Metroid Celebrates 40th Anniversary as Exploration Action Pioneer
August 6, 2026 marks the 40th anniversary of the original Metroid, released for the Famicom Disk System on August 6, 1986. Published by Nintendo, the game is the first entry in a series that still enjoys a devoted following today. It is widely regarded as a pioneer of the exploration action genre, and it gave rise to the now-familiar gaming term “Metroidvania.” The name “Metroid” refers to a jellyfish-like alien lifeform featured in the game. This piece is a re-edited version of an article originally published on August 6, 2025, updated to commemorate the milestone.
Players control Samus Aran, a space warrior clad in a powered suit, as she ventures deep into the maze-like fortress planet Zebes to destroy Mother Brain at its core. The core loop — gradually expanding the explorable area using abilities acquired along the way — was considered highly novel for the era. The article also highlights the iconic “bomb jump,” a technique that lets players reach normally inaccessible locations. To plant bombs, Samus curls into a ball, a transformation that left a strong impression on players encountering it for the first time.
Metroid is closely associated with speedrunning, a pursuit that stood out at a time when few games rewarded fast clear times. The ending changes based on how long the player takes to finish: the faster the clear, the more of Samus’s powered suit is removed, ultimately revealing a swimsuit-clad appearance. Many players pushed for quick runs to see that reward, but the biggest shock came when the helmet came off and Samus was revealed to be a woman — something the name Samus Aran did not hint at. Today, the character is widely known as female, including through appearances as Zero Suit Samus.
Since the original, the Metroid series has grown to eight titles including remakes. The most recent new mainline entry launched in 2021 as the first fully new game in roughly 19 years, with players responding to its evolved visuals and action. For today’s players, Nintendo Switch Online subscribers can access the original Metroid and two other classic entries, while Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack members can also play Metroid Fusion and one additional title at no extra cost. In 2003, the first-person Metroid Prime series debuted and grew so popular that it rivaled the mainline games, with a new Metroid Prime entry released on December 4, 2025. Four decades later, the original’s genre-defining design remains a legacy worth celebrating.
