History VideoGame / MetroidOtherM

* DisposingOfABody: The Deleter disposes of one of his victims by throwing the body into a pit of lava.

--->''"Any objections, Adam?"''

** Samus in cutscenes is analytical, pondering, and in some cases, sentimental and emotional. Gameplay Samus is none of these traits as she wrangles an alien to the ground and fires a fully charged beam into its open mouth.

* CameraScrew: The fixed viewpoint camera when you're in the third-person mode can be quite off-putting for people who are used to the generally very good camera controls in Nintendo's main franchise games. Fortunately, this usually isn't too obnoxious in actual gameplay, but it can lead to some annoying moments when you get ambushed by enemies lurking just off-camera, or in some cases behind the scenery.

* FourStarBadass: General Adam Malkovich is the person Samus respects ([[AlternateCharacterInterpretation or is intimidated by]]) the most in the game. But you have to be badass to do what he did at the end of the game; he could very well be the only human capable of [[spoiler:killing Samus]], judging from when he [[spoiler:shot her, causing her to lose her power suit and most of her stamina. And this was only ONE shot!]]

* GagSub: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wht3rRGMw28 Metroid: Other M -- The reMovie]] which, among other things, has Samus [[CloudCuckoolander monologuing about whether she should order baby-back ribs after her training exercise]], and the [[ScrappyMechanic authorization mechanic]] is explained away as Samus doing a [[MinimalistRun low % run]] just to piss off Adam.

* MacrossMissileMassacre: Rhedogian does this. After you beat it the last time, you get the Seeker Missiles.

* {{Metroidvania}}: Severely downplayed. While the series stable of Samus getting new weapons and abilities as the game progresses is still in place, the structure of the game is linear to a point where it even surpasses ''Fusion'', as doors frequently locks behind Samus, effectively preventing any meaningful backtracking or exploration. The game first fully opens up during the PlayableEpilogue, during which all there is left to do is collecting left-over energy and missile tanks and fighting a BonusBoss.

* NeverFoundTheBody: [[spoiler:Misawa. Justified in that he was dumped in magma, though]].

* NintendoHard: This is basically ''VideoGame/NinjaGaiden'' wrapped around a Metroid game. It'll take you a few tries to defeat some of the earlier enemies as you learn the combat mechanics, and even then, this game requires a lot more skill and attention than the other Metroid games.

** That said, this is really only true if a player tries to dodge attacks by jumping and non-sensemove running. With sensemove - or just ''blindly mashing the d-pad to initiate it'' - combat becomes laughably easy in most contexts.

** If you look carefully, you'll notice that there are no toilets in the bathrooms, just stalls. Of course, the one stall you can open may have simply had its toilet removed and inexplicably replaced with an Accel Charge.

* NonstandardGameOver: Occurs if you let a certain boss kill Anthony before you use the just authorized Grapple Beam to get to him. Fortunately, he can't die during the actual boss fight.

* ObstructiveBureaucrat: Some players see Adam as this due to the game's "Authorization" element in which Samus has all her equipment but cannot use it without authorization, even in situations where it might save her life.

** Hard mode is this. [[spoiler:Due to the player being stuck at 99 energy max, some enemy attacks halfway to near the end of the game will inflict damage more than a whole Energy Tank's worth, and since there's no LastChanceHitPoint mechanic in Hard mode, GameOver.]]
* OneHundredPercentCompletion: Unlocks hard mode, which removes all power ups such as Energy Tanks and Missile Expansions.

* PixelHunt: Many of the forced first person segments fall into this.
* PlayableEpilogue: After the credits roll, you can explore the ship, and try to reach 100%.

* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: [[spoiler:After the fight with Ridley, he's so fearful for his life he blasts a hole through a wall and jets through it trying to get away]].

* ShipSinking: ''Because I was so young when I lost both of my parents, there's no question that I saw Adam as a father figure.'' Ouch.
** Many people have interpreted this as this game's version of Samus having an [[FreudianExcuse Electra Complex]]. A surprisingly large number of people both old and new fans still refer to Adam as being "Samus's ex-boyfriend," [[CowboyBebopAtHisComputer even in reviews]].
** It's worth noting that the game makes subtle hints that Samus may or may not have been in a relationship with [[spoiler:Adam's younger brother, Ian. Especially when it's not-quite-as-subtly hinted that his death is the reason she left the GF and became a bounty hunter.]]

