The original Metroid Prime remaster was long rumoured on Nintendo’s schedule. It was finally announced and released on Switch last week. The question is, how does this classic gaming game hold up? When it first appeared on the GameCube back in 2002, Metroid Prime represented a major change in perspective for Samus Aran, having played side-scrolling Metroid games for years.
It’s a first-person shooter, swapping out a 2D map for sprawling arrays of interlinked 3D rooms and environments, just as labyrinthine and carefully arranged as any of Samus’ older adventures. Though the story beats are similar (which isn’t a problem, it’s a Metroid thing), there’s some similarities to the beats. As Samus responds to a distress call, she arrives on a space station in orbit fully equipped.
As the station explodes, she finds a series of gruesome mutation experiments gone wrong – and all of her gear is stripped away. Despite the series’ tradition of losing powers, Metroid Prime is really quite open-handed when it comes to getting some of them back. Within an hour, you can find enough upgrades to return the Morph Ball, rockets, and bombs to your arsenal.
The Metroid Prime story involves a robotic Meta Ridley flying around causing havoc. But it’s told with a light touch that makes it impressive. Your suit’s visor lets you scan a range of environmental details. From plant life on the planet you’re exploring to tablets and wall scratchings, which can give you a much more detailed sense of what’s actually happening. There are plenty of interesting world-building to discover through them even if most players won’t read them all.
Prime nails its atmosphere, between these scanner results and a moody, sullen soundtrack . You feel like a lone explorer exploring these locations. Plants and alien life won’t always attack you, but isn’t friendly either.
This remaster preserves and enhances everything that is special about Metroid Prime. The game now looks great on modern hardware. It plays incredibly smoothly whether you go handheld or docked, with its central atmosphere also captured expertly. There isn’t much additional content to cover beyond some concept art collections. It’s priced at a discount makes it a must-play on Switch for series fans and newcomers alike.
