Ridley - Blog Posts

“Daisies are yellow, Roses are red...”

These were hard to take because mY HANDSSS ARE STILL SHAKKING. also old spice

Honestly, I would love to have some game that really fleshes out how much the Space Pirates scare the galaxy. The Urtraghians especially would work great in that role of trying to literally sniff you out and discover you. Honestly, more games could do with a horror game in that sort of style to flesh out their antagonist factions. Metroid kinda lacks a bit of stakes some times. There’s vague allusions to conquering the galaxy, but I think the game to do the individual consequence aspect was Metroid Prime 3. Having a game that centers around that “human” aspect of a piratical assault would do some good to establish what Samus is saving the good people of the Galaxy from.

Additionally, I think it could have some catharsis in ending the game with Samus arriving just in the nic of time and absolutely destroying the Space Pirates. It could even help to really show how much of a hero and symbol of hope the galaxy sees her as.

what would YOUR ideal METROID spinoff look like?

funny answer: a metroid-hatching tamagotchi clone, drawing from the metroid life cycle and variants to create branching evolutionary paths. raise your own metroid! feed it x parasite snacks! try not to die horribly!

real answer: I think it's unbelievable they haven't tried to make a horror game in the metroid universe. like it would be so easy to have a full game where the power suit is completely offline, or (if nintendo was really willing to experiment) having some kind of civilian protagonist separate from samus, but still placed in similar peril. I guess I'm basically just describing alien: isolation, but GOD could you imagine how good a ridley horror chase scene would be

I feel like this more sympathetic tone towards them could have made Ridley’s appearance in Metroid: Samus Returns a bit more impactful by having him be a sort of narrative symbolism for the use and abuse of the Metroids by higher powers who wanted to play god. Maybe start the game with Samus delving into the desolate, barren husk of a landscape that is SR388. The planet is cold and dead on the outside, dust fluttering about in the wind, harkening back to all the dry, lifeless bodies left behind in the wake of the rampaging Metroids we’ve seen throughout the series. As she delves deeper into the underground cave networks, it becomes clear that, while many have become terrifying, dangerous predators, there is an ecosystem that some that aren’t Ridley may call beautiful. There are creatures that take on different roles in the food chain, with different mutations of Metroids having many different roles in this natural, albeit highly competitive, web of life.

Maybe have some monologues about the tragedy of it all. The capabilities of these creatures are sure to be exploited if ill-intentioned people acquire them, and moving an entire, dangerous ecosystem off world simply not be feasible for a simple Bounty Hunter, even one of such renown as Samus Aran. It’s a very unique dilemma to explore. Either kill an entire ecosystem of innocent creatures, or let them live and possibly end up with your inaction causing hundreds, even thousands of deaths in the long run, all passing on in incredible agony.

Then, all is said and done. An entire biological order has been wiped from existence. The Queen Metroid, which spawned all this blooming life like a goddess of creation, has been slain. With her gone, the possibility of an ecosystem of this type is gone forever. But one Metroid remains. A single, lone hatchling, oblivious to all of Samus’s terrible deeds on this world, innocent and friendly. The possibility still remains. The Space Pirates have already succeeded in asexually multiplying Metroids to orders of magnitude of their original supplies in the past. This one single specimen could make a legion if it falls into the wrong hands.

But this is a child. A lone child, without its mother, sitting in an afterglow of ash and death, with none of its kind left for hundreds of light years. It looks up hopefully to a stoic, alien figure, sigils in its technology baring the mark of the Chozo. Quite familiar, no?

As Samus and the last child of the Metroids leave this barren waste behind, she believes that maybe some good can come of this. If nothing else, she has done some small favor for this weary conscience of her’s.

Then, who else should show to complete the metaphor but the Cunning God of Death himself? Contrasting Samus’s gentle approach with the baby Metroid, Ridley is brutal, shrieking alien obscenities at this frightened child, beating it into submission as it fights back against his taloned grasp. This is the face of heartless control and abuse, this is the face of those who made the Metroids an enemy to life in the galaxy. They used these animals to commit atrocities, like throwing the condemned to a pack of starved wolves. This is what playing god looks like. And now the Hunter must cut him down to size.

Really nice thing about Metroid as a series? The Metroids themselves are both presented as incredibly terrifying creatures with the after-effects of their lifeforce draining being showcased disturbingly, particularly in Super Metroid and Prime 3 (GFS Valhalla, anyone?) yet the overall narrative framing of them still makes it pretty clear that nothing in the series is really their fault, the danger they pose is entirely due to outside factors like the Space Pirates and Phazon. Even though them starting to show up in any given game is usually a sign that you're entering The Hard Part, they're still just creatures at the end of the day and treated very sympathetically; Space Pirates abusing them is specifically called out in some of the Prime 2 scan entries.

Maytroid… sort of… part 4!

So this will be the last time I explain the premise here. In this little series, instead of drawing images for Maytroid, I will be writing scan visor entries that Samus might have come across regarding each topic, based on my own AU. For the current state of the story, these will all be canon, but some of the characters that have either not fleshed out yet, or am simply unfamiliar with, things may change in the future. As for the final week, since it won’t be a clean seven days, I will be releasing the last of these on the 31st. But without any further delay, onto the scans.

