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Samus Aran is coming back sooner than expected thanks to a surprising partnership between Mercury Steam and Nintendo, as The Spanish studio developed Metroid: Samus Returns silently for two years. How did they approach Nintendo, though? We asked Enric Álvarez, co-founder of the company, to learn how it happened.
"We always wanted to make a Metroid game as said it publicly. A few years later, Sakamoto-San said he wanted to do another Metroid [game] and he thought about us because they knew we said 'we would like to do it'. Of course, Castlevania: Mirror of Fate was the proof to them that MercurySteam was the right team. And this is how it started: we met in Madrid [when] Mr. Sakamoto came, we discussed the philosophy behind the project, how we see the Metroid saga and lots of stuff. And I think they got convinced that we could do it".
Álvarez describes Samus Returns as a "reimagination of the classic game", but he finds it appealing for both die-hard fans and newcomers. "It's a game that is pleasing everyone that touches it. All the preview and first hands-on arriving are positive. I think this is because it respects the legacy and the essence of the saga and, at the same time, it moves forward with to make it friendly for new audiences."
Metroid: Samus Returns launches on Nintendo 3DS on Friday, September 15. How do you think the game will go down?
"It's a truly enjoyable and thoroughbred Metroid, and the 3D re-imagining allowed the designers to create much richer environments."
But Yoshi Sakamoto says that could change.
We lay out all the contents.
We spoke to Mercury Steam's Enric Álvarez about the game's origins.
It's not yet announced in Europe, though.
As surprised as we were by its announcement, we're even more surprised after having played it for 90 minutes.
MercurySteam's reimagining is only a month and a half away.
