The Metroid Prime Timeline, Explained

Quick Links

• Where Does The Metroid Prime Series Fit Into The Main Series?

• Metroid Prime's Story

• Metroid Prime Hunters

• Metroid Prime 2: Echoes

• Metroid Prime 3: Corruption

• Metroid Prime: Federation Force

The Metroid series is unique among the Nintendo pantheon in that it has a complex, ongoing storyline. Whereas the likes of Mario (no meaningful narrative whatsoever) and Zelda (a tenuous timeline only diehards really pay attention to) put the 'fun' factor ahead of weaving a tale, Samus' quests are dark, moody, and connect clearly with each other.

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It gets even more complicated when you delve into the Metroid Prime subseries. Initially believed to be a self-contained, non-canon universe, it was eventually determined to take place smack-bang in the middle of the core timeline. Regardless, it still tells an entirely separate, intertwining plot – so we've put together a helpful guide to the Prime saga as the long-awaited fourth entry, Beyond, grows nearer.

A quick intergalactic warning: as you'd imagine from the title, this explainer is riddled with spoilers, from top to bottom, about every installment in the Metroid Prime series. No plot reveal or character beat will go unmentioned, so exercise caution and Shinespark your way out of here if that's a no-go for you!

Where Does The Metroid Prime Series Fit Into The Main Series?

Before we take the plunge into Prime proper, it would be helpful to have a brief understanding of where exactly it all slots into the wider Metroid timeline. Nintendo has chopped and changed things a few times and has even gone so far as to replace certain games in canon with their newer remakes on modern hardware, which can make keeping up an arduous task.

Simply put, the entire Metroid Prime narrative takes place in between the original NES Metroid (replaced by its GBA version, Metroid: Zero Mission) and Metroid 2: Return of Samus on GameBoy (itself booted out of canon by 2017's Samus Returns on the 3DS).

So, to clarify, the timeline goes as follows: Metroid: Zero Mission → Metroid Prime series → Metroid: Samus Returns.

The remainder of the main series then continues on from that point, getting into such high highs as Super Metroid and, sadly, even lower lows like Other M.

For the purposes of our Prime explanation, then, the only prior Galactic Federation action under Samus' belt by the time of Prime is her trip to Zebes in Zero Mission, where she thwarts a Space Pirate plot to use the Metroids themselves as a weapon of war, crippling her longtime nemesis Ridley in the process.

Metroid Prime's Story

How Does The Metroid Prime Saga Begin?

The first Metroid Prime on GameCube (which has been superseded in canonicity by Metroid Prime: Remastered on Switch, but its changes are largely QoL-related, so it's not worth worrying about) kicks off when Samus decides to check out the space frigate Orpheon, which has been broadcasting a distress signal. It quickly becomes apparent the Space Pirates have been up to their old tricks: they've wiped out the crew and were using the ship's resources to perform experiments on Metroids using a mysterious substance dubbed 'Phazon.'

In the resultant scuffle, the Orpheon hurtles out of orbit and crashlands on nearby planet Tallon IV, where Samus catches a glimpse of Ridley (who she'd presumed dead after Zero Mission), resurrected by way of a cybernetic body.

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The bulk of the game's runtime is then spent on Samus exploring the varied biomes of Tallon IV - deserts, snowy fjords, and magma caverns all put in appearances - to uncover what went on with Phazon. It seems that the planet was once home to a tribe of Chozo (a benevolent, birdlike race from whom Samus is personally descended) that were obliterated when a gigantic meteor struck. Phazon billowed forth from this mysterious rock, choking the world's delicate ecosystems.

How Does Metroid Prime End?

Upon collecting twelve Chozo artifacts (hello, backtracking) and dueling Ridley, Samus is able to gain access to the meteor's impact crater, where she encounters 'Metroid Prime' – the first Metroid to be afflicted by Phazon. Yes, the series title refers to an actual being. Metroid Prime is far more intelligent and conniving than your garden variety Metroid, and it and Samus are soon locked in mortal combat.

