Why Metroid Dread's Varia Suit Looks Awesome
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- čas přidán 26. 06. 2024
- Cheers for watching my channel everyone!
I've loved this series for a long time and this Varia Suit looks like possibly the best design Metroid has ever had. I really hope you folk enjoyed this deep dive into some of the more obvious and extremely subtle design techniques used on the Varia Suit in particular.
I would've written some of the Power, Gravity and [REDACTED] suits, but this was probably longer than I should have done already.
0:00 Intro
1:32 Shape Language
3:07 Sihlouette
5:30 Colour
8:37 Flow
13:46 Gameplay
16:16 Final Thoughts
17:32 Wrap Up
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Patreon: / samsantala
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Sources:
• The Animation of Samus
The Animation of Samus - Video Game Animation Study CZcams
• Samus and Dark Samus I...
Samus and Dark Samus Introduction to Competitive Play | Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
• 3DS Longplay [034] Met...
3DS Longplay [034] Metroid Samus Returns (part 1 of 3)
• Metroid: Samus Returns...
Metroid: Samus Returns - 100% Playthrough
Let's Play Metroid Fusion - Episode 2 - Bad Puppy! No Biscuit!
• Let's Play Metroid Fus...
Let's Play Super Metroid Part 3 - Not Fast Enough
• Let's Play Super Metro...
Metroid Prime - EP. 5: Hunting Symbols
• Metroid Prime - EP. 5:... - Jak na to + styl
Quick Notations:
- Some folks have mentioned in the comments that the white helps her stand out against the generally dark/black backgrounds. These folks are 100% correct and I absolutely should have mentioned it. I don't know why it slipped my mind.
- Someone also mentioned that the primary colours aren't RBY, it's CMYK, and RGB. Again, technically correct (Colours are a very complicated area I'm going to make a video or several on in the future) but for the ease of understanding I chose what most people understand as the negative colour primaries Cyan (Blue), Magenta (Red) and Yellow or the whole dicussion would have derailed.
- Also, something I want to add in my videos is how taste is subjective, so many have been saying the base Power Suit is nicer. I actually had a section about that suit in here in my original script, but I cut it because editing this was eating too much of my time already. I'll just say it's a very strong design too, the colours are a standard and safe choice, and the wraps look like bandages which is great narratively.
Improvements on the video have also been noted! I'll work on:
- Larger titles for smaller screen
- Reading the titles out for audio viewers
- Adjusting the bg music per segment
- Slightly quieter background music when I'm talking.
Lastly, most of the comments have been absolutely wonderful. This video just hit 1k likes which I absolutely wasn't expecting.
I'd love to do more videos like this in the future, so if folks want more, please let me know if there's any designs or games/movies you're curious about.
And also please like, sub etc.
And if anyone wants to go even further I do have a Patreon too.
Thanks everyone!
You mentioned how you didn't like the braid lines on the suit's shoulder pads. Looking at the art book I understand why they did it. They where trying to make things look more like muscle fibers. In Fusion her suit was more organic and more biological in some nature. You can see it in the transition from Power to Varia and then to Gravity. Less visible muscle patches and more armor plate.
A good less scifi example would probably be seeing clothes under a few armor accents, to a few armor plates to full plate armor.
Something I thought was interesting was how you mentioned the fiber-braid design on the shoulder pad didn’t speak to you. Ironically, your video actually made that whole aspect suddenly click for me; the fiber-braid bands become less and less visible as you transition up from Power to Varia to Gravity suit, but the Gravity suit’s shoulder pads have that ridged, windowed design that exposes an underlying patch of fiber braids, implying that they’re simply ‘under’ the armor.
I think that really helps to communicate one of the themes of the Power suit, and Samus’ character in general - how they appear and even acts robotic, cold, distant, and unconnected to anything - the Metroid lore makes a specific point that Samus has modeled her entire career around _total anonymity,_ and most people don’t actually know she’s even a woman.