** Quite a few ''Alien'' references as well, as per tradition:

* SomethingOnlyTheyWouldSay: "Any objections, lady?" Back in ''Fusion'', it was Samus' sign that [[spoiler:the AI was Adam]]; in ''Other M'', its use in the trailer was the first tip-off to the ''fans'' that it was a ''Metroid'' title.
** And Anthony is the only person who calls her "Princess." [[spoiler:That's the tip-off that he survived in the ending]].

** Note that this isn't her first time actually talking. She talked and even did monologues in ''Fusion'', albeit unvoiced.

* TraumaCongaLine: So let's recap; Before the game starts, Samus is just recovering from a very physically and mentally taxing mission, then meets her former CO and parental figure, Adam, whom she left with bitter terms and hasn't met for a long time, so has to reconcile. [[spoiler:But then she has to once again take arms and fight. Then she has to confront Ridley, her most feared and hated enemy who should this time be DeaderThanDead, and then witnesses her close friend getting killed. After that, Adam has to sacrifices himself in front of her in order to save everyone, and after that, she was left almost powerless to do anything when the military takes action.]] This... isn't a good day for Samus.
** It gets somewhat worse. [[spoiler:Then she returns to get Adam's helmet and is attacked again, this time with the enemies under Phantoon, and then is almost killed in the destruction of the Bottle Ship.]]

* VideoGameCrueltyPotential: After [[spoiler:the destruction of Sector Zero]], the access corridor starts to break off, leading to explosive decompression. While you're escaping, you see several Zebesians trying to cling on for dear life in the corridor -- if you so wish, you can help speed them to their demise by shooting them, which causes them to lose their grip and fly off into space.

* VoodooShark: The Authorization system was intended to make more sense than the series's typical BagOfSpilling OnceAnEpisode. Instead, every review notes the justification of possible harm to allies as a reason Samus can't use purely defensive or exploration based upgrades makes less sense.

* TheWorfEffect: You can tell that [[spoiler:the Queen Metroid]] isn't going to be a pushover when you see it [[spoiler:kill Ridley]].

** Given her backstory, Samus herself easily qualifies. She also gets bonus points for having actually destroyed [[VideoGame/MetroidPrime3Corruption a few]] [[VideoGame/SuperMetroid worlds]].

* AddedAlliterativeAppeal: One that is somewhat PlayedForLaughs: the '''S'''eriously '''S'''ophisticated '''S'''ecurity '''S'''ystem.

* ConvectionSchmonvection: [[ZigZaggingTrope At first averted, but later played straight]]. In the infamous Sector 3 runthrough, Samus doesn't activate her Varia suit, and takes constant damage as a result. Later, when Samus [[spoiler:saves Anthony, he doesn't seem to have any ill effects from being around the hot lava, though it is possible that the G-Fed army suits are very good at protecting from the elements. This is also in play when the miniboss you just fought suffers no ill effects from diving straight into the lava]]. The fact that there is lava all at means that this trope is played very straight. Space, being a vacuum, means that heat has nowhere to go, therefore the bottle ship should be at volcanic temperatures all through.

* ContinuitySnarl

* {{Futureshadowing}}: Lots of it for ''VideoGame/MetroidFusion'', such as [[spoiler: the [=GF=] (or at least a part of it) being a NebulousEvilOrganisation]].

* GenreBlind: Adam sends Samus to a lava area without authorizing her Varia Suit (a suit that protects Samus from deadly heat and convection), despite the justification for the authorization system was that it was a rescue mission so strong ''weapons'' are to be restricted to avoid collateral damage. Note that this only applies to the official translation, as the Japanese version of this scene was ''completely different'': in the Japanese version, [[spoiler:Samus outright refused to turn on her Varia suit to prove a point, to which Adam effectively responded, "OK, I get it, now ''please turn on your suit''."]] The massive differences between the Japanese and English versions go a long way towards explaining why this game is much more popular in Japan.

