First Microsoft drops Hi-Fi Rush out of nowhere. Then Nintendo releases a remaster of one of the best games ever without any fanfare. What is it with shadow drops this year?!
Rumors of a re-release of the Metroid Prime games have been floating around ever since the Nintendo Switch came out. It reached the point where no one could take them seriously. It was very much a boy who cried wolf scenario.
Then, bam! There’s the wolf!
Metroid Prime: Remastered is exactly what it says on the tin. It’s Metroid Prime, but with better graphics. The original game is almost completely untouched; it’s map, it’s enemies, it’s item placement, and it’s bosses, they’re all the same as the original release. So if you’re a purist, don’t you worry. They haven’t ruined Prime.
And honestly, the graphical improvements are insane! They didn’t just upscale the original game. They made whole-new models for just about everything! But they never give up the original designs; they simply add more detail and smooth out some of the muddier details of the originals.
All of it looks really good! Like, some of the best graphics on the Switch good! I honestly didn’t even know the little machine could handle something like this! And it all runs without so much as a frame drop! It’s a massive upgrade!
There are also plenty of control options. Want to use more modern aiming? That’s there. Want to use Wii-style motion controls? Those are there too. You can even set it to be more like the original GameCube release!
Unfortunately, it wasn’t a one-to-one transition. Some of the original Prime’s features have gone the way of the Dodo. Most heartbreakingly: the Fusion suit is gone. The days of running around Tallon IV with Samus’ GBA look are a thing of the past.
There’s also the price tag. $40 for the one game in the trilogy. Granted, I’d argue it makes sense; making new models and environments for an old game can’t be cheap. And at least it isn’t a full $60 or even $70. Still, $40 for what is essentially a port of a GameCube game might be a bit much for some people.
Still, I think the positives outweigh the negatives on this one. This is quite possibly the best version of Metroid Prime you could play. And it’s nice to see this classic title step back into the spotlight after all these years.
More than anything, it gives me hope for the future. Maybe we’ll see Metroid Prime 2 or 3 get the same treatment! And if Prime 4 looks even half as good as this does, then we’re in for a wild time!
Provided 4 ever comes out at all…
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