But underneath that robotic shell is someone just as alive as anyone else, with her own struggles, soft spots, and stories to tell. The Gravity suit’s shoulder pads help to tell that visual story, if you ask me.
((And, of course, there’s the secret final suit you didn’t discuss, which actually does away with the fiber lines entirely… I’m still not 100% how I feel about the visual storytelling of that suit, but I think there’s an interesting discussion to be had about how its even harsher appearance and the narration of a _specific person_ impose a story on that suit that Samus’ actual actions during that period deny, holding on to her more robotic aspects - a professional, cool, assessing silence that matches her earlier behavior to a T, even down to _not_ shooting the thing that pops up behind her - and ironically proving herself still human in the process. It really does feel like a culmination of Samus’ character.))
I allways loved how the braid lines of the suit made her calves pop out
Getting better voice sound quality is probably the one best upgrade you can do. Either better mic, or a sound program to clean your audio (or both) will be the biggest quality increase you can do, bar none. Please consider it. This was a great video, I hope you do more!
You should probably pin this comment.
Honestly, not just Varia Suit, all her "Dread" power suits look awesome. Gravity suit itself looks stunning, the best it ever has been. Though tbh, this goes for the rest of her suit upgrades (Regular/Base and Varia as well)
Personally i didn't liked the gravity suit design, but i agree, specially the First suit is my favorite
I would have liked the Gravity Suit more without the word zigzag Green highlights down the middle. Otherwise, it's also very good.
Gravity suit would be even better if the lights were blue instead of green.
@@Cobaltios I like how the lights down the suit got longer as you upgraded it. I'm also fine with how the green glow stays consistent with *every* suit in the game- it seems to be a visual representation of her own growth as a character and her overall power as well, especially as she gains more and more abilities.
To add to this the zig zag also feels like more of a call to the bolt design of Samus' more powerful abilities like the screw attack.
Aside from literally everything you noted as to why the designs in Dread are so good, something that really stood out to me, especially in subsequent playthroughs, is how progressively aggressive the suits look, too. Samus is angry in Dread, gets progressively angrier as the game goes on, and all the suit designs reflect her emotional state perfectly. It's all just so brilliantly done.
Guess this could also explain why there isn't any upbeat tracks in Dread similar to previous games. Unless there is? I'm still going through my first run, taking my time and savoring every moment. 😘
@@Mannwhichthe only ones are the Super Metroid callbacks lol
I actually like the “braids” all over the suit. It looks somewhat like sinew, referencing how parts of her suit were surgically removed in Fusion.
That’s exactly what I thought, like it was a textured reference to how ‘thin’ the Power Suit is now, and just adds this wonderfully unique flavor to the Dread suits that make them stand out compared to every other games’ suits
I’ve also heard the white areas, which I’ve seen likened to bandages, are meant to be the power suit slowly regenerating itself back to full strength, which to me screams more red/white muscle with skin slowly growing over it, which is an absolutely fucking raw and metal mental image
I like them too but I feel like they're a bit too gaudy with that bright gold, the blue and the purple of the other suits are much nicer.
The Dread Suit feels like the Fusion Suit is trying to grow back into the Power Suit.
Those strands do feel like exposed muscle fibers under the inorganic parts that make the armor (and explains why enemies hit so hard in this game, she is quite literally missing a huge portion of the armor plates).
This was a superb video, thank you!
Thanks a lot! Your channel has been one of the inspirations in me even starting these :D
Now is your turn
Nice to see the Metroid community out and about and supporting each other's videos/channels.
The other reason to choose white over black as a neutral colour is that Dread's environments are overwhelmingly dark, and you want the player character to contrast with the surroundings as much as possible for readability and clarity of gameplay.
This is also why the armor over her calves is orange, so that the position of her extremities (her head, shoulders, arms AND legs) all stand out. A modern take on the Mario overalls, almost.
