Metroid Prime a.k.a. Samus’ First 3D Adventure
If you’ve talked with me enough about video games, you’ve probably learned that the Metroid series holds a special place in my heart. The first game I remember playing was Metroid: Zero Mission for the GameBoy Advance. It’s arguably what got me so interested in platforming games to begin with. From there I went on to beat Metroid Fusion, Super Metroid, and many other titles in the franchise. Prime, unlike the titles previously listed, was my first experience with Samus in 3D.
I had loved each of the 2D games in the series, and Prime was no exception. The mechanics I had grown to love about the series were still present here, including the exploration, the weird enemies and the multitudes of collectibles to be found throughout the journey. In addition, the graphical fidelity of the GameCube meant that I could see enemies I had grown to expect in Metroid games at a much higher resolution. At the time, the best a home console could do was 480p, which is absurdly low-res by modern standards. The typical TV of today boasts a resolution with 4.5 times the pixels. (A 480p resolution contains 409,920 pixels versus a 4K display at 8,294,400)
Even so, I was floored with how good the game looked at the time. The new first person perspective also meant that I was fully immersed in the action, instead of the typical long-distance shot most GBA platformers give you.
Eventually, the conclusion of the Prime series came, and Metroid started to fade into obscurity, along with any hopes I had for another adventure in that universe. There was eventually an announcement of a 4th Prime game, although that announcement is so old it could enter kindergarten at this point. Fortunately, the series would receive another title in the form of Metroid Dread. The popularity of Dread re-lit interest in the series once more at large, and news of Prime 4’s development being put back into the hands of the original developers gave me a lot of hope for the future.
Now imagine the shock I received when earlier this month Nintendo shadow-dropped a complete remaster of Metroid Prime on the Nintendo Switch. The game had received an incredible visual overhaul, and additional control schemes for people who may have not liked the original’s tank-controls. Having finished my playthrough of the remaster, I can say without a shadow of a doubt that it’s the definitive way to play this game in the modern day. That being said, it’s a near 1:1 copy gameplay-wise of the original game, and there’s a few things I’d like to highlight surrounding that.
Modern Gameplay Mechanics
For the most part, I’ll assume that you the reader have played at least one game in the past, but I’ll do my best to briefly explain design and gameplay behavior when possible. Given the iterative nature of game development and design, a lot of standard practices have emerged over the years. Some attempt to smooth out the rough edges a game has by offering hint systems, easier difficulties, and better level design to help the player through their adventure. While MPR features a passable hint system, the rest of the gameplay has remained firmly in the early 2000s. Save points are the only way progress is permanently recorded. Puzzles are up to the player to properly apply their abilities and tools, and the level design remains entirely untouched.
That may not seem like such a big deal, but when you accidentally die to an enemy you hadn’t quite figured out and discover you’ve lost about 2 hours of progress, that can be enough for someone to write the game off entirely. Having once been in that predicament, it definitely meant I was done playing that game for today. Nowadays, it’s unsurprising if a game automatically saves your progress every other room, or allows you to save from a pause menu whenever you want. Even games that would be considered difficult such as Dark Souls and Elden Ring save your progress at a regular cadence. So the question is, why wouldn’t a modern remaster of Metroid Prime do so?
Remake vs. Remaster vs. Port
This is a topic that my friends and I like to discuss on a monthly basis. Whenever a game that has already been released is re-released on a modern console, questions like the following are asked:
- Is it completely new, or did they just make it work on the new console?
- If it’s a remake then why is the story different?
- Why should I buy this version if the old one still exists?
Without an accurate term to describe what’s been done to a game, it’s left to the people who previously experienced it to properly discern the difference. In the best case, it serves as a grass roots promotional campaign as people who loved the original version can help convince people on the fence to give it a shot. This is especially useful for old Nintendo titles, as buying all the original hardware and a copy of the game can sometimes cost as much as a modern console. I give you Exhibit A, Chrono Trigger for the SNES.
It’s important to note that Chrono Trigger is available on a lot of modern platforms, so it’s actually available for much cheaper, as seen here on Steam. However, not every game receives as nice of a treatment, and an unfortunate amount of incredibly good games are stuck behind similar price barriers. MPR has been fortunate enough to not only receive a modern platform to be played on, but it’s also priced cheaper than most games featuring an iconic Nintendo mascot for the system at $40 USD.
Unfortunately, this hurdle is only the first of many yet to be cleared. The next issue that re-releases of games face after being announced is the inevitable comparison that will occur between it and the original release. Personally, I’m happy enough that a game I loved can be experienced by a new generation, and motivate them to check out other titles in the series or games by the same developer. I have also learned that this is a minority opinion a majority of the time.
