Metroid Prime Remastered
The remaster of the 2002 classic: exploration, platforming and first-person shooting on the hostile planet Tallon IV.
- Genre
- Action-adventure / First-person Metroidvania
- Developer / Publisher
- Retro Studios (original) — Nintendo / Retro Studios (remaster)
- Year
- 2002 (original) — 2023 (remaster)
- Status
- Completed
- Playtime
- 20h
- Rating
- 9/10
Metroid Prime is a game I’d known by reputation for years without ever getting the chance to play it under decent conditions. This Switch remaster fixed that in one go: visually modernized, dual-stick controls finally smooth, and above all a level design that hasn’t aged a day.
Exploration as the game’s engine
The Metroidvania formula is pushed here to its best form: Tallon IV is a labyrinthine planet where every new ability (the Grapple Beam, the Ice Beam, the Morph Ball bombs) reopens already-visited areas in a new light. It’s not just “go back with a better tool” — it’s a genuine curiosity loop sustained by the level design: you remember a blocked passage from three hours earlier and can’t wait to return to it.
The Scan Visor, which lets you analyze the environment and wildlife for hints and lore, is probably the smartest idea in the game. It turns passive exploration into an active information-gathering activity, without ever breaking the pace with forced cutscenes.
Isolation and sound design
What strikes you most replaying it in 2023-2024 is how much the game leans on silence and isolation. No chatty companion, little music in some areas, just the sound of Samus’s footsteps and the planet’s distant rumbles. That atmosphere builds real tension, quite different from what modern FPS games offer.
Finished without speedrunning or going for 100%, but with a clear itch to return for the rest of the trilogy. A classic that fully deserves its reputation, remaster or not.