I’m of the controversial opinion that Metroid Prime 2 is better than the first one. Not by much, mind you, but it’s really rare to see people who prefer this one (in fact, it’s much more common seeing people criticize Prime 2). This is the Metroid game I took the longest to beat - almost 23 hours! Reached 94% completion on that first run, which is an incredibly high number for my standards (without any walkthroughs), and not even for a single minute I felt the game was getting boring.
The central mechanic of light and dark worlds adds another layer to the backtracking that’s a staple of these games, because not only you gotta remember points of interest of each area as you acquire new abilities, but you also gotta remember in which world they were in and how doing something in the light world might affect the dark world and vice-versa. That does, however, make the progression more convoluted. I remember getting stuck at least 3 times in the game and having to activate the in-game hint system, but it’s not like the first Prime game doesn’t have its problems with backtracking either, having to traverse Magmoor Caverns a thousand times to get to the places you need to be.
Speaking of areas, I prefer (not by a large margin) the areas of Prime 2 over the ones from the previous game. Yes, Prime 1 areas are far more iconic, everyone remembers Magmoor Caverns and Phendrana Drifts, but there’s something more organic about the areas of Prime 2. Their themes aren’t too varied: Temple Grounds, Agon Wastes and Torvus Bog all share similar visuals, but that’s what makes them feel more connected to each other, more cohesive in the context of that world, which helps to heighten their atmosphere.
And then we have the last and best area of the game, Sanctuary Fortress. It looks nothing like the previous areas, being a highly technological complex, a true feast for the eyes. Exploring this place is a real treat, mainly because of how abundantly it uses one of my favorite abilities: the spider ball. Much to my delight, the whole game incorporates the morph ball and its related abilities (spider ball and boost ball) much more extensively than Prime 1, with this area being riddled with spider ball sections and puzzles. Hell, there’s even a boss designed around the spider ball! AND IT COMPLETELY SUCKS!
Yeah, the Spider Guardian is infamous for how frustrating it can be to defeat and it wasn’t any different for me, despite its concept being really interesting. But that’s the only boss fight that’s a dud, because that’s also something I prefer in this game over the first one, and this time it’s by a considerable margin, because the Prime 2 bosses are much more compelling. They follow the style of Metroid Fusion’s bosses, by using themselves the abilities you’re going to get after defeating them and having multiple phases, so that makes for some truly engaging fights.
Metroid Prime 2 is a bookmark example of a sequel that improves on everything the first game did. As controversial as that opinion may be, it’s a hill I’m determined to die on. I hope we get a remaster of this game in the same fashion as the Prime 1 remaster, because good lord, that remaster is one of the most beautiful games on the Switch! It gives me chills just imagining how stunning the Sanctuary Fortress will look if given the same treatment...
The central mechanic of light and dark worlds adds another layer to the backtracking that’s a staple of these games, because not only you gotta remember points of interest of each area as you acquire new abilities, but you also gotta remember in which world they were in and how doing something in the light world might affect the dark world and vice-versa. That does, however, make the progression more convoluted. I remember getting stuck at least 3 times in the game and having to activate the in-game hint system, but it’s not like the first Prime game doesn’t have its problems with backtracking either, having to traverse Magmoor Caverns a thousand times to get to the places you need to be.
Speaking of areas, I prefer (not by a large margin) the areas of Prime 2 over the ones from the previous game. Yes, Prime 1 areas are far more iconic, everyone remembers Magmoor Caverns and Phendrana Drifts, but there’s something more organic about the areas of Prime 2. Their themes aren’t too varied: Temple Grounds, Agon Wastes and Torvus Bog all share similar visuals, but that’s what makes them feel more connected to each other, more cohesive in the context of that world, which helps to heighten their atmosphere.
And then we have the last and best area of the game, Sanctuary Fortress. It looks nothing like the previous areas, being a highly technological complex, a true feast for the eyes. Exploring this place is a real treat, mainly because of how abundantly it uses one of my favorite abilities: the spider ball. Much to my delight, the whole game incorporates the morph ball and its related abilities (spider ball and boost ball) much more extensively than Prime 1, with this area being riddled with spider ball sections and puzzles. Hell, there’s even a boss designed around the spider ball! AND IT COMPLETELY SUCKS!
Yeah, the Spider Guardian is infamous for how frustrating it can be to defeat and it wasn’t any different for me, despite its concept being really interesting. But that’s the only boss fight that’s a dud, because that’s also something I prefer in this game over the first one, and this time it’s by a considerable margin, because the Prime 2 bosses are much more compelling. They follow the style of Metroid Fusion’s bosses, by using themselves the abilities you’re going to get after defeating them and having multiple phases, so that makes for some truly engaging fights.
Metroid Prime 2 is a bookmark example of a sequel that improves on everything the first game did. As controversial as that opinion may be, it’s a hill I’m determined to die on. I hope we get a remaster of this game in the same fashion as the Prime 1 remaster, because good lord, that remaster is one of the most beautiful games on the Switch! It gives me chills just imagining how stunning the Sanctuary Fortress will look if given the same treatment...