Is it possible to redesign the Varia Suit? (Metroid)

[Glio]

First, I mean the suit, not Samus Zero. While it's another interesting debate and I agree that it should have a more military look (and no heels), I want to focus on the suit.

It looks like a sci-fi design that has not aged especially well for me. While I admit that the cannon and shoulder pads are iconic, so was Link's hat and green suit and a new, more modern design has been successfully made in BOTW. Another problem I have with colors. It has too many colors that do not fit well with each other. The basic suit has blue, green, yellow, red and orange. It is a visual chaos.

Do you think it would be possible to redesign Samus or has a timeless look that will remain more or less similar forever, like Mario?

 

[RunJumpStomp]

I never thought about it, but this isn't a bad idea, especially considering that it worked so well with Link.

 

[Silky]

It at the very least has to keep the helmet.

Personally I'd like to see a survivalist Samus look for that kind of time and space.

 

[Deleted member 5621]

Fusion colors. It looks great both in Smash and Samus Returns.

Leave the red for the final upgrade.

 

[Glio]

Fusion colors. It looks great both in Smash and Samus Returns.

Leave the red for the final upgrade.

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I agree. Although I do not like the suit very much, the colors of Fusion are much better.

 

[Zacmortar]

First, I mean the suit, not Samus Zero. While it's another interesting debate and I agree that it should have a more military look (and no heels), I want to focus on the suit.

It looks like a sci-fi design that has not aged especially well for me. While I admit that the cannon and shoulder pads are iconic, so was Link's hat and green suit and a new, more modern design has been successfully made in BOTW. Another problem I have with colors. It has too many colors that do not fit well with each other. The basic suit has blue, green, yellow, red and orange. It is a visual chaos.

Do you think it would be possible to redesign Samus or has a timeless look that will remain more or less similar forever, like Mario?

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Link not having the tunic and hat made botw actively worse, thats not evidence that its changeable, its evidence to not

Hes just wearing a shotty shirt and nothing on him matches anything. Its boribg as hell

 

[Spazerbeam]

The varia suit has already had a bunch of different redesigns in the past. Even all the varia suits in smash are different to the ones in the actual Metroid games.

 

[batfax]

Well, the opportunity's certainly there if they ever make a game that takes place after Fusion.

 

[Glio]

The varia suit has already had a bunch of different redesigns in the past. Even all the varia suits in smash are different to the ones in the actual Metroid games.

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I am referring to a more drastic change. The design of Link in TP and SS are not the same but they are not totally different either.

 

[LinkStrikesBack]

They do somewhat redesign the varia suit every game, but not to the extent you want.

As for the colour scheme, I think it's entirely deliberate. In the 2d games, the arm canon being a different colour to the rest of the suit makes it clear at all times which direction you are aiming in. So I suspect that won't change.

And of course, when we ask about if it's possible to redesign it more heavily, the answer is yes, and they've already done it at least once in metroid fusion.

 

[MarcelRguez]

*points at avatar*

I don't think a redesign is necessary, but if Sakamoto's/Tanabe's team want to, I'd like them to just make it sleeker and more in line with other "space suits" from popular franchises.

It still needs to be a bit chunky though. More Doomslayer armor than Mass Effect suits.

 

[Aurc]

That render you posted in particular is especially garish and cheap looking. Samus Returns and Other M's Varia Suit iterations are a huge step-down from those that Retro created for the Prime series, I feel.

 

[Lotus]

Don't have any preferences in mind, but I wouldn't be resistant to the change I suppose.

Link not having the tunic and hat made botw actively worse

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Nah, it's a much better look that really helped me realize I was never super attached to his tunic look.

 

[WarAdept]

Sure why not.

I think BotW Link is by far the best Link design.

Go ahead and do a drastic redesign of the Varia Suit. I'm happy for experimentation and change.

 

[Deleted member 1589]

Link not having the tunic and hat made botw actively worse, thats not evidence that its changeable, its evidence to not

Hes just wearing a shotty shirt and nothing on him matches anything. Its boribg as hell

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Disagree on all fronts.

