# *Metroid Prime: Federation Force* