It would seem we're two-for-two when it comes to surprise, out-of-nowhere releases that A: shadow-drop the same day they're announced and B: go beyond any and all expectations one may have already heralded for such a title. The proximity of timing may end up being pure coincidental, but it's inevitable parallels will be drawn to what Tango Gameworks rustled up seemingly out of nowhere last month, with presumable ease and impeccable confidence in what it wanted to be. Could that be the same motive for the equally-sudden emergence of Metroid Prime Remastered? For a series that has had more than its fair share of bad luck (unfortunate and self-inflicted alike), poor timing and a history of development that would seem almost-impossible to come out of unscathed.

If you thought Metroid Dread's decade-in-the-making, stop-start development was one thing, spare a thought for the mounting red flags and cause for concern that was the creation of the original Metroid Prime. In providing a brief summary of events: the original Prime was one of those rare instances of a game not just releasing against what felt like impossible odds, but crafting what can only be described as a title firing on all cylinders. From gameplay to level design. Its atmosphere, soundtrack and accompanying world-building that breathed new life (as well as a third dimension) into the mythos of the Metroid series on top. For a debut outing from a studio whose only coming into being was to broaden the Gamecube's more "mature" perception as far as first-party catalog was concerned, Retro Studios had in one swoop crafted something not just convincing in its brilliance, but equally convincing that this was a studio similarly passionate for the series.

With Metroid Prime Remastered, it's less to do with the fact that the game's eventual strides onto the Switch have in some way perfected what Retro originally built. But here, has only elevated that high bar to even greater and enjoyable heights. On top of creating what may well be an intriguing crossing-point regarding the conversation on what constitutes a "remaster" and a "remake" in current year. It may not exactly be overhauling or altering the standards that came before, a la other highly-acclaimed efforts as of late, but it's clear to see that Retro Studios and co haven't just settled for the simplest of touch-ups. Hi-Fi Rush has made a strong case as the year's first GotY contender -- consider Metroid Prime Remastered its second.

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For those who need a refresher and in an attempt to make this as quick and as brief as possible: Metroid Prime is the first in what would become a trilogy of releases developed by Retro Studios starting with 2002's Prime for the Gamecube. It would soon be followed up by 2004's sequel Echoes, to then close the trilogy with 2007's Corruption. A game originally slated to be a launch title for the then-upcoming new console, the Wii, but which was subsequently delayed. Across the trilogy, players step into the shoes -- and quite literally, the entire Power Suit -- of series protagonist Samus Aran as she responds to a distress signal sent out by a space vessel orbiting around planet Tallon IV. As it's quickly revealed, series villains the Space Pirates are conducting experiments with a newly-discovered mutagenic substance originating from Tallon IV, referred to as Phazon.

What follows is a "first-person adventure" that despite its emphasis on fighting back with an artillery of conventional and unconventional weaponry, is far from your standard shooter. And yet, despite its refusal to be shackled or confined to the genres it was so evidently borrowing from, Metroid Prime ended up becoming one of the best examples of the respective genres it referenced. Combining exploration, platforming, puzzle-solving on top of the central shooting amidst it all. Most games can be considered jack of all trades, master of none, but Prime is one of the few examples of a game that mastered its multitude of ideas at the first attempt. That ease of implementation is still felt with Remastered: shooting remains snappy, the platforming is confined but fair in its demand and the puzzle-solving is varied enough that it rarely, if ever, feels one-note.

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As a result, players make their way through Prime's three-dimensional, multi-region environment -- uncovering the truth behind the planet's history, the Space Pirates' motives and ultimately the answer to stopping the further spread of Phazon's corruptible power. Combine all this together and more than two decades on to say Prime has aged spectacularly would be an understatement. And this is long before we even consider the improvements this year's remaster has added to the fold. A testament to Retro's dedication to art-style and aesthetic over raw fidelity. Creating a fully-realized world whose ruinous, detailed layers and cleverly-constructed level design was quick to bowl people over. Cementing itself as an early benchmark for sixth-generation consoles at the time. But so too credit at translating Metroid's originally 2D plane of non-linear exploration into 3D. Much like its fellow Nintendo first-party brethren in Mario and Zelda alike, Retro made exploration not just enjoyable, but rewarding to invest more time into.

