Yahoo Finance Metroid Prime Remastered review - a cracking upgrade of a sci-fi classic
Of Metroid Prime’s many strengths, few games have been able to recreate its sense of otherworldy mystery and hostility. As Samus Aran stepping onto the surface of Tallon IV, everything feels threateningly alien but deeply enticing; skittering, violent creatures, monolithic structures and glowing, tentacular fauna creeping up unreachable climbs. Unreachable for now, at least.
And, of course, a lick of modern paint in this remaster does Prime’s timeless design no harm at all. From the dust and caverns of the Chozo Ruins to the frozen sweep of the Phendrana Drifts, each section of Prime’s enhanced world viewed through Samus’ visor looks suitably gorgeous. It might not have quite the same visual impact it did in 2002, but the high-def glow-up looks just as Gamecube veterans have it seared into their mind and will appear as if it was made yesterday to any newcomer.
Similar can be said for the game itself. While Metroid Prime does have some antiquated design --for better or worse-- much of it was so forward thinking when it was created that with the sufficient tweaks it feels like it was made yesterday too. Developer Retro Studios have added modern FPS controls; a obvious decision, but one that adds more precision to combat and smooths the edges of the game’s oft-capricious platforming sections.
So the remaster ticks all the boxes, but it is the original Retro team’s work --disappointingly not fully credited here-- that make Metroid Prime such an engrossing prospect. Tallon IV is a masterclass of level design; a warren-like construction of spidering tunnels and wide-open rooms, all connected seamlessly but challenging players with its gear-based gates. It improbably makes taking a lift from a dustbowl to a volcanic inferno feel natural, even if its puzzles are contrived to fit Samus’ arsenal. Whether its half-pipes that require Samus curling into her morph ball form and boosting herself to greater heights, missiles that can open blocked doors, or spidering train tracks that you can attach to magnetically; each connecting corridor can demand new gear and finding each is a thrill.
As is the anticipation, early on you might enter a pool of lava that stretches into the distance, your underpowered suit warning of the heat; the only path lead by enticing hooks in the ceiling that can only be accessed with a grapple. Later, you think, mentally marking the cavern with the (still essential and unsurpassed) 3D map. That exploration is really the heart or Metroid Prime, bolstered by plenty of hidden paths to find energy and weapon upgrades and the mysterious creatures determined to gobble you up. Scanning your surroundings should be a fairly tedious exercise, but it is essential to Prime’s discovery as you and Samus learn more about the world, its history and your attackers. The info flashes up in concise and smartly rendered descriptions within your helmet, cutting down on the time you remove yourself from Samus’ visor.
Fighting those creatures is smartly done too, with a varied bestiary that require different tactics and weaponry to defeat. Discovery can be the greatest pleasure, feeding bugs with morph ball bombs or quick-dodging charging beasts and cracking their carapaces with concussive missiles. Bosses make sure to use Samus’ range of skills too, usually the most recently discovered, to make encounters as much puzzle as combat encounter.
This isn’t a shooter as such, though, with that puzzling and platforming making up just as much of the adventure. As mentioned, the latter is certainly improved by the new control system, but remains an occasional source of old-school frustration. The save system may split opinion too, as any death will punt you back to the last time you manually marked your progress in one of the game’s save chambers. Modern sensibilities may be shocked by the lack of checkpointing, but it is also crucial in creating the sense of tension and danger that ripples throughout Tallon IV.
Few games can do that too. Maybe the closest touchstone in that regard --though they are very different games-- is From Software’s oeuvre. The success of which can only be a boon for Prime’s ethereal brilliance and a good sign for the upcoming and long-awaited Metroid Prime 4.
Developer Retro Studios/Iron Galaxy Studios Publisher Nintendo Formats Switch Age rating PEGI 12 Released 8 Feb 2023 RRP £34.99
