The Metroid Prime trilogy, culminating in the universally loved Corruption on the Wii, offered a fine gaming experience, transferring many of the things that were loved about the original Metroid series into the newer consoles. But it was felt by hardcore fans that there could perhaps be another way to do it, a way that restored some of the platforming action to the mix. Metroid: Other M has been touted as the first next generation version of the series to truly capture the classic gameplay that made the original games such blockbusters on the NES and Super Nintendo. But is it a step too far backwards or a boldly successful re-imagining?

The game opens with a cut scene that initially reminded me of the ‘Starchild’ ending of 2001 but is in fact a dramatically rendered version of the climatic battle with Mother Brain that ended Super Metroid. If you were to go back and show this to a kid in the late 80s he’d think, well, he’d think you were a time-traveller. Possibly Sylvester McCoy. But he’d no doubt be stunned at the series’ progression — for a start, Samus is talking. This game is the first to align with the original plotline since Zero Mission on the Gameboy Advance, and from the decision to give Samus a voice for the first time ever it is clear that there is an emphasis placed on delving deeper into the Metroid story.

From this initial spectacle we’re immediately plunged into the training mode where we learn an array of moves to fight off the legions of familiar bad guys — rest assured, many Metroid favourites return — and then more lovingly-made exposition sequences explain the premise for this game. Answering a distress call from a drifting vessel, Samus meets some old acquaintances from her time in the Galactic Federation, and the mission begins to develop as we discover there are horrific genetic experiments afoot.

Getting down to the gameplay, it can initially be tricky to adjust to the way you have to switch between first-person and third-person perspective. This is achieved by rotating the Wii controller, pointing it at the screen to aim and lock on in first person mode. After a few minutes this does become second nature, and generally works effectively. However the frustrating thing about this is that you cannot move while in first person perspective, thus leaving yourself vulnerable to enemy attacks. It does beg the question whether the developers could have included support for the nunchuk controller to allow movement here, although perhaps with the rotation of the controller this could have proved more unwieldy still.

This leaves you with three distinct perspectives — the first person aiming mode, useful for sweeping rooms or corridors as you enter, to locate items or just to ensure the path is clear — the main third person ‘classic’ view for exploring, platforming, killing or morph-balling fun – and a disappointing over-the-shoulder section. This is similar to Resident Evil 4 in viewpoint but here your weapons are disabled, leaving you walking round like a freshly neutered tomcat on a Saturday night, with the knowledge that nothing is going to actually happen. At least until you get to your destination and the view switches back.

As ever in Metroid games, the key to dispatching the many and varied enemies lies in choosing the right method of attack, be it targeting specific sections of larger monsters, jumping on their heads to hit them from close range (amusingly reminiscent of Mario games when multiple assailants get bounced on in sequence) or using various different charge beams to render foes stunned and then approaching with a ‘Lethal Attack’ to send them back to meet their makers.

The system used for health works well. There are no medipacks to bring you back to full health, though collecting energy parts will increase your overall capacity. Instead when you drop below a certain health, you go into the red zone. When in this dire situation you can recharge your health in the same way you reload your missiles – pointing the Wiimote up and holding A. This leads to frantic moments where you are trying to evade enemy attacks whilst simultaneously standing still and not doing anything. Tres difficile.

Graphically there is no doubt that Metroid: Other M is a bit of a stunner — my particular favourite being the rain effects on the visor in the greenhouse-like sector — and almost every section of the game looks great, using the Wii’s limited power to suitable effect. Some of the morph ball sequences are dazzling in execution and far superior to similar rolling sections in the last few Sonic games. Speaking of sonics, there is an excellent sense of atmosphere, helped out by the traditional haunting vibe whereby minimal music and sparse sound effects are used to build tension, developing to fever pitch as the next battle lurks around the corridor.

One bugbear I had was the camera angles — on occasion you find yourself hammering buttons whilst facing forwards, unable to see the enemies on-screen but knowing they are right in front of you. Here the auto-aiming system is truly a blessing, although hard-core fans of the series that will contend that choosing the direction of the shot was a staple of the old-school games. Also the manner in which your weapons are doled out by the Galactic Federation ‘authorising’ them is less fulfilling than the old reward system whereby you had to actually go out and earn your weapons — it seems a little cheap that you’re just not using them because of what effectively seems like government permits. Perhaps in the next game we’ll see Samus filing paperwork at her local council office, trying to jump through the legal loopholes entitling her to use her ice-beam.

These complaints aside, I did enjoy the game immensely. The difficulty level seemed pitched very well — just as you find yourself frustrated with what seems an insurmountable boss, you suddenly figure out its weakness and dispatch it casually. The tension and release is effectively handled, and the relief felt when you open an airlock and see the bright light of one of the many save-and-recharge rooms is palpable.

Overall Metroid: Other M is a solid title and a welcome return to the main plotline of the series, ensuring the hardcore won’t think twice about investing. It returns to the good old days of action gaming, and works well in translating the charms of jumping and shooting to the 3D environment without losing much of the original fun. If you are a newcomer to the Metroid series though, it’s difficult to see past the already available Metroid Prime trilogy (which offers three games for the price of one) as a better bang for your buck.

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