And Metroid Prime Remastered only grants a closer inspection at the finer details. Rather than just a simple bump in resolution, Remastered includes entirely new texture work, more complex geometry and much-improved use of lighting that adds a far more dynamic and richer contrast to its locales. Be it sun-rays beaming through the cracked interiors of Chozo Ruins, or the artificial hum of screens and monitors amid the dimly-lit research facilities of Phendrana Drifts. From major boss fights to even the tiniest and most insignificant of environmental objects you're bound to pass by without a second notice. Even after a dozen personal replays of the original across Gamecube, Wii and certain other platforms shall we say, even I was surprised at the way certain rooms, even small corners of said rooms, had been injected with this newfound sense of attraction and personality. An early moment making one's way through the Chozo Ruins: what appeared to be some hand-sculpted water feature, of which I'd seldom given much notice to in year's prior, now grabbing my attention. Amid one of the many connecting corridors. A mere corridor, yet even here Metroid Prime Remastered found a way to intrigue all over again.

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It also helps that one of the original's minor nitpicks -- namely its back-end loading and how certain doors would sometimes take a while to open -- has been remedied entirely with the Switch release. While some may take issue with the design and detail of doors themselves (and sure there's an argument to be made that the original's may still have the remaster's beat), it's a welcome consolation to find exploration here feels like it's finally been released from that last, fleeting shackle from its Gamecube days. But again Metroid Prime Remastered is a game, allowing one to seamlessly move from room to room it may do, makes sure to maintain the finer details of prior that gave players reason to stop and stare in awe at the lengths Retro go to in aesthetic detail. The rain-drops, condensation and creature innards that can build up during one's adventure are all here.

A level of curiosity that lasts right through the average-ten hour run-time, no matter your total missile or reserve energy tank count. The kind of run-time that, upon facing off with the final boss at its climax, you can still perfectly recollect making one's first steps into. That goes doubly so for the soundtrack which remains up there with the likes of the original Xenoblade Chronicles as a score loaded with so many memorable tracks. Few games are able to stamp their identity so vividly in one's mind, but it's because Prime was able to find that perfect balance between visuals and mechanics that made its exploration all the more satisfying. A structure that cleverly made sure to always be pointing you, albeit subtly, in the right direction upon a new item acquisition. And yes: twenty-plus years on, Metroid Prime's rendition of the item acquired fanfare remains the best version of that series staple jingle without question.

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That voluntary intrigue and immersion into its setting eventually transitions to another one of Prime's continuing selling points and reason for such high acclaim: its lore. Specifically the manner with which the game utilized the newfangled Scan Visor mechanic. A tool with which players could scoop up vital tidbits of information on the world around them. From fauna descriptions to scan logs, Prime's means of storytelling was the kind of addictive quality that added so much to the stature of Tallon IV as a world both believable and rich with history. And ongoing history as later Space Pirate logs would reveal -- reporting on your recent actions further down the line. The best bit was that, mission-critical scans aside, most of what was available to players was entirely optional world-building that had no real major impact on a player's main progression. The more deductive elements of Prime's progression made possible by its multiple visor and weapon types often coming in the form of those aforementioned puzzles and acts of traversing perilous regions, creature-infested or otherwise.

In the original, these components were pulled off superbly, but with Remastered, the ease with which players tackle said challenges is only elevated by way of the added control types employed. While the game retains the original's layout -- for purists out there -- there's now both a gyro mode, which aims to replicate the motion controls of the Wii, but more importantly, a dual-analog system that falls more in line with present day standards. The surprising thing, however, is that despite the original release already working great with the Gamecube controller's configuration, dual analogs blend seamlessly into the moment-to-moment gameplay. Rendering tense combat encounters and frantic, time-based puzzle sequences alike with the same level of joy and fluid satisfaction as the original. Granted, the gyro aiming may not have the same level of consistency or comfort as the Wii Remote did for Prime 3 (and later the entire trilogy when all three games were bundled together and re-released), but a few minutes employing dual analog controls and it's hard, bordering on impossible, to go back to the former configuration beyond simply some fleeting nostalgia.

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Closing Comments:

Already a masterstroke of design and execution on original release, Metroid Prime Remastered goes one better in cementing Retro's debut Metroid outing as one of gaming's greatest evolutions of a series. Still as brilliant to replay all these years later, now with added customization and improved technical details that are unmatched on the Switch at present. It may not ease us of Prime 4's ongoing absence, in the same way Dread so wonderfully did. In fact if anything, in a somewhat bizarre and unintended turn of events, Nintendo may just have reignited that longing for a fourth entry in Retro's beloved sub-series. But twenty-plus years on, Metroid Prime Remastered not only reminds us of the care and dedication Retro Studios placed into the original 2002 Gamecube release, but in enhancing it further -- going beyond mere upscaling and aspect ratios alike -- offer plentiful reason to immerse one's self in the sprawl of Tallon IV all over again. One of the Gamecube's best and possibly one of Nintendo's best, Metroid Prime Remastered is a brilliant enhancement to what was already an all-time classic.