While I'm giving it the same score, I do believe Echoes to be on the higher end of 4.5/5 than its predecessor (EDIT: It's a 5/5, on reflection). So many problems are addressed: bosses are generally less formulaic and can be defeated quickly with good player skill, area segmentation gives way to better internal coherence and improved backtracking, the dark world mechanic deepens puzzle design, and aesthetic similarity between areas gives the impression of a coherent physical space more-so than the original's world design.
The segmentation also reworks the Prime structure for the better. What we get here is essentially three increasingly excellent Zelda-like dungeons, with an overworld connecting them. Poking and prodding at each map's various moving parts made me feel so much more connected to the environment
What are we losing with Echoes' changes? For one, we lose environmental variety, though I feel this was worth it. More importantly, the commitment to the structure Echoes sets out with demystifies the game somewhat, as the player knows what to expect (on a basic structural level) when entering a new zone. The music is also generally less compelling, which is perhaps downstream of a commitment to atmosphere.
This is an exciting moment for me, as the gap between Echoes and Dread is one for which I was out of the loop. On top of that, I finally beat this one 100%, which I'd done for all others I'd played prior. My initial plan for this series playthrough was to do main series games, but it's pretty ambiguous as to what counts. There seems to be a hierarchy of what is most "main", but where the cut-off point lands lacks definition. So fuck it, I'm doing them all! Next Metroid game on the agenda is (checks notes)... Metroid Prime Pinball.
Um, ok I guess!
UPDATE: Yeah, so my laptop is not coping well with DS emulation, and Metroid Prime Pinball is frankly too expensive for a game called Metroid Prime Pinball. It looks like this series playthrough will be limited to the non-pinball titles, which means Hunters is up next! Also if anyone is wondering why I'm reviewing video-games on Christmas Day it's because I got COVID. Samus Aran and I are quite alike in our isolation, but quite opposite in how said isolation manifests (stoic heroine vs anxious sadsack eating chocolate).
The segmentation also reworks the Prime structure for the better. What we get here is essentially three increasingly excellent Zelda-like dungeons, with an overworld connecting them. Poking and prodding at each map's various moving parts made me feel so much more connected to the environment
What are we losing with Echoes' changes? For one, we lose environmental variety, though I feel this was worth it. More importantly, the commitment to the structure Echoes sets out with demystifies the game somewhat, as the player knows what to expect (on a basic structural level) when entering a new zone. The music is also generally less compelling, which is perhaps downstream of a commitment to atmosphere.
This is an exciting moment for me, as the gap between Echoes and Dread is one for which I was out of the loop. On top of that, I finally beat this one 100%, which I'd done for all others I'd played prior. My initial plan for this series playthrough was to do main series games, but it's pretty ambiguous as to what counts. There seems to be a hierarchy of what is most "main", but where the cut-off point lands lacks definition. So fuck it, I'm doing them all! Next Metroid game on the agenda is (checks notes)... Metroid Prime Pinball.
Um, ok I guess!
UPDATE: Yeah, so my laptop is not coping well with DS emulation, and Metroid Prime Pinball is frankly too expensive for a game called Metroid Prime Pinball. It looks like this series playthrough will be limited to the non-pinball titles, which means Hunters is up next! Also if anyone is wondering why I'm reviewing video-games on Christmas Day it's because I got COVID. Samus Aran and I are quite alike in our isolation, but quite opposite in how said isolation manifests (stoic heroine vs anxious sadsack eating chocolate).