Also take into consideration Dark Samus from the Prime games. having Samus have a huge chunk of black would send a confusing thematic message when taking context into account
I was also thinking that orange and black would look too costumey since it'd look a Halloween color scheme
The contrast between character and environment helps with the story, too. Samus is exploring an unfamiliar planet, one connected to an unexplained reappearance of the X Parasites. I might be digging too deep into this, but I’ve learned enough about blue curtains from English class to know that writers love being subtle.
This video is just full of pure character design joy while being extremely good at explaining the "Why" of her design. Your gentle voice paired with the smooth editing and the bite sized design slides on the sides and drawn over are just sublime.
You have no idea how nice that is to hear. I've been really worried about how my voice might sound. Thank you!
@@SamSantalaArt I can agree with this dude
The open bit at the top of the Varia shoulder pads is there so that the Gravity Suit covers them up with the plating it adds.
Each progressive suit covers more and more of the muscle tissue, like skin regrowing over a burn, to drive home to idea that the Power Suit, being biomechanical, is growing and healing.
This is the expressed intention behind the design, as communicated by the devs in the promotional Dread Reports.
It's something you can clearly see by lining up each suit side by side.
Yes I'm not the only one who saw 🤘
I like to think under all that plating is the original fusion suit, but in order to protect her from being hurt that much, so she puts plates, this theory can be supported in the beginning of the game, with the base suit being blue, instead of yellow,orange.
i wonder is the biomechanical material (what is made from alien meat?) is what made samus vulnerable to the X back in fusion, would a be a ironic twist on the chozo wanting to be close to nature
The varia suit is alright, but what I personally like even more is Dread's take on the power suit. Although maybe that's just reflective of my own preference for cooler colors.
My original script had a bit about the power suit in it! But this took long enough to edit as it was... The colours are a nice safe choice, and the bands looking more like bandage wrappings are very in keeping with the themes of the narrative.
@@SamSantalaArt: it is a very nice transitional hybrid from the base fusion suit, blending a technological and organic look. I think maybe the blue/white also gives less of a hash contrast than the blue/yellow it had in fusion.
@@EmeralBookwise I’ve been reading up on the new power suit and I keep seeing the word “organic” being used. Could you please tell me what people mean when I they say the new blue power suit has an organic look? I only see metal and wires, it looks still robotic to me.
@@ZaiDrizzleDrop: those "wires" look like muscle fiber .
@@ZaiDrizzleDrop The Suit is slowly changing back to it's original look after Samus' close call with an X parasite. In Dread you see the transition of her Suit before it goes back to how it was basically. I really like that attention to detail that the developers put in the game
Welcome to CZcams- great analysis! Huge fan of this design
Thanks dude! I've seen your videos around too, nice work!
they've also pumped up her hand and feet. She's got these plates that cover and slide over her extensor retinaculums on her upper foot that essentially make them more "hoof"-like....along with the added plating along the heels. Her free hand has this bulky cover plate...practically a wrist guard in its own right. Her cannon doesn't really need any more emphasis but they've narrowed it into an arrow of sorts which likens it to a forearm without being one. I've noticed that ALL this allows the ends of her limbs to stand out, making the placement of her feet and her silhouette very obvious....which helps with timing in movement. The neutral area, as you've said....is her core....it allows you to focus on the limbs and upper torso...absolutely essential on a character that's been reduced on screen.
When I first saw Samus’s new boots, I realized how old ones were comparable to just straight up armor, being one solid thing with a few joints. The new ones feel more flexible, heck I joked about them looking kinda like sneakers. In this analogy the old ones would be knee-high boots.
Hey, this is pretty good!
One thing I appreciated about design was the yellow lines (they were yellow in varia suit at least) and the “braids” made it look like her armor was healing itself from the debacle in fusion.
All the fiber like stuff on her suit is what’s still visible from the organic layer of the suit. It is slowly healing and rebuilding itself from having parts surgically removed. Heck the organic-like layer is why they specifically use that term.
