Set between the events of Metroid (NES) and Metroid II (GB), Samus returns to vanquish Space Pirates, vampiric jellyfish, and nuisance instectoids in her first 3D outing, Metroid Prime. As Nintendo’s number one space bounty hunter, Metroid Prime brings backtracking, morphball morphing, and Space Jumping into the third-dimension, making this the ultimate pest control experience – albeit in space, where the bugs range from the size of large dogs, to the size of an elephant. Like Ocarina of Time before it, this is an important game in the series as, where much of the core gameplay associated with Metroid and the Metroidvania genre remain intact, and the transition from 2D to 3D saw a shocking decision to create an atmospheric, deeply immersive first-person experience, rather than a third-person action-adventure. Its immersive atmosphere, amazing soundtrack, satisfying progressive gameplay, and stunning visual direction make Metroid Prime a Prime example of a first-person Metroidvania adventure.
But can Metroid crawl in the third-dimension?
During an eerie epilogue, Samus intercepts a distress signal from the Space Pirate frigate Orpheon, where she finds its crew massacred by their own genetically modified subjects, lots of bugs, some half-dead crew (though now dead courtesy of Samus…), and the dreaded Parasite Queen! Funny how she is attributed to the deaths of a whole research vessel of Space Pirates, yet Samus can dispatch her in mere minutes. Regardless, this opening sequence sets the tone right away, using the empty void of space to create a foreboding sense of loneliness and creeping isolation – a little like the opening shots of Ridley Scott’s Alien – that continues throughout Samus’s adventures on Tallon IV’s surface.
It’s not long before, in typical Samus fashion, we happen to initiate the self-destruct (whoops), and are finally led to the surface of Tallon IV in pursuit of Samus’ old nemesis, Ridely. It’s here that the story truly begins, throwing you into a whole new area, contrasting against the black empty void of space with rainy marsh lands covered in trees, foliage and deadly predatory wildlife. While it might be true that no one can hear you scream in space, here on Tallon IV it seems everything wants to kill you, from the bats hanging from the ceilings to the plant life. As you might expect, the story is told in the typical Metroid way, with a strong sense of tension and isolation on a strange, new planet, heightened by the new first-person perspective and a limited narration. This new perspective brings a true sense of immersion as you are given the opportunity to explore and study the locals in greater detail than previous titles.
But the true objective – besides bringing merry hell upon more random rodents and critters, all the while vandalising the local ancient ruins with morph ball bombs – is to eradicate the “Phazon” that has plagued the planet from its core. This energy source is revealed to have attracted the Space Pirates to the area, discovering its use through nefarious experiments. Unfortunately for them, it happens to be highly unstable and prone to causing freakish mutations – the titular Metroid Prime, for instance – though you’ll see more of this as the Prime series continues.
While limited in traditional story narration, Metroid Prime finds strength in the way it is packed with lore to discover through the innovative use of the visors scan function. This gives players the chance to uncover hidden Chozo lore written on the walls of caverns and forgotten dwellings (as well as zoological log entries) which are discovered as you explore deeper and deeper into Tallon IV. It is here that you will discover the horrors of Phazon (or “the corruption”), how it impacted the once peaceful world, as well as what happened to the ancient Chozo race – the creators of Samus’s signature armour, piecing together the fragmented articles into some kind of forgotten narrative: Samus certainly gives Laura Croft a run for her money. Though, as interesting as they might be to read, admittedly, using the Scan Visor can slow down the flow of the gameplay as you scour areas for scannable objects and creatures, followed by large walls of text.
