Metroid Prime is still essential, 20 years later
With stunning upgraded visuals and smart quality-of-life tweaks, Metroid Prime is a game that feels just as special today as it did 20 years ago.
Like one of the ancient power-ups hidden in the ruins of the planet Tallon IV, Prime is a time capsule from a different era, when the mechanics of 3D video games were still being figured out, and the first-person shooter remained an awkward teenager of a genre on consoles, with many believing it impossible to flex away from the mouse and keyboard setup of a PC.
Arriving five years before Call of Duty 4 revolutionised the console shooter space, Metroid Prime feels like an alternative take plucked from the multiverse; a unique snapshot in time when a very ’90s American shooter team (many of whom worked on the Turok games) spawned its own interpretation of the thumbstick shooter, under the guidance of Japan’s master designer Shigeru Miyamoto.
The story goes that it was Miyamoto, in 2000, who first suggested Retro reinvent the then-dormant Metroid series during a visit to the studio. Despite its suggestion that the game feature a third-person view, the Mario creator is said to have insisted on a first-person design. Since all of the original games took place in 2D where hero Samus was clearly visible, this was a big challenge indeed, and Retro had little choice but to create mechanics and designs from scratch.
The result of this most unique collaboration was arguably GameCube’s greatest masterpiece. Even today, Prime’s systems feel unique, like the visor system that allows Samus to display lore or switch to heat or X-ray views on the fly, the slick lock-on shooting and platforming mechanics, or the third-person morph ball, which has you rocketing up Tony Hawk-style half pipes, or
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