Metroid Prime Remastered Review – No Looking Back

Metroid Prime has always been one of my favorite entries in the franchise. Every Summer, I would boot up the title and see how much faster I could beat it from my last record or impose some limitations on myself. Those are some of my fondest memories, so when Nintendo announced and shadow-dropped Metroid Prime Remastered, nostalgia got the best of me, and I was transported right back to those early years. Thankfully, I was not let down for a moment.

Metroid Prime Remastered follows Samus Aran investigating Talon IV, a nearby planet with Space Pirate activity, for reasons to be discovered. It isn’t long before she uncovers a major experiment with an unknown substance called Phazon that has been augmenting the local fauna and anything that comes in contact with it. Now she must stop the pirates and their plan to use Phazon as a super weapon to take over the galaxy.

Most of the narrative is told through environmental storytelling and text logs that Samus gathers from various computers and ancient texts found around the ruins. This allows players to immerse themselves in the story as much as they would like without losing out on any of its main gists.

Further, this minimalistic approach to storytelling allows for considerable freedom, especially with the planet’s numerous settings, ranging from the tundra of Phendrena Drifts to the lava-filled caves of Magmoor Cavern. The plot doesn’t require long-winded monologues or even voice acting to get its points across, and despite never uttering a word, Samus has a ton of personality. However, there is some voice acting hidden within the experience.

This narration option wasn’t discussed during the announcement, and unless players explore the options menu immediately, it’s easy to miss. The toggle allows players to experience Prime from different regional releases. Narration across these builds is the primary difference, and it doesn’t add much outside of the opening and final moments. Still, it is a fantastic option that enables a fresh experience for those possessing history with the title.

Additionally, there are a few other toggles to mess around with. For instance, players can select which control scheme they prefer between the original GameCube, the Wii Metroid Trilogy, dual stick, or motion control hybrid. This choice is a welcomed customization feature, as veterans of the series will have more familiarity with the original control scheme than the newer offerings.

Thankfully, because of these options, the GameCube adapter originally packaged with Super Smash Brothers Ultimate will let players fully recreate the original experience outside of the GameCube opening jingle. Of course, the remedy for this is to play a YouTube video every time the game boots up, but this is a minor nitpick.

Another exciting addition is the extras menu, providing looks at content like concept art and character models. These items will unlock as the player accomplishes certain milestones, such as obtaining an item needed to progress, beating a boss, or a certain amount of items and log book completion.

This detail adds value to players exploring the world and completing the game in a way that the average achievement wouldn’t do. There is an inherent value to getting 100% completion outside of bragging rights to friends, which I’ve already done ten times over. Additionally, it’s great to see an area or enemy’s original concept art and the remastered version of the same environment.

These environments look gorgeous in a way that looks exactly as I remembered until I looked at a screenshot and realized that this version looks much better than the original. Many models have been completely remade, including Samus herself; this enhances the original atmosphere, making environments more vibrant or dreary depending on the area.

Metroid Prime Remastered is a shining example of what a remaster should strive for; not only is the original game intact with enhanced visuals, but players can customize the controls based on previous versions. Add in the extra menu that gives more reasons to complete the game outside of achievements, and this release is the best version of Metroid Prime, not only for long-time fans but those wanting to dip their toes in for the first time.