Metroid Prime Remastered review: Samus Aran as the inquisitive explorer

You don’t need me to recommend Metroid Prime RemasteredThank you. (If you do, please direct yourself to Maddy Myers’ distillation of the series.) A canon is a term that describes videogames. Metroid PrimeThe classic game, which was originally released for GameCube on February 2, 2002, can be considered one of the best. There are countless reasons why the game remains relevant — its world design, the atmospheric score, that classic Metroid magic — but in playing the beautiful remastered version on Nintendo Switch, which Nintendo surprise-dropped during February’s Nintendo Direct, I have a renewed appreciation for its inquisitive and empathetic incarnation of Samus Aran.

The first thing you should do is to set a goal. Prime, Scanning your environment allows you to discover, solve puzzles and backtrack while searching for Chozo artifacts. Playing from the claustrophobic, in-helmet perspective of Samus, you glean information about the world and its assorted flora and fauna, presented as text, collecting the entries in the bounty hunter’s Log Book throughout your adventure.

The original version of the album was played by me. Metroid PrimeWhen I was 12 years old, I didn’t have as much patience to read than I do today. As such, I remember skipping almost all of the game’s inessential log entries, which are helpfully marked as orange squares on your HUD versus the progression-critical red boxes. How did I know about Geemer’s behavior? Was there much more I could learn about War Wasps other than that it should be killed before mine?

Now that I am 32 years old, I’m taking it slow. Sound design and soundtrack of PrimeIt still invokes a feeling of isolation that very few other games have managed to achieve. You are an alien in this alien world. Metroid Prime RemasteredLooks great, plays well in handheld mode as well as TV. New textures and models have been added that look modern but are still true to childhood memories. What remains unchanged, insofar as I can tell, are the game’s many, many text entries.

Image: Retro Studios/Nintendo via Polygon

This allows you to look at trees, architecture, creepy crawlers, etc. Metroid Prime. Scanning enemies and bosses reveals information essential to defeating them, which heavily incentivizes the action, since an enemy’s weaknesses and vulnerabilities are not always obvious just from blasting at them. Crucially, however, Metroid Prime does not throw a big block of text up on the screen that just says “Shoot the butt.” Instead, it situates this information in-fiction alongside scientific observations. Much of the text is inconsequential to the game’s mechanics but is hugely important with respect to character and the texture of Prime’s narrative.

For example, take the Log Book entry about Flaahgra (an early boss):

Flaahgra’s growth cycle has been radically accelerated. To remain active, Flaahgra needs to be exposed to near constant solar energy. This exposure has made Flaahgra’s outer shell thick and durable. The lower root system of Flaahgra is vulnerable and not protected. When possible, exploit this weakness. It can be dazed for short durations by concentrated weapon fire.

While this boss battle does, indeed, more or less boil down to “shoot the butt,” before one can get to that phase, some deduction is required. Samus examines the situation surrounding the creature she is assessing. It becomes obvious to Samus that in order for the player to move forward, one must deny the creature sunlight. When the player sees the solar panels on the arena, and Samus is able to deactivate them, the deduction becomes clear. Shortly after, Victory follows. A scientific observation becomes a victorious conclusion with the Varia Suit and a dead plant monster.

Image: Retro Studios/Nintendo via Polygon

Outside of these dramatic encounters with larger enemies, Samus’ entries reveal quieter details about the world and its inhabitants. When he feels threatened, the Geemer mentioned above changes his behaviour. In order to protect hungry herbivores from the Sap Sac, it has been bred to explode. Shriekbats are “fiercely territorial.” Reaper Vines “keep a constant vigil.” Unlike so many of the lore entries that fill up our pause screens, Metroid PrimeThe protagonist conveys an inquisitiveness, as well as empathy, for the places she is traversing. It does this by accumulating extra details in gameplay and its insistent on asking questions to move through the world.

Metroid DreadYou’re encouraged to speed through the game, avoiding enemies that you do not have the means to defeat. You are the central link to this game, with anxiety and, yes dread. Metroid PrimeThe other is to be curious and inquisitive about the lonely places, to gain an understanding and mastery of your opponents. The contemplative gameplay loop encourages you to spend 20 years contemplating a place before entering it. Metroid PrimeThere may be more you can say about slowing down, and how it is possible to take the time to look at the world with curiosity.

Metroid Prime Remastered Nintendo Switch was the first to release it on February 8, 2018. Vox Media also has affiliate relationships. They do not affect editorial content. However, Vox Media might earn commissions for products bought via affiliate links. Here are some links to help you find. additional information about Polygon’s ethics policy here.