The Metroid Prime Remastered controls offer a Wii-style pointer option and feel great

Announcing the surprise release of Metroid Prime Remastered During Wednesday’s Nintendo Direct, Nintendo mentioned that the new version of the classic 2002 first-person adventure will support modern twin-stick controls as well as a classic scheme based on the GameCube original’s controls. What wasn’t mentioned was that the game also has a “pointer” control scheme that allows motion controls for camera movement and aiming, “similar to Metroid Prime Trilogy for Wii.”

As a matter of fact, remastered has four control schemes. “Dual Stick” is the default control scheme and works like you’d expect from any modern first-person game, with fire on the right trigger. “Pointer”, based on the Wii version, works similar to dual stick mode but uses gyro controls on the right joy-con to aim, with fire on the A button (the right trigger is used for the gyro -recalibration used). “Classic” emulates the original game’s controls, where aiming and aiming is done by holding down the right trigger or bumper, fixing Samus, and then using the left stick to aim. Hybrid works like classic controls, but activates pointer-style gyro control for aiming.

The classic scheme is good for purists and thanks Metroid Prime‘s Target Lock feature plays much smoother than the recent and rather crude re-release of Goldeye 007 on switch. It will no doubt be nostalgic fun if you happen to own a GameCube controller and its adapter Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. But it still feels cumbersome by modern standards, and most gamers will likely find the dual-stick scheme the most effortless – especially for portable gaming or when using a pro controller.

Image: Nintendo

The revelation for me – as someone whose copy of Metroid Prime Trilogy is still in the shrink wrap for inexplicable reasons – how good the pointer control scheme is. The gyro controls are very responsive and accurate, perfectly matching the movements of Samus’ right arm. Part of the joy of Metroid Prime has always been its strong physicality: the feeling that you’re really looking through the visor of Samus’ suit at an alien landscape and feeling their heavy, armored footsteps touch the ground. The pointer controls improve that for me, and I expect this will be my default way of playing the game when my Switch is docked.

I would like to give credit to the developer of Metroid Prime Remastered with this thoughtful and well implemented option – but at the time of writing it is not clear where this new version of the game was created. The opening credits only mention Nintendo and the original developer, Retro Studios. It’s possible that the remaster was made in-house at Retro, although the team there is likely busy with it Metroid Prime 4. Polygon has contacted Nintendo for clarification.

Metroid Prime Remastered is available now on Nintendo eShop, while a physical edition will be released on February 22nd.