Retro Studios reinvents Metroid in first-person without betraying the series soul. Lonely exploration, scan-driven lore, precise gunplay across sumptuous environments. An absolute peak of adventure gaming, arguably the GameCube's best alongside Wind Waker.
Your verdict
Category
First-Person Shooter1 player12+
Description
Samus Aran battles Space Pirates and the Metroid Prime parasite in this first Nintendo GameCube Metroid FPS. Published by Nintendo, released in Japan in March 2003. Exploration FPS with Samus exploring Tallon IV, enemy scanning, Metroid bosses and immersive SF atmosphere.
Metroid Prime review
MAX
Art direction
★★★★★
"Iconic"
MAX
Music
★★★★★
"Legendary"
3/5
Story
★★★★★
"Solid"
Seen through Samus's visor, planet Tallon IV asserts itself as an alien world of striking density: rain streaming over the helmet, humid jungles, technological ruins. Immersion springs from a thousand coherent details rather than flashy effects. This hushed science-fiction atmosphere remains a model of the genre.
Composed by Kenji Yamamoto, an atmospheric score blends electronic pads with re-orchestrations of cult themes, sustaining Samus's isolation. Discreet then suddenly spellbinding, it hugs the exploration of Tallon IV with rare precision. This sonic immersion, never intrusive, remains a model of atmosphere.
Gameplay
"Masterful"
Switching the scan onto every creature, locking your targets and reading the environment like a book: the first-person view weds exploration without ever betraying it. Backtracking once the right ability is acquired brings a craftsman's joy. Of stunning immersion and coherence, this 3D metroidvania remains a benchmark time hasn't dented.
Fun
"Pleasant"
Addictiveness
"Obsessive"
Scanning the environment, earning an upgrade and then reopening a once-unreachable area sets up an exploration loop of remarkable coherence. Each ability unlocks new passages and secrets, feeding the urge to map every corner. The backtracking can weigh on you late in the game, yet this interconnected exploration retains a rare absorbing power.
The Japanese edition of Metroid Prime is the original pressing of Retro Studios's game via Nintendo Japan in a limited local print. Collector value comes from Metroid never really breaking through in Japan, paradoxically making the JP version one of the hardest to find complete in box.
Memorable bosses
On Tallon IV, the isolation makes each massive creature all the more striking: the rocky Thardus, the regenerating Omega Pirate, or the thunderous return of Meta Ridley. The scan visor turns combat into a reading of weak points, blending observation and skill. A hushed atmosphere and sudden appearances lend these duels a solitary intensity that stays with you.
A cult cover
A tight framing on Samus's visor, mirroring the gleam of a hostile world: the helmet fills nearly the whole space and pulls the eye toward what it hides. Metallic greens and an inner glow convey high-tech solitude and first-person exploration. Cold and magnetic, it heralds the bounty hunter's successful leap into 3D.
Is Metroid Prime still worth playing in 2026?
The first 3D Metroid developed by Retro Studios under Nintendo supervision, Metroid Prime imposes an unprecedented contemplative FPS vision. The exploration of Tallon IV, the sense of isolation and the reading of scans build a unique immersion. The scan visor renews environmental storytelling, and the mastery of Metroidvania level design transposed into three dimensions commands admiration. For anyone who loves solitary and atmospheric exploration games, the title remains an absolute and still unequalled masterpiece today.
