As a big fan of the 2D Metroids, Prime is a game that I've heard a lot about, but never got the chance to play. This remaster is probably the highest-quality game on the Switch in terms of performance and visuals, and is one of the most immersive games I've played full stop; the atmosphere is great.
That said, there are a few things that I missed from Prime's 2D counterparts. The game is slower-paced and the combat, although not the focus, is just kind of too easy; I found the bosses frustratingly easy to read.
Mostly though, I think this game misses out on the one thing I really love about Metroid: the 'power creep'. In Super or Dread, the mid-to-late-game powerups completely change how you traverse the world and your weapons easily tear apart enemies that troubled you in the early game; you feel the weight of the upgrades. In Prime, most upgrades, especially the grappling hook and Gravity Suit, feel like they are needed once or twice and then lose their novelty. I never felt much more powerful than I started out, which is pretty much the reason why I play these games.
That's not to say Prime is bad, it's just a different kind of Metroidvania. I think one of the reasons the backtracking feels so much more tedious here is this lack of tangible progression. Most of the game feels like the final few hours of a 100% run of the other games, searching the same 3 or 4 areas for stuff you've missed.
That said, I definitely enjoyed it enough that I'm likely to jump back in very soon and give it another go. Maybe my expectations were in the wrong place.
That said, there are a few things that I missed from Prime's 2D counterparts. The game is slower-paced and the combat, although not the focus, is just kind of too easy; I found the bosses frustratingly easy to read.
Mostly though, I think this game misses out on the one thing I really love about Metroid: the 'power creep'. In Super or Dread, the mid-to-late-game powerups completely change how you traverse the world and your weapons easily tear apart enemies that troubled you in the early game; you feel the weight of the upgrades. In Prime, most upgrades, especially the grappling hook and Gravity Suit, feel like they are needed once or twice and then lose their novelty. I never felt much more powerful than I started out, which is pretty much the reason why I play these games.
That's not to say Prime is bad, it's just a different kind of Metroidvania. I think one of the reasons the backtracking feels so much more tedious here is this lack of tangible progression. Most of the game feels like the final few hours of a 100% run of the other games, searching the same 3 or 4 areas for stuff you've missed.
That said, I definitely enjoyed it enough that I'm likely to jump back in very soon and give it another go. Maybe my expectations were in the wrong place.