Each Metroid Prime Location, Ranked

Observe: the YouTube embeds featured on this article will naturally comprise footage of among the boss encounters inside Metroid Prime, together with the ultimate boss. Should you’ve by no means performed the sport, take this as your spoiler warning!

(Additionally, you have by no means performed Metroid Prime!? *tuts and shakes head for a number of minutes*)

The Metroid collection is well-known for its unimaginable places, together with the likes of Norfair, Ataria, and Kraid’s Lair. When the collection moved into the 3D realm with Retro Studios’ Metroid Prime, it launched among the franchise’s most iconic places, adored by followers to this very day.

With the sport celebrating its twentieth anniversary, we thought it will be enjoyable to take a look at each principal location in Metroid Prime and rank them from worst to finest. We have all of them right here bar a number of minor places just like the Sunken Frigate. You should definitely vote in your favorite within the ballot on the backside of the web page and share your favorite recollections of the sport (and your ideas on our private rating) within the remark part.

However sufficient discuss, 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 appears completely attractive, however the extreme drawback of taking harm everytime you contact the lava is an enormous 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. Though, 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 without doubt one of the smaller places featured in Metroid Prime, although it stands as some of the essential, if not notably 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 towards the enduring Meta Ridley after gathering all 12 Chozo Artifacts, and it makes for one of many coolest boss encounters of the whole recreation.

It’s a disgrace the world as an entire was so small, as a result of we’d have liked to spend extra time exploring it. Because it stands, it’s disappointingly constrained.

7: Glacier One (Phendrana Drifts)

Just 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 Area Pirates. Right here you come throughout the enduring Metroid enemies for the primary time, together with some actually brutal Area Pirate enemies.

It’s a fantastic little location, but it surely comes fairly low on our checklist resulting from its dependence on motion over exploration; it’s primarily one main battle 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 “principal” space inside Metroid Prime, and as such, it’s naturally some of the stunning, too, showcasing the GameCube’s wonderful visuals (on the time, a minimum of). It’s primarily the gateway to the opposite places within the recreation and serves as a very good tutorial space, introducing Samus to smaller, extra docile enemies.

Disappointingly, there aren’t any main boss encounters inside Tallon Overworld, except you depend the Plated Beetle, which to be trustworthy, is extra of a minor sub-boss. Factors deducted!

5: Affect Crater

Affect Crater is the ultimate principal space inside Metroid Prime, and it is one other comparatively small one, but it surely does home the unimaginable titular remaining boss, so it is a notably memorable one for us. There’s an entire bunch of Phazon positioned right here, the radioactive substance that performs a core position in the whole Prime trilogy, and its presence makes for some actually stunning views.

You will encounter a great deal of mutated Metroids generally known as ‘Fission Metroids’, too, and your expertise shall be effectively and actually put to the take a look at. It is a robust finish to a powerful recreation.

4: Phazon Mines

Phazon Mines shares a lot of the identical visible fashion because the aforementioned Affect Crater, however naturally, it is a a lot bigger space, with three principal ranges to discover. It is full of Area PIrates all through, together with Elite Pirates and Omega Pirates, making this space one of many hardest within the recreation by fairly a margin.

When you’re right here, nevertheless, Samus can have powered as much as a substantial diploma, so it makes exploration each pleasant and difficult in equal measure.

3: Chozo Ruins

Chozo Ruins has a little bit of a desert theme happening, with a lot of sand mendacity about and an entire bunch of large beetles. It’s a dense space, full of 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.

Talking of enjoyable, here is a enjoyable reality: the Chozo Ruins, particularly the primary plaza, was the primary main space to be constructed for the sport. It’s additionally the biggest, with a complete of 63 rooms. We like this one so much!

2: Area Pirate Frigate “Orpheon”

Because the opening location of Metroid Prime, the Area Pirate Frigate stays some of the memorable areas of the whole trilogy.

Taking management of Samus after she leaps off her ship is just 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 Area Pirates.

It doesn’t overstay its welcome both, ending on a excessive word with a powerful boss encounter towards the Parasite Queen and a race towards the clock to flee because the Frigate falls to items. What a fantastic first location.

1: Phendrana Drifts

Phendrana Drifts is one of the best location in Metroid Prime, certainly. It is uncommon that we would contemplate a snow-themed space to be our absolute favorite, however that is how good that is!

Very similar to the opening Area Frigate space, moving into Phendrana Drifts for the primary time is just unforgettable. The music, the snow, the lighting; it’s simply stunning. It’s additionally dwelling to some wonderful creatures and boss encounters, together with Sheegoth and Thardus, and a few actually standout morph ball puzzles.

We may fairly fortunately stay 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.