thrives in cold temperatures.
Unfortunately for Samus,cold temperatures are not her forte. Additionally, many parts of Sector 2 have low or zero gravity, making exploration a difficult task. It’d be interesting to know if Samus prefers the below-freezing conditions of Cryosphere over the Ridley encounters in the alternative Pyrosphere location.
2Area 4 (Metroid: Samus Returns)
Metroid II: The Return of Samusinitially released on GameBoy in 1991. Over twenty years later, Nintendo revived the dormantMetroidfranchise with a remake calledMetroid: Samus Returnson Nintendo 3DS. The original game is notable for being one of the most difficultMetroidgames, and its remake doesn’t disappoint.
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InMetroid II,many fans believed Phase 5 & 6 were the hardest part of the game. InSamus Returns, however, both of those levels are combined into one level, called Area 4. This level is also where players encounter a new type of Metroid: the Zeta Metroid, which is capable of climbing on ceilings and evading Samus' attacks.
1Artaria (Metroid Dread)
Metroid Dread, released for Nintendo Switch in 2021, is the most recentMetroidtitle, and the latest in the series' timeline. During the game, Samus finds herself investigating the planet ZDR, with one of the first settings being Artaria. This level is notably difficult because it marks a rise in difficulty unparalleled in the series' past.
SinceMetroid Dread’s release, some fans have discussed whether the title is the hardest in the entireMetroidseries. One thing that is certain is that Artaria is not an easy start to the game, as it finds Samus at her weakest throughout the game. Hopefully, players are wise enough to gather many power-ups as fast as they can.
