4/5 ★ – kstrand317's review of Metroid Prime Remastered.

While I may prefer faster-paced 2D Metroid games, there is no doubt that Metroid Prime is a triumph that successfully translates the design and mechanics of Super Metroid into 3D. It is still astounding that a game from over two decades ago still manages to hold up as much as it does, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time exploring Talon IV. Atmosphere and exploration are where Metroid Prime absolutely shines and in these aspects, it still manages to outdo most modern games. The soundtrack, the scanner, the visor effects, and the environmental design all work in perfect harmony to immerse the player in an alien world, unlike any game I’ve played before. The original GameCube version already did this successfully, but the remaster looks good enough to be a brand-new game. The player is constantly rewarded for going off the beaten path whether through missile expansions, energy containers, or intriguing scan logs that provide greater story context, as well as making Talon IV feel like a living/breathing ecosystem. However, this game does have a couple of key issues, the excessive backtracking being the most prevalent. Backtracking itself isn’t a problem, rather the frequency of it, the game constantly forces players to backtrack through multiple zones several times just to obtain a single item and immediately leave to go to an entirely different area. With enemies respawning every time the player traverses two rooms away and constantly having to swap beams (since the beam best suited for an area’s enemies is rarely the same as the one required to open an area's doors), backtracking in Prime is infuriating at times. Bosses also while impressive visually, leave much to be desired in terms of actual mechanics. Often the bosses have far too much health and while discovering their actual weakness is a fun puzzle, the enjoyability quickly diminishes as players are forced to repeat the same attacks for upwards of 15-20 min due to the inflated health bars. Overall, while I don't believe this is the 10/10 perfect game many proclaim, Metroid Prime is still an utterly incredible game that proved that Metroidvania design isn’t limited purely to 2D games. The atmosphere is still unmatched, the map is better designed than most modern games (take notes Jedi Fallen Order), and it may have the best sci-fi soundtrack ever in a video game.