Back in July, all we had was a deleted ratings listing from Brazil and a name: Metroid Ravenous. There was no trailer, no platform, no gameplay—nothing.

Now, everything has been revealed. Nintendo officially announced the game during the latest Nintendo Direct. Metroid Ravenous is coming to Switch 2 on January 28th, 2027, and the trailer ends with Samus Aran feeding on her enemies.

Yes. Feeding.

This is Metroid, but hungrier and a bit more terrifying. In this video, I’ll cover everything Nintendo has confirmed, what the trailer shows, who is likely developing it, the price, how my predictions from the leak video turned out, and the one thing that worries me. Some of my guesses were right, and some were way off. Let’s get started.

It’s official, and it’s the next 2D Metroid.

Let’s start with the basics.

Metroid Ravenous is the next 2D Metroid, revealed during the Nintendo Direct and coming to Nintendo Switch 2. Nintendo describes it as an all-new 2D adventure, set to release on January 28th, 2027. That date isn’t too far off.

The story takes place after Metroid Dread, making it a direct follow-up to the biggest 2D Metroid in years. Nintendo hasn’t confirmed the exact timeline, so consider this a strong impression, not an official fact.

The main idea is simple. Nintendo’s tagline sums it up in five words: eat or be eaten.

Samus crash-lands, and she’s in trouble

Here’s the setup. Samus’s ship crash-lands on a moon. Before she can get her bearings, she’s ambushed by a mysterious group of assassins, and she’s severely wounded in the attack.

This is a very different opening from what we’re used to. Usually, Samus begins these games as the most dangerous person around. This time, she’s hurt, stranded, and being hunted.

In the trailer, Samus explains that she was attacked by unknown assailants and seriously injured. She doesn’t know where she is. Getting back to the surface will be tough, and her chances aren’t great. Still, she plans to survive and make it home, even if it means feeding on her enemies.

This changes the structure of the game. Samus is exploring an underground world, gaining new abilities, and trying to reach the surface. Metroid games usually focus on going deeper into danger, but now the journey is about escaping. It might seem like a small change, but it could make the game feel very different.

Eat or be eaten

The big new feature is that Samus uses her hidden Metroid powers to regain energy by feeding on her enemies.

Nintendo explains that you stun enemies by countering their attacks, then quickly drain their energy. In the trailer, Samus absorbs a foe’s life force, causing the enemy to disappear. It’s both eerie and brutal.

This changes how combat works. In most Metroid games, you find health pickups. Here, you take health directly from enemies, but only after surviving their attacks. This risk-and-reward system encourages you to play more aggressively.

It’s easy to link this to the Metroid DNA Samus gained in Metroid Fusion and how Dread expanded on it. That’s just my interpretation, though. Nintendo hasn’t made that connection clear.

Long-time fans will notice the Metroid Suit, which was briefly unlocked at the end of Dread, seems to be returning. The special edition even includes an amiibo of Samus in this suit. Now, Samus is becoming what she once hunted.

Five Space Ninjas want her dead

Now let’s talk about the people who put her in this mess.

The group that attacks Samus is made up of five Space Ninjas, waiting for her throughout the maze-like world. In the trailer, they appear as mysterious figures in cloaks and wide-brimmed hats that hide their faces. Their look is a mix of gunslinger and assassin, fitting the alien desert setting.

Nintendo says you’ll face these enemies in one-on-one battles, getting up close with the assassins and their powerful weapons. The theme for this part of the game is revenge.

No one outside Nintendo knows how these encounters fit into the map yet. Still, having five unique rivals with their own personalities could make this game stand out from Dread.

The new toolkit

The trailer also gives us a first look at how Samus moves.

Samus can now run across water. The parry move from Metroid Dread returns, which is important for the counter and drain system. There are also finishing attacks and a new warp move, though reports differ on how it works. Some say it lets Samus move through walls, while others say she can warp in mid-air. I’ll need to check the footage to be sure.

Everyone seems to agree that the melee combat looks more intense than ever. One outlet said this feels like a true follow-up to Dread, but with even more melee action. Keep that in mind—I’ll return to this point later.

