Having never had a Gamecube and not having had the motivation to play the entire trilogy when it was released on Wii, I had completely missed out on Metroid Prime, the three-dimensional adaptation of the adventures of Samus Aran. I just did the episode on Nintendo DS (a bit short and basic, despite a pretty cool online mode), especially Metroid Fusion, which I loved on GBA. It’s strange; I can’t explain why I haven’t started any other game in the license despite the ovations that the series receives… Until the arrival of Metroid Prime Remastered on Switch!
The surprise announcement of this remaster and its immediate availability took me by surprise, and the graphics and its atmosphere immediately attracted me. It is indeed a remaster in the true sense of the term and not a remake: the story, the levels, the gameplay, the sound aspect… Everything is exactly as it was at the time. Simply, the game is in HD, the models, textures, and animations have been updated, and some options have been added to better manage the controls. An old game in a modern setting?
Yes. But what an old game! Let’s be clear: he hasn’t aged a bit. And I’m not exaggerating. It’s a little gem, a perfectly arranged construction with lots of things that I like: exploration, puzzles, platforming, shooting, tension, skillfully measured progression, and moments where we are completely lost… Until we have the little idea of genius that allows us to cross an obstacle! Boss fights that are memorable and never too frustrating… No, really, it’s great art.
If you don’t know the principle of Metroidvania (established by… Metroid and taken up in Castlevania), it’s quite simple: we start in a rather hostile environment (here the surface of Tallon IV), we go in search of artifacts and clues to find them. Gradually, we improve our armor and abilities and discover new skills, allowing us to go back and unlock new passages. Everything, therefore, happens on a single level, which expands as we progress. Ultimately, the map is huge, and we almost know it by heart. 😀
I don’t want to tell you more because a big part of the pleasure of the game comes from discovery. So, I will end with the negative point that I saw raised by a few fans: the search for artifacts. If I understood correctly, it is possible to miss out and have to do a big mission at the end, having to go back through the entire map to collect everything; I admit it’s not great. I advise you to do like me: come back regularly to the artifact room and don’t hesitate to search throughout your adventure… 😉
Apart from that, as I said, the game is magnificent, the atmosphere is super gripping, and it’s extremely well thought out… I dare say that it has become one of my favorite games! So. So I recommend it: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️/5
