By Online Games VIP Editorial
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Nintendo has revealed Metroid Ravenous, a new 2D adventure starring Samus, with an energy-draining ability and a January 28, 2027 release.
Nintendo has revealed Metroid Ravenous, a new 2D entry in the Metroid series. Game Informer reports that the announcement came during the latest Nintendo Direct and that the game is scheduled to launch on January 28, 2027.
According to Game Informer, the reveal footage follows Samus on an alien moon after she is attacked and badly injured. The trailer presents a survival-focused setup in which she must reach the surface while dealing with hostile creatures, a group of mysterious figures, and a new ability that lets her drain energy from enemies. Nintendo has not confirmed a platform in the source material, so the hardware details remain unknown.
The announcement establishes Ravenous as the next 2D Metroid game, but it leaves many practical questions open. The footage gives players a first look at movement, combat, and the setting, while the game's wider structure, scope, and release information have yet to be explained.
Game Informer's report identifies Metroid Ravenous as the next entry in the 2D Metroid series. That places the project in the side-scrolling branch of the franchise rather than the first-person format used by the Metroid Prime games. The source does not provide a longer description of the game's development history, its creative leadership, or the studio responsible for making it.
The reported release date is January 28, 2027. Game Informer describes the game as arriving very soon in relation to the announcement, but the source does not provide a launch window beyond that specific date. There is also no information in the supplied report about preorders, editions, pricing, regional availability, or any launch-day update.
Game Informer says the story appears to take place after the events of Metroid Dread. That timing is presented as an apparent placement rather than a fully explained chronology. The report does not identify the exact connection between the two games, explain how Ravenous follows Dread's ending, or confirm whether familiar characters from earlier games will return.
The setting shown in the footage is an alien moon with desert-like terrain. Game Informer reports that Samus falls into the sands and has to make her way back to the surface. The trailer's setup also involves five mysterious figures wearing cloaks and wide-brimmed hats that conceal their faces. Their identities, purpose, and relationship to Samus are not confirmed in the source.
The most distinctive mechanic reported by Game Informer is Samus's ability to siphon energy from her enemies. In the footage, she absorbs the life force of one opponent, which then dissipates. The source calls this the game's new signature energy-siphoning ability, but it does not explain whether the mechanic restores health, powers another system, unlocks movement options, or serves another purpose.
That uncertainty matters because energy management could shape how players approach encounters. This is analysis, not a confirmed description of the final game: if siphoning is tied to survival, players may have to decide when to engage enemies and when to avoid them. If it is connected to progression, the ability could also influence exploration. The available report does not establish either possibility, so the mechanic should be treated as a central question rather than a known system.
Game Informer also reports several other abilities in the reveal footage. Samus can perform a dash that warps her through walls, run across water, and use the parry mechanic previously seen in Metroid Dread. The combination suggests that Ravenous will continue the series' focus on movement-based exploration and close-range defensive timing, but the source does not say how these abilities are earned or whether they are available from the beginning.
The wall-warping dash is particularly notable from a player perspective. As analysis, a move that carries Samus through walls could create new approaches to rooms, obstacles, and combat spaces. It may also allow the game to build puzzles around timing and positioning. However, Game Informer does not provide examples of those puzzles or confirm whether the dash works on every wall, only certain surfaces, or specific marked locations.
The return of Dread's parry mechanic provides a confirmed point of continuity in the reported gameplay. Game Informer identifies the mechanic as returning, but does not describe any changes to its timing, rewards, or role in boss encounters. Players should therefore expect the feature to be present, while waiting for more information before assuming it works exactly as it did in Dread.
For players who value exploration, the early footage points to a game built around recovering from a dangerous situation and moving through an unfamiliar environment. Samus begins in a vulnerable position after an attack, and the reported objective of reaching the moon's surface gives the opening premise a clear direction. Game Informer does not say whether that objective covers the entire game or only the opening section.
The alien moon also gives Ravenous a setting distinct from the familiar locations associated with other Metroid stories. This is an observation based on the material described by Game Informer, not a claim that the game abandons the series' established structure. The report confirms desert sands, water traversal, hostile enemies, and hidden figures, but it does not reveal the moon's name, its history, its regions, or the larger environmental variety.
The reported group of five cloaked figures could become an important source of narrative tension. Game Informer shows them confronting Samus but does not identify them or explain why they attacked her. For now, their appearance is best understood as a story hook. Players should watch for whether future material identifies the group, explains their connection to the moon, or clarifies whether they are recurring enemies rather than a single opening threat.
The game's title also draws attention to its survival theme, especially alongside the energy-draining power shown in the trailer. That connection is an editorial reading of the reveal rather than a confirmed explanation from Nintendo. Game Informer's report does not define what “Ravenous” refers to, whether it describes Samus, the moon, an enemy species, or the central conflict.
The supplied Game Informer report confirms the January 28, 2027 release date, but it does not name a platform. That is the most important practical detail still missing for players deciding how they might access the game. No hardware information should be inferred from the announcement alone.
The source also does not confirm whether Ravenous will be available physically, digitally, or in both formats. It gives no price, file-size information, technical specifications, performance targets, multiplayer details, accessibility features, or language options. None of those omissions indicate a problem with development. They simply have not been addressed in the supplied reporting.
Players should also watch for clarification about the game's relationship to Metroid Dread. Game Informer presents Ravenous as seemingly set after Dread, but the report does not say how much time has passed or whether the story assumes players have completed the earlier game. That could affect how directly the new adventure continues Samus's established arc.
More gameplay information would help explain the balance between the new siphoning power and the returning parry. The reveal confirms both elements appear in the footage, yet it does not show the full combat loop, enemy variety, upgrade structure, map design, or boss encounters. Those systems will determine how much the new game changes the familiar 2D Metroid formula.
While details about Metroid Ravenous remain limited, the supplied catalog includes two earlier games bearing the series name. Players looking for an existing entry can explore Classic NES Series: Metroid or Metroid. These catalog listings provide relevant ways to revisit the series while waiting for Nintendo to share more about Ravenous.
The catalog information does not identify which version, release format, or features are associated with either listing beyond the supplied titles. Their inclusion here is based on their direct connection to Metroid, not on any claim that they reproduce Ravenous's new mechanics.
What remains unconfirmed
At this stage, the confirmed picture is focused on the reveal, the 2D format, the alien-moon setting, selected abilities, and the January 28, 2027 date. Game Informer does not provide a platform, price, edition information, developer details, or a fuller launch plan.
The report also leaves the story's major questions unanswered. The identities of the five cloaked figures are unknown, as are the circumstances of Samus's attack and the reason she must escape the moon. The function of the energy siphon, the structure of the surface objective, and the overall scale of the adventure are likewise unconfirmed.
For now, the strongest takeaway is that Nintendo has revealed a new 2D Metroid adventure with a visible emphasis on survival, traversal, and enemy energy. The next useful update will need to explain where players can play it, how the new ability works in the wider game, and how directly the story follows Metroid Dread.