The Metroid series 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 of Metroid's most significant aspects is its difficulty, which has often alienated new players from certain entries in the series.
Whether the games are 2D sidescrollers or first-person exploration games, Metroid does 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 some Metroid fans to be the hardest in the series.
10 Brinstar (Metroid)
The first Metroid game released on NES in 1986. This was Nintendo's first foray into sci-fi, taking inspiration from the film Alien. As a result, the game pioneered the "Metroidvania" genre, which is often used to refer to side-scrollers like Metroid or Castlevania that 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.
9 Norfair (Super Metroid)
Super Metroid was 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 original Metroid, or its remake Metroid: Zero Mission. However, Norfair poses a pretty steep challenge compared to its predecessor.
In Super Metroid, Norfair is where Samus encounters Ridley for the second time. In the lore of the Metroid series, 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.
8 Biologic Space Laboratories Research Station (Metroid Fusion)
Metroid Fusion is one of the most linear Metroid titles, 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 angry Metroid fans.
7 Chozo Ruins (Metroid Zero Mission)
Metroid Zero Mission is an updated remake of the original 1986 Metroid which released for the GameBoy Advance. The game is a proper remake in the sense that it replaces the original game in the Metroid series 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.
6 Phendrana Drifts (Metroid Prime)
Phendrana Drifts appears on the planet Tallon IV in the beloved title Metroid Prime. This GameCube game reinvented the Metroid series, turning Samus' latest adventure into a 3D, first-person action game. Some older Metroid fans probably felt most of this game's difficulty due to the sheer genre switch in the series.
However, many Metroid fans 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.
5 Sanctuary Fortress (Metroid Prime 2: Echoes)
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes is a direct sequel to Metroid 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 to one of Samus' most iconic upgrades. Fans who are familiar with her appearances in the Super Smash Bros series will recognize the usage of the Screw Attack. This definitely makes fighting enemies in this area a much easier job.
4 Phaaze (Metroid Prime 3: Corruption)
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption is the third and final game in the Metroid Prime trilogy (excluding the yet-to-be-released Metroid 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.
3 Sector 2 / Cryosphere (Metroid: Other M)
A large portion of Metroid: Other M takes 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.
2 Area 4 (Metroid: Samus Returns)
Metroid II: The Return of Samus initially released on GameBoy in 1991. Over twenty years later, Nintendo revived the dormant Metroid franchise with a remake called Metroid: Samus Returns on Nintendo 3DS. The original game is notable for being one of the most difficult Metroid games, and its remake doesn't disappoint.
In Metroid II, many fans believed Phase 5 & 6 were the hardest part of the game. In Samus 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.
1 Artaria (Metroid Dread)
Metroid Dread, released for Nintendo Switch in 2021, is the most recent Metroid title, 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.
Since Metroid Dread's release, some fans have discussed whether the title is the hardest in the entire Metroid series. 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.