The trailer also shows Samus falling into the sands of an alien desert and clawing her way out. It’s a small moment, but it sets the tone. She’s not celebrating a win—she’s fighting to survive.

Who is making it?

So, who’s behind it?

In my leak video, I said MercurySteam was the most likely developer, and the evidence for that has grown stronger. It’s still not official, though. Nintendo hasn’t named a developer, and when asked directly, they didn’t respond.

However, MercurySteam recently reposted Nintendo’s announcement after months of silence on its social media, adding a ninja emoji and a heart. The ninja clearly hints at the five assassins. It’s not an official confirmation, but it’s about as close as a studio can get without saying it outright.

If MercurySteam is behind this, it would be their third Metroid game. They began with the 3DS remake of Metroid II, Samus Returns, and then made Dread, which is considered one of the best 2D Metroid games in recent years. The parry, precise combat, and overall feel of the trailer all suggest the same team is building on their previous work.

The price, the editions, and the tech

Now the practical stuff.

Metroid Ravenous launches on January 28th, 2027, and pre-orders opened on the day of the Direct.

The digital version costs £49.99 or $59.99. In the US, the physical version is $69.99. I haven’t seen a UK price for the physical version, so I won’t guess.

Two new amiibo are launching: one of Samus and one of the Chozo Statue. There’s also a special edition that includes the game, a SteelBook, and a third amiibo of Samus in her Metroid Suit. It’s priced at $119.99 on Nintendo’s US store, and it was already sold out at the time of the report. I haven’t seen UK availability yet.

On the technical side, the eShop listing confirms 120Hz output on compatible TVs, as well as HDR, surround sound, and amiibo support. There is no information yet about specific performance modes.

How my leak video held up

Let’s check how my predictions from the leak video turned out.

I said it would be a Switch 2 game. Right.

I predicted that a return to 2D could be what Metroid needed, and that fans were hoping for a Dread-style game. So far, that’s exactly what we’re getting.

I said MercurySteam was the most likely developer. That seems correct, and their emoji post is a strong hint, but it’s still not official.

The Brazilian rating flagged violence involving weapons, blood, and death. A game about fighting assassins and draining enemies’ life? That fits.

However, I also predicted an October or November release, similar to Dread. That was wrong—it’s coming in January. This means Nintendo has given it its own release window, away from the busy end of the year.

I suggested it might be the sixth mainline game. One outlet is calling it that, and it definitely looks like a mainline entry. But Nintendo describes it as an all-new 2D adventure, so it’s likely but not confirmed.

And the claim that more than one Metroid project is in development? Still unconfirmed. Ravenous doesn’t prove it or disprove it.

The one thing that worries me

Now, I said I’d tell you what worries me. And it’s not the concept.

I’m concerned about how demanding the game might be.

Metroid Dread was much more technical than earlier games. It was great, but some of the later boss fights were so demanding they started to feel like work.

Ravenous seems to be going even further in that direction. With parries, counters, finishing attacks, five one-on-one duels, and more melee than ever, it puts a lot of pressure on your reflexes.

At its core, Metroid is about eerie exploration and slowly searching through strange alien worlds, not just testing your reflexes. Dread captured that feeling well, so I’m not saying Ravenous won’t. We’ve only seen a trailer so far. I just hope there’s enough breathing room between the fights.

Is this the reset Metroid needed?

So, where does that leave us?

Last time we discussed Metroid Ravenous, the series was coming off a tough year, and I said that returning to 2D could help win back fans. Now that we’ve seen the game, that argument feels even stronger.

The game looks confident. The eat-or-be-eaten idea is a strong hook. The villains are interesting, the price is reasonable, and it builds on a formula that already works.

Is it perfect? We don’t know yet. Nintendo hasn’t shared many details, and I’m not going to pretend otherwise. But at first glance, this looks promising.

So let me know in the comments. Do you like the idea of Samus as a predator, or does it take something away from the isolation and vulnerability that Metroid is known for? And what do you think of the five Space Ninjas?

If you enjoyed this, please subscribe. I’ll be covering all the news about Metroid Ravenous up to its release on January 28th. Thanks for watching, and see you next time.