** The bonus boss [[spoiler:Phantoon]] randomly attacks Samus when she returns to the ship in search of [[spoiler:Adam's helmet]].

* HealingCheckpoint: Save stations double as replenishing stations.

** She's a woman who is more heavily armed than the entire squad put together ten times over, specializes in exploring and securing hostile environments and is the only person he can remain in constant communication with. What does Adam do with this major windfall? Heavily restricts her armaments, defenses and methods. His first job for her: go turn on the lights.

* {{Interquel}}: Other M is one between ''VideoGame/SuperMetroid'' and ''VideoGame/MetroidFusion''.
* InvisibleWall: Many of these barriers were put in to deny SequenceBreaking.
* IronicEcho: [[spoiler:Anthony]]'s thumbs-down in the ending, which [[spoiler:ironically comes right after Samus gives a thumbs up for the first time]].

* JumpScare: At the Exam Center part of the game, there's a room with six doors. You hear a [[HellIsThatNoise strange monotonous beeping noise]] as you walk through the room. [[spoiler:Five of these have nothing in them. However, the third door has what appears to be the lifeless corpse of a Zebesian; the camera immediately cuts to a close-up of it as it falls toward Samus. Even she jumps.]]
** Another example is Samus's first glimpse of [[spoiler:Melissa Bergman.]] During a scan mode section, the player might not even notice [[spoiler:her]] until they pass the cursor over the window [[spoiler:she's]] peering out of. When that happens, the camera rapidly zooms in on [[spoiler:MB]], accompanied by an appropriate ScareChord.

* LastChanceHitPoint: Any attack that reduces Samus to zero energy instead leaves her LifeMeter flickering between 0 and 1, and she can take ''one'' more hit before a Game Over. She ''can'' get killed in one attack if multiple hits are involved and she's reduced to zero mid-way in the attack (for example: if Samus gets grabbed, slammed into the floor, and then thrown across the ground, she'll be dead if the first hit knocks her down to her LastChanceHitPoint).
** In Hard Mode, ''there is no last chance''. [[spoiler:Good luck with the Queen Metroid's [[OneHitKill flame attack]].]]

* LaterInstallmentWeirdness: It's far more focused on story and has loads of cutscenes and dialogues. The game is more linear than its predecessors and has less exploration than other games, including ''Fusion''. The gameplay includes unusual melee combat and quick time events. Also you no longer need to shoot doors to open them. The powerups are gotten by authorization instead of finding them in some places, and enemies no longer drop collectibles (meaning that Samus has to use Concentration to refill). This game also introduces a collectible item called the "Accel Charge" which reduces the time needed to charge up the Charge Beam: no other game in the franchise has featured this. Also, because of the Concentration mechanic, Samus has to collect "E-Recovery Tanks" which enables the ability to restore more health, otherwise Concentration will only ever recover up to 99 health points. Another new collectible introduced in this game are "Energy Parts" which equal 1 Energy Tank for every 4 Parts obtained. This is also the only game in the series where Power Bombs do not have ammo, only a cooldown period.
** Some of these elements would later be used in the games developed by [=MercurySteam=], with both ''Samus Returns'' and ''Dread'' featuring a heavy emphasis on melee counters leading into flashy cinematics and then QTE prompts. ''Dread'' would also bring back the Energy Parts collectibles.

* MinimalistRun: What Hard mode basically is; all item expansions (missles, energy, etc.) are removed.

It's worth noting that the official translation of ''Other M'' is ''horrendous'' and completely mistranslates several scenes, turning Adam into an unreasonable jerk and giving Samus several OutOfCharacter moments. For example, this game's most infamous scene, in which [[spoiler:Adam refuses to authorize Samus' Varia suit at a moment when she desperately needs protection from heat]], is almost the ''exact opposite'' of its Japanese counterpart: [[spoiler:''Samus'' refuses to turn on ''her own'' Varia suit to prove a point, while Adam, looking on in horror, ''begs'' her to turn it on.]] ''Other M'' is extremely divisive in the West, but Japan had a much more positive response to it, largely because Japan literally ''wasn't playing the same game'' the rest of the world was. A lengthy analysis of what went wrong with the translation can be found [[https://youtu.be/KTuMfsWwd0E in this YouTube video]], and LostInTranslation below goes into further detail about some of them. The ramifications on this article are that many of the tropes on this page ''only'' apply to the English version, since the Japanese plot and characterization are often unrecognizably different.

