Review

Metroid Prime is a timeless classic every gaming nut should play

21/2/2023

Metroid Prime is more than 20 years old. Nevertheless, this ripe old age isn’t apparent in the new remastered version of the game for Nintendo Switch. On the contrary, plenty of new AAA releases could sit up and take note of the Gamecube classic’s timeless design.

In what came as a complete surprise, Nintendo announced a remaster of Metroid Prime during the last Nintendo Directlive broadcast. And the best part? Shortly after the presentation, the game was available for download on the Nintendo eShop.

I have to admit, I was a little apprehensive before downloading it. This Gamecube classic is one of my all-time favourite games. However, the last time I played it was about 14 years ago on the Nintendo Wii as part of the Metroid Prime: Trilogy. What if my nostalgia-tinged memories were pulling the wool over my eyes? What if, by today’s gameplay standards, the classic just wasn’t fun anymore or seemed outdated? Maybe, I thought to myself, I shouldn’t play it after all. Maybe I should leave my childhood memories of the game undisturbed.

In the end, though, my curiosity wins out. I start the download, following the progress bar with a mixture of anticipation and nervousness. Then, it’s time: «Download complete». I start the game.

Within a matter of minutes, all my concerns and fears vanish into thin air. The game feels incredibly fresh and innovative despite its advanced age – not least on account of its clever design and minimalistic storytelling.

The antithesis of modern storytelling

In Metroid Prime Remastered, you take on the role of intergalactic bounty hunter Samus Aran. On the deserted planet Tallon IV, you’ll search for a mysterious alien life form and uncover the dark machinations of a nasty gang of space pirates.

The game does without cutscenes for the most part. As for spoken dialogue, think again. Without any prior knowledge or exposition, Metroid Prime throws you onto a deserted celestial body, leaving you to experience the plot via «environmental storytelling». On Tallon IV, you feel isolated, lost and alone. Using a scanner, you gather information about the planet’s flora and fauna and unearth remnants of a former civilisation. With every scan, the game gives you a little piece of the puzzle that is the back story. What you do with these puzzle pieces is up to you.

The ruins on Tallon IV are full of hidden secrets and back story.
Source: Nintendo

I adore modern, high production value AAA games with elaborate cutscenes and never-ending dialogues. I really do. The Last of Us games are some of my ultimate favourites. And yet, it was incredibly refreshing to go back to playing a game that didn’t hand me the story ready-made on a silver platter.

In Metroid Prime, gameplay, storytelling and environment are closely enmeshed. The cryptic scan information creates a mysterious atmosphere – one that couldn’t be replicated with conventional, linear narrative methods. The minimalistic storytelling reminds me of the narrative form of Souls games such as Elden Ring – another game where I’m abandoned in a strange, hostile world and forced to gather information about the background story myself.

Pretty handy: the thermal visor allows me to see enemies in the dark, as well as invisible energy sources on Tallon IV.
Source: Domagoj Belancic

The antithesis of modern game design

To defend yourself against nasty space pirates and hostile fauna, you have a considerable arsenal of weapons and various mobility options at your disposal. With the «Morphball», Samus even turns into a small sphere able to plant bombs. These abilities can be used in puzzles as well as battles.

As is typical for Metroidvania games, you’re only equipped with a small number of abilities and gadgets at the beginning of your space adventure. As the game progresses, you unlock new features for your space suit and gain access to more areas on Tallon IV.

The interwoven game sections and various biomes are designed pretty darn cleverly. The maze-like levels are connected in sometimes surprising ways, with puzzles and hidden content to discover everywhere. With the help of a newly unlocked ability, places you feel like you’ve passed through a hundred times suddenly reveal entirely new secrets and shortcuts. In short, Tallon IV is one big mystery.

The game expects you to roam the alien world with your eyes open and your head clear at all times. Only rarely do you get a direct hint as to where you need to go in order to continue. You need to take a mental note of suspicious-looking places. Then, when you unlock new abilities, you need to remember to revisit them. You don’t get any quest markers, quest logs or mini-map entries, nor do you have any companions along the way to tell you the solution to a puzzle before you’ve given it a moment’s thought. As is the case with the cryptic story, you’re mostly on your own when it comes to solving the puzzles.

The 3D mini-map is an important tool for exploring the planet.

In a video game landscape full of titles that constantly spoon-feed you, this is another way in which Metroid Prime acts as a breath of fresh air. On Tallon IV, I can’t turn off my brain and shoot willy-nilly. I need to think. It takes a lot of effort, but it’s also very satisfying. Every puzzle solved, every boss defeated and every skill learned feels hard-earned and meaningful. I hate to repeat myself, but Fromsoft games once again spring to mind in this respect.

This is what a remaster should look like

One thing I find particularly astounding about the remaster is how little has changed in relation to the original, released in 2002. Metroid Prime Remastered is basically the exact same game that captivated me over 20 years ago.

Most of Retro Studios’ work has gone into the graphics update. With new, more detailed models, higher resolution textures, better lighting and modern special effects, Metroid Prime Remastered looks really pretty for a Nintendo Switch game and runs consistently at a buttery smooth 60 FPS. This is what a remaster should look like.

The only change with a direct impact on gameplay is the additional control options. The original game was played using a stick. Even 20 years ago, this was odd, and today it feels even more unnatural. These days, you can play the game in classic twin stick mode i.e. like every other first-person shooter. Options for precise motion controls and classic one-stick controls are also included.

The fact that this few changes have been made to the game is a testament to how timeless Metroid Prime’s design really is.

The new twin-stick controls combined with the old lock-on system make Metroid Prime Remastered even more accessible.

I need more games like Metroid Prime

Metroid Prime is the definition of a timeless classic, and feels incredibly fresh and innovative in the current gaming landscape despite its advanced age. If you never played the original, Metroid Prime Remastered is the perfect opportunity to catch up on this piece of gaming history.

I’ve now spent about ten hours on Tallon IV. And I already know that as soon as I see the credits of the game, I’ll want more. More «environmental storytelling» without spoken dialogue or cutscenes. More clever level design that doesn’t spoon-feed the player. More thinking for yourself, less having everything served up on a silver platter.

Hopefully, Nintendo will bring us the remastered versions of Metroid Prime 2 and Metroid Prime 3 soon. Metroid Prime 4, on the other hand, is probably a while off yet. In the future, I hope more studios reflect on the strengths of Metroid Prime’s timeless game design.

So, that’s enough writing for one day. I’ve got to get back to Tallon IV to kick some virtual space pirate butt.

The digital version of Metroid Prime Remastered is available for Nintendo Switch and was provided to us by Nintendo for testing purposes. From 3 March, the physical version of the game will also be available.