21 years ago, Nintendo deviated from the side scrolling formula of Metroid and brought new perspective to the franchise that stemmed into a Trilogy. Metroid Prime did everything we expected in a traditional Metroid game, but in a first-person 3D environment and at the time, it was fucking awesome. Much effort was put into the immersive factor of the game that left much of the exploration the side-scrolling boasted behind, but that was overshadowed by the potential this version provided. Now, we have a remaster of Nintendo’s brightest franchise in preparation for Metroid Prime 4 and I have to say, it is absolutely gorgeous.
The Isolated Incident
Metroid Prime Remastered plays exactly the same as the original, with some minor tweaks to controls due to the dual analog sticks. Same goes for story, cutscenes as well as the animations that comes with it. The remaster is not of the level Motive Studios provided with Dead Space where it’s basically a reimagining of the original, this is a copy and paste experience everyone knows and loves. So, I won’t dive into the story so much because it’s exactly the same. There’s not to say the game is entirely devoid of new content, as you progress through the game, you will unlock extras that include concept arts with upgraded assets, soundtracks and more. Where the remaster shines are all of the technical upgrades that lifts the overall experience so well, it feels utterly fresh coming back into the game, and leaves this as the definitive edition for newcomers, even if the controls are dated; elements I wish was worked on a little by added a mantle function for example – these older games really make me despise the lack of it.
The immediate change is the aspect ratio from 4:3 to 16:9 widescreen. This gives a wider field of view for a much better immersive experience. Though, anti-aliasing is kept at a bare minimum giving obvious dithering to edges but it’s nothing too distracting. The absence of post-processing aliasing also furthers the crisp image on screen which really uplifts the overall aesthetic of the game. This is coupled with 60fps docked and undocked which is mind boggling. Work has been done in all facets of the game from environmental design, lighting, textures and more. Samus armor texture has been worked on to make her look far cleaner, including elements of reflection on her suit. A nice touch was placed when roaming areas with ambient affects like rain and steam – and another nice touch is when you’re near an explosion, you will see a reflection of Samus’ face from the flash. Not entirely sure if it’s in the original.
Environment has been reworked entirely with new assets and debris that really brings the world to new heights – the overall layout is exactly the same, but there’s so much foliage, damage to structures with rubble and wiring, it almost looks entire unrecognizable in a very good way. Models on enemies and bosses has also been reworked for better quality and aesthetics all around – room for more polygons means much better experience for all.
Audiophiles Rejoice
Much like the work placed on the overall appearance of the game, can be said for the audio work as well – everything from ambient sound, effects and soundtrack has been upgraded to 5.1 surround with a much higher bitrate. That means we get the best of all worlds with much more clarity and immersion. This is a rare thing in Nintendo and I do hope it becomes normal moving forward.
Metroid Prime Remastered is a hell of a project, one that I can say everyone was hoping for. And for Nintendo to do a shadow drop during their Nintendo Direct is a brilliant move. I can’t wait for the rest of the Trilogy in preparation for Metroid Prime 4. The era is here for Nintendo, lets hope they capitalize on it.
REVIEW SCORE: 9/10
Some remaster needs more than an upscale, some doesn’t need a change to the gameplay, but Metroid Prime Remastered does it all in spades. It is the best way for newcomers to jump into the franchise with updated controls, graphics and fidelity.
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