Are you still recovering from Metroid Prime Remastered‘s surprise announcement and release? Well, how about some more detailed analysis on Retro Studios and Iron Galaxy’s stellar rerelease from the team over at Digital Foundry?
Comparing the new Switch release to both the GameCube and Wii titles, Digital Foundry has given the game a pretty glowing overview, while also pointing out a few minor quibbles. And we really do mean minor. The game runs at a consistent 60fps according to Digital Foundry’s tests in both handheld and docked, no matter how chaotic the screen gets, while resolution is at 900p on the big screen and 600p on a Switch screen. But it looks stunning on an OLED, all thanks to the game’s improved lighting.
A lot of focus is given to the lighting in the video, and understandably. New light sources have been added, and multiple natural features have been given luminescent properties to really enhance each of Tallon IV’s environments. Digital Foundry believes that the game’s brand new lighting throughout is defines this remaster, and we have to agree. if there’s one tiny disappointment, it’s that the beam lighting is a lot less noticeable, and you can only really spot the light emitted from your shots in certain corridors.
The original game is definitely one of the GameCube’s best-looking titles, but it’s actually amazing how good the Switch remaster looks. The new models for the Remastered have had the textures remade and tons of details have been added. Plus, every object is pretty much where you remember it being, right down to the pixel. The only reason you can really tell it’s a remaster is because of the animations — plus, many of the cutscenes are essentially one-to-one recreations.
The visor movement from the original release is in-tact, but weapon bobbing has been cut down fairly significantly. Digital Foundry speculates that this is to accommodate the free-camera movement now available thanks to the dual-stick controls. The original camera tilting is still in-game too, though, if you change control settings to a more GameCube-like style.
Ending the video by saying that Metroid Prime Remastered is “one of the best-looking Switch titles I’ve seen”, and looking at Retro Studios’ past (and future — yes, Metroid Prime 4 is mentioned), the developers have set the standard for remasters on the Switch with this release.