Metroid Dread has been a huge breath of fresh air for the Switch. It was announced out of nowhere and successfully launched to critical and fan acclaim. Putting the "Metroid" back into Metroidvania, Nintendo and Mercury Stream took elements from all previous entries in the series and crafted what some would consider being the perfect sequel.
Gameplay aside, Metroid Dread also has quite an interesting story with all manner of twists, turns, and revelations. That being said, once the credits roll, we were left with some unanswered questions that deserve some delving into. Whilst not always spoken, Metroid Dread is a master of environmental storytelling, so a little bit of speculation could make some sense of it all.
Spoilers ahead.
6 How Did Kraid Make It To ZDR?
Kraid is a recurring boss in the Metroid series - one that was around way back in Metroid on the NES as a little spikey lizard thing. Nowadays, Kraid is somewhat terrifying, takes up an entire screen, fires human-sized spikes from its stomach, and can endure quite the beating before going down. The question is though: How is Kraid here? He died in Super Metroid and didn't make an appearance in Metroid Fusion.
In Metroid Dread, when you fight the big lad himself, he has a collar on. These collars make an appearance in other areas of Metroid Dread and seem to be reserved for clones. This could explain why Kraid is alive and kicking. Another interlinked reason could be that he is an X Parasite. Because Kraid dies in a vat of lava, we never see if his core is released, but an X copy would also fit the bill here - especially since the X are running rampant not too long after Kraid's demise.
5 Where's Ridley?
The leader of the Space Pirates, bringer of PTSD, and the most iconic boss in all of Metroid, Ridley, is nowhere to be seen in Metroid Dread. It feels like Ridley has been around since day one, and never left. So why isn't he here? We've fought clones, X copies, and mecha variants in the past after all.
One explanation could be because he's dead. Properly dead, dead. In Fusion, Ridley, or Neo Ridley, was an X Parasite. Now, the X Parasite can replicate as we saw with the SA-X, but if, for sake of argument, Samus killed the only Neo Ridley, then that would probably be the end of the Ridley line of clones. Does this mean Ridley is gone forever? Unlikely. It's more likely Mercury Stream didn't want to bring back too many bosses from older games, and Kraid was already selected as the nostalgia pick.
4 Is This The End Of The X Parasite?
As is always the case with Metroid, once Samus has finished her job, she blows up whatever facility or planet she is on. It's a tried and tested trope that Dread executes perfectly. This raises the question - are the X gone for good? Introduced in Fusion, the X are nothing if not tenacious. They are practically indestructible and the only thing that seems to defeat them is the Metroids - an extinct race that Samus just so happens to share DNA with.
The issue is, the X have faced three separate extinction events that we know of. One at the hands of the Metroids before the series started, once at the hands of Samus during Fusion, and again, thanks to Samus in Dread. It's certainly possible that the X are gone forever, but a parasitic race that can multiply seemingly at will means, if only one parasite survived, the threat will return eventually.
3 Is Samus Still A Metroid?
The big reveal at the end of Metroid Dread was that Samus was no longer a Human-Chozo-Metroid-hybrid, but a full-blown Metroid. A side effect of being infused with Metroid DNA was the potential of that DNA awakening and altering her genetic makeup to resemble that of a Metroid. Her near-death encounter with Raven Beak kickstarted the transition.
Her powers were spiraling out of control by the game's end, but the last-minute intervention by X Quiet Robe seemed to revert her to her regular self. It's unclear whether her Metroid DNA is still developing or whether it is now dormant. At the very least, Samus now has control over her body, and we'll see if future games touch on this point again. The ultimate bounty hunter and the ultimate lifeform combined? Now that's a power couple.
2 Where Did The Hyper Beam Come From?
One of the side-effects of Samus unlocking her Metroid abilities was a pretty awesome suit of organic power armor and the Hyper Beam upgrade. This thing had enough wallop to end Raven Beak in a single concentrated blast, and more than enough force to punch a hole through every enemy, door, and wall standing between Samus and escape. As far as weapons go, this version of the Hyper Beam is by far the most powerful.
But how did Samus gain the Hyper Beam in the first place? Going back to Super, Samus unlocked the Hyper Beam when the last Metroid jacked up Samus's suit giving her the power to kill Mother Brain. Speculation time. It would seem Samus' power suit responds to Metroids in a rather unique way (being of Chozo origin). It's possible, like with the baby Metroid, her suit absorbed Samus' new power and translated that into the Hyper Beam.
1 Is This The End Of Metroid?
Nintendo was very clear during their announcements that Metroid Dread was the last entry in the current Metroid storyline. That would imply that we are unlikely to see any direct sequel to Dread. Narratively speaking, this makes sense. Dread confirms that the Metroids are extinct. If they existed, Raven Beak would have found them. With the death of Quiet Robe and Raven Beak, the Chozo have gone the way of the Dodo too. Finally, the X Parasite is probably out of commission.
The only other threat Samus has combated in the main series are the Space Pirates lead by Ridley and Mother Brain. The thing is, they have been gone for two whole games now. It would seem Samus did put an end to them in Super Metroid. As a whole, Dread has wrapped up Samus' story for now. Considering how successful Metroid Dread appears to have been, however, I doubt this is the end of Samus. New enemies will emerge and, with a bit of luck, we might get a whole new pentalogy in the future.