Grapple Guardian

The Grapple Guardian is a Grenchler possessed by the Warrior Ing which stole Samus's Grapple Beam, which Samus can retrieve by defeating it. It is about the size of the dead Grenchlers seen in the beginning of the game. Interestingly, one of these deceased creatures was electrocuted on exposed wires, foreshadowing the battle with the Grapple Guardian.
It is possible for Samus to see the Grapple Guardian from the lower area of the Sacrificial Chamber by jumping up an assortment of blocks in one area of the room. However, it will not try to attack Samus nor can it be scanned until she sets foot into the arena where she battles the boss. Sequence Breaking can allow Samus to hit the beast at this time, but it will not take any damage and will attack Samus with a chomp if she gets close, forcing her to retreat.
This creature is the larger, boss variant of the Grenchlers and their dark counterparts, similar to how the first adult Sheegoth was to the younger members of the same species. All of these creatures share behavioral characteristics.
==Battle==
Samus fights the Grapple Guardian in Dark Torvus's Sacrificial Chamber, after entering the room from the Sacrificial Chamber Tunnel. The creature wastes no time sniffing out its prey and relentlessly chases Samus without end. Once close, it attacks with a furious chomp severely damaging Samus if she stops backing away for even a second. Anytime Samus attempts to reach around the backside of the creature, it will immediately jump 180° to face her. The creature must be scanned in order for the full fight to commence. Upon doing so, its eye glows, revealing a weak point. The eye can now be hit with weapons fire but this will merely agitate the creature. Once agitated enough, it will attempt to use the Grapple Beam to pull her into its mouth. Its only weak point is its back, which is covered by a shell and is constantly guarded. However, if Samus tricks it into grappling the electrified pillars in the room, it will be stunned and vulnerable for a short time, allowing for shots to land on its tail. If the Grapple guardian is too close to a pillar, it might not latch onto it properly. Once its health is nearly depleted, its shell will be destroyed and it will become slower, but it will form a barrier of grapple energy. Contact with this barrier will electrocute Samus momentarily, causing her massive damage. This barrier can be temporarily taken down by shooting at its eye, allowing Samus enough time to shoot it in either weak spot to continue damaging the creature. As a darkling, the creature is highly vulnerable to the Light Beam and will receive knockback if its tail is struck by a direct Lightblast.
==Logbook entry==
==Development notes==
Paul Tozour programmed the Grapple Guardian's artificial intelligence.Tozour, Paul. "This is one of the smaller boss encounters from Metroid Prime 2: Echoes." "Grapple Guardian (MP2:E)". Archived from the original on May 14, 2014. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
Leftover internal data within the Metroid Prime 2: Echoes Bonus Disc names the Grapple Guardian as the Grenchgrappler. Its Logbook is slightly altered, but more or less states the same main weakness. It's is properly fixed to Its in the final.
==Trivia==
*The electrocution-style death may be inspired by the secret method of defeating Draygon in Super Metroid with the Grappling Beam.
*The Grapple Guardian is the largest of the Sub-Guardian bosses. When Samus is below the arena where the Grapple Guardian is fought, each step from the creature shakes the floor above, an indication of its massive weight.
*The Grapple Guardian and the Grenchlers have body structures very similar to the Motos, Gigafraugs, as well as the mentioned baby and adult Sheegoths. Their designs may have inspired one another.
*The Grapple Guardian shares its battle theme, Short Battle, with numerous other Darkling creatures in the game.
*The Grapple Guardian is possibly the only boss that must be scanned (regardless of whether or not it has been scanned in a previous playthrough in the case of Trilogy) before it is able to be damaged directly. Before the scan is acquired, the Grapple Guardian only attacks with its massive maw, and it cannot be coaxed into using the Grapple Beam. It shields its backside quickly.
**It is possible to damage the creature without scanning it first, however this requires precise movements to aim quickly at the tail. The Darkburst can also damage the creature this way, though it inflicts little damage and places a heavy strain on Samus's resources. Rarely, a non-deflected Entangler shot can inflict damage to the beast if aimed at a right spot. If somehow damaged to phase 2 without scanning it, its eye will still remain invulnerable until its second scan is scanned, and it can only be damaged without scanning it with the Darkburst or Sonic Boom (via Sequence Breaking) due in part to possessing an invulnerable electrical shield in place around its backside.
**Damaging it with the Sonic Boom (via Sequence Breaking) will not cause its tail to be destroyed past the certain low HP value. This means it is possible to kill the creature with its tail still attached.
*If Samus kills the Grapple Guardian before removing the bars obstructing the Dark Portal in the Gathering Hall (via Sequence Breaking), she will become stuck on Dark Aether and unable to progress. The only way to fix this is to restart the game, but if the game was saved at this point, that save file will become impossible to clear except by hacking, forcing a new game.
*There is a large hole in the Grapple Guardian's jaw, which can be seen clearly when viewing its Logbook model.
==Gallery==
Grapple_Guardian logbook.png|Logbook
Grapple_Guardian.png|Concept art
GrenchGrappler Electric Touch.png|Samus receives major electrical damage from contact with the creature's electrified backside.
Grenchgrappler.png|Metroid Prime 2: Echoes Bonus Disc.
==References==
ru:Хранитель Гарпуна
Category:Bosses
Category:Dark Aether
Category:Dark Torvus Bog
Category:Darkling
Category:Grenchler Family
Category:Sub Guardians
Category:Paul Tozour
Category:Deceased