Which Nintendo series began with the 1986 game Metroid?

The Metroid series began with Nintendo’s 1986 game Metroid.

Metroid was released in Japan for the Family Computer Disk System in 1986 and later appeared internationally on the Nintendo Entertainment System. Players control bounty hunter Samus Aran as she explores the planet Zebes, collects upgrades, and battles Space Pirates and the parasitic Metroid creatures.

The game combined platforming, shooting, exploration, and backtracking. Progress depends on finding abilities such as the Morph Ball, bombs, missiles, and energy tanks. Its interconnected world and atmospheric presentation helped distinguish it from more linear action games of the period.

Metroid also became known for revealing Samus’s identity at the end of the game under certain conditions. Later entries expanded the series into both two-dimensional adventures and the first-person Metroid Prime games, but the original Metroid established its central world and mechanics.