Metroid Prime Remasteredwas shadow dropped exclusively on Switch during the most recent Nintendo Direct, and its only natural to wonder just how much the graphics have improved compared to the original.Metroid Primefirst released on the GameCube over 20 years ago, but is still held aloft as one of the bestMetroidgames ever released and the first to feature 3D graphics in a first-person style, while still retaining the platforming elements and genre-defining level design.Metroid Prime Remasteredmight not have been the game many fans were hoping for, but it was certainly a welcome surprise.
When it first released in 2002,Metroid Primewas met with acclaim. At the time, it was considered to be one of the most visually and artistically impressive games ever released. It might seem strange to modern consumers, but the GameCube was more graphically capable than Sony’s PlayStation 2, andtook full advantage of the then-powerful system. Even today,Metroid Primeremains one of the top-rated gamesof all time in Metacritic.
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While the Nintendo Switch is considered to be getting somewhat long in the tooth, it is still far more capable than the GameCube andMetroid Prime Remasteredmakes for an interesting comparisonsince the original was so highly regarded for its visuals. The far more detailed character models stand out immediately. The crisper lighting effects and brighter colors make the original look downright muddy by comparison. The world of Tallon IV has been reinvigorated thanks to modern water mechanics and particle effects - it seems like every aspect of the game has been rebuilt from the ground up.
With therelease ofMetroid Prime Remastered, fans of the series will no doubt begin wondering when the other two games in the trilogy will receive the same treatment. Other burning questions surround the development status ofMetroid Prime 4which was announced 6 years ago at E3 2017, with no new details about the game emerging until it was announced in 2019 that the development was being restarted due to the game not meeting expectations. This disappointing news left many wonderingMetroid Prime 4is ever coming out, but thankfully the series proper has received some attention in the interim withMetroid Dreadbeing revealed and released in 2021.
It is clear thatMetroid Prime Remasteredis the result of significant effort, and it is a good sign that Nintendo and Retro Studios will spare no effort on remastering the other titles in the series if they do decide to release them eventually. At the very least, those who areanxious aboutMetroid Prime 4can probably take heart that the game will eventually be released, but as for the question of when - that’s anyone’s guess.
Metroid Prime Remasteredis available for the Nintendo Switch.
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