An exploration-driven 3D metroidvania/first-person shooter hybrid and sequel to Metroid Prime (2002) in which Samus lands on Aether, an intricate planet torn into light and dark versions of itself, to help its remaining inhabitants defend against the invaders from its dark incarnation by traversing both the light and dark worlds, acquiring new power-ups and braving oppressive environments.
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I've always said that one of the most core pillars of Metroid is atmosphere, and the queen of atmosphere is Metroid Prime 2, here. It takes a notably drearier tone than Prime 1's already fairly dark mood did. And that definitely suits the mood of the game in general; Prime 1 felt like the aftermath of a post-apocalyptic disaster, but Prime 2 makes it feel like the apocalypse is still ongoing, in part because you're the final vanguard keeping the Luminoth from going extinct. And while there is certainly something dark in having a big Chozo city with nothing but the remnants of a dead civilization around, there's something a lot darker but also kind of badass about stopping the Luminoth from suffering the same fate at nearly the last minute, but also should you fail, the Ing will be successful in their eradication.
I complimented how much Prime 1 supported its atmosphere by having visual effects appear on the visor, but Prime 2 doubles down on this with effects like blinding lights, the visual of being enveloped in sludge as an Ing attempts to possess you, even up to rather amusingly having an enemy that causes the suit's system to hard crash, making you Ctrl+Alt+Delete to reboot it.
This game's ammo system is smart, in that it forces you to balance out which weapons you use and not JUST rely on what's good. Especially since this game has a rather binary light world denizens are weak to Dark Beam, and dark world creatures are weak to Light Beam system, and both these beams really wreck the enemies they're good against. Almost too easily, but they take it as an opportunity to ramp up the difficulty a bit. Being on Dark Aether saps your health quickly, and they introduce enemies like Space Pirates and Dark Pirate Commandos (basically Chozo ghost reskins) way earlier than in Prime.
They make some really inventive dimension-hopping puzzles, only really faltered by how going through a portal means looking at a loading screen. It really feels like it pushes the Prime engine to its limit, especially with how the levels are just as, if not more expansive than the ones in Prime 1. Prime 2 also asks for a lot less between-area backtracking, the only particularly stand-out moment being going back to Torvus after getting Spider Ball in Sanctuary. But they really tone it down a lot by making it so all the areas are more conveniently interconnected, with there being a shortcut to Torvus right there in Sanctuary so long as you look for it. This also makes the end-of-game Sky Temple Key hunt far more bearable, and even then it doesn't bother me that much. You should be able to get the keys so long as you know where they are and can get to them, but you'll need Dark Visor to acquire them first. Other than that, a victory lap around Dark Aether, an area that was previously difficult and hostile to traverse is earned. Just to flex that it's your stomping grounds now.
And see like, this is why I love Echoes so much. Prime 1 was so close to being up there as one of my favorites of all time if it wasn't for the handful of faults it had, almost all of which get addressed in Echoes. Because the bosses are far more active, fun, and interesting this time around. Even the minibosses kick ass, and I don't mind that much if Spider Guardian is a bit of an asshole, I just think it's impressive that they made a boss that's fought entirely with Morph Ball.
Amorbis is the closest to being a Prime 1 boss, with it largely being three phases of the same thing But More, but they amp it up by having the worms act more aggressive when there's more of them. Chykka and Quadraxis are both awesome multi-phase epics that both almost feel like they could've been final bosses in and of themselves. Quadraxis especially asking you to act fast and figure it out, since there's no save zones in its arena. And the Dark Samus fights are just killer. And the final boss, unlike Prime 1's absolutely delivers both in challenge and scope.
Metroid Prime 2 is the ideal sequel.
I complimented how much Prime 1 supported its atmosphere by having visual effects appear on the visor, but Prime 2 doubles down on this with effects like blinding lights, the visual of being enveloped in sludge as an Ing attempts to possess you, even up to rather amusingly having an enemy that causes the suit's system to hard crash, making you Ctrl+Alt+Delete to reboot it.
This game's ammo system is smart, in that it forces you to balance out which weapons you use and not JUST rely on what's good. Especially since this game has a rather binary light world denizens are weak to Dark Beam, and dark world creatures are weak to Light Beam system, and both these beams really wreck the enemies they're good against. Almost too easily, but they take it as an opportunity to ramp up the difficulty a bit. Being on Dark Aether saps your health quickly, and they introduce enemies like Space Pirates and Dark Pirate Commandos (basically Chozo ghost reskins) way earlier than in Prime.
