Welcome to my first video game review! I have been itching to do one of these for a while. I can guarantee you it will take a while for me to finish playing them. I will get to these whenever I am officially done with a game. These reviews will be posted on Friday in place of my opinion pieces. As is the case today with Metroid Prime: Remastered. A game I wished I had played in 2002, but I got the chance now in 2023.
The plot of the game takes place after the original 1986 Metroid game/Metroid: Zero Mission. Bounty hunter Samus Aran intercepts a distress call from the frigate Orpheon orbiting above Tallon IV. She finds out that the Space Pirates are doing experiments on the planets’ various creatures with a substance called Phazon. The substance also affected the Chozo who formally resided there. Samus must rid the planet of the Space Pirates, Meta Ridley, and the Metroids terrifying evolved forms.
My experience with this game was of relaxation, happiness, annoyance, and success. I had a really great time exploring Tallon IV while racking my brain around puzzles and foes I encountered in my journey. My introduction to the franchise was Metroid Dread in 2021. Now looking back on Metroid Prime: Remastered and comparing it to Dread, it’s a 3D Metroid game that feels like a 2D Metroid game. It’s a pretty chill FPS shooter with gorgeous visuals and a breathtaking atmosphere. The soundtrack is what makes this game memorable to many people including me. It is very distinctive from the rest of the series.
Like any other Metroid game, Samus must regain all of her abilities to travel throughout Tallon IV. Equipment such as the Roller Ball, jumpsuit, and upgrades to her Varia Suit, etc. are vital to reaching areas that are not available. In addition to her power beam, she will need the wave, ice, and plasma beams to face off against the Space Pirates and the various enemies inhabiting the planet.
Also included are her visor functions. These include scanning databases for important information. Thermal imaging helps see enemies, such as the shadow pirates, through invisibility and see in the dark. Scanning the enemy for weaknesses and X-ray vision help find invisible platforms and fighting enemies like the Chozo ghosts. I’d have to say scanning the databases are a streamlined way of telling the story because it doesn’t disrupt the flow of gameplay. They are also important if you want to reach 100% completion of the game. When I finished, I was at 94%, so I was close.
My favorite weapon is the plasma beam because when I charge it up, I can do satisfying damage to pesky space pirates with jetpacks and evolved forms of metroids. Especially against Hunter Metroids. These things are viciously dangerous and the sight of them floating around is creepy. They are quick to temper and will attempt to ram you into submission.
Fission Metroids are also annoying in a different way. They are specifically color coded to which type of beam you use. For instance, if the color of the Metroid is white you shoot it with the ice beam. Then it gets agitated and splits off into another a purple Metroid resonating with the wave beam. They are pretty cool creature designs that will give the facehuggers and Xenomorphs from Alien a run for their money. But that and the Hunter Metroids are not the absolutely terrifying out of them all; the hint is the game’s namesake. So my advice when coming across any form of Metroid is to be careful and try not to get your life bar sucked out.
Metroid Prime: Remastered is a chill and fun fps shooter. Its updated visuals, great atmosphere, and soundtrack will really etch into the memory banks of people who had never played this game before. I’m certain fans who have played this 2002 are filled with joy of having to experience it again. As for me, I can finally say I have played Metroid Prime and will wait for the inevitable remaster of the next two games in the Prime series along with Metroid Prime 4.
Now then, I should get back to Ocarina of Time for my next review at some point. After I beat that and Majora’s Mask, I might give Xenoblade Chronicles a chance. Who knows? See you next review!
HYPERSPACE 
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