5 differences between Metroid Prime Remastered and the original

The original Metroid Prime is almost 20 years old! And finally, we have gotten a remastered version for the Nintendo Switch. With remastered versions of games such as Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion and The Last of Us Part 1 offering a variety of changes, fans of Metroid Prime are curious about the differences between the two versions.

This article will tackle five differences between Metroid Prime Remastered and the original version.

Better textures, lighting, and visual effects

Let’s start with the most apparent difference, visual fidelity. The remastered design is faithful to the original game while extensively pushing the boundaries of graphics quality in the Nintendo Switch. The image quality in the original game tends to look flat by today’s standards, however, Metroid Prime Remastered worked on bringing the fidelity of the cult classic into the modern era of gaming.

The textures look much better, with environmental details delivering an eye-candy experience for new players and veterans. The lighting is more accurate than the original, bringing subtle yet life-like visuals compared to the original version. Volumetric lighting also exists in the remastered version and makes the game come to life. Metroid Prime Remastered successfully did justice to the original game’s presentation.

Control scheme

The control scheme is one of the most significant quality-of-life changes from the original version. Metroid Prime Remastered offers a modern take on-camera controls with the support of a dual-stick control scheme. This change puts it on the level of modern FPS games such as Call of Duty, Battlefield, Apex Legends, and many more.

Comparing this change to the original game is night and day. In the original game, you had to lock Samus in place to aim manually, which many modern FPS players will find jarring and unimmersive. You can still emulate the original control scheme in the remastered version, however, it doesn’t feel intuitive, considering that you’re using “Tank” controls by today’s standards.

Samus’ face

One of the most significant changes in Metroid Prime Remastered is the facial features of Samus in the ending. Samus’ remastered face is vastly different from the original, making her look like a completely different version. This is not the first time we’ve seen Samus have a facelift since other games completely revamp and overhaul her facial features. One thing remains: Samus is blonde and has blue eyes and bright-red lips.

Subtle animation changes

There are multiple yet subtle animation changes throughout the remastered version. An example is the remastered version dramatically decreasing the weapon bob/sway. Another tiny detail in the original version is that your visor bobs downward when doing jumps, which increases immersion and makes the jump feel more natural. This aspect is absent in Metroid Prime Remastered.

The developers also kept the base animations for the enemies intact while adding a few nuances, such as exaggerated hit-reaction animations that don’t totally feel out of place. These subtle changes helped feel the remastered game more enticing. You can see how the developers put in time and effort to make the game feel and play like the original.

Doors

This change is a nitpick from the original developer. Game developer Zoid Kirsch tweeted his thoughts on the remaster, saying, “They messed up the doors in the remastered Metroid Prime. They have the wrong alpha level on the door shields.”

Kirsch added that he worked on the texture of the doors for months and that the remastered developers should fix their work. We agree with Kirsch’s grievances over the door, considering that he put in a lot of time and effort to make it look unique in the original game. The original game’s doors look much better and more detailed than the remastered ones.

Hopefully, the developers will find a way to patch this into Metroid Prime Remastered.