Metroid Prime Actor Confirms Identity of Mysterious Cut Intro Voice

Metroid Prime, up until this week’s Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, astatine least, is mostly escaped of spoken dialog — particularly erstwhile it comes to its mute protagonist, Samus Aran. But an unused monologue was recorded for the archetypal Metroid Prime, and yet uncovered by fans, with its performer remaining unknown. Until now.

IGN precocious sat down with legendary Mass Effect and Metal Gear Solid (among many, galore others) dependable actress, Jennifer Hale, who provided the dependable for Samus — wholly grunts and effort sounds — successful the archetypal Metroid Prime trilogy. While we were talking with her (and earlier it was confirmed she had been replaced for 2025’s Metroid Prime 4) we thought we’d get to the bottommost of the enigma surrounding who voiced that once-lost voice-over that was near connected the cutting country floor.

That monologue goes arsenic follows, for those who are unfamiliar:

“Ten years ago, beneath the aboveground of satellite Zebes, the mercenaries known arsenic Space Pirates were defeated by interstellar bounty huntsman Samus Aran. Descending to the precise halfway of the Pirate stronghold, Samus exterminated the energy-based parasites called Metroids, and defeated Mother Brain, the person of the Pirate horde. But the' Space Pirates were acold from finished. Several Pirate probe vessels were orbiting Zebes portion Samus fought connected the aboveground below. After the autumn of Mother Brain, the ships escaped, with the hopes of uncovering capable resources to rebuild their forces, and instrumentality their revenge. After discovering a imaginable Pirate colony connected satellite Tallon IV, Samus has again prepared for war, hoping to extremity the Pirate menace forever.”

With Hale being the astir celebrated dependable of Samus, you’d possibly presume she besides recorded these introductory lines to the satellite of Prime. Well, you’d beryllium wrong.

“That's Vanessa. Vanessa Marshall," Hale reveals. It's possibly not a surprise, arsenic Marshall is already credited with besides lending her talents to the dependable of Samus successful Metroid Prime, notably contributing her decease shriek to the dependable library. Marshall besides starred alongside Hale successful Marvel’s Midnight Suns, arsenic good arsenic Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty arsenic Olga, and whitethorn beryllium acquainted to fans of animated TV arsenic the dependable of Hera Syndulla successful Star Wars' Rebels and Bad Batch series.

As to wherefore Retro Studios and Nintendo went with Marshall implicit Hale for this prospective monologue, lone to past ditch it anyway, Hale says she's unsure. “I adore Vanessa,” Hale adds. “I emotion that we really shared this role. It's truthful crazy, and I'm not definite why. I ne'er retrieve saying nary to this. I would ne'er person said nary to doing this. They whitethorn person preferred her work. I person nary idea.”

While not getting to grounds these afloat formed sentences, Hale did get the lion's stock of the grunt enactment connected Metroid Prime. It sounds an intriguing process, which she went connected to explicate successful much detail:

"I similar to person identified a character's mode of speaking earlier I bash grunting for them, due to the fact that however you grunt is antithetic to however I grunt, to however anyone other grunts," Hale explained. "It's precise specific. If you are a civilian and you're grunting, you're like... [makes amazed grunt noise] due to the fact that it's each astonishing and it's each new. If you've done it a cardinal times, you're similar [makes abbreviated grunt noise], due to the fact that you've gone nether occurrence 1,800 times and you're utilized to it."

While that once-lost intro narration was ne'er utilized successful the archetypal Metroid Prime, parts of the monologue would aboriginal spot the airy of day, acknowledgment to Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Jay Ward, who voiced Star Fox’s Wolf O’Donnell successful the Nintendo warring crippled series, rerecorded definite lines of it that were laid nether the Opening/Menu - Metroid Prime way connected the soundtrack.

Who knows wherever this monologue volition crook up next, oregon wherefore it was ne'er really utilized successful the last game. At slightest for now, acknowledgment to Samus herself, portion of this enigma has been solved. Would you person liked the intro narration to person been kept? Although I bash emotion the lonely, wordless quality of Metroid Prime, I bash similar the “Ripley astatine the extremity of Alien” consciousness this gives to the game. Let america cognize what you deliberation successful the comments.

For much connected Metroid Prime, marque definite to cheque retired our reappraisal of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, and for much from Jennifer Hale, work each astir wherefore she’d emotion to instrumentality to the Mass Effect bid arsenic Commander Shepard oregon “anyone” BioWare want.

Simon Cardy is simply a Senior Editor astatine IGN who tin chiefly beryllium recovered skulking astir unfastened satellite games, indulging successful Korean cinema, oregon despairing astatine the authorities of Tottenham Hotspur and the New York Jets. Follow him connected Bluesky astatine @cardy.bsky.social.