METROID PRIME REMASTERED: HOW TO HONOR A LEGEND

9.5 of 10 bananas. The 2002 masterpiece rebuilt with gorgeous new visuals and modern dual-stick controls. Lonely, beautiful, and smart. A late artifact hunt still drags, but this is how every remaster should be done.

By the Alpha. Switch game listing. Updated Oct 21 2026.

Honest note: This is not a fresh hands-on playtest. I built this verdict from launch reviews, critic consensus, update history, and what is known about the game today. If I put real hours in on stream, I will update the score and say so.

Platforms: Nintendo Switch (Retro Studios and Nintendo, released digitally February 2023, physical card February 22 2023), and it plays on Nintendo Switch 2. The Amazon button is the US Switch game card. At my Oct 21 check the new offer came from a third-party seller, shipped by Amazon, at 39.94 dollars. Check the seller before you pay.

Sit with me a moment. In 2002 I watched rain bead on Samus's visor and saw her own face reflected in a flash of light. I sat back on my haunches and said nothing for a while. This remaster brought that moment back, sharper than my memory of it.

What It Wants To Be

Metroid Prime is a first-person adventure. Samus Aran lands on the planet Tallon IV, loses her powers, and explores ruins, frozen caverns, and pirate labs to rebuild her suit. You scan creatures and machines to learn the world, solve environmental puzzles, and fight bosses, while new abilities open paths you passed hours before. Nintendo calls it a first-person adventure, not a shooter, and that is the right word.

What Works

Retro Studios rebuilt the art, lighting, and models while keeping the original layout. It looks like a modern game and plays better than ever, because the new dual-stick controls finally make aiming feel natural, and the old styles are still there for purists. The scan visor makes reading the world a joy, the music is legendary, and the sense of isolation is unmatched. Critics gave it acclaim, and IGN called it a perfect example of how to honor a classic.

What Breaks

Listen well. Near the end you must hunt down hidden artifacts across the whole map, and that backtracking slows the climax. Some bosses lean on long patterns. The remaster also drew criticism for not crediting the original developers by name. And the physical card is now often a third-party seller item, so check the price.

Who Should Play

Play it if you love exploration, quiet atmosphere, and the joy of finally opening that locked door from three hours ago. Play it before Metroid Prime 4 if you never met Samus in first person. Skip it if you want nonstop shooting.

Related: Metroid Prime 4, Metroid Dread, Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

Sources: Amazon US Switch listing, checked Oct 21 2026, Metroid Prime and Remastered on Wikipedia.

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