Metroid: Other M Might Have Been On-Rails, If Not For Team Ninja

Yoshio Sakamoto, the Metroid co-creator and WarioWare producer, says that his latest game, Metroid: Other M, was originally planned to be an on-rails adventure. If that sounds like Metroid sacrilege to you, thank co-developer Team Ninja for changing Sakamoto’s mind.

Sakamoto said at his Game Developers Conference session “From Metroid to Tomodachi Collection to WarioWare: Different Approaches for Different Audiences” that there was one design decision he was “unable to budge on” during the development of Metroid: Other M. The Wii game would be controlled only with the Wii Remote.

“I thought Samus should move along a set path,” Sakamoto said. “That’s right. Samus would be moving along a rail, as long as the camera angle was capable of keeping up with the action.” That’s a fairly substantial change for a game known for its open-ended exploration.

When Team Ninja chimed in on Other M’s control scheme, staffers suggested using the Nunchuk as well. Sakamoto wouldn’t budge.

“They understood my reason immediately,” he said, so”they proposed a full 3D map, where Samus could move to other points with the control pad.” When the time came for Sakamoto to test Team Ninja’s proposed control scheme, “It was perfect.”

We’ll all be able to test out Team Ninja and Nintendo’s control compromise when Metroid: Other M ships for the Wii this June.