Metroid Ravenous finally turns Samus into the predator

Nintendo used its September 9 Direct to reveal Metroid Ravenous, the next full 2D entry in the series. It launches exclusively for Nintendo Switch 2 on January 28, 2027.

This is not a remaster or an expanded edition of Dread. Nintendo describes an entirely new mission beginning with Samus badly injured in an ambush and stranded on an unfamiliar moon.

Her route home lies through a subterranean labyrinth.

Samus now survives by feeding

The defining new mechanic follows directly from the strange biological history Samus has accumulated across the series. Nintendo says her latent Metroid powers have awakened, allowing her to drain energy directly from enemies.

It is not presented as a passive health pickup. Samus can stun an attacker with a well-timed counter and then quickly consume its energy.

Nintendo's tagline makes the intended shift obvious: eat or be eaten.

Dread had already made 2D Metroid considerably more aggressive through fast movement, slides and melee counters. Ravenous gives that aggression a survival function. Winning an exchange cleanly may now directly restore the resource needed to continue.

Five Space Ninjas are hunting her

Nintendo has also identified the mysterious attackers responsible for Samus' predicament. Five Space Ninjas are waiting throughout the labyrinthine world.

Their designs immediately separate them from ordinary wildlife: cloaks, bladed weapons and large metallic hats give them the appearance of deliberate rival combatants rather than another collection of monsters.

Nintendo promises one-on-one encounters with all five.

That creates an interesting inversion. Ravenous is explicitly encouraging Samus to become more predatory, while placing a small group of assassins in the environment who are capable of hunting her in return.

It is still built around a maze

The new emphasis on combat does not mean Nintendo has abandoned the basic Metroid structure.

Samus still explores interconnected corridors, gathers abilities, defeats bosses and gains access to routes she could not previously reach.

The reveal footage shows familiar Morph Ball traversal alongside new-looking movement options, including an extremely fast dash through obstacles and the ability to run across water.

The fundamental rhythm remains recognizable: encounter a locked path, remember it, discover an ability somewhere else and realize that a piece of the map has just become useful again.

Switch 2 is the only platform

Nintendo is not releasing Ravenous for the original Switch. The game is being positioned as a Switch 2 exclusive.

Its official store listing currently estimates a 20.2GB download and confirms support for HDR output and 120Hz output on compatible displays.

That does not by itself confirm a locked 120fps gameplay mode. Nintendo has not yet detailed the specific performance targets.

What the reveal does show is a greater willingness to move the camera through fully 3D cinematic sequences while preserving side-scrolling readability when control returns to the player.

Nintendo is building hardware around it too

Three Metroid Ravenous amiibo designs accompany the new game.

A new standard Samus figure and a larger Chozo Statue are planned for launch. A third figure shows Samus in the dramatically altered Metroid Suit and is included with the Special Edition alongside a physical copy and SteelBook case.

Nintendo says further details about amiibo functionality will be announced later.

2D Metroid is no longer disappearing for generations

Metroid Dread was remarkable partly because the franchise had gone nineteen years without a genuinely new 2D installment.

Ravenous arrives only a little more than five years later.

That may be the most consequential part of the announcement. Nintendo is no longer treating side-scrolling Metroid as something to resurrect once in a hardware generation.

Dread brought the format back.

Ravenous looks ready to make Samus considerably less afraid of what she finds in the dark.