Recent footage from Metroid: Glutton showcases Samus's ability to absorb enemies, an action that appears to charge an energy meter in the UI. However, how this energy system specifically impacts combat and exploration has not yet been clearly explained.
In the game, a severely injured Samus is stranded on an unfamiliar satellite, facing unidentified attackers. Certain cutscenes and standard exploration scenes show her armored arm emitting a purple glow; after successfully blocking, she can absorb targets, causing the absorbed enemies to vanish completely.
A circular interface also appears in the upper-left corner of the screen, featuring a pink "E" icon similar in color to the glow on Samus's arm. As Samus absorbs enemies, nodes in the center of the interface gradually increase, with the demo showing states ranging from one to four slots. This suggests that players may need to accumulate a limited resource through absorption, though its actual purpose cannot be determined from the current footage alone.
One possibility is that this energy can be used to execute specific techniques to aid in combat or exploration. In the demo, Samus absorbs a creature resembling a flying insect, but it remains unconfirmed whether different enemies grant different abilities, or if defeating and absorbing bosses yields permanent upgrades or increases energy capacity.
This design represents a potential departure from the growth mechanics seen in previous Metroid titles. The series has traditionally linked abilities, upgrades, and exploration progress, requiring players to defeat specific bosses and acquire new powers to access previously unreachable areas. Whether Metroid: Glutton will build upon this foundation by adding an enemy-absorption resource system remains to be clarified by official sources.
Castlevania: Belmont's Curse, another title in the Metroidvania genre, also employs growth mechanics tied to enemy abilities. Current demo content shows that the protagonist can obtain special Arcana Cards and use magic after defeating bosses, with related abilities upgradable through quests and equippable with various modifiers. Metroid: Glutton is scheduled for release in January 2027, while Castlevania: Belmont's Curse is set to launch in October 2026.