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Metroid Ravenous makes Samus hungry: she can now devour enemies immediately after countering them
Metroid Ravenous is not trying to refresh Samus by adding one more beam color. Nintendo is changing the rhythm of combat itself: counter, stun, close the gap and drain the enemy's life force. The galaxy's most capable bounty hunter begins this adventure in terrible shape, but the title makes it clear that the predator-prey relationship will not remain pointed in that direction for long.
By Nolind Metroid Ravenous 
Metroid Ravenous launches January 28, 2027 exclusively for Nintendo Switch 2.
Nintendo revealed the new 2D entry during its September 9 Direct, placing Samus Aran on an unfamiliar moon and stripping away much of her usual advantage almost immediately.
After crash-landing, Samus is attacked by a mysterious group of assassins and gravely injured. She is left inside an enormous underground network that must be explored before she can return to the surface.
Metroid powers become a predatory combat mechanic
Nintendo calls the central new ability Samus' “Metroid instincts.”
She can use her awakened Metroid powers to consume the life force of enemies.
The action requires setup. Nintendo says players first counter an enemy attack to stun the target, then need to move quickly to perform the drain.
That distinction matters because this is not being described as a generic contextual finisher.
Absorption follows a successful read of an incoming attack, turning the counter into an offensive opening rather than merely a defensive escape.
Ravenous is explicitly pushing Samus toward aggression
Nintendo's own description tells players to strike quickly and aggressively with beams, missiles and more before Samus becomes somebody else's meal.
That language fits the new mechanic. The game is not encouraging players to remain safely at range after successfully reading an enemy animation.
A good counter creates a reason to immediately move closer.
The obvious balance question remains unanswered. Nintendo has not detailed which enemies can be drained, exactly what Samus gains from feeding or what limitations prevent absorption from becoming the universal answer.
Five assassins are waiting beneath the surface
The group that wounds Samus is not simply being used as an excuse to reset her abilities.
Nintendo confirms five “space ninjas” are waiting inside the labyrinthine world and will face Samus in dedicated duels.
Nintendo emphasizes close encounters with these assassins and their specialized arsenal, giving them a different role from a conventional creature blocking access to the next area.
Their identities, origin and reason for targeting Samus have not been publicly explained.
What is confirmed is that the five attackers remain part of the journey after the opening ambush.
The old Metroid principle remains: start weakened, leave considerably stronger
Ravenous retains the core structure Nintendo is promising from a new 2D Metroid.
Samus explores interconnected corridors, gathers abilities and gradually uses an expanding arsenal to open routes through the environment.
Nintendo specifically describes a labyrinthine underground world and says Samus needs new powers in order to make her way back to the surface.
The crash and her injuries therefore provide an especially direct reason to begin the progression curve from a weakened state.
Nintendo has not yet provided a full list of returning upgrades or explained how many completely new abilities sit alongside the Metroid powers.
The Metroid Suit is already important enough to have its own amiibo
Another named element appears throughout the official material: the Metroid Suit.
Nintendo describes it as allowing Samus to tap into the overwhelming power associated with her newly awakened Metroid instincts.
Its exact place in progression remains unexplained, but the suit already has a dedicated amiibo figure.
That figure is bundled with the physical Special Edition alongside the game and a SteelBook case.
Two more amiibo launch on the same day
Nintendo is also releasing a separate Ravenous-series Samus amiibo and a Chozo Statue figure.
The Chozo Statue is larger than a standard amiibo and recreates the familiar pose with raised knees and open palms.
Nintendo confirms that amiibo functionality exists but has not explained the individual in-game rewards.
Assigning specific items, upgrades or resources to them would therefore be speculation.
This is being built exclusively for Switch 2
Metroid Ravenous is not announced for the original Nintendo Switch.
Nintendo currently lists an estimated 20.2 GB digital file size, handheld, tabletop and TV play, and cloud saves through Nintendo Switch Online.
HDR output and 120 Hz output are also listed for compatible displays.
Support for a 120 Hz output does not by itself establish that the entire game continuously renders at 120 frames per second in every mode. Nintendo has not yet published its graphics modes or resolution targets.
January 28 puts one of Nintendo's major 2027 exclusives very early in the calendar
The standard and Special Editions launch on the same date.
Ravenous supports French and remains a single-player game.
For now, Nintendo has revealed one mechanic simple enough to change how every encounter is read: a stunned enemy is no longer only a threat that has temporarily stopped moving. It may be a resource that Samus needs to reach before the opportunity disappears.
Samus has begun plenty of adventures after losing part of her arsenal. Ravenous adds one significant difference: this time, she can take something directly from the creatures trying to kill her.