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Ridley (Metroid)

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Ridley
Metroid character
Official artwork of Ridley from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
First gameMetroid (1986)
Created byMakoto Kano
Designed byHiroji Kiyotake

Ridley (Japanese: リドリー, Hepburn: Ridorī), also known in-universe by the alias Cunning God of Death,[1] is a major antagonist in the Metroid series. An evil and aggressive draconic extraterrestrial, he became Samus Aran's archnemesis after murdering the latter's parents as he led a Space Pirate raid on her homeworld. Though having been destroyed numerous times by Samus, he is always resurrected, due in equal part to Space Pirate engineering and his natural regenerative ability, which allows him to swiftly recover from what would otherwise be fatal wounds as long as he is able to consume enough biomatter from his fallen adversaries.[2]

Originally appearing as a subordinate of Mother Brain (another primary antagonist), he returns in Metroid Prime and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption in his cybernetic Meta Ridley form, commanding the Space Pirates himself. Ridley is killed in-universe during the events of Super Metroid, though a clone of him introduced in Metroid: Other M persists after his death. Ridley has been met with a largely positive response since his debut, and has garnered a large fan-base regarding his presence in the Super Smash Bros. crossover fighting game franchise.

Appearances

[edit]
Metroid
Story chronology
Main series in bold, remakes in parentheses
[3][4]

Ridley's debut is in the Nintendo Entertainment System video game Metroid. He and Kraid are Space Pirate figureheads charged with protecting Mother Brain at a base on the planet Zebes, where they are cloning an alien species known as Metroids with the intention of converting them into biological weapons. Samus Aran kills him and the rest of the Space Pirates.[5][6] Ridley later appeared in the Metroid manga, where he is revealed to have caused the death of Samus's parents in an attack on her home world when she was a child.[7] Ridley is highly intelligent despite his appearance, and has a unique ability to recover from seemingly lethal attacks.[7] In Metroid's remake, Metroid: Zero Mission, a mechanical doppelganger known as Mecha Ridley confronts Samus in a unique post-game mission exclusive to Zero Mission, acting as the game's final boss opponent.[5][8]

Ridley appeared in the 1994 Super Nintendo Entertainment System title Super Metroid, where he attacks a space station containing the last surviving Metroid, fleeing with it to Zebes.[7][9] Samus gives chase and kills Ridley. This is his final appearance in Metroid's in-universe chronology, and believed to be his final death.[7] Ridley later appears in Metroid Prime, which takes place following the events of Metroid. Ridley is referred to as Meta Ridley in-game, and sports mechanical enhancements.[5] Ridley is encountered again in the game Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, where he battles Samus once again under the name Omega Ridley.[10] Ridley appears again in the game Metroid: Samus Returns, where he appears as the game's final boss in the form of Proteus Ridley.[8][11]

A clone of Ridley is created during the 2010 game Metroid: Other M. The clone takes the form of a creature known as Little Birdie, which quickly evolves into a fully grown Ridley.[7] The Ridley clone is later killed, and its corpse is collected and re-encountered in-universe in the 2002 game Metroid Fusion, where it is replicated by the game's main antagonists, the X Parasites. The clone is destroyed following this appearance.[12]

Ridley appears in the Super Smash Bros. crossover fighting game series in many of its installments. He appears in a cameo in Melee,[13] and acts as a boss opponent in Brawl[5] and Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U.[14] He later appears as a playable character in Ultimate.[13] Ridley additionally makes guest appearances in other video games such as Dead or Alive: Dimensions.[15]

Development

[edit]
The 1979 film Alien acted as a major inspiration to the Metroid series, and Ridley was named after the film's director, Ridley Scott (pictured)
Masahiro Sakurai (pictured), the director of the Super Smash Bros. series, was initially conflicted on including Ridley in the series.