Day 20: Meta Ridley

Space Pirate Journal Entry

“I would never be so foolish to voice any of these concerns out loud, but I cannot help but feel that our cunning leader has fallen victim to his own lust for vengeance. We may all feel the same way. After all, the Hunter destroyed our primary base of operations. But his vengeance has dipped into obsession.

Our campaign here was going extraordinarily well. Communications from the target planet had been jammed to prevent Galactic Federation intervention. The planetary defense fleet had sustained significant losses. They were not yet beaten, but they were weak. And their flagship was already being overrun by our boarding groups. Commander Ridley’s plan was working perfectly. The Fuel Gel shipment would have been our’s for the taking. The Commander’s toothy grin brought us all satisfaction, that there was nothing that could go wrong. Then we received our first report about the Hunter’s arrival. As soon as the report sounded across the command deck, Ridley’s smile disappeared. He stared off into space for several seconds, his expression blank. Then, without a word, he turned and strode out of the command deck. Incoming transmissions requesting orders from the commander were left unanswered, and his combat genius was left out. Even with him personally engaging Samus in combat, our own forces slowly began to be thwarted.

I believe this battle to be lost, but I cannot hold a candle to Ridley’s own battlefield wisdom. If he has not ordered a retreat, we will stay and fight. Though I fear it will be to the death.”

Day 21: Omega Metroid

Incomplete Chozo Script

“Our Ultimate Warriors have grown rampant. In our haste to create something that would subdue a great evil, we created another one, one that was just as ravenous. They have begun to feed on the native life of The Agar Planet, something our empath shamans have forbade of them. Where we had control”-illegible-“worse. Instead of the gelatinous bodies that could even be soothing to the touch, they have developed hardened carapaces, sharp claws, and unchecked aggression. One of our empathy, Light Hand, attempted to stop one of the greatest of these creatures from attacking a Moheek. She naively believed that her physical presence would convince the beast to follow her commands. The creature grabbed”-illegible-“six warriors in order to defeat it with our most powerful weapons. This”-illegible-“Quiet Robe believes that this may be a side effect of the Agar energy. However,”-illegible-“could be a result of their rushed creation. In his own words, ‘we are shepherds of life, not”-illegible-“may have to request aid from the Mawkin Hasana. The Ultimate Warriors are growing move dangerous by the days.”

Day 22: Sylux

Blood Skies computer scan

“Our attempts to hire the Bounty Hunter known as Sylux have failed. Previous reports indicated an intense hatred of the Galactic Federation, though the reasons for this animosity have been fairly unclear. What is clear to see is his penchant for disrupting Galactic Federation military supply lines.

Our own agent met Sylux at a bar he had frequented for three months. The agent asked him about the possibility of both a big score, and to twist the knife in the side of the Galactic Federation. Sylux initially showed interest, and the pair left the bar. Contact with the agent was subsequently lost. Further investigation uncovered an unfortunate discovery. The body of our agent was brutally maimed, and Sylux, presumably, scrawled a message in the agent’s own bodily fluids.

‘You’re no better.’

Further attempts to recruit Sylux have been deemed a waste of resources. Recommend search for other possible contractors.”

Day 23: Arachnus

Incomplete Chozo scrypt

“One of the more corrupted Ultimate Warriors was seen attacking an adult Arachnus. Our”-illegible-“creature was drained of its essence in a matter of seconds. After such a display of force against what was once the dominant natural predator of The Agar Planet, the problem can no longer be sidestepped or responded to a slow and delicate manor. A formal request to the Tanumar of the Mawkin Hasana has been”-illegible-“have been asked to remain indoors for their own safety. Still, the Ultimate Warriors continue to attack us. We can only hope that”-illegible

Day 24: Thardus

Orpheon computer scan

“Project Titan is proceeding with passable results. While creating a living weapon with no genetic signature has been deemed impossible, there has been success. The most successful subject has been nicknamed Thardus by security. Large rock structures have been successfully implemented, meaning that it is only a matter of time before we have a creature that can fit into a rock wall and strike when the enemy least expects it. This will make it perfectly camouflageed and difficult for enemies to detect, and with little to no maintenance, unlike costly sentries. To test safe parameters of subject growth, Thardus is to been transported planetside with the next two days.”

Day 25: Chozo Warrior

Intel Scan

“Artifact appears to be a Chozo spear. Carbon dating appears to place this weapon at being left in the dirt for around nine months. Due to the presence of long abandoned Chozo ruins on the planet, it is likely that one or more Chozo returned to this planet within the last six months. All scans of SR-388 report no non-pirate activity above the planet any sooner.”

Day 26: Gandrayda

Paper Note left on Gate

“Congratulations on Zebes! Always nice to see another Hunter hit it big. After all, you are a hunter, right? I don’t mean to pry or demean. I mean, I’d lose my license if it was known I attacked another Bounty Hunter. And how could I face down a bounty Hunter that fought a terror attack on the capitol of the Federation, captured a pirate king, and left a space pirate stronghold in shambles? I mean, that sort of thing is just unbelievable, don’t you think? I mean, it’s a really tough notion to believe. Ya know, tons of fakers claim these sorts of things all the time. But you’re the real deal. Right?

Our target is trapped within the next building, so we got time. Hopefully we can ‘chat’.

See ya, Sammy

Lady Gandrayda”

I would love it if Samus got into Mario Kart and if she did, this would be my concept for her motorcycle

The Ridley Rider