Nintendo closed out a packed September 9 Direct with something the Metroid faithful have been quietly waiting on since 2021: a brand new 2D entry, dated and nearly finished. Metroid Ravenous lands on Nintendo Switch 2 on January 28, 2027, picking up after Metroid Dread with a stranded Samus, a hostile moon, and a survival hook that changes how you approach every enemy on screen. It is also the first time Samus has spoken at length since Metroid: Other M in 2010, which is either the best or the worst news in the trailer depending on who you ask. Here is what Nintendo showed, what the new mechanic actually does, and what comes in the Special Edition.
What Nintendo Showed in the Reveal
The reveal trailer opens with Samus under attack from unidentified assailants and losing her ship, leaving her grounded on an alien moon with no easy way off. The tagline Nintendo hung on the whole thing is blunt: eat or be eaten.
The footage is 2D gameplay built on 3D assets, the same presentation style Dread used, but the camera is noticeably more aggressive. Cinematic pushes during Morph Ball sequences and mid-combat framing shifts suggest MercurySteam's house style carried forward rather than reset.
Key details from the trailer:
- Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive, with no original Switch version announced
- Set after the events of Metroid Dread, making it the newest point on the series timeline
- Samus is fully voiced and talks throughout, not just in isolated cutscenes
- A new energy drain ability lets Samus feed on enemies to stay alive
That last point is the one worth watching. Dread built its tension around running from EMMI units that could kill you instantly. Ravenous appears to flip the relationship: enemies are not just threats, they are resources, and the trailer frames staying alive as an active hunt rather than a retreat.
The Voiced Samus Question
Samus talking is the detail that split the reaction online within about an hour of the Direct ending. Metroid has historically kept her quiet, and the one major exception, Other M, is the game most often cited when fans argue against giving her dialogue at all.
What Nintendo showed is narration-led rather than conversational. Samus describes her situation, her hunger, and her deteriorating condition, which reads closer to the log entries in Metroid Prime than to Other M's cutscene-heavy approach. Whether that holds across a full game is the open question, and Nintendo has not released extended gameplay yet.
Amiibo and the Special Edition
Nintendo confirmed a hardware and collectible package alongside the game, all arriving the same day.
What is launching January 28, 2027
- Metroid Ravenous on Nintendo Switch 2
- Samus amiibo, sold individually
- Chozo Statue amiibo, sold individually
- Metroid Ravenous: Special Edition, which bundles the game, a steel case, and a third Samus amiibo wearing the Metroid Suit
The Metroid Suit amiibo being exclusive to the Special Edition is the kind of decision that tends to age badly on the secondary market, so anyone who wants the full set should treat the preorder window seriously.
Metroid Ravenous is the rare Nintendo announcement that arrived with a firm date attached instead of a vague window, which suggests the game is a good deal further along than the reveal timing implies. The draining mechanic is the thing to watch between now and January, because it determines whether this is Dread with a new coat of paint or a genuine rethink of how a 2D Metroid plays. Nintendo has not confirmed when the next gameplay showcase lands, but a January release almost always means a December or early January deep dive.
Are you sold on a talking Samus, or would you rather Nintendo had kept her silent? Come argue about it in the NerdBlocks forum.
