Dark Echo

:For other uses, see Dark Echo (Disambiguation).
A Dark Echo is a copy of Dark Samus created during her battle with Samus on Phaaze. Dark Echoes are created by "splitting" from Dark Samus (much like a cell undergoing mitosis) and are identical to the real Dark Samus save for their black, empty visor area. They behave in a near-identical manner to the real Dark Samus, possessing a simple Phazon-based copy of the Power Beam, along with some of Dark Samus's other moves. However, they have a far smaller supply of health than Dark Samus and can be destroyed easily. After Dark Samus directly possesses Aurora Unit 313, it projects from its eye a second type of Dark Echo that is somewhat ethereal and significantly weaker.
==Description==
One of their purposes is to act as decoys to distract Samus as Dark Samus absorbs Phaaze's energy to replenish her own in the final battle between the two, and to that effect, they can create the illusion of draining energy as well. Dark Samus will use one at first, but later can create two after taking enough damage. Their other purposes is to aid Dark Samus in amplifying some of her attacks by recombining with her.
Dark Samus can also perform another move with the Echoes, in which she and the Echoes will levitate a few inches off the ground and spin around the room rapidly, making them difficult to hit until the move ends and causing damage when hit by them. Another attack they can create together is a large, spinning, double Plasma Beam shot from the center of the room in opposite directions (this is performed only with one Echo at a time). If the Echoes fuse back into the original, Dark Samus will gain a purple aura that makes her invulnerable to attacks, along with one or two spinning lights (depending on the amount of Echoes she fused with).
If the real Dark Samus has taken significant damage after a certain amount of time, both she and the Echoes will perform an energy-recovery move; however, if Samus acts fast enough, the Echoes can be destroyed and the real Dark Samus damaged before her evil twin recovers all her health. Ways in which to distinguish between Dark Samus and her Echoes are by switching Visors, as both the X-Ray Visor and the Scan Visor can differentiate them from the true Dark Samus. Visually, Echoes also have black visors, while the real Dark Samus has a bright blue one. Destroying the Echoes will reveal power-ups such as Anti-Phazon Units.
Even weaker Dark Echoes are generated by Dark Samus when she is controlling the Aurora Unit 313. The Aurora goes into an immobile state when these Echoes are produced, possibly to concentrate solely on their control. They will either shoot at Samus or, after turning into their Morph Ball forms, use the Boost Ball ability to speed across the arena in a zig-zag pattern in an attempt to impact her. They are fairly easy to dodge and easy to kill for powerups. After some time, these Echoes will vanish into thin air.
==Scans==
===Temporary Scan===
"Morphology: Dark Echo. Facsimile created by Dark Samus. Susceptible to Hypermode attacks."
===Unused Logbook Entry===
Although Dark Echoes only have a temporary scan in English, the game's German and Spanish text each contain a full logbook entry, which is translated to English here. The German entry was removed in the Metroid Prime Trilogy version of the game, while the Spanish entry was left intact.
==Super Smash Bros. Ultimate==
In one of Dark Samus's victory poses, she splits off from a Dark Echo with an acrobatic kick, before they levitate in a circle and re-merge.
==Development notes==
Corruption producer Kensuke Tanabe initially wanted the final battle with Dark Samus to consist of her and dozens of Dark Echoes. This was deemed to be unfeasible due to the Wii's hardware specifications, and the maximum number of Dark Samus copies on-screen was reduced to three.Kiwi Talkz. "#138 - Paul Tozour Interview (Metroid Prime 2 & 3, Boss Design, A.I., Leadership, Four Swords etc.)". YouTube. June 25, 2022. Retrieved July 6, 2022. (starts at 2:37)
==Trivia==
*They are presumably named after the game Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, which preceded Corruption and acted as Dark Samus's formal debut. The Japanese version of said game is called Metroid Prime 2: Dark Echoes.
*If a Dark Echo is near Dark Samus and is destroyed, Dark Samus herself will take additional damage from the impending explosion.
*The second type of Dark Echoes also appear in a Diorama along with AU 313, in the game's Extras menu.
*The explosion and sound effect when Dark Echoes die is similar to the way Metroids die in Metroid Prime, which suggests that they are Metroid-based copies spawned by Dark Samus identical to the way the Metroid Prime could spawn Metroids.
*Interestingly, Dark Echoes are never shown to physically split from Dark Samus. Dark Samus somehow duplicates herself nigh-seamlessly while cartwheeling, with Dark Samus and the Echoes going in different directions to further confuse the real Samus (with there being a slight second delay between the cartwheels that causes one of their limbs to be slightly more ahead of the other). This somewhat subtle split makes it nigh on impossible to distinguish which one is the real Dark Samus and which is fake at first, until closer inspection.
*When scanned, the pictures for the scan are glitched red versions of Dark Samus's images, suggesting that their similar nature to Dark Samus made the Scan Visor malfunction.
*Shortly before its "death", Metroid Prime also seemed to split into several copies of itself, although this is probably due to the instability it was undergoing at the time and was not actually a combat tactic.
==Gallery==
MP3C DarkSamus DarkEcho.gif|Dark Samus creates an Echo.
Dark_Echo_scan.png|Scan images
DioramaAU2.jpg|Two Dark Echoes appear alongside the AU in a Diorama.
Dark Samus Sanctum models (front).png|A Dark Echo (left) compared to Dark Samus (right).
Dark Samus Sanctum models (back).png|Backside (Dark Echo located on the left)
Dark Samus Echo 313 (front).png|Model used for a Dark Echo during Aurora Unit 313's battle.
Dark Samus Echo 313 model (back).png|Backside.
==References==
ru:Темное Эхо
de:Dunkles Phantom
es:Eco
Category:Phaaze
Category:Species
Category:Metroids
Category:Deceptive
Category:Metroid Prime/Dark Samus
Category:Samus Aran mimics
Category:Super Smash Bros.