HOLY SHIT.
Metroid Prime Remastered is one of the greatest video games I’ve ever played, hands down. Is it perfect? Not exactly; this game could really use a fast travel system like the ones seen in Samus Returns and Dread, as backtracking across Tallon IV can be a massive pain in the ass, especially in the late game. But that’s basically my only issue with this game, because holy fuck, everything else is AWESOME.
Let me just start by praising Shigeru Miyamoto. I have plenty of gripes with him and his outdated view on video games, but occasionally he comes up with an idea that completely saves a project. In this instance, he insisted that this brand-new 3D Metroid game be in first-person, a la Halo. He was so adamant about this that a developer left the project out of frustration. And yet, Miyamoto’s intuition paid off. The first-person perspective of Metroid Prime gives the game an unparalleled level of immersion that’s unlike any other game I’ve played, especially among the Metroid series. When you’re viewing the world through the Power Suit’s visor with an arm cannon readied at the side, it becomes clear that you’re not just playing as Samus Aran, you are Samus Aran, and you’ve got some pirates to slaughter.
The world design is everything I loved about Super Metroid, but put into 3D and expanded. Beautiful, in-depth environments from the lush greenery and watery depths of the Tallon Overworld, to the fiery pits of Magmoor Caverns, the ghostly remnants of the Chozo Ruins, the frigid tundras of the Phendrana Drifts, all the way to the horrific depths of the Phazon Mines. These locations are just as beautiful and packed with detail as the regions of Planet Zebes, arguably even more so. There’s still a fuck ton of upgrades to find, too, and as per usual, many of them are optional, leading to plenty of opportunities for sequence breaking. I’m sure there’s an Ice Beam power-up out there somewhere, but I never found it despite finding all of the other beam upgrades, which just goes to show how well-hidden these secrets can be.
The graphics are the best on the Switch, and it’s not even a contest. Never have environmental textures been this fully realized and detailed on this shitty piece of hardware. It could easily pass for a PlayStation game at first glance. I remember being absolutely awestruck when I first entered the Phendrana Shorelines and saw just how magnificent the wintry landscape looked, as the creatures within burrowed through the snow and Ridley flew overhead, reminding Samus of her goal.
Oh, speaking of that goal, this game’s story is phenomenal, in large part due to the fact that most of it is optional. The main storyline is essentially just Samus trying to stop Ridley and the Space Pirates from building up another Metroid army, so no surprises there. But scanning the Pirates’ data logs offers some interesting insights into their operations, Ridley’s personality, and orders from an unseen “High Command” (possibly Mother Brain herself). After playing second fiddle to other villains throughout the franchise, it’s nice to see Ridley take the spotlight as the main antagonist, as while there is an even bigger threat on Tallon IV, Ridley is the only reason Samus is there to begin with, his command of the Space Pirates is actively worsening the planet’s situation, and his success will lead to the Space Pirates dominating the galaxy unless Samus puts a stop to him. Their showdown at the end of the game is built up so damn well, and it makes the major asskicking you give him all the more satisfying.
But then there’s that other, bigger threat, where Prime’s storytelling really shines. A series of completely optional Chozo messages reveal the past history of their colony on Tallon IV, the cataclysm that led to the planet’s sorry state in the present, and the prophecy of a hopeful future in which a woman from the stars will save what remains. Given Samus’ connection to the Chozo, it’s a very poignant and tragic tale that adds some emotional stakes to the plot… and some cosmic horror once you discover the “Worm” that’s been feeding beneath the planet’s surface, festering and infecting everything around it like a Lovecraftian cancer.
The bosses are solid this time around, which is nice considering how disappointed I was in Zero Mission’s lineup. Some of them are legitimately challenging, especially the dreaded Omega Pirate (another character that’s expertly built up throughout the game). The final boss is a great, long, and sometimes brutal test of all of Samus’ abilities. But, of course, Ridley steals the show once again, delivering another frantic, climactic duel to the death as Samus clashes with her nemesis for the fate of Tallon IV, backed up by his epic battle theme.
The music is exceptional, too, and a rare case where technological limitations actually help an OST, rather than hindering it. The GameCube could only handle synthetic or semi-compressed tunes, hence why games like Twilight Princess were unable to use live orchestras. Here, though, the heavy use of synths and slightly unnatural “instruments” greatly enhances the sci-fi and horror vibes that the series is known for.
Metroid Prime Remastered is a deeply immersive masterpiece, virtually unparalleled in the action-adventure genre and a near-perfect transition to the third dimension for one of Nintendo’s most beloved IPs. There are countless other reviews and video essays that can explain this game’s outstanding qualities far more eloquently than I ever could, so I encourage you to seek them out. I hope I’ll be able to play the sequels some day, because I NEED more Metroid Prime in my life.