 

[TheMoon]

Dunno, this is as iconic as it gets for space-suits. Details can always be adjusted but I see nothing wrong with especially the colors.

 

[Spazerbeam]

I am referring to a more drastic change. The design of Link in TP and SS are not the same but they are not totally different either.

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I'd say no then, not only is the Varia Suit = Samus for many people, there's also a bunch of different suits in every game as well that give off different feelings. Light, Dark, Phazon, Gravity, and the PED for example. I don't mind the Link redesigns since it's actually a whole different character every time. Samus has been the same character throughout all her games except that one we don't talk about.

 

[Deleted member 5621]

*points at avatar*

I don't think a redesign is necessary, but if Sakamoto's/Tanabe's team want to, I'd like them to just make it sleeker and more in line with other "space suits" from popular franchises.

It still needs to be a bit chunky though. More Doomslayer armor than Mass Effect suits.

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Making it more generic-Mass Effect-Iron Man-movie is not the way. Metroid designs are pretty unique and would be a downgrade to chase trends IMO.

 

[Zacmortar]

Don't have any preferences in mind, but I wouldn't be resistant to the change I suppose.



Nah, it's a much better look that really helped me realize I was never super attached to his tunic look.

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Im more attached to the cap, and dont despise the champions tunic, but jesus the amount of brown on everything thats nit his neon blue shirt just looks awful colorwise to me

Edit: my problem is that with the champions tunic, it shows that whats 'iconic' about link is the pretty white skin, blue eyes, blond hair boy rather than the more iconic tunic that could be on anyone and show exactly what they are

 

[Azuardo]

While it is the established look for Samus, I don't think it's entirely practical considering her line of work. I cannot see how those giant shoulders do anything for seeing enemies either side of her. I wouldn't want it to descend into generic territory, but they were onto something with the slimmer Fusion Suit, practicality-wise. Has to be said I do love seeing the variety of her suits throughout the series, tho, and I wish Smash actually implemented them more accurately, instead of just matching the colours placed over her default Varia.

 

[MarcelRguez]

Making it more generic-Mass Effect-Iron Man-movie is not the way. Metroid designs are pretty unique and would be a downgrade to chase trends IMO.

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Agree, that's why I said they shouldn't do that. Unless you also consider the Doomslayer's amor generic. I do recall people drawing comparisons to Halo when Doom 2016 was first revealed.

 

[Vinci]

I actually love the hell out of that suit and think its design has aged very well. I mean, functionally it should be a bit on the bulky side.

 

[Servbot24]

I would hate it if they took it in a military direction. That sounds so bland and generic.

They can definitely redesign it though. I'd love to see it taken in a more organic, biological direction. Something nasty looking.

 

[Chimpzy]

It at the very least has to keep the helmet.

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I'd take it one step further and go for a similar general shape, so that when you reduce it to just an all black on white silhouette, it remains instantly recognizable as Samus Aran.

Play around with the colors and armor details all you want, but keep the distinctive silhouette. That's a major strenght of the design and not something to change lightly without due consideration.

 

[All Possible Ways]

Fusion tried. I think it was far uglier, both in design and colors, but some people like it.

 

[MarcelRguez]

I'd take it one step further and go for a similar general shape, so that when you reduce it to just an all black on white silhouette, it remains instantly recognizable as Samus Aran.

Play around with the colors and armor details all you want, but keep the distinctive silhouette. That's a major strenght of the design and not something to change lightly without due consideration.

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Historically, they've been clever enough to maintain that. The helmet has always been a round-ish shape with two small cylinders on the side, I don't see that changing any time soon. Plus prominent shoulder pads.

One thing I would like to see is a more overt Chozo influence. The "beak" in SR's design is a nice touch I'd like them to keep in future designs, for example.

 

[Vulcano's Assistant]

make it like a crab shell, starts weak translucent and colorless and as it get tougher it turns orange.

