Truly a landmark in gaming. For every complaint I have, there are two or three things I love. I played Primehack and had an enhanced FOV since the original was so narrow, so I can't comment on any original hiccups in that department. The map and world design is incredibly atmospheric, with every new area feeling like a visual treat, Phendrana Drifts in particular. Prime is a commendable transition into the 3D space for the franchise, and it being the first attempt makes all missteps easy to forgive. Backtracking is a little rough (maybe just me but I never felt like I totally got the hang of which elevator went where without double checking), the mid-game feels unfinished (you fight 3 bosses, play for 5 hours, and then fight 3 more at the tail end), and some weapons feel underutilized (I barely touched the super variants until the Metroid Prime fight) but it's a blast and really retains the feel of a 2D Metroid game at its core, with platforming as a main focus.

With a standard first time playthrough being around 10 hours, it never overstays its welcome. I personally enjoyed the artifact hunt, as it forced me to run through every area one more time to find collectibles and feel how much stronger I'd become. It was cool having "oh shit, that was there this whole time!" moments littered throughout as I collected them.

The reviews for this game on here make me feel like I'm back on MyAnimeList in 2013, just massively contrarian takes fully overstuffed with window-dressed verbiage passed off as "critical analysis." If you want to see what I mean, check out the reviews for Porter Robinson's "Shelter" on MAL.

The game is fine, it's a $5 reverse bullet hell simulator that hits the dopamine button for "number go up" fans. No micro transactions, no deceptive game design, and no hidden depth; What you see is what you get. It's fun to build a loadout, unlock some shit, then put it down forever. It's the video game equivalent to junk food or reality TV, not some hidden paradigm of forward thinking game design. It's a brainless time killer while presenting itself as such shamelessly, and it's also fine if you just don't like that.