Review: METROID PRIME REMASTERED is Exactly What a Remaster Should Be

Nintendo got a huge win with many fans last week when they stealth launched Metroid Prime Remastered (MPR) on the Nintendo Switch. It wasn’t the rumored remaster of the entire trilogy, but it was still a big deal. MPR was developed by Retro Studios who developed the original game with some help from other studios including Iron Galaxy who has helped port other titles to Switch like Skyrim and Diablo III. The game has already climbed towards the tops of sales charts for the eShop and Amazon after roughly one week. Plus, critics are loving it. Nintendo was kind enough to provide me with a digital copy of the game which you can grab now on the eShop or other sites like GameStop (affiliate link). The physical version will launch on February 22 and the MSRP for both versions is $39.99.

Metroid Prime is a game that I started playing probably about 15 years ago on the Nintendo GameCube, but never got really far in. I really liked a lot about the game and had heard so much hype, but I kept getting frustrated by the controls. The fact that I couldn’t freely move my camera around led to me getting swept up in other games and leaving this one behind with it always being something I would say I’d try again. I recently was getting the itch to play Prime again and then Nintendo dropped this bomb on us and I was sold. I was going to give it another go even if I had to try to get used to non-modern conventions for controls. Thankfully, with MPR the team brought modern control schemes into the game and I’m no longer frustrated with that aspect of the game. If you prefer the GameCube or Wii controls, those are available as well as a hybrid control scheme, but I strongly recommend the modern layout.

As MPR is a remaster, the big appeal is a fresh coat of paint. Oh my goodness, this remaster is gorgeous! Not to say that the original Prime was awful, but compared to the new one, you can see a huge difference. Models are smoother, textures are sharper, lighting is improved, and more. The game looks stunning and even if you’ve played it before, you’ll probably love replaying it with the new gorgeous assets. You can check out a comparison here.

Outside of the controls and graphics, MPR seems like the exact same game which everyone already loved. Heck, I enjoyed it all those years ago except for the controls. The combat is engaging and fun, the music and sound are top-notch, the level design is just the right amount of challenge, etc. A couple of minor settings that you can adjust are worth mentioning and I’m unsure if they’re inherently new or were in the original. First, there’s a hint system that will point you in the right direction if you’re taking a very long time finding the next objective. It’s on by default and can be handy at times when you’re really lost. Second, there are some voiceover settings you can turn on and adjust based on the original game’s Japanese and European versions (not sure why we had them off here in the United States). For the most part, I’ve only noticed it so far when I go to a new area and here a voice say the area’s name. Third, there are a ton of accessibility options including settings for different types of colorblindness to help more people enjoy the game.

I love this game. I’ve been pouring any free time I can sneak into playing it. It plays so well. One little caveat I will mention is that I love the new control scheme, but it may make the game easier or at least feel easier. I see this as a plus personally, but if you want a real challenge, you’ll need to change your controls. The only negative thing I can say about the game is that in handheld mode it can be hard to see things in darker areas. Granted, I am playing on an original Switch and not an OLED which probably handles those areas a lot better. When I was in darker areas like Magmoor Caverns on handheld, it did get hard to see details of areas and thus make the game a lot more difficult.

In case you don’t know what Prime is, it’s a first-person shooter mixed with 3D platforming following the Metroidvania formula. You have to explore the world and gain powerups in order to explore more of it. Along the way you’ll fight a ton of creatures and enemies and if you use your Scan Visor a lot, you’ll learn more of the lore of the game and learn what preceded the events of the game. It’s a lot of fun with plenty to read, plenty to shoot, and the modern controls make it feel so good while the updated graphics make it look phenomenal.

There are a couple of things I would’ve personally enjoyed to see in the game, but they aren’t big deals and are not taking away from the score. First, from what I’ve heard, the Metroid Fusion suit is not available in the game. This is a bit of a shame, but maybe some DLC will launch or something will happen when Metroid Fusion comes to the GBA on Switch Online + Expansion Pass. Second, I kind of wish that I could scan my Metroid Dread amiibo just to get the color palette from it. That’s all I want. I don’t need the amiibo to refill my Energy or unlock a section of the game. I just wish it would unlock a color palette for me to turn on and off.

MPR is a really good game. It’s a fantastic remaster of a beloved classic. It makes the game shine like never before with its updated graphics and controls. I highly recommend grabbing this game. The only downside was that some areas don’t work great in handheld mode on a non-OLED Switch, but it still would only dock about .5 points, so I rounded up. This game is amazing, especially since it’s only $40! When are the other two remasters coming out and when will we learn more about Metroid Prime 4?