Metroid: Prime Remaster – A BIG 2023 Surprise

While everyone was anxiously awaiting for news on Metroid: Prime 4, Nintendo dropped a definitive remaster of one of its classics.

Since its release in 2002 this game stood out from others in the Gamecube Era. As one of the boldest reinventions of genre in video game history, many folks doubted if this game was going to work, even back then. No one had made a 3-D-First -Person Metroid-vania style game (and this was back when there was fewer games in this genre), but Metroid: Prime not only succeeded in its day with a brave new take on the franchise, it has stayed in the hearts and minds of many gamers in the last 20 years.

With the the hype levels increasing with the news of Metroid: Prime 4 being developed by Retro Studios (The same studio that has done all the Metroid Prime games), it's no shock that this surprise 2023 release was going to pop off. With updated modern controls, new textures and particles, and a Switch release, Metroid: Prime Remaster has garnered great scores across the board.

Lucas Luna's Review

It's no surprise that I love pretty much every Metroid-vania style game. I love backtracking, I love upgrades, I love maps, I love little puzzles and I love combat – I love it all! And when I first played this game back in 2002 I did not fully grasp everything it was doing. Now, 20 years later with this remaster, I can honestly say it's aged very well.

Let's first start off with the story and atmosphere. The game is loaded with it. As a mostly silent game, there are no cutscenes to hold your hand through a beat-by-beat story. And there's no companion character to explain everything to you as you adventure through the planet Talon IV. Instead the game opts to take a world-building approach to the story, Giving you a little story in every room that you're in, and handing you little bits of story to find with your scanner in order to understand the world. It's a similar world building style that you'll see in Souls games like Elden Ring. Or in any non-linear segmented storylines in something like Overwatch or Apex Legends.

Next the sound and music. As was the case back then (and with so many Nintendo games) the music was an easy 10/10. The hushed lofi-scifi soundtrack was so fitting for the Metroid world. While exploring the Magmoor Caverns, you can hear epic operatic war drums while fighting fire worms in the lava. In Phendrana Drifts you can enjoy the lush serene piano while walking around underwater ice caverns. And when Ridley comes out to fight you can enjoy the classic Metroid danger theme, which sent my cortisol levels way up!

Lastly, I just want to put in a word on presentation. Nintendo understands – and has always understood – the importance of this concept. It's amazing that I even have to say this but this game had zero bugs, zero performance issues, and zero frame drops. Every piece of the game had a level of care put into it that many games miss the mark on today. Metroid: Prime today feels like it did back in 2002. It feels like a piece of handcrafted work by dedicated developers pushing the envelope in brand new space.

9/10

Matt Hrachovy's Review

For those that listened to our Episode on Super Metroid a couple years ago, you’re probably getting ready to listen to this episode with a wild anticipation of what hot takes I'll have this time around on Metroid Prime. You won’t be disappointed.

Looking first at the story of Metroid Prime, it’s interesting, but disjointed at best. This stems from the majority of the game being told through scanning. There’s next to no dialogue, only computers and written lore on the walls that you scan. This delivery makes the story hard to keep track of, as well as a chore. Throughout the game I was constantly worrying if I scanned every little thing, worried that I missed something. Moreover Samus is truly a lifeless protagonist. If you listened to our episode on Ocarina of Time, you’ll know I had similar complaints about Link, however at least with Link you could see his facial expressions. We were given no such gift in Metroid, with the whole game taking place in the first person perspective. Overall, if you are able to piece it together, the story is interesting, it just takes more challenges to get there than I'd care for.

Now I’d be able to forgive the disjointed/hard to follow story if the game was fun to play, point and case Elden Ring, but that wasn’t the case here. While this game is admittedly a product of its time, I found the combat wildly boring. It’s very basic auto lock-on FPS shooting and strafing to dodge enemies. That’s all there really is to it. I will note though, having different weapons that you get have different levels of effectiveness does add a solid layer of depth to combat, unfortunately the overlying combat systems and gameplay is too boring for me to find much joy in it. Make no mistake though, the boost ball and half pipes are a damn good time.

This is truly one of those games that I have to acknowledge is just simply not for me. I am in the wild minority of not enjoying that game and I recognize that, For those of you that feel the same, I hope after reading this you understand you’re not alone. Regardless, it’s undeniable that for its time, Metroid Prime made some revolutionary game and story design choices. If you played this game when it came out in 2002, those gameplay and story design choices probably landed and paid off. If you’re playing this game for the first time today like myself though, you may find little to be desired.

7/10