Surprise! One of the greatest video games ever made is on Nintendo Switch now.
As it is occasionally wont to do, Nintendo shadow-dropped Metroid Prime Remastered on the Switch eShop on Wednesday without a prior announcement. This is a big deal; rumors have suggested remasters of the old Metroid Prime games are coming to Switch for years now, and those rumors finally got some validation this week.
That said, Metroid Prime Remastered is a bit of an unusual case. The package includes both more and less than you might think. Here are the answers to some of your biggest questions about Metroid Prime Remastered.
What’s included in Metroid Prime Remastered?
As you may or may not recall, there have been three Metroid Prime games, with a fourth (allegedly) on the way. Nintendo released a trilogy collection on the Wii that included all three games for just $50. Great deal, right? Well, this release is a little different in that regard.
Unfortunately, Metroid Prime Remastered only includes the first game in the series, coming in at a price of $40. That may feel a little steep for a game that’s more than two decades old, but in fairness, Nintendo somewhat unexpectedly did a lot of work to this version of the game. You see, despite the “Remastered” nomenclature in the title, this is more of a remake.
Nintendo seems to have fully rebuilt the game, visually, resulting in a pretty stunning turnaround for a game its age. The original GameCube release is still gorgeous, mind you, but this new version looks fantastic in a different way. Character models, textures, and environmental setpieces look brand new, as you can see in a handy comparison video(Opens in a new tab) from the fine folks at GameSpot.
With that in mind, it makes a lot more sense that this is a standalone $40 release. However, visuals aren’t the only thing the developers have retooled for this release.
Does Metroid Prime Remastered have motion controls?
One of the coolest opening levels ever.
Credit: Nintendo
Speaking of the trilogy release on Wii, one of the great things that version of Metroid Prime introduced was motion-controlled aiming. The GameCube original is a little tough to go back to now because of how non-standard its first-person shooting controls are. In the OG game, you can’t move and aim at the same time. Obviously, that had to change for any modern re-release, and the Wii version was a huge improvement at the time.
Metroid Prime Remastered on Switch takes it a step further by introducing traditional dual analog stick controls, akin to something like Halo or Call of Duty. It feels fantastic, and I wouldn’t play it any other way at this point. Still, it’s worth noting one thing: Metroid Prime Remastered does bring back those Wii-like motion controls, in case that’s how you prefer to play.
Just go to the options menu, hit “Controls,” and change the control style to “Motion.” Wield those two Joy-Con controllers like the Wii remote and nunchuck of old and go to town on the aliens menacing Samus Aran.
Will Metroid Prime Remastered get a physical release?
Looks good, man.
Credit: Nintendo
Last but not least is the issue of a physical release for Metroid Prime Remastered. Nintendo stealth launched the game on the Switch eShop, but right now you can’t buy a physical copy, leaving collectors or people with slow internet without a better option to play the game.
Not for long, though. Nintendo is releasing a physical version of the game for $40 on Feb. 22. You may have to wait a couple weeks to nab it, but that at least gives you some time to lock down a pre-order. You’ve waited 20 years to play Metroid Prime again, so what’s another two weeks?
Really, let’s all be thankful that one of the all-time classics is now available on Switch. It only took the console being out for six years, but still, some Metroid Prime is better than no Metroid Prime.