Where Metroid (NES) innovated by having players move left at the start instead of right (I know, crazy times), Metroid Prime brought Samus into the third-dimension, making Metroid Prime to the Metroid franchise what Ocarina of Time was to The Legend of Zelda – even if it was a generation later. It manages to translate the quintessential Metroidvania gameplay that peaked so mightily in the 2D SNES era with Super Metroid into the sprawling third-dimensional planes of Tallon IV! More shockingly, perhaps, is that whereas Ocarina of Time simply swivelled the camera behind Link, Retro Studios made the morph-ballsy decision to place us behind Samus Aran’s helmet, becoming a “prime” example of first-person exploration, complete with rain droplets on the visor itself with reflective flashes that simulate the experience of wearing her visor, not to mention the visor HUD will distort as certain enemies cause electronic interference. Admittedly seeing her face reflected on screen after a bright flash is a little unsettling…
Impressively enough, the atmosphere and core gameplay mechanics retain the sense of isolation that are recognised as core themes to the Metroid series. Despite cautious speculation and outright negativity upon its initial conception, Metroid Prime remains to be a highlight of the series, often regarded among its better entries, and has been recognised as one of the best titles on Nintendo’s purple sixth-generation cuboid console.
In her original 2D form, Samus was used to traversing alien habitats by way of jumping conveniently placed platforms, shooting her way through hordes of alien creatures and Space Pirates, and unlocking new abilities. Here, you’ll find much of the same… but in 3D! The environments are stunning, with varied locals from marshlands to ancient ruins, volcanic caverns, and icy tundras. For a Gamecube title, Metroid Prime shows off some spectacular graphical fidelity, only improved upon in the Wii’s Metroid Prime Trilogy pack with the use of full balloon lighting that makes Samus’ armour really shine –even if some close-up textures show some of the systems graphical weaknesses. Just a shame the Wii didn’t support HD visuals, as this truly is a game that would benefit greatly from an HD remaster. Though with Metroid Prime 4 on the (depressingly distant) horizon, maybe we’ll get that trilogy port soon…?
Like most typical first person games, the control scheme encourages players to look around these atmospheric environments with a greater sense of freedom, while a lock-on feature – lifted from Ocarina of Time – adds a fluid FPS feel to the combat, with a dodge mechanic that increases your mobility in a way that allows you to dance around opponents to expose a more tactical position. Despite its combat and view point however, Metroid Prime should not be seen as an FPS title like Halo as its core gameplay truly lies in exploration and puzzle elements. This also happens to bleed over into the combat, which becomes more puzzle based as the scan function exposes enemy weaknesses, while other visors such as Thermal or X-Ray similarly expose hidden threats or weaknesses.
And as if flying vampire jellyfish, spiky bugs, kamikaze bats, and aggressive Sheegoth (who look shockingly like monstrous ice hounds mixed with Giger’s Xenomorph’s) aren’t enough to keep Samus on her toes, be prepared for some massive scale boss fights that tower over Samus tenfold! Whether you’re fighting the Parasite Queen, Omega Pirates, Flaahgra, or even Meta Ridley, Metroid Prime has some of the best bosses in the series, showcasing the impressive leap from SNES to Gamecube.
Aside from the Hive Mecha and Incinerator Drone. We don’t have to talk about those ones…
Just like Super Metroid, uncovering new weapons, Energy Tanks and Missile Expansions is immensely satisfying, especially when you’re greeted with the ye olde jingle that mirrors the Zelda chest theme, making the dreaded “backtracking” more exciting and worthwhile – where the mere mention of the term “backtracking” is usually enough to turn the blood of even the most hardened Metroidvania player cold. Backtracking is a vital aspect of Metroid Prime, due to the fact that Samus – in typical fashion – loses her abilities during the opening moments thanks to the exploding frigate, meaning you’ll spend a good portion of your time recovering her suit abilities while discovering new, more powerful upgrades to add to her mighty arsenal, with the likes of the Power Bomb, Ice Beam and Grapple Hook returning. However, while the Super Missile – that mighty consumer of missile ammo – also returns, new weapons such as the Wavebuster are available as optional pickups, though they are not as immediately useful, effectively relegated as ammo-wasters in her inventory. If you want to get that 100% completion rating, though…
There is a sense of achievement going back to old locations with new items to uncover, which are frequent enough to impact the pacing and sense of progression – showing off how Metroid’s item upgrade and unlocking system is still one of the most satisfying. Conversely it is also true that Metroid Prime drafts a good deal of back and forth exploration between the same areas, especially towards the midsection where the action slows down somewhat. This is where the first-person combat and uncovering hidden lore becomes more valued.
