The Metroid games have always been deep experiences, combining action and adventure; environmental puzzles and combat, to create more than one draw. As a result, they are difficult games to summarize and, I imagine, difficult to advertise. Most popular games concentrate on a singular focus, be it shooting, or strategy, or puzzle solving. They can often be explained in a sentence, or single image, or thirty second video clip. One simply cannot get the idea of a Metroid game across with such brevity, and maybe that's why it's such an under-appreciated series in our society of sound bites and shortening attention spans. When I go about describing how Metroid plays, I've created three terms to categorize the experiences.
Navigation. This consists of exploration and puzzle solving. Travel from one point to another is often not straightforward. A lot of examination and thought is required to figure out the environment and discover how to progress.
Traversal. The actual act of moving through the environment. Samus makes use of basic jumping, acrobatics, and her own inventory of tools and weapons to interact with the environment to allow her to progress.
Combat. Most enemies in Metroid are trivial, little more than nuisances to shoot or avoid or make use of. That's not to say there are no intense fire fights. There are points where you run into aggressive enemies that take a lot of damage before going down, unexpected mini-bosses to keep you on your toes, and main boss battles are never short of spectacular.
Together, these elements mesh together to form an intricate whole, an overarching cerebral/visceral experience that characterizes the series. Prime balances these aspects masterfully. To me, it feels that Navigation is the main focus with Traversal coming in as a complimentary, secondary trait. In this, Samus' trademark Morph Ball plays a major role. While playing through Prime for the purpose of writing this piece, I tried to keep track of every Morph Ball obstacle course and every Spider Ball track. I failed. There are so many instances of using the Morph Ball, seamlessly integrated into the environments, that they become effectively invisible. I can only say there were, very roughly, 20 substantial morph and spider ball sections that ranged from straightforward and easy to complex and challenging. I also counted roughly 25 puzzle rooms—places where Samus had to manipulate her environment in some way to proceed.
The environmental challenges are really wonderful. Sometimes they demand a detective's keen eye to locate scannable switches. Often, Samus must make use of a variety of her tools/weapons; other times, it's up to the gamer's mastery of her bomb jumping skills. There are puzzles scattered everywhere: walls and objects that can be destroyed, small holes to roll into, ledges to grapple towards. Usually the reward for curiosity is a suit expansion. Missile, bomb, and health tanks are scattered about, usually well-hidden or requiring a challenge to be met.
Another of Prime's strengths is its pacing. The game moves along at a steady clip, parceling out various upgrades and expansions pretty evenly. There's always something new to look forward to right up until the end and, by the end of the game, Samus has gained immensely in power. I've always enjoyed the feeling that accompanies walking through an environment, nearly immune to the best efforts of enemies that once seriously threatened my welfare. Of course, that also means the final boss encounters will be all the more fierce.
As I mentioned earlier, most of the enemies in Prime are minor nuisances. Small creatures trundle about their daily lives and are only dangerous if stepped on. Often, I tried to simply avoid them, as it seemed rather mean to mess up some bug's day by blowing it into green pulp just because it's on a ledge I wished to jump to. Conversely, I enjoyed the various effects different weapons have on Tallon IV's inhabitants. Ever take out those annoying Blood Flowers by shooting the exploding fruit growing nearby? Probably the most notable non-pirate enemies in Prime are the sheegoths, both baby and adult. Not even the various metroid types are quite as intimidating.
The most dangerous and aggressive enemies in Prime are the Space Pirates. These bipedal insectoids, Samus' old foes, come in a variety of forms. Some can't be seen without a special visor, others are only vulnerable to a certain weapon. Whatever the type, they are all highly aggressive and often drop in from concealment for surprise attacks. They also make some of my favorite sound effects in the series. Their vicious growls and roars are also some of my favorite sound affects in the game.
In most of the game, Combat is the tertiary aspect of Prime. Enemies that need to be taken seriously are common only in certain environments. Typically, the gamer is left in relative peace to explore, which makes the sudden encounter with a boss all the more intense.
Prime has some of my all time favorite boss encounters. For me, only the collection of bosses in Echoes outdoes Prime, and that's only because I'm a big fan of puzzle bosses. Most of the major enemies in Prime are of the shooter type, requiring the gamer to simply identify a weakness and exploit it. Easier said than done, as the bosses are every bit as nasty as I could wish; nicely challenging to defeat. All of the major battles are memorable, with each foe requiring a different approach. I particularly liked the giant Sheegoth, a toothy beast with two separate methods for taking it down: the obvious way, shoot it in the mouth, and the less apparent technique, plant bombs under its belly. I'd like to see more boss encounters like this, with multiple methodologies for taking on the enemy possible.
One of the few criticisms I can make about Prime has to do with the way the environments of Tallon IV are interconnected. The only section that connects to every other area is Magmoor. I don't know how many times I tramped up and down the long corridor of the Magmoor Caverns, but if I wanted to go to Phendrana, I had no choice. Magmoor's straight line simplicity makes it pretty quick to move though so even when I had the option of alternative routes, Magmoor ended up as my default far too often.
Another hiccup in the game's steady progression is the artifact hunt. I don't mind hunting down items that do something, but searching for glorified keys isn't a favorite activity. At least the search offers its own set of varied challenges and I can collect them throughout the game. Each game in the trilogy has a key hunt, and I'd place Prime's in the middle—neither the most, nor the least annoying.