Naturally, Ms. Aran emerges victorious and flees Tallon IV, thinking her work is complete. Alas, players who gather all the game's upgrades will know better; a post-credits stinger shows Metroid Prime reconstituting its body into a dark clone of Samus, prepping for the sequel in chilling fashion.

Metroid Prime Hunters

What Happens In Metroid Prime Hunters?

There isn't quite as much to say about Hunters, the next Prime game in canon, as it's a largely disconnected DS spinoff that places great focus on the multiplayer deathmatch mode. Granted, it's super fun – but it does render the single-player campaign something of an afterthought. There are still a few key points to be aware of, though.

Hunters deals with a race between Samus and six other fellow bounty hunters, all of whom seek a supposed 'ultimate power' in the center of the Alimbic Cluster. The rivals are named Weavel, Trace, Sylux, Spire, Kanden, and Noxus, and they all put in some pretty memorable boss fights – but the only one you really need to remember is Sylux, who harbors a particular hatred for Samus and the Federation.

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Eventually, it transpires that the Alimbic legacy is an imprisoned abomination known as Gorea. The peaceful Alimbic civilization was destroyed when (stop us if you've heard this one before) a meteorite struck. Seems to be a recurring theme in this galaxy. Gorea had hitched a ride on the rock, but the Alimbic people overpowered it and sealed it away in the 'Infinity Void.'

Samus and the other hunters are forced to bury the hatchet when they enter the Infinity Void to take on Gorea, whose level of, erm, 'deadness' varies depending on how you choose to go about the boss battle. With that matter settled, Samus receives accolades from both the Federation and a group of Alimbic spirits, grateful their destructor has been vanquished.

Metroid Prime 2: Echoes

How Does Metroid Prime 2 Begin?

Echoes, despite being numbered '2', actually comes third in the Prime saga. This one has yet to receive any kind of remaster or remake, so you can play the GameCube original, or the Wii port if you have deep pockets, without hesitation.

Prime 2 is notable for introducing actual humans to the cast – the first game in the entire franchise to do so in any meaningful capacity. After the Federation loses contact with some of their marines on planet Aether, good ol' Samus is called in to investigate. The scene she comes upon would make H.P. Lovecraft a bit antsy: the whole planet's been blanketed in a lightning storm, the dead marine corpses animate and attack Samus, and the landscape is saturated with a particularly mutagenic form of Phazon.

As if that weren't enough, Samus lays eyes on Metroid Prime's doppelgänger of herself, Dark Samus, who she follows through a portal, only to discover an alternate dimension: a version of Aether that's somehow even worse, called 'Dark Aether.'

What Happens In Metroid Prime 2?

Dark Aether is populated by vile specimens known as Ing, whose ability to possess carcasses provides a satisfactory, albeit gross, explanation for the zombie marines. The Ing are none too pleased to see Samus, so they eject her back into regular Aether, where she sets about looking for further intel.

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U-Mos, a lone sentinel, explains to her Aether's backstory: years ago, the Luminoth race thrived until a meteor struck the planet, splitting its reality into two parallel dimensions (you may be noticing an emerging pattern here; and is anyone else getting OG Super Mario Bros. movie vibes from this?) Now, the Luminoth and Ing are permanently at war, and U-Mos is the last guardian of his faction.

To restore balance, Samus requires another truckload of McGuffins – this time, it's the 'Lights of Aether,' which she gains by battling assorted Ing, as well as Space Pirates and Dark Samus herself. After vaporizing the Ing emperor and claiming the last Light piece, Samus pops them back into the Luminoth temples, causing Dark Aether to deteriorate.

One last skirmish with a desperate, deformed Dark Samus later, our leading lady is out of this hellhole, and the remaining Luminoth come out of hibernation. Another successful mission!