Metroid Prime Remastered is one of the greatest video games I’ve ever played, hands down. Is it perfect? Not exactly; this game could really use a fast travel system like the ones seen in Samus Returns and Dread, as backtracking across Tallon IV can be a massive pain in the ass, especially in the late game. But that’s basically my only issue with this game, because holy fuck, everything else is AWESOME.
Let me just start by praising Shigeru Miyamoto. I have plenty of gripes with him and his outdated view on video games, but occasionally he comes up with an idea that completely saves a project. In this instance, he insisted that this brand-new 3D Metroid game be in first-person, a la Halo. He was so adamant about this that a developer left the project out of frustration. And yet, Miyamoto’s intuition paid off. The first-person perspective of Metroid Prime gives the game an unparalleled level of immersion that’s unlike any other game I’ve played, especially among the Metroid series. When you’re viewing the world through the Power Suit’s visor with an arm cannon readied at the side, it becomes clear that you’re not just playing as Samus Aran, you are Samus Aran, and you’ve got some pirates to slaughter.
The world design is everything I loved about Super Metroid, but put into 3D and expanded. Beautiful, in-depth environments from the lush greenery and watery depths of the Tallon Overworld, to the fiery pits of Magmoor Caverns, the ghostly remnants of the Chozo Ruins, the frigid tundras of the Phendrana Drifts, all the way to the horrific depths of the Phazon Mines. These locations are just as beautiful and packed with detail as the regions of Planet Zebes, arguably even more so. There’s still a fuck ton of upgrades to find, too, and as per usual, many of them are optional, leading to plenty of opportunities for sequence breaking. I’m sure there’s an Ice Beam power-up out there somewhere, but I never found it despite finding all of the other beam upgrades, which just goes to show how well-hidden these secrets can be.
The graphics are the best on the Switch, and it’s not even a contest. Never have environmental textures been this fully realized and detailed on this shitty piece of hardware. It could easily pass for a PlayStation game at first glance. I remember being absolutely awestruck when I first entered the Phendrana Shorelines and saw just how magnificent the wintry landscape looked, as the creatures within burrowed through the snow and Ridley flew overhead, reminding Samus of her goal.
Oh, speaking of that goal, this game’s story is phenomenal, in large part due to the fact that most of it is optional. The main storyline is essentially just Samus trying to stop Ridley and the Space Pirates from building up another Metroid army, so no surprises there. But scanning the Pirates’ data logs offers some interesting insights into their operations, Ridley’s personality, and orders from an unseen “High Command” (possibly Mother Brain herself). After playing second fiddle to other villains throughout the franchise, it’s nice to see Ridley take the spotlight as the main antagonist, as while there is an even bigger threat on Tallon IV, Ridley is the only reason Samus is there to begin with, his command of the Space Pirates is actively worsening the planet’s situation, and his success will lead to the Space Pirates dominating the galaxy unless Samus puts a stop to him. Their showdown at the end of the game is built up so damn well, and it makes the major asskicking you give him all the more satisfying.
But then there’s that other, bigger threat, where Prime’s storytelling really shines. A series of completely optional Chozo messages reveal the past history of their colony on Tallon IV, the cataclysm that led to the planet’s sorry state in the present, and the prophecy of a hopeful future in which a woman from the stars will save what remains. Given Samus’ connection to the Chozo, it’s a very poignant and tragic tale that adds some emotional stakes to the plot… and some cosmic horror once you discover the “Worm” that’s been feeding beneath the planet’s surface, festering and infecting everything around it like a Lovecraftian cancer.
The bosses are solid this time around, which is nice considering how disappointed I was in Zero Mission’s lineup. Some of them are legitimately challenging, especially the dreaded Omega Pirate (another character that’s expertly built up throughout the game). The final boss is a great, long, and sometimes brutal test of all of Samus’ abilities. But, of course, Ridley steals the show once again, delivering another frantic, climactic duel to the death as Samus clashes with her nemesis for the fate of Tallon IV, backed up by his epic battle theme.
The music is exceptional, too, and a rare case where technological limitations actually help an OST, rather than hindering it. The GameCube could only handle synthetic or semi-compressed tunes, hence why games like Twilight Princess were unable to use live orchestras. Here, though, the heavy use of synths and slightly unnatural “instruments” greatly enhances the sci-fi and horror vibes that the series is known for.
Metroid Prime Remastered is a deeply immersive masterpiece, virtually unparalleled in the action-adventure genre and a near-perfect transition to the third dimension for one of Nintendo’s most beloved IPs. There are countless other reviews and video essays that can explain this game’s outstanding qualities far more eloquently than I ever could, so I encourage you to seek them out. I hope I’ll be able to play the sequels some day, because I NEED more Metroid Prime in my life.