It's worth noting that the official translation of ''Other M'' is ''horrendous'' and completely mistranslates several scenes, turning Adam into an unreasonable jerk and giving Samus several OutOfCharacter moments. For example, this game's most infamous scene, in which [[spoiler:Adam refuses to authorize Samus' Varia suit at a moment when she desperately needs protection from heat]], is almost the ''exact opposite'' of its Japanese counterpart: [[spoiler:''Samus'' refuses to turn on ''her own'' Varia suit to prove a point, while Adam, looking on in horror, ''begs'' her to turn it on.]] ''Other M'' is extremely divisive in the West, but one of the most popular entries in the series in Japan, which is largely because Japan literally ''wasn't playing the same game'' the rest of the world was. A lengthy analysis of what went wrong with the translation can be found [[https://youtu.be/KTuMfsWwd0E in this YouTube video]]. The ramifications on this article are that many of the tropes on this page below ''only'' apply to translations of the game, since the Japanese plot and characterization are often unrecognizably different.

* GenreBlind: Adam sends Samus to a lava area without authorizing her Varia Suit (a suit that protects Samus from deadly heat and convection), despite the justification for the authorization system was that it was a rescue mission so strong ''weapons'' are to be restricted to avoid collateral damage.

* OddballInTheSeries: Aside from being the only 3D game that is not first-person, it's also the game with the most emphasis on plot and cutscenes, as well as the first to feature Samus' melee abilities outside of the non-canon ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' (''VideoGame/MetroidSamusReturns'' would also feature a melee counterattack, but it was more streamlined and downplayed compared to ''Other M'').

* EverythingsBetterWithSpinning: The famed Screw Attack is powerful enough to one-shot most enemies.

* BadassInDistress: Samus ends up captured by [[spoiler:James and Madeleine]] after being lured to an ambush and losing her suit. She can only escape with the help of [[spoiler:Adam]].

* InterfaceScrew:
** When you are under the effects of [[spoiler:Nightmare]]'s gravity limitations, everything seems blurry and the sound seems to be softened a little.
** Samus visor suffers fron some random glitches at times, but she usually doesn't pay too much attention to it. Turns out the cause[[spoiler:is Madeleine's virus slowly corrupting her suit, but by the time she finds out, she has already lost her armor and got captured]].

* DecoyDamsel: When Samus first meets her,[[spoiler: Madeleine Bergman pretends to be a captive scientist, claiming that she was imprisoned by the corrupt leaders of the Bottle Ship operation after she refused to carry on with the illegal experiments]]. Turns out [[spoiler: she is the mastermind behind the whole thing]], and it's all a ploy to gain Samus's trust in order to [[spoiler: upload a virus in to her suit that allows MB to deactivate it at any time, resulting in the heroine herself ending up as the one captured for real, in the same cell she initially found Madeleine]].

* ControllableHelplessness:
** When Samus faces down the Deleter, her suit will be locked down by the [[spoiler:virus uploaded by Madeleine]], rendering her paralyzed and helpless. The firts person view lets you target [[spoiler:James]] and his men while he gloats, but Samus's suit won't allow you to shoot at all, it's weapons deactivated. You can only watch while she loses her armor and gets knocked unconscious.
** After getting captured in the scene mentioned above, you regain control of Samus while she is tied up to a chair in an interrogation cell. You can actually try to move, but all this will do is make her struggle against her restraints in an effort to free herself, to no avail. The only way to progress is by inspecting the room in the first person view to realize she can't escape on her own, wich will trigger [[spoiler:Adam's]] convenient rescue to play off.
** Later in the game, Samus gets recaptured and put in futuristic holographic handcuffs. You can only move forward alongside your captors, trying to stay still will lead to her get getting pushed in to walking. The chance of escape comes shortly after in the form of the HackingMinigame.

