#proteus ridley

[it-seemo]

DAY 28 - FAVORITE LARGE CREATURE REDESIGN

Proteus Ridley, my utmost beloved.

<- Day 27 | Day 28 | Day 29 ->

[sepublic]

So why is Proteus Ridley called that, other than to differentiate his Samus Returns cybernetics from the ones in Prime and Corruption? Why that name specifically: Proteus?

The problem with the Meta frame is that while it did allow Ridley to perform on the field, the cybernetics themselves restricted his regeneration; A limb cannot regrow in space taken up by a machine. In order to continue regenerating from his injuries, Ridley would need to go through a whole process to remove them, place himself into an amniotic vat, and then reapply them, all between missions. Likewise, cybernetic limbs would have to be shortened to adjust to regenerated stumps and gaps.

To get around this, Mecha Ridley was created; A mechanical doppelganger for Ridley to remotely pilot as he regenerated his body. But even this solution was flawed, as Ridley was still vulnerable in his recovering state, and if the connection between his neural headset and Mecha Ridley were to be severed, it would have to rely on its built-in AI to take over; This was something Ridley deeply resented, finding his Mecha to be even more restricting and clumsy to use, and not respecting an AI's capabilities.

In response to very angry criticisms and feedback, science team finally devised a solution that would enable Ridley to recover 24/7, while simultaneously being ready to fight in-person 24/7; The best of both worlds! They devised the Proteus frame, named after a fluid, shape-shifting deity from human mythology.

Per its name, the Proteus cybernetics could affix themselves to Ridley's body to fill in the missing gaps; But at the same time, their fluid, shifting nature allowed the prosthetics to gradually recede and make room for Ridley's regenerating tissue as he wore the Proteus frame.

The Proteus frame still slowed down Ridley's healing, but it did not actively halt it as the Meta frame did. And because he was still healing while wearing the Proteus, it meant Ridley could get away with, and ultimately would have to insist upon, wearing the Proteus at all times in order to avoid being in a vulnerable state without his prosthetics.

Of course, where does the mass go? In order to gradually clear space for Ridley's body as it rebuilds itself, the mechanical mass has to go somewhere. The Proteus cybernetics compress themselves, becoming more armored in the process; Although this does make Ridley heavier. To get around this, he can shed Proteus plating, which will then be stored away. When Ridley fully recovers, he will remove any remaining Proteus cybernetics, and they will be reconnected with the removed plating for future use.

In other words: This is why the artwork for Proteus Ridley shows him being more cybernetic than the actual in-game model. The artwork depicts Ridley when he first put on the Proteus armor; The in-game model is some time afterwards, when he's regenerated other parts of his body, and the Proteus components have either receded into the others remaining, or been stored with prosthetics for other body parts to be reapplied in case of another catastrophic injury. Ridley would never get that opportunity, due to finally dying for real in Super Metroid.

[tacos-goku]

Samus has never fought a final boss in a 2d metroid close to her height and that's very funny

[ifra-strawberii]

After a harrowing mission to rid the galaxy of Metroids, Rouge’s mission was near successful - all save a lone, baby metroid. As she approached her ship, she heard an all too familiar screech and a crash behind her - leaving SR388 wasn’t going to be that easy...

Also yes, Proteus Ridley here is based off the Egg Dragoon!

[itstimeformetroid]

Metroid-tober #18 - Proteus

The next prompt is Super Missile

[astridkoa]

Smash Bros. (Part 3 of 5)

Drew all of the Smash characters in one sitting, 8 hours of pencilling and inking straight. I then did two more hours to clean up. Most are in an alternate costume from other media, ask if you wanna know what costume is from where

[kyoswimm]

Kyo talks about character design: Ridley

Ah, Ridley... where do I go with him?

Creepy, violent, sadistic, cruel, cunning, immortal.. so many adjectives for him. Even his clone’s clone still rocks peoples’ socks off with his design. Let’s start with the beginning; his original design from Metroid.

Look at this utter goof! Funky spade on the end of his tail, the ring-shaped mouth, the multiple dot eyes- he seems less threatening and more cuddly! His sprite itself is much more draconic, as is other artwork, but I can’t ignore this little fella. I’d like to see this design cameo someday. Moving on to his next appearance; Super Metroid.

Super Metroid cements Ridley’s status as a spindly, spited dragon of extraterrestrial origin. This design is very important, as it’s the main template for every Ridley design past this! I still have my own problems with it, of course; the neck joints to the chest in an odd fashion, and his legs are always folded up as he’s crouching. Obviously done since it would be harder to joint his legs for when he’s flying all over the place, but it’s odd that his legs are so static.