 

[Nemesis Warlock]

Nope. You wouldn't completely redesign Mjolnir armor, would you? Sure, there's design space for modifications to the design, but the varia suit's silhouette is iconic.

 

[Nessus]

The varia suit has already had a bunch of different redesigns in the past. Even all the varia suits in smash are different to the ones in the actual Metroid games.

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Yeah. I mean the example in the OP's post is already a pretty significant redesign - the weird new gasket-looking bits on the shoulder pads, which I really like. The Gravity Suit in Samus Returns is an even bigger departure (not as in love with that design personally).

But really the Varia suit has been constantly changing and evolving over the decades, it's different in pretty much every game it has appeared in.

 

[Kuro]

I'd be interested in a change like Zero from Megaman X to Megaman Zero. Something a little less robotic and more futuristic power clothing but I fully expect the suit to probably remain unchanged minus the fidelity for future games.

 

[Marmoka]

I like the suit the way it is. The original varia suit, and the designs from Prime and Samus Returns look pretty cool.

I dislike the one at Other M, that has been used as well for Smash Ultimate. Feels like empty. I hope they forget about this design.

 

[Sensei]

varia suit is great, shut up

 

[Yarbskoo]

If this is visual chaos, I don't want visual harmony.

 

[ThereAreFourNaan]

I have never liked the giant shoulder pads even as a child but the baseline suit with the small shoulder pads looks bad for unrelated reasons. I've never been fully happy with any suit design.

Are there any without a thin waist?

Zero suit is trash and should be removed or at minimum redesigned with some dignity.

 

[Deleted member 29354]

Whatever design changes the team would consider making, I think it's important to recognize the lore and history of the suit itself. Anything unwieldy or "chunky" like DOOM-Guy's armor won't really reflect the grace and form of the Chozo which, IIRC, is what the hybridized Varia suit design is based on when Samus grew up with the Chozo colony. As long as it remains true to form or has some callbacks in the design, I'd be fine with a re-imagining.

 

[WellbornWarrior]

It's already redesigned in every game multiple times, so... yes?

The Light Suit will always be my headcanon standard suit though. Samus should have never given it back...

 

[Acetown]

Samus' suit seems to get uglier with every new game that comes out. It doesn't need to be reinvented, but I wish they would return it to a simpler more utilitarian space-suit look.
The very first thing they should drop are those ridiculous rim lights, that's a design feature that was cool for about five minutes in the early 2000s.

I'm rather fond of this illustration from the Japanese instruction booklet for the original Metroid. I especially like how the suit doesn't appear to made completely out of metal so you could actually move around in it.

 

[GingerbreadMan]

Tone down the green lights and it's good

Samus' suit seems to get uglier with every new game that comes out. It doesn't need to be reinvented, but I wish they would return it to a simpler more utilitarian space-suit look.
The very first thing they should drop are those ridiculous rim lights, that's a design feature that was cool for about five minutes in the early 2000s.

I'm rather fond of this illustration from the Japanese instruction booklet for the original Metroid. I especially like how the suit doesn't appear to made completely out of metal so you could actually move around in it.

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This basically

 

[Anustart]

Whatever might be done, don't go back to that uggo hunchback look from fusion.

 

[nillapuddin]

First, I mean the suit, not Samus Zero. While it's another interesting debate and I agree that it should have a more military look (and no heels), I want to focus on the suit.

It looks like a sci-fi design that has not aged especially well for me. While I admit that the cannon and shoulder pads are iconic, so was Link's hat and green suit and a new, more modern design has been successfully made in BOTW. Another problem I have with colors. It has too many colors that do not fit well with each other. The basic suit has blue, green, yellow, red and orange. It is a visual chaos.

Do you think it would be possible to redesign Samus or has a timeless look that will remain more or less similar forever, like Mario?

Click to shrink...

I personally love Samus suit, but I'm open to options, do you have any examples at all?

 

[Glio]

I personally love Samus suit, but I'm open to options, do you have any examples at all?

