Nintendo has always marched to the beat of its own drum. That has never been truer than their recent Nintendo Direct when they announced a remaster of one of the most critically acclaimed title of all time, and then having it drop on the same day without a single leak. ‘Metroid Prime Remastered’ for the Nintendo Switch is an incredibly well-crafted version of the first 3D Metroid game, that comes 19 years after the original GameCube release and 14 years after the Wii re-release.

The famously silent bounty hunter, Samus Aran, has once again found herself investigating a strange planet while alone, without her equipment and with everything ready to turn on her at the drop of a hat. Hope is never lost though as Samus is never better than when her back is against the wall. That trial by fire through environmental puzzle solving and her increasingly capable arsenal is one of gaming’s most satisfying progression loops, that made the original Metroid games the iconic hits they were.

This particular release blurs the line between a remake and a remaster as we have experienced multiple types of both recently, some with fantastic results such as the Final Fantasy 7 remake and other embarrassing remasters such as GTA: San Andreas.

The visual overhaul of Metroid Prime is front and centre as the character models, environments and effects have seemingly been rebuilt without compromising the integrity of the early 2000s art style. The switch to widescreen and upgrade to a rock solid 60 frames per second either docked or in handheld mode is a proverbial flex of how well a game can run on the five-year-old hardware.

The new lighting system transforms the Chozo ruins from a safe colour palette of yellows and browns to an environment being retaken by nature with god rays bursting through the crumbling stone structures. The rain drops dripping down your visor or the environmental glow from the Magmoor Caverns breathe new life into the level designs, and I was frequently stopping just to snap a few screenshots. In the handheld mode, I did run into a few particular dark corridors that even the glow from my cannon beams couldn’t help but, in a way, add to the immersion of exploring a lost world.

Retro studios have maintained the look and feel of the original by using the same colour scheme except with a more defined finish. The bosses in particular have been given some menacing touches to their exterior shells or facial details that seemed so natural that it’s not until you see a side-by-side comparison to how far they actually have come. There is always this layer of nostalgia that makes you remember a game looking a certain way and with the hard work they have done here, it exceeds how good I remembered the game looking and then some.

It should also go without saying that the original score needed no help as it remains such a prominent part of the atmosphere but that too has been smoothed out to allow the eerier and engrossing tones to follow along in your inquisitive journey. The sing-song rhythm that plays when finding an upgrade is still, excuse the pun, music to my ears and evokes a genuine sense of achievement every time.

As for the gameplay, you will find a number of options to play with that can take advantage of motion controls too. The original version of the control that is lovingly referred to as “tank controls” uses the left thumbstick to move you and the camera, with the right trigger being used to focus the aim. I personally couldn’t go back to that model especially after the duel thumbstick option being an option now to play like traditional first-person shooters.

A hybrid option is available that allows for the thumb sticks to move you and the aiming can be adjusted with the gyroscope movements of the controller. For all models except the Switch Lite, you can take a Joy-Con in either hand and point and shoot similar to the Wii motion controls. All options have the lock-on feature with the left bumper though and the smart and snappy response times can realistically make all four options viable.

The core gameplay has been left untouched with two difficulty options to start with being casual and normal which for the most part is a safe and sensible option. The environmental puzzle-solving will remain the same no matter the difficulty, the only thing that will change is how much damage you take or deal which is a nice balance as the enemies are smart but consistent, so once you know their move-set you can handle them like a notoriously skilled bounty hunter that is the legacy of Samus.

The intrinsic nature of the Metroid games comes in finding an area that you can’t progress through just yet, which results in a eureka moment when your new upgrade you just found is the key to the previous puzzle. The downside is there were no life improvement options that helped you mark notable locations on your extensive map or ways to avoid the arduous task of backtracking. It will be forever debated whether those options would inherently change the experience though, but physically writing down important notes would have been nice if we could incorporate that into a remaster.

Metroid Prime Remastered is the new benchmark for Nintendo Switch. Retro Studios reminded everyone of how far ahead of its time the game truly was and has sparked a new flame of excitement for the future of the series with ‘Metroid Prime 4’ still seemingly on its way. For a true love letter to gaming, Metroid Prime remastered is the best way to experience this title even if you have already played it to death.

Written by: Shane Fletcher