For me, based on designs I absolutely love the basic power suit. Especially the back... That robotic spine looks awesome. BTW I loved this, I've been looking for a video like this for DREAD for a while. You earned a sub my friend!
Really have to thank Fusion for stripping down Samus' armor. That probably also introduced the flow lines in the armor.
That said, we still get to see a full-on extra large shoulders via the Metroid suit, which would either reappear in Metroid 6, or the suit is actually set to evolve further so that they have a reason to strip her of her abilities and redesign it down the line.
Glad to hear someone else loves this suit's design as much as I do. Honestly the best looking out of all four suits in the game imo.
Excellent video! I love how you compare previous designs in older games and also recap what we've learned at the end. Good show old bean!
The suit designs in this game are the best in the series. From the basic suit, varia, gravity, and the other suit I don't want to spoil. Idk why, they all seem to work well
The transition between the classic Super Metroid design through into the Dread design communicates how she's become more primal, animalistic, and bestial, due to the introduction of metroid DNA into her genome altering both her body AND her mind.
She's gone from a soldier in a tank to a structured perfected organism, in tune with her instincts and operating as the apex predator in any environment she steps foot in.
In this perspective, the cool white acting as the center of her color scheme represents how she's able to harness and tame that vicious instinct, hone and direct it into the most effective form possible, the perfect comparison point here animation wise is between the counter animation for Corpius, the first boss, and what she ends up doing to the last boss, perfect control of natural killer instinct versus having it run wild and free.
Related to her biological changes, I thought about her lack of dialog. She does speak in chozo and through text at the beginning but if two different predator life forms were altering someone at the genetic level, talking could just feel like a waste of time.
@@MegaMato I think as to that-she’s always been the “strong silent type” ((cough cough Other M notwithstanding)). The rare presence of a voiced line is I think more to indicate the respect she has for her Chozo heritage.
@@leightonpetty4817 yeah it's true.
Even before watching this video, the Varia Suit was my favorite suit in Dread. As mentioned the more feminine form is a nice touch it emphasizes Samus' feminity while still making her look cool. The white is a great touch and I also love how the shade of orange is more golden than it usually is. The chest lights look very dynamic and angled helping add to the cool factor. I also think I may also like this suit since it is a bit of an evolution of the end game suit in Metroid Fusion.
The Varia Suit was never my favorite suit. Before Dread it would usually be the Gravity Suit or whatever other end game suit the game had. The Varia Suit in Dread however I just adore.
My taste is the opposite, I usually like the Varia suit more but this was the first time I actually liked the look of Gravity.
@@glitch01234 Interesting. However, were you not a fan of the one in Samus Returns?
@@R0-83-RT the suits in samus returns were hideous
@@novustalks7525 To each their own, personally I really liked the blue lights on the shoulders and thighs of the Samus Returns version of the Gravity suit.
@@R0-83-RT the shoulders were more ridiculous than they ever were and she was weirdly angular and aggressive. She looked like dark samus. The designers butchered her
Loved this!! Hoping to see more character design analysis in the future! :D
I've definitely got more to come :D I just checked your channel out too, gave you a sub so I can check out all your prototyping too
This is a great way of explaining character design in an easy format.
I hope you put up more videos that show designing worlds, character design and some collaborations with other artists in the industry.
Keep them coming.
Also big green lights on the side of the shoulder pads are good points. I'm surprised you did not mention it, but previous iteration always had the lights in front and back of her shoulder pads. With sideways light, she is even easier to follow! Same goes for the lights on her feet. Making it easier to know where she's standing in fast passed gameplay!
I'd originally meant to add that! I also wanted to point out how the lights aren't on her thighs in the Varia which I think is better for focal point hierarchy.
I think me editing this for so long made me cut a few corners just to get it done...
Thank you soooo much for this video. I've been dabbling a little in art with a direction in concept art moving forward with an interest in Sci-Fi (not to mention Metroid is my favorite franchise) and this I'm sure is definitely going to help a ton.
This was the best video I've seen all week You had my entire attention from start to finish. Can't wait to see more!
