For me 2023 was the year of the retro revival. Resident Evil 4 Remake did very little to shake up the formula of the original masterpiece and it’s all the better for it. Armored Core 6 absolutely plays like a game from the PS2 era with its mission structure and how it delivers the story. There’s something refreshing about bloat-free and gameplay-forward gaming experiences of old. Then there was Metroid Prime Remastered, a totally faithful-to-the-original remake on Switch. It was my opportunity to play it after first trying it on the GameCube and immediately not getting it. It was a headache game. I was confused.
Now I’m old enough to appreciate the lush world and exploration of Prime. It does little to hold your hand, the map usually being your best friend, and you have to rely on the environment for the rest. Again, the gameplay and level design is “dated.” But the level design is so tightly made and absolutely one of the best adventures I’ve had in a long time. The similarities to Dark Souls are interesting to note. The levels are segmented but connected via a large overworld, you have to save in certain spots and respawn enemies if you do. It can be gruelingly difficult as you explore with Samus, low on missiles, and desperately looking for a save station.
What’s insane is how perfectly they translate Metroid’s formula into 3D. Consider me a big fan of Metroid Prime now and I wonder if we will get the sequels on Switch. Retro has made magic happen with this remaster and it looks stunning on the Switch. I in fact made the decision to buy the OLED model only hours into Prime, and it was a very worthwhile purchase.
My only gripe is the huge amount of back tracking I had to do towards the end of the game. I hung my head in defeat when I realized I had not collected several of the relics necessary for the end game despite me being in the rooms they are hidden away in. The lack of fast travel is admittedly painful and morph balling my way through basically the entire world to collect the crap I missed was truthfully a chore. But that’s on me, really.
Now I’m old enough to appreciate the lush world and exploration of Prime. It does little to hold your hand, the map usually being your best friend, and you have to rely on the environment for the rest. Again, the gameplay and level design is “dated.” But the level design is so tightly made and absolutely one of the best adventures I’ve had in a long time. The similarities to Dark Souls are interesting to note. The levels are segmented but connected via a large overworld, you have to save in certain spots and respawn enemies if you do. It can be gruelingly difficult as you explore with Samus, low on missiles, and desperately looking for a save station.
What’s insane is how perfectly they translate Metroid’s formula into 3D. Consider me a big fan of Metroid Prime now and I wonder if we will get the sequels on Switch. Retro has made magic happen with this remaster and it looks stunning on the Switch. I in fact made the decision to buy the OLED model only hours into Prime, and it was a very worthwhile purchase.
My only gripe is the huge amount of back tracking I had to do towards the end of the game. I hung my head in defeat when I realized I had not collected several of the relics necessary for the end game despite me being in the rooms they are hidden away in. The lack of fast travel is admittedly painful and morph balling my way through basically the entire world to collect the crap I missed was truthfully a chore. But that’s on me, really.