Note: the YouTube embeds featured on this article will naturally include footage of a few of the boss encounters inside Metroid Prime, together with the ultimate boss. If you’ve got by no means performed the sport, take this as your spoiler warning!
(Also, you’ve got by no means performed Metroid Prime!? *tuts and shakes head for a number of minutes*)
The Metroid sequence is well-known for its unimaginable areas, together with the likes of Norfair, Ataria, and Kraid’s Lair. When the sequence moved into the 3D realm with Retro Studios’ Metroid Prime, it launched a few of the franchise’s most iconic areas, adored by followers to this very day.
With the sport celebrating its twentieth anniversary, we thought it might be enjoyable to take a look at each foremost location in Metroid Prime and rank them from worst to greatest. We’ve received all of them right here bar a number of minor areas just like the Sunken Frigate. Be positive to vote to your favorite within the ballot on the backside of the web page and share your favorite reminiscences of the sport (and your ideas on our private rating) within the remark part.
But sufficient speak, let’s set our visors to scan and take a look at each location within the masterpiece that’s Metroid Prime…
9: Magmoor Caverns
Urgh, Magmoor Caverns… maybe the one space inside Metroid Prime that we actively dislike.
It seems completely attractive, however the extreme drawback of taking harm everytime you contact the lava is a large ache within the bottom. There are additionally no boss encounters to talk of inside Magmoor Caverns; as an alternative, we simply get a boatload of Magmoor creatures wiggling about and capturing out a load of fireside. Although, having mentioned that, blasting a stalactite from the ceiling to land on their heads is fairly darn humorous. Plus, the music is fairly nice.
8: Artifact Temple
The Artifact Temple is likely one of the smaller areas featured in Metroid Prime, although it stands as one of the crucial essential, if not significantly memorable.
Visually, it’s a little bit of a cross between the naturalistic parts of Tallon Overworld with the structure present in Chozo Ruins. It’s right here that Samus faces off in opposition to the enduring Meta Ridley after amassing all 12 Chozo Artifacts, and it makes for one of many coolest boss encounters of the complete sport.
It’s a disgrace the realm as an entire was so small, as a result of we’d have cherished to spend extra time exploring it. As it stands, it’s disappointingly constrained.
7: Glacier One (Phendrana Drifts)
Like the Artifact Temple, Glacier One is extra of a location inside a location. Location-ception, if you’ll. [Nah, you’re alright, ta. – Ed]
It’s discovered inside Phendrana Drifts and acts as a analysis facility for the Space Pirates. Here you come throughout the enduring Metroid enemies for the primary time, together with some actually brutal Space Pirate enemies.
It’s an amazing little location, but it surely comes fairly low on our checklist because of its dependence on motion over exploration; it’s primarily one main struggle after one other, with little room to breathe in between. Not precisely what Metroid is all about!
6: Tallon Overworld
Tallon Overworld is the primary “main” space inside Metroid Prime, and as such, it’s naturally one of the crucial stunning, too, showcasing the GameCube’s glorious visuals (on the time, no less than). It’s primarily the gateway to the opposite areas within the sport and serves as an excellent tutorial space, introducing Samus to smaller, extra docile enemies.
Disappointingly, there aren’t any main boss encounters inside Tallon Overworld, except you rely the Plated Beetle, which to be trustworthy, is extra of a minor sub-boss. Points deducted!
5: Impact Crater
Impact Crater is the ultimate foremost space inside Metroid Prime, and it is one other comparatively small one, but it surely does home the unimaginable titular last boss, so it is a significantly memorable one for us. There’s an entire bunch of Phazon positioned right here, the radioactive substance that performs a core position in the complete Prime trilogy, and its presence makes for some actually stunning views.
You’ll encounter a great deal of mutated Metroids generally known as ‘Fission Metroids’, too, and your abilities can be nicely and actually put to the check. It’s a powerful finish to an impressive sport.
4: Phazon Mines
Phazon Mines shares a lot of the identical visible fashion because the aforementioned Impact Crater, however naturally, it is a a lot bigger space, with three foremost ranges to discover. It’s full of Space PIrates all through, together with Elite Pirates and Omega Pirates, making this space one of many hardest within the sport by fairly a margin.
Once you are right here, nonetheless, Samus can have powered as much as a substantial diploma, so it makes exploration each fulfilling and difficult in equal measure.
3: Chozo Ruins
Chozo Ruins has a little bit of a desert theme happening, with a number of sand mendacity about and an entire bunch of big beetles. It’s a dense space, filled with secrets and techniques to find and tunnels to roll by means of because the ever-delightful morph ball.
The standout boss encounter of the Chozo Ruins is undoubtedly the fearsome Flaahgra, although the Hive Mecha proved to be extra irritating than enjoyable.
Speaking of enjoyable, here is a enjoyable truth: the Chozo Ruins, particularly the principle plaza, was the primary main space to be constructed for the sport. It’s additionally the most important, with a complete of 63 rooms. We like this one lots!
2: Space Pirate Frigate “Orpheon”
As the opening location of Metroid Prime, the Space Pirate Frigate stays one of the crucial memorable areas of the complete trilogy.
Taking management of Samus after she leaps off her ship is solely revelatory, to not point out the beautiful morph ball controls. As a location, it’s teaming with visible narrative cues, from busted doorways to the rotting corpses of Space Pirates.
It doesn’t overstay its welcome both, ending on a excessive observe with an impressive boss encounter in opposition to the Parasite Queen and a race in opposition to the clock to flee because the Frigate falls to items. What an amazing first location.
1: Phendrana Drifts
Phendrana Drifts is the very best location in Metroid Prime, indisputably. It’s uncommon that we might contemplate a snow-themed space to be our absolute favorite, however that is how good that is!
Much just like the opening Space Frigate space, entering into Phendrana Drifts for the primary time is solely unforgettable. The music, the snow, the lighting; it’s simply stunning. It’s additionally house to some glorious creatures and boss encounters, together with Sheegoth and Thardus, and a few actually standout morph ball puzzles.
We may fairly fortunately reside right here, to be trustworthy, if not for the truth that we’d in all probability die inside a number of brief moments. There’s all the time a catch.
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