Metroid is a franchise of high highs and low lows, with a roller coaster release history that never finds a consistent footing. After the acclaimed Super Metroid in 1994, it seemed like the franchise would be hitting the big leagues as one of Nintendo's top IPs. Little did fans know, it would take another eight years to receive the next release in Metroid Prime (as well as GBA adventure in Metroid Fusion). After riding high on the success of the Metroid Prime trilogy, it once again seemed like the series was back at the forefront, only to fizzle out not long into the Wii era.
The Metroid franchise is once again attempting to build itself up with Metroid Prime 4 and the surprise revival of Metroid Dread. For those unaware, Metroid Dread was a game long thought to be shelved following several development hiccups. It wouldn't have been the first troubled Metroid project however, as Intelligent Systems (the studio behind Paper Mario and Fire Emblem) was at one point tasked with developing a new game during the Wii generation that never saw the light of day. Considering the more RPG/strategy roots of the developer it's an unexpected choice for an action-adventure series, so it's interesting to ponder what could have been.
Metroid - The Wii Era
For context, the Metroid series was in a good place at the start of the Wii generation, firing on all cylinders with Metroid Prime 3: Corruption launching in 2007. The game used the first-person perspective of its predecessors with a stronger emphasis on action, plus the added immersion of aiming using the Wii remote. With the iconic trilogy concluded, it seemed like Metroid was free to experiment with what came next for Samus.
It would be safe to assume that at the time, a fast-paced third-person action game from Team Ninja of Ninja Gaiden fame was the last things players expected, but Other M proved Nintendo wasn't shy about trying new things, and was open to new ideas for what a Metroid game could be. After all, just a few years prior to this, a first-person Metroid game seemed unthinkable, but the Metroid Prime series proved that wrong. Case in point, according to a recent leak, Intelligent Systems was at one point tapped to try its hand at making a new Metroid experience for the Wii.
The Intelligent Systems Treatment
Intelligent Systems has a good relationship with Nintendo, having created some of its most popular and successful games during the past few generations. Paper Mario offered a humorous RPG spin on the Super Mario series, while Fire Emblem garnered a bevy of fans thanks to its in-depth strategy systems. Whatever its Metroid project was is rumored to have been in development several years before the critically acclaimed Fire Emblem: Awakening on 3DS.
It is likely that Intelligent Systems was hard at work on whatever concept it had cooked up. Perhaps the plan was to return the series to its roots, with a 2D exploration game similar to what Metroid: Samus Returns would end up being years later. Despite the love the Metroid Prime series had gained, there were still gamers who generally preferred the classic 2D style and felt that was best for the franchise. Maybe Intelligent Systems recognized and agreed with this philosophy, wanting to tap into that audience while taking a stab at the original Metroid formula. Super Paper Mario was released around this time, and it too had elements which harkened back to older Mario games, specifically with 2D platforming.
Intelligent Systems could have additionally been doing a 3D action game more in line with the recent Metroid Prime Trilogy or even similar to Metroid: Other M. Maybe it was too similar and shelved for that reason, with Nintendo not wanting too many similar titles at once. The most interesting hypothetical would be if Intelligent Systems was planning to stick to its guns and make a fully fledged Metroid RPG/strategy game. Whether the gameplay would have been real-time combat like Kingdom Hearts or more turn-based is anyone's guess, but the immense talent at Intelligent Systems likely would have cooked up something memorable for the Metroid franchise.