Nintendo’s intelligence in the world of video games is well established. The Japanese giant perfectly masters the different aspects of a sector in which it has been able to impose its style, its vision and its schedule. Thanks to the Switch, the company has managed to develop this difference compared to its competitors. Far from the race for power and AAA games, Nintendo can move forward as it sees fit. The recent release of Metroid Prime is the perfect example.
In October 2021, the manufacturer is taking advantage of the launch of the Switch Oled to bring its intergalactic bounty hunter, Samus Aran, back to the fore. Metroid Dread is a real success, a success for an iconic saga from the early hours of the Japanese firm. An ambitious saga which has however had a turbulent history, oscillating between sales success and commercial failure. The last opuses had also got the better of Samus, shelved for several years (the “Dread” project had been in the works for more than ten years before its release). Building on the success of the Switch title, Nintendo can therefore be less cautious. Because with a new audience, won over by (re)discovery, the Japanese giant can bring less sold titles up to date.
It is in this context that Nintendo released, this year, a title released in 2002 on GameCube: Metroid Prime. The masterstroke of remastering this opus rather than another lies in the “first person view”. Exit the Dread platformer, we discover an “FPS” style while keeping the very essence of the Metroid adventure (puzzles, exploration, challenges, atmosphere…).
This allows you to have, on the Switch, two totally different experiences and not a simple warmed up. What’s more, the opportunity is given to those who had missed the game at the time to (re) do it with graphics, a soundtrack and controls in the era of time. In short, a new success perfectly managed by Nintendo.