Mike Sneath, one of three senior character artists for Metroid Prime, was responsible for designing the Meta Ridley version of Ridley seen in Metroid Prime. It took him about "20 to 25 days" to model and texture Meta Ridley, citing the wings as having taken a few days of his time, commenting that it took him a while to get the shaders to work to give his wings the appearance of having "holographic energy". He was not involved with designing the battle with Meta Ridley, which was left up to the game designers. Andrew Jones, the lead concept artist for Metroid Prime, had little to do with the design of Ridley. The initial design submitted was rejected by Nintendo, while the second design the artists submitted was approved.[16] Steve Barcia, the executive producer of Retro Studios, called Ridley his favorite enemy from Metroid Prime due to the quality of the battle and his fan appeal. He added that such a battle was rare for a first-person shooter, which helped to set Metroid Prime apart.[17] Ridley is named after Ridley Scott, director of the 1979 film Alien, which has been described by character designer Yoshio Sakamoto as a "huge influence" on the world of the Metroid series.[18]

The director of the Super Smash Bros. series, Masahiro Sakurai, stated in an interview with Nintendo Power that the development team considered including Ridley as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl but decided against the idea due to creative difficulties.[19] In an interview with IGN about Ridley's exclusion from Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, Sakurai argued that reducing Ridley's size, wingspan or mobility to include him as a fighter would not be true to the character, who is supposed to be a "truly threatening presence" that could only be correctly portrayed as a stage boss unencumbered by a fighter's size and balance restrictions.[20] Sakurai said that high demand from players inspired him to add several playable characters to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, including Ridley.[21]

Reception

[edit]

Throughout the history of the Metroid series, Ridley has received positive reception as a series antagonist by multiple sources, including Nintendo Power.[22] IGN editor Jesse Schedeen called Ridley the real villain of the Metroid series, commenting that he would have to be included in a Metroid film if one were made due to him being too important to leave out.[5] Author Daryl Baxter in the book 50 Years of Boss Fights found Ridley's boss fight in Metroid Prime to be emblematic of the series' shift to 3D, believing it showcased the effective transition of iconic elements of the series to a new medium.[23] TheGamer writer Eric Switzer found Ridley to be a good polar opposite to Samus, believing him to be representative of what would happen if Samus were to let go of her moral constraints, but disliked Ridley's role in Metroid Prime, feeling he did not have a strong presence in the game's plot which made his final battle with Samus feel unearned.[24]

Ridley has been a popular character suggestion in the Super Smash Bros. series from fans, with demand for his inclusion dating back to Melee.[13] In a 2008 issue of Nintendo Power, Masahiro Sakurai stated his reluctance to include Ridley in the series for a variety of reasons. This resulted in a vocal fanbase for the character, which took the form of both ironic internet memes and genuine support for his inclusion.[25] Kotaku writer Nathan Grayson believed the appeal of Ridley lay in Ridley's status as a "legacied" Nintendo character, as well as how the Metroid franchise lacked significant representation on the roster of the Super Smash Bros. series.[26] His initial lack of inclusion also resulted in widespread negative response on the Internet, especially when it was revealed that he was not playable in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. Many fans were also upset due to his lack of inclusion while other characters with high similarities to pre-existing characters on the roster (such as Kid Icarus character Dark Pit) were included.[26] Polygon writer Ryan Gilliam discussed Ridley's long-standing popularity with the Super Smash Bros. fanbase, which he believed to have started in the form of rumors in the early 2000s. He found Ridley to be a popular character with fans due to his history not only in Metroid's fanbase, but also in Smash's fanbase due to the long-lasting desire for Ridley to be included in the series.[13] Due to Sakurai's reluctance to include Ridley in the series, an internet meme was created about Ridley being "too big" for Smash,[13][25] which became a popular joke within the fandom.[25]

