Metroid Ravenous Makes Samus the One Fighting to Survive
The new 2D Metroid arrives January 28, 2027, with Samus wounded, isolated, and using an ability that appears to drain energy.
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The short version
- Metroid Ravenous launches January 28, 2027 on Nintendo Switch 2.
- The reveal shows Samus attacked by a mysterious group and struggling to escape.
- Nintendo highlighted an ability that appears to drain energy, plus launch-day amiibo and a special edition.
A new 2D mission
Nintendo has revealed Metroid Ravenous for Nintendo Switch 2, arriving January 28, 2027. The September Direct introduced the next 2D Metroid with Samus attacked by unidentified assailants, badly injured, and unsure how to get back to the surface.
The presentation highlighted an ability that appears to drain energy. Nintendo’s introduction deliberately left that description open, so it is too early to turn a brief demonstration into a complete explanation of the mechanic.
Survival is the hook
The interesting part of this reveal is the position it puts Samus in. She is not arriving with everything under control. The trailer starts from injury and isolation, and the energy-draining ability raises the question of what she will have to do to survive.
That is a strong setup for an exploration game. New abilities matter most when they change what you can reach or how you handle something that previously stopped you. The test for Ravenous will be what this ability does for the actual routes, enemies, and decisions—not simply how striking it looks in a trailer.
We have not played it. We are not assigning a score, promising a particular length, or claiming to know the full structure from this first look. The reveal gives us a premise and a glimpse of the action, with plenty left to discover in the game.
More than an accessory announcement
Nintendo also announced amiibo and a Metroid Ravenous special edition for the same day as the game’s launch. Those extras are separate from the main reason to pay attention: there is a new 2D adventure on the way.
For players who enjoy learning a hostile place one route at a time, the next useful look would be an extended stretch of gameplay. Seeing exploration and combat connect would tell us more than trying to explain every image from the first trailer.
Did the survival angle grab you, or do you want to see more of how Ravenous plays first?