The controls are straight forward enough, though the Wii port and its use of motion controls – simulating the motion of Samus’ arm cannon through the Wiimote – makes the Prime Trilogy version the definitive version for most players. This marks a rare occasion where the use of motion controls have been implemented to the benefit of a control scheme, comparable to The Conduit, which had a similarly intuitive scheme.
Kenji Yamamoto returns to composing duties, with assistance from Kouichi Kyuma, with familiar tracks remixed in a Prime style. The intention was to satisfy fans of past Metroid entries – which it most certainly does – with the likes of the “Brinstar” theme being rearranged as the “Planet Tallon IV” Overworld theme, easily singling this out as one of the best OSTs on the Gamecube. With heavy use of synthesisers and percussion, making use of gritty audio and soundscapes, Yamamoto helps boost an ambient feeling through the exploration of Tallon IV, with scores such as the haunting “Sunken Frigate” which gives an almost ethereal sense of tranquility as you explore the underwater ruins of the downed Frigate, contrasting against the hot chanting of the “Magmoor Caverns.”
Conversely, the “Space Pirates” theme and various boss battle tracks hype the energy into fast-paced tracks, suited to the urgent battle to the death scenarios. Even Ridley’s theme returns, as pumped up and venomous as Ridley himself – who received a cybernetic upgrade thanks to the Space Pirates: in fairness, according to the timeline, we last saw him blasted into little pixel pieces in Metroid/ Zero Mission.
Perhaps one of the scores that will forever haunt you after playing through the game, however, will be the “Chozo Ghost” theme. The Chozo Ghosts make their appearance midway through the Chozo Ruins and make a habit out of popping up uninvited, rudely dimming the lights, and generally come across as meddlesome and rather frustrating. Of all the enemies Samus stares down – including giant rock monsters, dragons, and mutant plant monsters that would make Poison Ivy blush – these guys are easily the most annoying, moving fast, disappearing out of your vision, while the music makes it painfully obvious what awaits you as you enter the room. By no means is the score “bad” but given the context, it becomes rather tiresome. Ironically, they’re rather hard to ghost…
“First-person adventure” suits this title far better than “first-person shooter,” and it’s fair to say Metroid Prime benefits from its three-dimensional world. While other franchises made the leap from 2D to 3D by placing the camera behind our favourite Jump Man or adventurous boy in green, Metroid Prime pulls us more intimately into the alien worlds Samus explores by letting us experience her adventures from her perspective – including experiencing her brief screams of pain as she dies in combat, admittedly somewhat traumatising the first time round. Super Mario 64 let us guide Mario to the right platforms or land on the right Goomba’s head, while Ocarina of Time centred around its innovative Z-target combat system. Metroid meanwhile has been all about immersion and atmosphere, even on the NES.
With a heightened sense atmosphere and tension, and successful translation of core Metroid mechanics to the realms of 3D, Metroid Prime shows off the Gamecube’s graphical upgrades over its SNES predecessor, like Meta Ridley over NES Ridley. If the immersion isn’t enough to pull you in, Prime can take anywhere between 5 and 20 hours to complete, though easily more if you consider yourself a hardcore 100% completionist! Finding all those hidden upgrades, lore entries, and extra goodies just add more reason to revisit, though they certainly aren’t the only compelling reason to pick up Metroid Prime. One thing Metroid Prime doesn’t do, however, is explain what happens to Samus when she enters morphball mode…?
Whether you play it on the Gamecube, Wii, or even the WiiU, Metroid Prime holds up remarkable well – more reason to give it the HD treatment it so deserves!