They make some really inventive dimension-hopping puzzles, only really faltered by how going through a portal means looking at a loading screen. It really feels like it pushes the Prime engine to its limit, especially with how the levels are just as, if not more expansive than the ones in Prime 1. Prime 2 also asks for a lot less between-area backtracking, the only particularly stand-out moment being going back to Torvus after getting Spider Ball in Sanctuary. But they really tone it down a lot by making it so all the areas are more conveniently interconnected, with there being a shortcut to Torvus right there in Sanctuary so long as you look for it. This also makes the end-of-game Sky Temple Key hunt far more bearable, and even then it doesn't bother me that much. You should be able to get the keys so long as you know where they are and can get to them, but you'll need Dark Visor to acquire them first. Other than that, a victory lap around Dark Aether, an area that was previously difficult and hostile to traverse is earned. Just to flex that it's your stomping grounds now.
And see like, this is why I love Echoes so much. Prime 1 was so close to being up there as one of my favorites of all time if it wasn't for the handful of faults it had, almost all of which get addressed in Echoes. Because the bosses are far more active, fun, and interesting this time around. Even the minibosses kick ass, and I don't mind that much if Spider Guardian is a bit of an asshole, I just think it's impressive that they made a boss that's fought entirely with Morph Ball.
Amorbis is the closest to being a Prime 1 boss, with it largely being three phases of the same thing But More, but they amp it up by having the worms act more aggressive when there's more of them. Chykka and Quadraxis are both awesome multi-phase epics that both almost feel like they could've been final bosses in and of themselves. Quadraxis especially asking you to act fast and figure it out, since there's no save zones in its arena. And the Dark Samus fights are just killer. And the final boss, unlike Prime 1's absolutely delivers both in challenge and scope.
Metroid Prime 2 is the ideal sequel.
People really say Prime 1 is better... Foolish mortals. Where is the 6th star?
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes was definitely more challenging than its predecessor, and I'd go as far as to say it's the hardest Metroid game I've played so far.
There are a few reasons for this; firstly, the game's divided into dark and light areas, which the player can traverse between through portals scattered around the game world of Aether.
Dark Aether is essentially a remixed version of the game map, with certain areas that can only be accessed in the light world or vice versa.
Dark Aether also causes slow depletion of Samus' health, at least in the beginning, so there's a real sense of hostility and danger when you must travel there to progresss.
This can lead to some head scratching, as you must decipher how to reach parts of the (honestly quite convoluted) map via either traditional means - new powers or traversal abilities - or by manipulating the Dark/Light Aether mechanic.
For example, you may need to enter Dark Aether via a distant portal to open a certain door then return to Light Aether to continue your adventure.
Additionally, there are some tough and spongy enemies to deal with, as well as some mean enough bosses (nothing straying into Fromsoft territory or anything), and ammo for weapon power ups and missiles can be limited.
The game does outstay its welcome towards the end, with the completely unnecessary late game key hunt returning from the first Metroid Prime.
Despite these issues, I found Metroid Prime 2: Echoes to be a very enjoyable, and brilliantly oppressive, entry into the series.
The aforementioned health depletion, coupled with a dark and brooding atmosphere (so much purple!) and skin-crawling music, makes Dark Aether feel like a genuinely dangerous place to find yourself in, and this to me is the essence of a good Metroid game.
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes received a Wii update with more manageable controls and some boss nerfing, and undoubtedly will get an HD r-release at some point, so I highly recommend giving it shot if you're able.
There are a few reasons for this; firstly, the game's divided into dark and light areas, which the player can traverse between through portals scattered around the game world of Aether.
Dark Aether is essentially a remixed version of the game map, with certain areas that can only be accessed in the light world or vice versa.
Dark Aether also causes slow depletion of Samus' health, at least in the beginning, so there's a real sense of hostility and danger when you must travel there to progresss.
This can lead to some head scratching, as you must decipher how to reach parts of the (honestly quite convoluted) map via either traditional means - new powers or traversal abilities - or by manipulating the Dark/Light Aether mechanic.
For example, you may need to enter Dark Aether via a distant portal to open a certain door then return to Light Aether to continue your adventure.
Additionally, there are some tough and spongy enemies to deal with, as well as some mean enough bosses (nothing straying into Fromsoft territory or anything), and ammo for weapon power ups and missiles can be limited.
The game does outstay its welcome towards the end, with the completely unnecessary late game key hunt returning from the first Metroid Prime.
Despite these issues, I found Metroid Prime 2: Echoes to be a very enjoyable, and brilliantly oppressive, entry into the series.
