Samus Aran has faced dozens of different foes through the history of the Metroid franchise, each of them more deadly than the last. From the persistent Ridley to the titular Metroids themselves, it seems that the bounty hunter can never catch a break. With Metroid Dread now on the horizon, Samus is preparing to venture out on an all new adventure that looks to give fans their first original 2D Metroid experience in almost twenty years.
Leading up to Metroid Dread's release, Nintendo has given some insight on some of the enemies that players could expect to encounter in the game. A large focus has been placed on the robotic EMMI that hunted Samus through the game's first trailer, but recently Nintendo teased the appearance of a threat that was thought to be eradicated: the X Parasite. This hostile organism was one of the primary antagonists of Metroid Fusion, the game that Dread will be following up on, where it gave Samus one of the most difficult fights of her career. With all of that in mind, it's worth taking a look at the X Parasite in preparation for Dread.
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The X Parasite's first in-game appearance may have been in Metroid Fusion, but its canon origins are much earlier than that. The X comes from the planet SR388, where it destroyed much of the native plant life and fauna. The parasite itself takes the form of an amorphous blob, capable of rapid reproduction and infection once it attaches to a host. The X was so destructive to SR388, it's actually what caused the ancient Chozo to create the Metroids as a means of destroying the parasite, thus making it responsible for the events of the entire Metroid series.
Samus' experience with the X Parasite is greatly reflective of the parasite's destructive capabilities. While on an escort mission for the Galactic Federation, Samus came upon the X after defeating a creature that had been infected by the parasite. The X then latched on to Samus without warning, quickly rendering her unconscious. The only way to save her from this infection was by injecting her with a vaccine made from Metroid DNA, subsequently bonding Samus' DNA with the very creatures she started her adventure exterminating.
Throughout the rest of Metroid Fusion's story, Samus comes upon various other X Parasite threats, one of which is a perfect replication of herself that the X created after being bonded to her. Known as SA-X, this monstrous creation hunts Samus in one of the darkest moments for a Nintendo game. By Metroid Fusion's end, it's presumed that Samus has wiped out the X Parasite by destroying its home world and any lingering remnants of the organism, but that doesn't seem to be the case anymore.
Heading into Metroid Dread, it seems that Samus wasn't able to completely destroy the X Parasite like fans were originally led to believe. Nintendo of America recently tweeted that Samus received a transmission implying that the X still survives somewhere in the galaxy, and it's presumed that she is traveling to the planet ZDR in Dread to investigate. It remains to be seen whether or not the organism will appear in Dread, but it would be a rather misleading fake out if this wasn't the case based on what Nintendo is implying.
If the X does make an appearance in Metroid Dread, it would be an excellent way to callback to Fusion while also giving one of the franchise's deadliest enemies another chance to shine. Nintendo has already said that Metroid Dread will conclude the story that started with the first Metroid over thirty years ago, so maintaining a connection to the most recent game chronologically would be an effective way to reinforce that. As Metroid Dread's release date creeps closer, hopefully fans will get a better idea of the threats that they'll face when they jump back into Samus Aran's adventures this October.
Metroid Dread releases October 8 for the Nintendo Switch.
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