I started this game a couple times before, but for one reason or another, I lost my save data each time. It took this remaster for me to finally revisit Metroid Prime.
Prime is Metroid's Ocarina of Time moment, a studio putting all their cards on the table to adapt a then-iconic series of 2D games into 3D and see how many of its hallmarks they could nail. The answer is "quite a lot of them." In switching to a first-person view, Retro Studios committed to an intensely personal, immersive experience. Super Metroid is one of the most atmospheric 2D games of its time, and Prime is easily one of the most atmospheric titles of the 3D era, owing heavily to its presentation, aesthetics, and music. The series' trademark exploration and power-progression are there to a T, even if the 3D structure and scale of the world changes the rhythm and texture of these elements.
Some of the biggest changes to the Metroid formula also feel indebted to Ocarina of Time's lasting influence on 3D action-adventure games. Where most boss fights in 2D Metroid are straightforward action affairs, testing your platforming and shooting abilities, Prime opts for more puzzle-oriented encounters for most of its bosses, asking you to interact with the environment or make clever use of your visors, beams, or morph ball to deal or avoid damage. Many of the game's secrets take a Zelda-like approach, too, tasking you with observing where a particular item might be useful and solving puzzles using each tool at your disposal. In general, the balance is tilted less towards uncovering hidden secrets and more towards working out problems with open information. Yet, where Ocarina of Time felt a bit dated and cumbersome to me the last time I revisited it, this simple remaster feels just as exciting as any game from 2023.
In all honesty, I get that there are completely valid criticisms of this game. I can see how the artifact hunt could feel cumbersome to some players (though I managed to get a few artifacts while exploring, and the rest I got in a couple simple trips, most before and a few after getting the plasma beam. To me, the whole process felt like a quick and pleasant victory lap--I was honestly expecting much worse than it actually turned out to be). I have to concede that beam-swapping can feel clunky, and the combat doesn't offer much depth beyond matching up the right beam and occasionally the right visor to a given enemy. And on top of that, the sequence breaking potential isn't as rich as something like Super Metroid due to a lack of expressive movement options. But none of that seemed to matter while I was playing. I was captivated the whole way through. There are no moments that truly let the game down, just a few that hints that its formula has even more potential than we've yet seen. Metroid Prime is a game that can completely engross you in its world. A relatively short playtime (compared to other action-adventure games, not necessarily to other Metroidvania titles) undoubtedly helps with this. When astronauts step onto the moon, do they complain about the backtracking they'll have to do to get home? Of course not; they know they're experiencing something special. It won't last forever; appreciate it while it does.
When it comes to this remaster, I will die on the hill that the original release of this game has aged surprisingly well. In terms of its legacy controls, the entire game is calibrated around its restrictions on strafing and aiming, similar to Resident Evil 4 (another GameCube tank-control classic). Unlike RE4, though, adding modern control options doesn't necessitate redesigning any of Prime's world or enemies. It just feels a little bit smoother, a little bit more intuitive. And, even if it doesn't impress as much as it did 20 years ago, Prime on the Gamecube is still a good looking game to this day, but man, the vibes in this remaster are immaculate. It looks 1:1 how I remember Metroid Prime looking, but a side-by-side comparison will make clear just how much work went into beautifying this game. When I watch the rain drip down my visor, you could convince me that Tallon IV is a real place, and I am there. That's always been Metroid Prime's secret.
Prime is Metroid's Ocarina of Time moment, a studio putting all their cards on the table to adapt a then-iconic series of 2D games into 3D and see how many of its hallmarks they could nail. The answer is "quite a lot of them." In switching to a first-person view, Retro Studios committed to an intensely personal, immersive experience. Super Metroid is one of the most atmospheric 2D games of its time, and Prime is easily one of the most atmospheric titles of the 3D era, owing heavily to its presentation, aesthetics, and music. The series' trademark exploration and power-progression are there to a T, even if the 3D structure and scale of the world changes the rhythm and texture of these elements.
Some of the biggest changes to the Metroid formula also feel indebted to Ocarina of Time's lasting influence on 3D action-adventure games. Where most boss fights in 2D Metroid are straightforward action affairs, testing your platforming and shooting abilities, Prime opts for more puzzle-oriented encounters for most of its bosses, asking you to interact with the environment or make clever use of your visors, beams, or morph ball to deal or avoid damage. Many of the game's secrets take a Zelda-like approach, too, tasking you with observing where a particular item might be useful and solving puzzles using each tool at your disposal. In general, the balance is tilted less towards uncovering hidden secrets and more towards working out problems with open information. Yet, where Ocarina of Time felt a bit dated and cumbersome to me the last time I revisited it, this simple remaster feels just as exciting as any game from 2023.
In all honesty, I get that there are completely valid criticisms of this game. I can see how the artifact hunt could feel cumbersome to some players (though I managed to get a few artifacts while exploring, and the rest I got in a couple simple trips, most before and a few after getting the plasma beam. To me, the whole process felt like a quick and pleasant victory lap--I was honestly expecting much worse than it actually turned out to be). I have to concede that beam-swapping can feel clunky, and the combat doesn't offer much depth beyond matching up the right beam and occasionally the right visor to a given enemy. And on top of that, the sequence breaking potential isn't as rich as something like Super Metroid due to a lack of expressive movement options. But none of that seemed to matter while I was playing. I was captivated the whole way through. There are no moments that truly let the game down, just a few that hints that its formula has even more potential than we've yet seen. Metroid Prime is a game that can completely engross you in its world. A relatively short playtime (compared to other action-adventure games, not necessarily to other Metroidvania titles) undoubtedly helps with this. When astronauts step onto the moon, do they complain about the backtracking they'll have to do to get home? Of course not; they know they're experiencing something special. It won't last forever; appreciate it while it does.
When it comes to this remaster, I will die on the hill that the original release of this game has aged surprisingly well. In terms of its legacy controls, the entire game is calibrated around its restrictions on strafing and aiming, similar to Resident Evil 4 (another GameCube tank-control classic). Unlike RE4, though, adding modern control options doesn't necessitate redesigning any of Prime's world or enemies. It just feels a little bit smoother, a little bit more intuitive. And, even if it doesn't impress as much as it did 20 years ago, Prime on the Gamecube is still a good looking game to this day, but man, the vibes in this remaster are immaculate. It looks 1:1 how I remember Metroid Prime looking, but a side-by-side comparison will make clear just how much work went into beautifying this game. When I watch the rain drip down my visor, you could convince me that Tallon IV is a real place, and I am there. That's always been Metroid Prime's secret.