I've been excited for this video since you announced it on twitter. This was awesome, super comprehensive and well made. Great work Sam!
An incredibly interesting design exploration. Subscribed!
I love this video. The thorough explanation of why it’s so good is great. I would like to add that they actually have a lore explanation for trimming down the suit: portions of it were removed in Fusion and it’s slowly regaining its mechanical form, but now that Samus is more used to the extra flexibility of the trimmed down version, it will adapt accordingly and be less bulky than it was before. Another note: the glowing circles on the sides of her shoulder fill the same function as the lights in Returns, but without being distracting when you’re not looking at her from anything but her sides. Even just turning slightly hides them easily
Great video! It's always nice to find other fellow concept artists giving their insight on games' design from the point of view of the player. Looking forward to see more videos like this!
As much as I LOVE the new power suit (the starting suit), I will always consider the Varia Suit used in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes to be her signature Suit design before her infection with the X Parasites. I'd love to get a mode where you can use the old suit styles like they did to Metroid Samus Returns with the Fusion Suit mode.
Amazing video! Love the breakdown of design philosophy! Loved the game already but you've given me more reason to appreciate it
Fascinating insight. I look forward to more!
Awesome vid bro! 👌🏾
I'll pay even more attention to these things from now on.
That was a fantastic video. I love specialist breakdowns of subjects people often take for granted. I look forward to more.
Spectacular deep-dive, my guy.
I hope you do make more of these, as you just gained a subscriber.
That was really interesting!
Very cool and informative video that added to my understanding of design in general!
Wonderful video! Hope you keep em coming
I am always looking for videos that help me improve my character designs. But this one is definitely one of the more effective videos I have watched.
I went ahead and took a look at your portfolio too and I really enjoy your stuff! Great Job!
LOVED this! i can’t wait to see more of your videos!!
Great video, I don't know as much as you, but definitely got all the aspects that you talked about, so is great to see a video talking about it, about such a great redesign, and personally my favorite to date
Omg, what an amazing analysis (and presentation)!
I love videos like this that break down concept design and art and color in media, classic art (old-school I know) but especially, ESPECIALLY in video games!
A couple of things I really like about the design is, one, how the yellow lines are textured like muscles giving the impression that Samus is strong and powerful and, two, how the slimmer form makes her feel faster and more agile.
i also see it as the innerworkings of the suit, since the suit was surgecally altered in fusion when the scientists were trying to forceibly remove it to save samus and how its patially organic you are literally seeing the suits exposed version of muscular tissue, i think thats also why in fuison it looked like it was pusating as it was like a raw and vulnerable wound
This is amazing, so glad I watched this when it popped up in my recommendations!
Great video and points for the analysis, keep going as well as this!
This was such a brilliant, well written, and understandable video. I really appreciate you making this. Love Dread’s suit designs! They totally nailed it.
Cheers!
A+ quality on this video. Informative, well written, and great pacing.
This is an awesome video. Looking forward to future content!!
This video was amazing. I was so surprised when I saw that it was your first one. I'd love to see more of those in the future
Lovely video, thank you for making it!
This was a great video I clicked on the channel and it’s the only video guess I have to wait for more great job man.
Something I just noticed about the basic power suit is how the chest piece is much more segmented than its upgrades. Almost looks like it's been shattered. Makes perfect sense considering what happens immediately before the opening downgrade.
What a great video! I would love to see this about any and all iconic game characters. subscribed!
Amazing video, my dude! I look forward to this series!
Looking forward to more vids from ya! Loved it!!
I loved this and was excited to check out your other content, only to find out this was your first and only video D,:
Fantastic! I went to check other videos of yours and surprisingly, this is your first one! Starting strong, I see :)
Really nice analysis of the suit design! Always nice to understand how and why an artist might make certain choices. Defs earned a sub from me
Great analysis! Got yourself a new subscriber!
I really appreciated your insights into this character design. We do notice all the things you mentioned even if it's on a subconscious level. Very very good!!
