The original Metroid Prime is one of the most beloved games of all time, adapting the classic 2D Metroid formula into a full 3D open-ended world on GameCube. The game pushed visual boundaries, with dense, moody environments and a solid 60fps frame-rate target. More than 20 years on, the Switch remaster is here: a complete visual remake of the source material, retaining the same gameplay but with radically overhauled graphics and modern controls. Metro Prime Remastered ought to be the best way to experience this legendary title in the modern era, but how does it compare to the GameCube and Wii versions, what’s the story with performance – and is anything left out?
On the surface, Metroid Prime: Remastered seems like a pretty straightforward remake, with Retro Studios and co-developer Iron Galaxy seemingly taking the original Metroid Prime code and running it within a newer version of Retro’s in-house game engine. Where Remastered distinguishes itself with the sheer quality of the visuals on display – faithful to the original but with massively expanded fidelity and rendering complexity to a level that we rarely see from Switch games.
The Remaster is defined by its new lighting which pushes way beyond what was possible with sixth-gen console hardware, with a sophisticated baked lighting solution with beautiful light propagation, including bounce lighting, subtle shadowing and plenty of fog. This makes areas more lifelike; they look and feel integrated in a way that we don’t see from many Switch games. The lighting upgrade is completed by the addition of new light sources, while existing objects gain emissive properties. There’s even static volumetric-style lighting in many spots that looks quite convincing.