The aforementioned health depletion, coupled with a dark and brooding atmosphere (so much purple!) and skin-crawling music, makes Dark Aether feel like a genuinely dangerous place to find yourself in, and this to me is the essence of a good Metroid game.
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes received a Wii update with more manageable controls and some boss nerfing, and undoubtedly will get an HD r-release at some point, so I highly recommend giving it shot if you're able.
Beam ammo isn't a bad idea, you just suck
Oh Nintendo! Dark and Light worlds uh? That is an innovative mechanic I've never seen anywhere else!
Now I've heard stories about this one. And by that I mean stories about how no one tells stories about this game, if that makes any sense. You'd think the follow up to one of the most critically acclaimed and influential titles in not only the series, but gaming as a whole, would garner more recognition. But no—it just sorta has this weird aura of neutrality around it. With that it meant that I had absolutely zero clue what to expect when jumping into Prime 2.
What immediately jumped at me was how massively the structure of the world and progression was changed. I remember Prime 1 felt a lot more... loose? What I mean by that is that the world never felt openly restricted. It created a wonderful illusion that didn't make the next critical path immediately obvious. It's admittedly very hit or miss and will definitely not jive with everyone, what with all the back and forth, but it added to the feeling of isolation.
Prime 2 decides to tackle this problem in a way that caught me off guard. It's totally a Zelda game. The world is very segmented, meaning that there are three main areas and each area is tackled consecutively. No need to backtrack, sorta. When backtracking is required, it's made blatantly clear and you just need to enter a teleporter. (with one exception!!!!!!that wasn't very fun).
What this means is that the game's pacing is much smoother, but weirdly makes the world feel smaller and less organic. Which is a shame considering that the backstory with the Luminoth and the Ing is so intriguing. Also did I mention the dark world I completely forgot about the dark world yeah that was pretty random. The dark world was definitely one of the aspects that was out left field for me, even though it seems like such a core element of the game.
I kind of like and dislike its implementation?? It's definitely not your typical dark world schpiel, i'll admit. The way it's handled is really cool, making it an actual hostile environment, with only a sparse amount of light bubbles offering respite. It really sells the feeling that the Ing are a legitimate threat. However, I still can't shake the feeling that the dark world is such an... afterthought?? Which is weird to say because it still feels fully realized even with the technical and time restrictions imposed.
Metroid Prime 2 is a peculiar case. The case of a quality sequel being so overshadowed by its predecessor is so... strange. People are asking for Prime 4 and they still haven't played this one!!!! Perhaps why people aren't as attracted to Prime 2 may be that it doesn't feel as grandiose of a revelation as Prime 1. It's more quality Metroid Prime!! Not a lot to be upset about, but also not a lot to be blown away by.
What immediately jumped at me was how massively the structure of the world and progression was changed. I remember Prime 1 felt a lot more... loose? What I mean by that is that the world never felt openly restricted. It created a wonderful illusion that didn't make the next critical path immediately obvious. It's admittedly very hit or miss and will definitely not jive with everyone, what with all the back and forth, but it added to the feeling of isolation.
Prime 2 decides to tackle this problem in a way that caught me off guard. It's totally a Zelda game. The world is very segmented, meaning that there are three main areas and each area is tackled consecutively. No need to backtrack, sorta. When backtracking is required, it's made blatantly clear and you just need to enter a teleporter. (with one exception!!!!!!that wasn't very fun).
What this means is that the game's pacing is much smoother, but weirdly makes the world feel smaller and less organic. Which is a shame considering that the backstory with the Luminoth and the Ing is so intriguing. Also did I mention the dark world I completely forgot about the dark world yeah that was pretty random. The dark world was definitely one of the aspects that was out left field for me, even though it seems like such a core element of the game.
I kind of like and dislike its implementation?? It's definitely not your typical dark world schpiel, i'll admit. The way it's handled is really cool, making it an actual hostile environment, with only a sparse amount of light bubbles offering respite. It really sells the feeling that the Ing are a legitimate threat. However, I still can't shake the feeling that the dark world is such an... afterthought?? Which is weird to say because it still feels fully realized even with the technical and time restrictions imposed.
Metroid Prime 2 is a peculiar case. The case of a quality sequel being so overshadowed by its predecessor is so... strange. People are asking for Prime 4 and they still haven't played this one!!!! Perhaps why people aren't as attracted to Prime 2 may be that it doesn't feel as grandiose of a revelation as Prime 1. It's more quality Metroid Prime!! Not a lot to be upset about, but also not a lot to be blown away by.