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I've been trying to find some interesting fanart to illustrate it but if you look for things like that about Samus you find, ahem, other things.

 

[BlackJace]

They could probably stand to slim it down a bit. I believe the suits in the Prime series were as bulky as they were due to the harsher environments.
I like the sleeker look of the Power suit from Zero Mission, they should go for that!

 

[Liquor]

Interestimg thread. I'll start by saying nothing about Samus' suit has "...not aged well". Her design was and still is quite forward thinking and because of this, instantly recognizable. Her helmet and large shoulder pads. The coloring of the suit, arm cannon. Getting rid of these things is the equivalent of getting rid of Mario's mustache. Also, comparing Link in BotW is not correct either. Almost every "Link" character we see is actually a different individual and not the same Link. Thus allowing some change with them where Samus is Samus, is Samus.

But lets go back. The Varia Suit has actually been "redesigned" and altered in almost every iteration and looks different (sometimes drastically) in every game she is in.

With that said, I'm not actually opposed to a redesign. You have to carry over specific elements though or you'd just end up with something more generic and not Samus.

 

[Kneefoil]

It would be possible, but I'm not in favor of anyone trying that. I'm scared of what might come out the other end.

The Fusion Suit was already a big downgrade in my opinion, although it was still better than a generic sci-fi space armor would be. Anyone who thinks that the Fusion colours mix better than the classic colours also sounds insane to me.

I like the Varia Suit as it is, anyway. I used to like Samus' Power Suit more than the Varia Suit, but the latter has grown on me over the past one and a half decade.

 

[Tedmilk]

The only thing they should redesign is Zero suit Samus. And by redesign I mean wipe from the face of the earth.

The suit in the Prime games is perfect - maybe just increase the waist a little, to make her proportions more realistic, but that's it. As others have said, Samus' suit is iconic and shouldn't be changed.

And how do we know she can't see through her shoulder pads with her visor? The shoulders themselves could have magic Chozo 'camera metal' around them! Much like Doomslayer's helmet becomes invisible on the inside once put on.

 

[Klappdrachen]

Samus' suit seems to get uglier with every new game that comes out. It doesn't need to be reinvented, but I wish they would return it to a simpler more utilitarian space-suit look.
The very first thing they should drop are those ridiculous rim lights, that's a design feature that was cool for about five minutes in the early 2000s.

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Agreed 100%. The earlier suit designs are so much better.

They just went way overboard with the green lights and the shoulders in the newer suits. The visor in Samus Returns is also far too small. No green neon lights, return to blue visor, and smaller shoulder pads is what I would like to see.

 

[Deleted member 17207]

I think it could be done, but dissing the Varia Suit is like dissing Boba Fett's Mando' armor.

Sacrilege!

Also, Link's situation is a little different. His tunic is just straight up clothes, whereas the Varia Suit is what keeps Samus safe from all the weird alien shit she has to deal with.

What they should really axe is "Zero Suit Samus". Miss me with that bullshit.

 

[Deleted member 5621]

Agree, that's why I said they shouldn't do that. Unless you also consider the Doomslayer's amor generic. I do recall people drawing comparisons to Halo when Doom 2016 was first revealed.

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I do think Eternal's armor is skirting on a generic direction.

It's interesting to think about a Metroid armor designed for a FPS first though, where the colors and shapes aren't there to work in favor of readability of a 2D sprite always on side view.

 

[tenderbrew]

I hope there is some customization to your look ala BOTW. For instance, I wore the Switch shirt for half my game. If we could get a Switch shirt in Metroid Prime 4, that'd be great.

 

[Liquor]

Agreed 100%. The earlier suit designs are so much better.

They just went way overboard with the green lights and the shoulders in the newer suits. The visor in Samus Returns is also far too small. No green neon lights, return to blue visor, and smaller shoulder pads is what I would like to see.

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The big shoulder pad suit design was introduced in the same game that image above is from (Metroid II).