When Nintendo chose to announce and release the remaster of the Gamecube masterpiece Metroid Prime on Wednesday night, I admit I did a little geek victory dance in solitude. We’re talking extreme alternatives and lots of uncontrolled movement, limbs all over the place, maybe luck because it’s late and dark outside, I figured my neighbors would call the cops and the exorcism priest .
Because I’m happy to hear that Metroid Prime is back in the spotlight, and more importantly to tell you, reader, that I have very strong feelings for this Gamecube gem. After all, Samus Aran’s 3D debut is, in my opinion, one of the best games ever made, and I think of the hundreds of adventures I’ve played over the years, only Dark Souls and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time are A standout for this masterpiece.
In other words, I love Metroid Prime, have spent a lot of time with Metroid Prime Remastered now, and nothing makes me want to change that opinion. Because this is still a fantastic adventure game 20 years later, and everything that made the original so great in the early 2000s is intact in this re-release, while the visuals have been refined to bring the experience to life. No, we’re certainly not talking about the same direct remakes as Resident Evil 2 or Final Fantasy VII, but somehow, that doesn’t matter because the source material is still of incredibly high quality today.
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For example, I played the Gamecube version a few years ago, and it seems to me that what makes Prime so immortal is that it has always been built on a solid foundation of great and timeless design, both in terms of aesthetics and game mechanics. Because the levels and pacing are nearly perfect from start to finish, and you’re always allowed to carve your own path while the developers slowly guide you as a player toward your main goal. Add to that the depressing atmosphere and loneliness of being on an alien planet (without feeling weak and vulnerable), and if I do say so myself, there is no better 3D Metroid adventure, and in many ways Retro Studio’s debut is still the same. type of industry leader, even though two decades have now passed.
But why would you be interested in a remake if the original is still so insane?
It’s a reasonable question when you’re paying £35, and I honestly still think you could pick up your old Gamecube and play the original without missing out on any of the overall brilliance. That said, Metroid Prime Remastered is a remarkable re-release of an already masterful game, and it’s certainly the best way to experience this masterpiece today. Of course, the most obvious upgrade is the visuals, and here Retro has really done an amazing job of making the old Gamecube model feel vibrant and modern again.
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Of course, to the untrained eye, these changes may seem insignificant, but to those who have played this classic countless times, the adjustments are indeed clearer, and there are new little details to discover here and there. Like the fact that you can now see clear inscriptions along the walls of the Chozo Ruins, or that all the scrap metal inside the space station actually looks like individual objects rather than blocky squares, this adds an incredible amount to the experience. The enhanced textures on everything from environments to enemies and fauna also make you stop and take a closer look, and I don’t know how many times I’ve let a monster grab my avatar just because I wanted to scrutinize its anatomy.
There’s also been a major update to the lighting, and these nice little details once again illuminate the whole experience in a brilliant way. Watching beams of light meander across the pillars inside the aforementioned Chozo Temple is a visual feast, as is delightful when you first step onto the rain-soaked cliffs of Talon Four or feel the heat of the lava inside Magmoor Caverns.
Also, in terms of performance, the adventure is very fluid at 60 frames per second, and while I experienced occasional drops during the busiest battles, overall this is a very well-rounded game for the Nintendo Switch . By the way, when playing the game in handheld mode, everything from models to textures looks slightly sharper due to the smaller screen, but even showing Retro Studios on a larger TV screen managed to control it from the old Switch The Taichung forces enough power to make the Tallon IV feel neat and sleek, at least considering this is still a remastered Gamecube game we’re talking about here.
You can’t talk about Metroid Prime without mentioning the great music, and 2023’s soundtrack is as masterful as 2003’s. I don’t have factual evidence for my next statement, but it does feel like the music and sound of this version sound more “charismatic” than they have in the past. Because just like the graphics, the soundscape feels crisper and clearer, and when I first took the elevator down to Magmoor Caverns, I was literally struck by the grandeur of the doomsday chorus vibrating from the speakers in true God of War fashion shocked. No matter how you spin it, Kenji Yamamoto’s soundtrack sounds better than ever, and with an awesome soundscape of everything from effects to the emotionally charged informative sounds of his space suits, this epic space adventure is just as it is Comes to life as it did in the early 2000s.
On the plus side we’ve got a couple of new control options this time as well, in addition to the classic control scheme from the Gamecube era we’ve found motion control options a hybrid version and a more standard FPS kit where you can The right stick controls the target. The original’s controls were probably the biggest drawback for many who tried to pick up the game after the fact, and it’s nice to see them cater to nostalgia purists looking to rewire their beloved memories to the max while providing new players with Provides an easier-to-grasp portal. thumbs up!
If I were judging Metroid Prime Remastered solely on the additions it added and how much respect it has for the source material, I probably wouldn’t hesitate to throw out the top rating. As mentioned, Metroid Prime is a masterpiece, and with updated graphics and lighting and improved controls, it’s the ultimate version of one of the world‘s best action-adventures. However, there is a problem.
Because no matter how good the game is, no matter how good the updates are, at the end of the day, it’s essentially a game from 20 years ago. As I said, we’re not talking about a remake, everything is rebuilt from the ground up, but the overall experience, for better or worse, is the same experience we enjoyed on Nintendo’s purple gaming cubes in the early 2000s. Then ask for £35 to share in the novelties, especially when most of us already own the game in question, leaving a tiny crack in the armor. It’s certainly not a rip-off, and a £35 masterpiece could certainly be seen as a gift to many, but when you also consider that you’ll only have access to the first part of the trilogy, it’s hard not to feel a bit stingy after all.
Compared to runner-up Echoes and the last installment, Corruption, Metroid Prime is arguably the best game to date, but it’s clearly desirable that all three games get the same full package of love and care, and similar to what we did for 2007 The Wii-acquired collection (Metroid Prime Trilogy) would justify the higher price tag (even high) in a more acceptable way.
But if you’re not put off by throwing a few extra pounds at the time of your purchase, this is an absolute must for your gaming collection. Because even if, like me, you’ve been playing Metroid Prime for the past two decades, Remastered has done enough new stuff to make the adventure feel fresh again.
Well, if you are one of those who have never experienced this gem, this is truly a great opportunity to start working. Because Metroid Prime is still one of the best games in the world, you really deserve to experience it at its best in Metroid Prime Remastered.