Minor irritations aside, Prime is solid from the start, a fun and very satisfying voyage through an alien world. In its pacing, activities, and challenge, it feels very well-balanced. When Retro Studios went about designing a sequel, they obviously took Prime's formula and made everything "bigger and better"—indeed, I would characterize Echoes as Prime amplified. Unfortunately, this applies to both the positive and the negative attributes.
Check back tomorrow as I revisit Metroid Prime: Echoes.
Navigation. This consists of exploration and puzzle solving. Travel from one point to another is often not straightforward. A lot of examination and thought is required to figure out the environment and discover how to progress.
Traversal. The actual act of moving through the environment. Samus makes use of basic jumping, acrobatics, and her own inventory of tools and weapons to interact with the environment to allow her to progress.
Combat. Most enemies in Metroid are trivial, little more than nuisances to shoot or avoid or make use of. That's not to say there are no intense fire fights. There are points where you run into aggressive enemies that take a lot of damage before going down, unexpected mini-bosses to keep you on your toes, and main boss battles are never short of spectacular.
Together, these elements mesh together to form an intricate whole, an overarching cerebral/visceral experience that characterizes the series. Prime balances these aspects masterfully. To me, it feels that Navigation is the main focus with Traversal coming in as a complimentary, secondary trait. In this, Samus' trademark Morph Ball plays a major role. While playing through Prime for the purpose of writing this piece, I tried to keep track of every Morph Ball obstacle course and every Spider Ball track. I failed. There are so many instances of using the Morph Ball, seamlessly integrated into the environments, that they become effectively invisible. I can only say there were, very roughly, 20 substantial morph and spider ball sections that ranged from straightforward and easy to complex and challenging. I also counted roughly 25 puzzle rooms—places where Samus had to manipulate her environment in some way to proceed.
The environmental challenges are really wonderful. Sometimes they demand a detective's keen eye to locate scannable switches. Often, Samus must make use of a variety of her tools/weapons; other times, it's up to the gamer's mastery of her bomb jumping skills. There are puzzles scattered everywhere: walls and objects that can be destroyed, small holes to roll into, ledges to grapple towards. Usually the reward for curiosity is a suit expansion. Missile, bomb, and health tanks are scattered about, usually well-hidden or requiring a challenge to be met.
Another of Prime's strengths is its pacing. The game moves along at a steady clip, parceling out various upgrades and expansions pretty evenly. There's always something new to look forward to right up until the end and, by the end of the game, Samus has gained immensely in power. I've always enjoyed the feeling that accompanies walking through an environment, nearly immune to the best efforts of enemies that once seriously threatened my welfare. Of course, that also means the final boss encounters will be all the more fierce.
As I mentioned earlier, most of the enemies in Prime are minor nuisances. Small creatures trundle about their daily lives and are only dangerous if stepped on. Often, I tried to simply avoid them, as it seemed rather mean to mess up some bug's day by blowing it into green pulp just because it's on a ledge I wished to jump to. Conversely, I enjoyed the various effects different weapons have on Tallon IV's inhabitants. Ever take out those annoying Blood Flowers by shooting the exploding fruit growing nearby? Probably the most notable non-pirate enemies in Prime are the sheegoths, both baby and adult. Not even the various metroid types are quite as intimidating.
In most of the game, Combat is the tertiary aspect of Prime. Enemies that need to be taken seriously are common only in certain environments. Typically, the gamer is left in relative peace to explore, which makes the sudden encounter with a boss all the more intense.
Prime has some of my all time favorite boss encounters. For me, only the collection of bosses in Echoes outdoes Prime, and that's only because I'm a big fan of puzzle bosses. Most of the major enemies in Prime are of the shooter type, requiring the gamer to simply identify a weakness and exploit it. Easier said than done, as the bosses are every bit as nasty as I could wish; nicely challenging to defeat. All of the major battles are memorable, with each foe requiring a different approach. I particularly liked the giant Sheegoth, a toothy beast with two separate methods for taking it down: the obvious way, shoot it in the mouth, and the less apparent technique, plant bombs under its belly. I'd like to see more boss encounters like this, with multiple methodologies for taking on the enemy possible.
One of the few criticisms I can make about Prime has to do with the way the environments of Tallon IV are interconnected. The only section that connects to every other area is Magmoor. I don't know how many times I tramped up and down the long corridor of the Magmoor Caverns, but if I wanted to go to Phendrana, I had no choice. Magmoor's straight line simplicity makes it pretty quick to move though so even when I had the option of alternative routes, Magmoor ended up as my default far too often.
Another hiccup in the game's steady progression is the artifact hunt. I don't mind hunting down items that do something, but searching for glorified keys isn't a favorite activity. At least the search offers its own set of varied challenges and I can collect them throughout the game. Each game in the trilogy has a key hunt, and I'd place Prime's in the middle—neither the most, nor the least annoying.
Minor irritations aside, Prime is solid from the start, a fun and very satisfying voyage through an alien world. In its pacing, activities, and challenge, it feels very well-balanced. When Retro Studios went about designing a sequel, they obviously took Prime's formula and made everything "bigger and better"—indeed, I would characterize Echoes as Prime amplified. Unfortunately, this applies to both the positive and the negative attributes.
Check back tomorrow as I revisit Metroid Prime: Echoes.