Even Samus herself seems to disapprove of her portrayal in Metroid: Other M.

Cropped screenshot of Samus Aran from the trailer for Metroid: Other M.

The release of Other M has sent some Metroid fans into an uproar over the portrayal of the series heroine, Samus Aran. Samus was a silent protagonist in the majority of the Metroid games, scarcely speaking a word with the exception of two or three games. The few times that Samus did speak, she flatly stated facts and showed little emotion. Her silence throughout the majority of the Metroid series fostered the idea that she was a cold, stoic woman - although the only reason for this conclusion was the lack of any evidence to the contrary.

 

Yoshio Sakamoto, the co-creator of the Metroid series, was the director, scenario designer, and script writer for many of the games, and hr wrote the story for Other M. His portrayal of Samus is not what most fans had in mind, which now has the Metroid fan community sharply divided.

 

Readers should be warned that spoilers for Other M will be discussed within this article.

Many gamers have concluded that, because Samus spares the life of a baby Metroid at the end of Metroid II, she has a heart of gold and a soft spot for critters beneath her steely exterior. However, in her own words, rescued the Metroid "so scientists could study its energy producing qualities," and makes no mention of pity or adoration for the little creature.

Metroid: Other M begins with the baby Metroid's sacrifice, which Samus describes in a rather length monologue; in fact, the word "baby" is mentioned 9 times before the game's logo has even appeared onscreen, signaling that Sakamoto may have been aiming for a more womanly and maternal portrayal for Samus. This is arguably the first time we truly see emotion from Samus - it's evidence that she's human and does have a heart. However, the next time we see emotion from Samus is pushed to the furthest extreme.

The scene that has caused the Metroid fan community to question Sakamoto's credibility occurs when Samus encounters Ridley, her long-time nemesis. Ridley is responsible for the deaths of Samus' parents; depending on whose account you go by, Ridley ate them in front of her, or simply ordered his troops to execute them. Samus was forced to go through this traumatic event at a tender and impressionable young age, from 3 to 6 depending on which origin story you're reading.

It is best to watch the below video before reading the rest of the article, to understand exactly what has upset the Metroid fanbase.

Samus gasps, takes several steps back, begins breathing heavily, has a flashback of her childhood, does not obey orders from her commanding officer, says "No, it can't be!", and does not defend herself from attack.

Samus has long been regarded as the epitome of a "strong woman", especially in the gaming world, where females are traditionally no more than damsels in distress that need to be rescued by a male hero. For over two decades, Samus has been portrayed as a strong warrior who is capable of defending herself. To see Samus reduced to a trembling emotional wreck is like seeing Link break down and cry when he catches sight of Ganondorf.

There are others who would defend and, in fact, support Samus' mental breakdown. Ridley left a lasting impression on Samus from early childhood; she has defeated him before, but seeing him return leaves her in such psychological disarray that even a battle-hardened bounty hunter such as herself is left frozen in shock. Not only this, but during all previous occasions when Samus encountered Ridley, she was alone - now, she is surrounded by all of her old friends. She is, once again, at risk of losing loved ones to the claws of Ridley.

However, other fans would scoff at such an explanation. Samus destroyed Ridley in Metroid 1 and in Super Metroid, and also fought him several times over the course of the Prime games. Nintendo has never stated that the Prime series was not canonical, but did not bother mentioning the Prime games during its official Metroid retrospective video. Depending on what you consider to be canon, Samus has killed Ridley anywhere from 2 to 5 times by now; she should no longer be frightened of him.

Or, on the contrary, Ridley's latest resurrection is the feather that broke the camel's back. Each time she sees her recurring foe, her willpower diminishes more and more as she succumbs to the belief that he is immortal and will hound her eternally.

Other fans point at the fact that Samus never showed any sign of fear or emotional trauma during any previous fight with Ridley - but this may only be because of the graphical limitations of 2D gaming platforms. In the Prime series, Samus did not waver at the sight of Ridley. However, the Prime series was developed by Retro Studios, a Western game company, and Japan chooses to depict female characters differently.

Every culture has gender roles, and Japan is no different. Throughout the entire game, Samus acts out the role of a subservient "good girl" and embodies the misogynistic Japanese stereotype of an obedient and submissive woman. The very reason that she does not use her most powerful weapons from the start of the game is because a man does not "authorize" her to do so, and she obeys him without question, thereby putting herself at great disadvantages.

Many fans have pointed out that no male character would ever have a complete emotional breakdown in the face of their enemy. Can you imagine Master Chief, Marcus Fenix, or Gordon Freeman having a complete meltdown at the sight of their respective antagonists? Some fans hold the belief that the only reason Sakamoto decided to make Samus have a nervous breakdown was because of her gender - and few people would argue that this is not sexist.

It is far more interesting to see a character act human and display emotions than be an expressionless robot. However, Samus is a former military operative and an intergalactic bounty hunter that has killed hundreds, if not thousands of alien life forms, and even destroyed entire planets; that's why many people find it hard to believe that she would be shaking in her boots at the sight of any monster, even the one who killed her parents and who constantly returns from the grave at the most inopportune moments.

Some fans are content to accept Samus' actions as indicative of her character, because her actions were all decided by the co-creator of the entire Metroid series. However, others believe they know Samus even better than the developers themselves, because they can tell what is consistent and what is inconsistent; and it's arguable that Samus' meltdown is rather inconsistent with her calm and composed demeanor throughout the other games. There are yet other fans who seem to forget that the purpose of cutscenes is to be melodramatic, and that many Japanese games in particular choose to be over-the-top during pre-rendered cinematics.

Perhaps making Samus speak at all was a mistake in the first place. Samus has always been more of an icon than a character; a symbol, not a person. Gamers never knew anything more about her than they needed to, and everything else was shrouded in mystery. Brief glimpses at her past, instead of a fully narrated exposition, added to her enigmatic allure. Giving Samus emotions and vulnerability transforms her from an iconic symbol into yet another "traditional" video game character, and robs her of everything that once made her special.

Only time will tell if this backlash from the Metroid fan base will cause Sakamoto to portray Samus differently in upcoming Metroid games.

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