Following Metroid Prime was never going to be easy. Although many (including this writer) were skeptical about the possibilities of Retro Studio’s movement Metroid in 3D, first-person, the team not only managed to successfully launch an established Nintendo franchise, but also created one of the best games of all time.
How the hell is he supposed to top that? Well, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes doesn’t Enough reach the same heights as its predecessor, and is often considered a minor member in the final trilogy (although to be honest, even the worst Prime game is better than most games out there). Still, it will always remain one of my personal favorites in the franchise thanks to its bold experimentation with parallel worlds.
While parallel worlds were hardly a brand new concept back in 2004 (heck, Zelda: A Link to the Past had done it over a decade before), its implementation in Prime 2 blew my barely 15-year-old mind. It fundamentally changed the way you approach exploration: introducing a deadly atmosphere within the Dark Aether that slowly damages Samus if she just touches it, you have to use the ‘safety bubbles’ scattered throughout the environment to maintain your health.
What this means then is that you can’t stop and hang around like you might have done in the OG Metroid Prime. Unless you are safely housed in a permanent bladder, you must stay on the move. There are even bubbles you can activate on the fly, but they won’t stick around for long; it will soon decrease and you will need to reactivate it or simply move it to the nearest safe place.
Crossing between aether and dark aether really highlighted the differences in tone between each region. The former is a bit quieter and more forgiving, while the latter constantly fills you with fear with its purple color tones and fearsome ‘Warrior Ing’ enemies. While not many people were thrilled with this, it really helps mix up the exploration aspect, since Prime 2 doesn’t benefit from spectacular biomes like the first game’s Phendran Drifts.
More than anything, it’s perhaps the most unique, experimental feature of the entire Metroid franchise. Of course, Metroid Dread introduced EMMI sections, Fusion was added to the SA-X enemy, and Prime 3: Corruption included a number of neat motion-controlled mechanics to take advantage of the Wii. But Metroid, as great as it is, has always played it pretty safe with new ideas, and Prime 2’s dual-world mechanics are perhaps the boldest and most interesting of the bunch.
It’s a shame the game isn’t as highly regarded outside of die-hard Metroid fans. Retro Studios has made some significant improvements to the original, including reducing the need to backtrack, along with amazing additions to Samus’ armor and weapon loadouts.
Its reputation has taken a few hits over the years thanks to the aforementioned ‘safety bubble’ mechanic and the horrible Spider Guardian boss, but otherwise it’s a great game and deserves to sit alongside Metroid Prime Remastered on Switch.
How about that, Nintendo?
Have you ever played Metroid Prime 2: Echoes? What did you think of the whole dual world mechanic? Let us know what you think, and whether it should come to Switch, with a comment below.