References

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  1. ^ Heath, Thomas (July 15, 2021). "Metroid: Things You Need To Know About Ridley". TheGamer. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  2. ^ "Metroid Volume 2" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on September 21, 2015. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
  3. ^ Quick, William Antonio (June 23, 2021). "Every Metroid Game In Chronological Order". TheGamer. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
  4. ^ Parish, Jeremy (August 5, 2015). "Page 2 | "I was quite surprised by the backlash": Kensuke Tanabe on Metroid Prime Federation Force". VG247. Retrieved February 15, 2023. First off, [Yoshio] Sakamoto is behind the main series, taking care of all of that, the timeline. I'm in charge of the Prime series. I had the conversation with him to decide where exactly would be a good spot for me to stick the Prime universe into that whole timeline and the best place would be between Metroid II and Super Metroid. As you know, there are multiple titles in the Metroid Prime series, but everything takes place in that very specific point. Metroid Series go down the line, but with the Prime Universe, we have to stretch sideways to expand it as much as we can in that specific spot.
  5. ^ a b c d e Schedeen, Jesse (November 20, 2009). "Big Boss of the Day: Metroid's Ridley". IGN. Archived from the original on February 23, 2020. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  6. ^ Potter, Aaron (October 7, 2021). "The Metroid Timeline Explained: What You Need to Know Before Playing Metroid Dread". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on August 31, 2024. Retrieved August 31, 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d e Heath, Thomas (July 15, 2021). "Metroid: Things You Need To Know About Ridley". TheGamer. Retrieved August 31, 2024.
  8. ^ a b Montejo, Nowell (October 8, 2021). "Metroid Primer: Samus Aran's Story So Far". TheGamer. Archived from the original on June 3, 2023. Retrieved August 31, 2024.
  9. ^ Hill, Stephen (November 12, 2013). "Super Metroid – A review for the lethargic masses". VentureBeat. Retrieved August 31, 2024.
  10. ^ "Metroid Prime 3: Corruption Walkthrough". GameSpot. Archived from the original on September 21, 2021. Retrieved August 31, 2024.
  11. ^ Montejo, Nowell (July 25, 2021). "Metroid Samus Returns Boss Fight Guide: Proteus Ridley". TheGamer. Archived from the original on December 3, 2021. Retrieved August 31, 2024.
  12. ^ Chamaillard, Kyle (March 26, 2023). "Metroid Fusion: 10 Best Boss Fights". TheGamer. Archived from the original on June 22, 2023. Retrieved August 31, 2024.
  13. ^ a b c d e Gilliam, Ryan (June 27, 2018). "Ridley was E3's best announcement for 20-somethings". Polygon. Archived from the original on June 8, 2024. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  14. ^ Life, Nintendo (October 23, 2014). "Mewtwo Returns to Super Smash Bros., Ridley and Metal Face Explained". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on August 31, 2024. Retrieved August 31, 2024.
  15. ^ Thomas, Lucas (January 19, 2011). "There's a Metroid Crossover in Dead or Alive Dimensions". IGN. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  16. ^ "The Art of Prime". IGN. August 6, 2004. Archived from the original on July 5, 2020. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  17. ^ Fox, Fennec (November 18, 2002). "Interview With Metroid Prime Developers, News from". GamePro. Archived from the original on September 5, 2010. Retrieved August 5, 2010.
  18. ^ "The Making of Super Metroid". Retro Gamer. Imagine Publishing Ltd.
  19. ^ Thomas, Lucas M. (June 29, 2007). "Smash It Up! - Volume 2". IGN. Archived from the original on June 7, 2020. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  20. ^ Otero, Jose (November 19, 2014). "Why Ridley Isn't Playable in Smash Bros". IGN. Archived from the original on February 23, 2020. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  21. ^ Martinez, Phillip (January 22, 2019). "'Decidueye Almost Made the 'Smash Ultimate' Roster". Newsweek. Archived from the original on June 2, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  22. ^ Our Favorite Villains (PDF). Vol. 250. South San Francisco, California: Future US. January 2010. p. 42. Archived from the original (Magazine) on December 29, 2009. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
  23. ^ Baxter, Daryl (August 30, 2024). 50 Years of Boss Fights: Video Game Legends. White Owl. ISBN 978-1-3990-1360-4.
  24. ^ Switzer, Eric (February 19, 2023). "What Is Ridley Even Doing In Metroid Prime?". TheGamer. Retrieved August 31, 2024.
  25. ^ a b c Grayson, Nathan (June 12, 2018). "Smash Bros Fans Have Spent A Decade Begging For Ridley, And Now It's Actually Happening". Kotaku. Archived from the original on June 8, 2024. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  26. ^ a b Grayson, Nathan (September 15, 2014). "Why Super Smash Bros Players Are So Obsessed With Ridley". Kotaku. Archived from the original on June 19, 2018. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
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