* DeathGlare:
** Little Birdie gives Samus one when you first meet it. [[spoiler:Given that he is a clone of Ridley, it would be OutOfCharacter to do anything less]].
** Samus herself gives [[spoiler:Madeleine and James]] a lot of these while she is their captive, specially when the former brings up her parents death to persuade her of why she sould support her methods.

** Samus herself gives [[spoiler:Madeleine and James]] a lot of these while she is their captive, specially when the former brings up her parents death to persuade her of why ahe sould support her methods.

** Samus herself gives [[spoiler]]:Madeleine and James]] a lot of these while she is their captive, specially when the former brings up her parents death to persuade her of why ahe sould support her methods.

* DeathGlare: Little Birdie gives Samus one when you first meet it. [[spoiler:Given that he is a clone of Ridley, it would be OutOfCharacter to do anything less]].

* DecoyDamsel: When Samus first meets her,[[spoiler: Madeleine Bergman pretends to be a captive scientist, claiming that she was imprisoned by the corrupt leaders of the Bottle Ship operation after she refused to carry on with the illegal experiments]]. Turns out [[spoiler: she is the mastermind behind the whole thing]], and it's all a ploy to gain Samus's trust in order to [[spoiler: upload a virus in to her suit that allows MB to deactivate it at any time, with the heroine herself ending up captured for real in the same cell she initially found Madeleine]].

* InterfaceScrew: When you are under the effects of [[spoiler:Nightmare]]'s gravity limitations, everything seems blurry and the sound seems to be softened a little.

** After getting captured in the scene mentioned above, you regain control of Samus while she is tied up to a chair in an interrogation cell. You can actually try to move, but all this will do is make her struggle against her bonds in an effort to free herself, to no avail. The only way to progress is by inspecting the room in the first person view to realize she can't escape on her own, wich will trigger [[spoiler:Adam's]] convenient rescue to play off.

* DecoyDamsel: When Samus first meets her,[[spoiler: Madeleine Bergman pretends to be a captive scientist, claiming that she was imprisoned by the corrupt leaders of the Bottle Ship operation after she refused to carry on with the illegal experiments]]. Turns out [[spoiler: she is the mastermind behind the whole thing]], and it's all a ploy to gain Samus's trust in order to [[spoiler: upload a virus in to her suit that allows MB to deactivate at any time, with the heroine herself ending up captured for real in the same cell she initially found Madeleine]].

** After getting captured in the previously mentioned scene, you regain control of Samus while she is tied up to a chair in an interrogation cell. You can actually try to move, but all this will do is make her struggle against her bonds in an effort to free herself, to no avail. The only way to progress is by inspecting the room in the first person view to realize she can't escape on her own, wich will trigger [[spoiler:Adam's]] convenient rescue to play off.

** When Samus faces down the Deleter, her suit will be locked down by the [[spoiler:virus uploaded by Madeleine]], rendering her paralyzed and helpless. The firts person view lets you target [[spoiler:James]] and his men while he gloats,but Samus's suit won't allow you to shoot at all, it's weapons deactivated. You can only watch while she loses her armor and gets knocked unconscious.
** After getting captured in the previously mentioned scene, you regain control of Samus while she is tied up to a chair in an interrogation room. You can actually try to move, but all this will do is make her struggle against her bonds in an effort to free herself, to no avail. The only way to progress is by inspecting the room to realize she can't escape on her own, wich will trigger [[spoiler:Adam's]] convenient rescue to play off.

** When Samus faces down the Deleter, her suit will be locked down by the [[spoiler:virus uploades by Madeleine]], rendering her paralyzed and helpless. The firts person view lets you target [[spoiler:James]] and his men while he gloats,but Samus's suit won't allow you to shoot at all, it's weapons deactivated. You can only watch while she loses her armor and gets knocked unconscious.

** Later in the game, Samus gets recaptured and put in futuristic holographic handcuffs. You can only move forward alongside your captors, trying to stay still will lead to her get getting pushed in to walking. The chance of escape comes shortly after in the form of the