Genre: Metroidvania, First Person Shooter
Year: 2002
Developed by: Rare Studios
Published by: Nintendo
Platforms: GameCube, Wii
#4
Feeling Like: Prime candidate
It doesn’t work unless you’re inside the helmet.
I wasn’t a massive fan of the series when Metroid Prime was released. I had enjoyed my time combing catacombs and monstrous pathways with Dobbo in Metroid, but I waited far too long to partake in Super Metroid, and Metroid 2: Return of Samus was a solid Game Boy game, but as a Metroid it was clearly on the tail end.
I read the reviews, and to say they were stellar would be an undershot. Without fail, one of the best games we’d seen on a Nintendo console, they said. The first person view works, the 3D world works, the lock-on feature works. There wasn’t a blemish to be found. Who was I to go against the grain?
I begged for a GameCube for Christmas in 2002 and Metroid Prime. I got both and, up until my wedding day last year, may have been the happiest day of my life. I rushed it to the downstairs suite, abandoning any family obligations to watch others open their gifts and give crucial feedback like, “oh, that’s nice!” “hey, now we’re talking!” “oh, I read about this!” Dad mercifully gave me an hour or so before reminding me that it was Christmas Day, not Henry plays Metroid Prime all Day and I follow him back upstairs.
Still, I got my fill. I beat the opening area, landed on Tallon IV and heard this. Learning how to move and shoot was one thing, listening to the overworld music while gazing upward and seeing tiny little rain droplets appear on Samus’ visor is very much another. I’d never seen, or played, anything like this. Any hesitation involving platforming or navigating this complex a space without being able to see my feet was nullified the moment I took my first jump. The weight and gravity of the lunge didn’t denote a scrawny, agile presence. No, I was in a modified tank suit and even the jumping invoked the feel of gears, thrust and a hundred pounds of armor situated around me. The simple act of moving gave me a thrill like no other game to date. I was instantly on board.
This was the kind of game that would lure a few walkers by in Bigelow. They’d ask what I was playing, say they’d never heard of it, then just stand there watching me for a few minutes. At any given point, Metroid Prime looks interesting. The biomes of the planet all serve as ecologically unique areas: some are temples, some are marshes, some are snowdrifts, some are radioactive deathtraps. All contain a myriad of nooks, crannies, crevices, half-pipes, tubes, pipes, arenas, platforms and hallways – enough to satisfy even the most insatiable thirst to explore. There are so many kinds of upgrades, be it extra health capacity or a way to freeze your enemies, that it’s always worth to look around, regardless of how many times you’ve passed by that weird tree.
The atmosphere is unparalleled. There is zero dialogue in the game, so relying on your scan visor is a must if you want to uncover the lore and context behind Samus’ mission. This gives you an eerie feeling, like you truly are One Girl in All the World. I know that’s a Super Metroid remix, but I couldn’t help myself. Here’s one from Prime that I can’t get enough of. No allies, no backup. It’s on you to scan, unlock and fight your way through an entire ecosystem. Retro Studios knocked this aspect, and many others, out of the park.
The morph ball is another stroke of genius. I never knew I wanted to roll up and zoom my way through alien air vents, but I obviously did. You drop into a mechanical bowling ball, able to boost around in half-pipes, doing cosmic tricks and bombing everything in sight. That’s before you get the spider upgrade, which allows you to stick to specific tracks along walls, greater enhancing the ways you can traverse this strange environment. Even the mere visual presence of a spider-ball track heightens your senses; you know something is around the corner that’s worth hunting for.
Metroid Prime never holds the player’s hand, but it doesn’t throw them into the deep end without a warning. The map…the MAP! My God, why can’t every 3d game have this quality of navigation? 21 years later, it’s still among the best. It’s easy to see where you are at all times, you can see where you’ve been or where you have to go. You can zoom in and out, swing the camera around and NEVER BE CONFUSED. I look at sub-par maps other fantastic games like God of War and Control and wonder why bothered iterating on, or swerving away from perfection.
The proverbial carrot on the stick is as effective here as in any Zelda game. You start off barely being able to defend yourself, and end up becoming a machination of death itself, with four different blasters, a variety of missiles, upgraded bombs, and three different visors allowing you to see through virtually anything. By the end, only boss fights gave me any pause but all it took was a few more missile expansions and heart tanks and off they went.
It still looks and sounds great. The remaster this year is even more bonkers, and I’m cursing my busy schedule for not having time to jump back into Samus’ shoes. She’s part Transformer, part Mega Man and part Iron Man. Locking onto enemies gives you the sense that you’re not just playing a first person shooter in space, you’re a galactic bounty hunter, equipped (or soon to be equipped) with anything to destroy anything in your path. The mysterious Chozo architecture, the often amusing scan notes, the space pirates, the Metroids, the way snow glitters down from the sky and the incredibly effective music all add to a superb example of video game making craft.
Imagine this being the very first game your studio develops. It couldn’t have gone any better, with sequels produced and critical reverence from every gaming magazine and website. It deserved to sell far more copies than it did; maybe it was too weird, maybe it’s not the best entry into the franchise. The GameCube was well behind the PS2 and XBOX for player base. But it’s the single best Metroidvania I’ve ever played, among Nintendo’s strongest in a library packed with classics and Samus’ most complete adventure yet. It is staggeringly good, and seemingly has only gotten better with time.
It seems silly in retrospect to think gamers were worried about Metroid going into the third dimension; it seems there’s more than enough room for both for Samus. While I, and many others loved Metroid Dread (it’s the highest selling Metroid game to date), I know Metroid Prime 4, whenever that comes out, will surpass it. We’re foaming at the mouth to hear those metallic steps, see the flash of her eyes in the visor and once again be inside the helmet.
It works best when you’re inside the helmet.
The 500 