The latest entry in our series of features on the races of Metroid is now available on Shinesparkers! Team member Quadraxis has written about the Chozo that settled on Elysia and developed SkyTown, before leaving the midair city for a simpler life on Tallon IV. As in features past, here Quaddy examines the history, physiology, culture and technology of this tribe of the Chozo, who eschewed weaponry and war for a life of peace and tranquility. We hope you consider reading this new feature!
Samus is still resting up for Mother Brain in Super Mario RPG
Those of you who played Super Mario RPG likely remember one of its most memorable cameos. At a later point in the story, Mario can return to Mushroom Castle after defeating Yaridovich, and before going to Land’s End, to find Samus sleeping in the guest room bed. She wears her Power Suit, with air coming out of her oxygen tubes, and when spoken to, she says “I’m resting up for Mother Brain.”
We are pleased to report that she is still in the faithful Super Mario RPG remake that came out today. She also has a new Scrapbook entry written from Mario’s perspective, with some humorous puns. Additionally, as we saw in the remake’s trailer from the Nintendo Direct this summer, the Samus doll in Booster’s Tower makes a reappearance.
You can see Samus’s appearances in the original game and the remake at the links below. Have you seen her yet? Let us know on our social media!
Community Spotlight: Pajarona
Our last Community Spotlight of 2023 focuses on the incredible illustrator Pajarona. Much of her work depicts Samus’s Power Suits, particularly from Metroid Dread, and Ridley. You can check it out at the link below.
Interview: LeRoy Strauss
We are thrilled to share an interview with former Retro Studios artist LeRoy Strauss this month! LeRoy was an Environment Artist for the original Metroid Prime, and a Character Artist for Metroid Prime 2: Echoes. LeRoy talked about making some of the most iconic rooms and characters in the games, and shared his thoughts on Metroid Dread and Metroid Prime Remastered, among other topics. We hope you’ll give it a read!
Community Spotlight: PirateCrab
Our next Community Spotlight of 2023 is a tribute to Daniel Woodyer, also known as PirateCrab. He was a musician on our Harmony of Heroes and Harmony of a Hunter Returns albums who tragically passed away this past April. Shinesparkers team members Darren and Step, who worked with Daniel on the albums, wanted to share some words about collaborating with Daniel and their personal memories of him. We hope this Community Spotlight brings attention to this truly talented musician that was taken from us too soon.
Feature: Your Favorite Metroid Game 2023
The results of our poll to discover Shinesparkers readers favorite Metroid game of 2023 are now available. After 388 votes, we find out how each game ranked.
MercurySteam co-founder says Metroid Dread has sold 3 million copies
The co-founder of MercurySteam, Enric Álvarez, has recently given an interview to the Spanish gaming website Game Reactor. When asked to respond to a report from Anait Games in which anonymous former developers claimed Metroid Dread had a “chaotic” production, Enric denied any rumors of a rocky development. He cited as proof of this the award Dread won for Best Action Adventure Game at The Game Awards in 2021, and said that it has sold more than three million copies. The last update we had on the game’s total sales was back in May 2022, when Nintendo announced it had sold 2.9 million units. While the exact figure is unknown, if it has sold more than 3 million, then it is the first Metroid game to do so. Congratulations to MercurySteam and Nintendo on a remarkable achievement!
Additionally, Enric praised the working relationship with Nintendo. He would not say whether MercurySteam is currently working on a sequel to Metroid Dread, but he did confirm that Dread’s Creative Director Jose Luis Márquez is still with the studio.
You can watch Game Reactor’s interview with Enric below. The article is in Spanish, but the video interview is in English. The Dread portion starts at 12 minutes in.
Source: Game Reactor
E.M.M.I. Figma preorders have opened
The E.M.M.I. Figma, the second of two announced Figma based on Metroid Dread, is now available for preorder from Good Smile Company. They estimate it will ship in Japan in May 2024, and the United States in Q3 2024. It is very posable, much like an E.M.M.I. in Dread, and it comes with accessories based on its faceplate and DNA extraction spike, as well as a stand. Sadly, it doesn’t look like Good Smile will be producing variants based on each color of E.M.M.I.
You can preorder the Figma if you’re based in the United States or Canada here, and from other countries here.
Source: Siliconera
Community Spotlight: Tatsuche
Our next Community Spotlight of 2023 is now live! This month we are featuring Tatsuche, a French speedrunner and one of the top five Metroid Dread speedrunners in the world. His personal best time, which he recently achieved, is 00:53:06! Tatsuche talked to us about his journey to reach the highest rankings in the speedrunning community. To learn more, click the link below.
Fall Out Boy’s new song mentions Metroid
An unexpected reference to Metroid has surfaced! The band Fall Out Boy released a cover of the Billy Joel classic “We Didn’t Start the Fire” yesterday, which namedrops multiple public figures and popular culture events that have caught the public’s attention between 1989 and 2023. At about 1:50 into the song, Metroid is referenced. If you want to listen to the song for yourself, you can at the link below.
Source: YouTube