This was really interesting and fun to watch. Can't wait for more vids like this. :D
So awesome to hear these details from an industry artist, as a casual/hobbyist artist it’s very enriching!
Wow, very nice video. I could watch a whole series like this
Hell yeah great first video! Can't wait for you to do this for dozens more games!!!
Really interesting stuff. I'd love to see more content like it from you ☺️
Great video.
Subscribed!
I knew I liked this design very much, even though it looked quite different at first (with the white and all)
The explanation here about why it worked was great.
outstanding video, we can tell you know your stuff and like what you talk about. plus the quality of the video itself, it's just great to watch!
This is a type of critique I did not know i needed. Thanks for sharing your insight! Subbed.
I really love the blue and white version of the suit she starts out with… Probably my favorite of all her suits so far.
This is a very good video. The in-depth details were really nice to learn about. Made me really appreciate the design of the Dread suit more in general.
This can be be a good series of you talking about desings i woud love to see more of this kind of videos👍
Amazing video, I hope to see more from you!
Thank you for the analysis. I love the look of Dread, from Samus to the enemies and creatures to the world. One thing that (to me) makes the suit design in Dread such a triumph is that its the first time any Metroid game has been able to visually represent the whole of what this armor is: a fusion of biology, technology, and space magic.
What an amazing start to a channel!
fantastic video, I loved every second!
Really insightful, thanks!
As someone interested in going into character design after college, this is extremely helpful. Really well done analysis
man, great vid. love how you broke everything down
Great video dude! I loved learning more about this sort of visual design breakdown and its nice to see how much thought went into this design. I'd say one thing that could make this video even better is if you made the titles of each section a bit larger. Can't wait to see more!
Brilliant analysis!
Great video, also REALLY love the Metroid suit at the end. It's interesting to look at
Great video ! I've always been more of a fan of the Space Suit personally (purple's a great color, and I love the strong vibe) but this made me appreciate the Varia Suit a lot more ! I feel like I learned quite a lot from this.
Wow great vid! Thanks for pointing out so many little design nuances that I would have never picked up on myself. Just goes to show all the thought and effort devs put into making games like Dread as awesome as possible.
Loved the masterclass in character design! Thanks!
Brilliant, I loved this! One part I found striking was around 7:15, when you talked about how a neutral color can be used to balance out the temperature for a design that weighs heavily on one side of the spectrum, and naturally pull it back towards the middle. I've just never thought of neutrals being used in that way. Thanks for sharing!
The explanation about colour and flow in general gave me some revelations about whenever I sketch. I should consider looking deeper into it later on.
Dude, thank you, I wasn't able to know what was the precise things I loved of this suit, now I know why I love it so much. Thank you
I cannot wait to see more of your content :)
I loved the video and I hope you make more like it in the future !
I have learnt a lot watching this video on a subject I had no idea existed. Thank you
You’ve perfectly illustrated exactly what I love about Dread’s suit, thank you so much
Amazing video. Thank you!
Subscribed. Your content is very high quality! I will be watching your career with great interest.
I actually learned a ton about character design from this. You’ve earned yourself a sub.
This is not something I ever really thought about, but I loved it! Great vid
Wonderful video!!
Your attention to detail has earned a subscriber!
Awesome stuff dude, never found your channel before but have subbed and look forward to your future content!
A couple of extra little subtle design nods in the suit - the faint 's' shapes on the front of the shoulder pads evoke the screw attack logo. And maybe my favourite, Samus's mouth cover underneath the pointed bottom part of her visor evokes the shape of a beak, pointing to her chozo heritage. In addition, her head is basically the shape of a metroid, but that one is a bit more obvious.
Please make more videos. Your analysis was awesome! Greetings from Portugal.
Fantastic video. Looking forward to more
Just discovered your content, man. This is fantastic. As someone who’s been a fan of Pokémon since the beginning, I especially enjoyed the Pokémon video. Keep up the good work!