And here’s one of my favorite looks, Neo-Ridley! The constant movement, the way he moves his claws in a groping pattern, like it’s rehearsing for when it grabs you... I like it so much because it strays slightly from the Ridley formula, while still retaining that gruesome identity. Its head is far more rounded at the end instead of a pterodactyl-like spike. Those small.. orifices? Are they holes, or are they smaller, vegetal wings?... the red stuff just behind his second spike. Neo-Ridley’s chest is covered in spikes, while his limbs are very smooth and rubbery, contrasting how Ridley is just completely covered in hard surfaces. Its legs actually move and writhes as it attacks Aran, which is appreciated. The beak is more angled, something we’ll be seeing more of later... Neo-Ridley aims for Ridley’s more eery, creepy nature, an overall tone of Fusion.

Metroid: Zero Mission replaces the original game in canon, and it brings us one another smooth Ridley! While I do like the look of his design from Zero Mission, it’s far too smooth for my liking. Zero Mission also brings up another question I have; was Ridley green before his first disintegration? I used to think yes, but then there was the Metroid manga. Was he green there? Or was he purple? I don’t know. Not much to say here; his legs don’t move as much as Neo-Ridley’s, which is my major gripe with it.

META RIDLEY... GOOD. Turning Ridley into a cyborg had to be one of the best ideas the series has had. The neon orange energy wings, the small, lower jay replacement, those frankensteined arms and robotic lower body- Ridley has been though hell and back, and he wears the scars proudly. A shame being a cyborg is both a blessing and a curse for him- pesky weak points make everything bad.

Prime 1 Meta Ridley? Good. Prime 3? BETTER. Meta Ridley gets a visual overhaul in the third of the trilogy, and I adore it. It’s so refined compared to his last iteration! An updated body! It’s much more sleek and organic looking, and you can actually see the energy field ripple on his wings. It’s also slightly blue, which hints at his Phazon corruption...

Like Neo-Ridley and the Prime 3 Meta ridley proceeding him, Omega Ridley is far more cobbled together. Much more of his flesh has regenerated thanks to the Phazon, and his wings have become singed and tattered. It’s a rather menacing design, if a bit busy on the eyes- what love about Prime 3 Meta Ridley, but mixed with exposed flesh and wire.

Proteus Ridley is another one of my favorite designs since it bridges the gap of Meta and normal flesh. He’s much more flesh than Omega Ridley, with his tail, left arm, and right leg being the only fully mechanical parts of him left. The use of neon yellow is a cool highlight concept. We don’t see that color often, with good reason, but using it here is just delicious on the eyes. The piece of metal covering his hunchback and the metal neck brace are some of my favorite elements. He’s healing, but not quite fully.

... this is the one design for Ridley i’m not a fan of, honestly. It’s just so.. odd, to me. His proportions are just way off; too thick, too much muscle. The tail is also really weird to me- it just looks like a sword taped on the end, guard and everything? His chest is way too beefy, his beak is way too thin and flat, wings seem too long, and his neck is STRAIGHT. STRAIGHT? Who on god’s earth thought it would be a good idea to give him a straight neck?! Ridley doesn’t do straight, beefy neck. And green eyes? Not a bad choice of color, but where’s the yellow??

And finally, we get to it; the Smash design, one of my favorites. The cracked, dry, armor-like skin with the weak flesh showing in between? A ridged, indented body like some sort of living skeleton? And covered in spikes?? A proper beak?! This, my friends, is quintessential Ridley. It SCREAMS dangerous and aggressive, and is spindly, yet sturdy looking. The massive amounts of spikes on his body is the one good thing Other M supplied. He’s just a walking pile of knives and death! Pretty much exactly what he is.

Who can forget Mecha Ridley, though? Because I sure can’t.

Mecha Ridley, the final boss of Zero Mission, is an incomplete robot made by Ridley in his own image, and tells us exactly what Ridley thinks of himself; the perfect killing machine. Sure, it isn’t quite perfect, as he never finishes it. The way it fights is a result of that, too, relying more on its missile silo than a proper Ridley-like battle. Oh, what could have been! It may or may not being the inspiration for Meta Ridley’s cybernetics aside, robots are always cool to look at. Especially silver, neon green ones this no lower body.

[kanatadrawsstuff]

Ridley - Metroid

The me of the past that uploaded is so excited to be disappointed about Ridley not being playable in Smash Switch.