Of course, Prime 2 is not the last we see of Dark Samus. Dedicated players who hoover up 100 percent of the game's items will be treated to another ending stinger, which shows the persistent foe reviving herself yet again.

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption

How Does Metroid Prime 3 Begin?

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption made its debut on the Nintendo Wii, allowing for greater ease of blaster fire by way of the pointer controls. It does take some getting used to, so to compensate, Nintendo dialed down the difficulty a tad – but they made up for it with a truly compelling story.

In the interim between Prime 2 and 3, Dark Samus encountered the Space Pirates and used her Phazon capabilities to push them into servitude. So, in effect, she's now got herself an army, and that army comes knocking during a meeting of Galactic Federation officials that Samus is attending. In an unusual slip of combat acumen for her, Samus is taken out by the forces of evil and awakes a month later in intensive care.

It seems that Dark Samus' Phazon has infested Samus' suit (which, we should note, is biologically wired into her body and can be deployed at will) and is slowly corrupting her, hence the title. This creates a nice ticking clock for stakes as Samus sets off to avert - prepare for this - not one, not two, but three impending meteor collisions.

How Does The Metroid Prime Trilogy Wrap Up?

In fairness, a justification is at last provided for the excessive meteorite activity. These ones are 'Leviathan Seeds,' originating from planet Phaaze, the source of all the galaxy's Phazon. Deciding that someone needs to have a little chat with Phaaze about the type of goods they're exporting, Samus destroys the Leviathan Seeds on Norion, Bryyo, and Elesia, all while battling both her own corruption and a bunch of fellow bounty hunters who have fallen to the Phazon outbreak.

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The back half of Prime 3 is very much concerned with tying up all the series' lingering plot threads in an intergalactic bow. Samus visits the Space Pirate homeworld, where she finally kneecaps their nefarious efforts to harness Phazon and is able to open a portal to Phaaze. Who should she meet at the planet's core but Dark Samus herself? It's positively poetic – the two Arans duel fiercely for the fate of the entire solar system.

You know there can only be one winner, however. Dark Samus gets her metallic rump handed to her, ending Metroid Prime itself and causing Phaaze to explode. With its source planet gone, all the Phazon across the universe becomes inert, which happily rescues Samus' body, to boot.

The Phazon menace was eradicated at last, and Samus reported to the Federation that the coast was clear and jetted off for her next adventure.

But wait! Remember Sylux? His ship is seen stalking Samus after the credits roll, setting him up to assume the antagonist's mantle in Prime 4.

Metroid Prime: Federation Force

How Is Federation Force Relevant To The Prime Saga?

Bear with us here. Federation Force carries a similar stigma to Other M, in that if you bring it up in certain circles, you're likely to be met with clarion calls insisting it doesn't exist. In a way, that's understandable: this was the first Metroid Prime entry in a decade, and rather than delivering a genuine fourquel, it's instead a chibified, casual-friendly multiplayer outing with a soccer mode. We promise we are not making this up. The negative fallout from this thing's announcement had to be seen to be believed.

Its reputation notwithstanding, there's even less to discuss here in terms of story than Hunters. The basic gist is that you and your pint-sized mates are members of an elite faction of the Galactic Federation aimed at stamping out pockets of Space Pirate activity. Samus appears only in a mentor role, offering tips between missions.

Almost nothing of narrative significance occurs until near the end when Samus goes missing. Infiltrating the starship Doomseye, you find the Pirates have brainwashed her and also inflated her to gargantuan size (you alright, Nintendo writers?), providing a passable final boss. You break the conditioning and reverse the growth, smiles all around.

About the only other notable moment in Federation Force, and the reason it can't be consigned to the non-canon bin, is the last cutscene, which shows us Sylux coming upon a Metroid egg. He demonstrates a ray that can make Metroids hatch and develop at a hyper rate, which presumably will be a mechanic in Prime 4, where he is set to be a principal villain.

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