In the eventuality that a difference is spotted, loads of questions surrounding why that was made and how it affects the original experience arise. Under extreme circumstances, an argument can be made that a remake or remaster that changes too much is effectively a completely different game. No bigger example of this can be seen than in the aptly named Final Fantasy 7 Remake that released a few years ago. For the unfamiliar, this game takes the story of the original and takes a closer look at the events specifically within the opening act of the original game.
Ironically, the two versions of Final Fantasy 7 are roughly the same length, around 40-60 hours. The difference lies in the fact that FF7R’s setting is already ancient history by the time you’ve reached the 10 hour mark in the original release. As such, one could question why the word remake is in the title. A lot is the same, but they focus on entirely different scopes. The real kicker can be seen in the subtle differences in story beats that the two games have, as FF7R features a mysterious group of in-universe creatures that are seemingly intent on forcing the characters along the same path as the original release. Infusing the game with these omniscient entities is a bold design choice, and I hope it signals for even bigger differences as subsequent installments arrive.
With all these questions faced by the developers, it’s far too common that they will simply ensure the previous game runs on the latest consoles and ship it. Thus, we end up with a port of the game, a near carbon copy of what was already released ages ago. While not desirable for me personally, it’s a choice that I honestly don’t mind that much, although without a few exceptions.
The problem that plagues ports of classic games is the cost vs. profit balance that a studio faces when making one. If it’s a beloved series, then one could expect most people to be willing to pay nearly full price for it. However, with more studios adopting $70 as the standard price point for their games, this poses a huge risk on these ports, and may make consumers far more hesitant to purchase them. However, praise for a game alone will not keep the lights on, and there’s not a single studio willing to make a port of a game that will end up selling at a loss.
Learning From the Past
Shifting focus back to Metroid Prime Remastered, I feel this game has hit the nail on the head when it comes to making a remaster. The experience as a whole has largely remained the same, yet modern control schemes and an incredible graphical overhaul mean that even previous owners like myself can continue to enjoy the game for many years to come. The real shock for me came when I finally looked up footage of the original game, and once more the rose-tinted glasses of my youth were ripped off my face. If you’re interested in seeing for yourself, Digital Foundry has a very good video comparing not only the environments of the game, but a lot of the points that I’ve made about the gameplay mechanics. You can find a link to that video here.
In the graphics department, I was simply amazed at the visuals throughout the game, and was always excited to reach the next area if only to see how much prettier they had become. I’m confident in saying that this is the most visually stunning game that I’ve seen on the Switch, a console that I’ve largely become tired of, given the performance it presents when compared to my gaming PC or other modern consoles. Even with that gripe, I can probably count on one hand the amount of times I experienced any slowdown or stutter in this game, and the load times were phenomenal throughout.
For anyone unaware, you navigate the world which is segmented into hallways and rooms divided up by doors. When opening these doors in the original game, it was unsurprising to have to stop and wait for a door to open, as the hardware struggled to load all the necessary assets. In comparison, doors in the remaster were always ready to open, and I was able to maintain a flow state of movement bliss when traveling between rooms.
Despite all this praise, I was reminded of the pains that games of today have largely eliminated. The backtracking in MPR began to feel like a chore towards the end, and the aforementioned lack of an autosave meant that I too felt the pain of losing progress at one point. That being said, I can understand how these issues came to be, though that requires a bit more insight into the overall development cycle that Metroid Prime first went through. I highly recommend looking into it yourself if you’re interested, because it’s honestly incredible that the game managed to release at all.
Looking Toward the Future
The primary takeaway that I got from playing Metroid Prime Remastered is the excitement it reignited in me once more for Metroid Prime 4. Although it’s release date is still unknown, I’ll be more than ready for whenever that day eventually comes. In the meantime, there’s plenty of enjoyment left to be had in the other Metroid games. If you like FPS games and sci-fi in general, this remaster is an excellent game to kill a few hours playing. Otherwise, the Nintendo Switch Online service has several of the previous handheld and console titles to be enjoyed. You may be surprised when you start to see the similarities that it shares with modern sci-fi games and shooters.
The only game I would give warning before trying would be Metroid: Other M. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a passable game with some enjoyable moments, but it’s largely detached gameplay-wise from the other titles. There’s a heavy focus on narrated segments, which some would argue undoes a lot for Samus Aran as a character. Before taking a dive into it, try looking up some gameplay first before committing. Other than that, I would argue that the series as a whole is incredibly consistent from Metroid II on the GameBoy to Metroid Dread on the Nintendo Switch. Whenever or wherever Samus’ next mission takes her, you can bet that I’ll be there to experience it and enjoy myself the entire time.
Extra Bits
If you’re curious what my rankings are for individual Metroid games, you can find them here on GG|. If you’re like me and have played your favorite Metroid game to the point where you could play it blind-folded, then my best suggestion to you would be researching the amazing world of romhacks and randomizers that have appeared over the years. They’re a great way to breathe life into a game that has grown stale through repeat playthroughs.