Rumoured Metroid game gets a surprise release

After years of rumours, Nintendo’s hit classic shooter game Metroid Prime has been remastered and given a surprise release on Switch.

Metroid Prime, the classic adventure shooter game from Nintendo, has gotten a surprise release on the Nintendo Switch after years of rumours.

The game was announced and released during this morning’s Nintendo Direct, which also announced dozens of other games and updates. It comes in the form of a remastered version of the game, which has been rumoured by press and insiders for over four years.

Metroid Prime Remastered is exactly as the title suggests, with completely overhauled and improved visuals, gameplay tweaks, and even new difficulty settings. The biggest change is to the game’s control system, which has received a modernised twin-stick layout reminiscent of current-day shooters.

Previously, the controls in Metroid Prime had its player character, Samus Aran, either moving or aiming, but not both at the same time. It was a bit of a sore point among some players, who said that the game didn’t hold up over time. Now, those players can play the game with much more familiar controls.

Metroid Prime Remastered features totally overhauled visuals and controls. Picture: Nintendo

The Metroid series is one of Nintendo’s longest running franchises, but not one of its most successful. The series is generally split up into two branches: the main series, which is made up of 2D platform combat games, and the Prime series, which focuses more on first-person exploration.

The most recent game in the main series was Metroid Dread, which quickly became the best-selling Metroid game of all time when it was released on the Nintendo Switch in 2021. The game sold 2.9 million units, far below some of Nintendo’s other big hitters, but still respectable for a game of smaller scope.

A new game in the Metroid Prime series, Metroid Prime 4, was announced in 2017, before being rebooted by Nintendo in 2019. The game has yet to receive a release date, and details or footage of the game have yet to be released.

Metroid Prime is widely regarded as one of the best Nintendo games. Picture: Nintendo

Metroid Prime Remastered is available to purchase on the Nintendo Switch eShop now, while the physical version of the game will be released at retailers on March 3. Both versions of the game cost $59.95.

The surprise release of the game is reminiscent of another recent release, Hi-Fi Rush, which was given a surprise release while headlining an Xbox presentation last month. Games released like this are typically referred to as “shadow dropped” in the games industry.

Hi-Fi Rush ultimately became an instant hit, with the game’s director saying in an interview with GLHF that he and the team behind the game knew it was good, but were still nervous prior to the announcement and release.

Written by Oliver Brandt on behalf of GLHF.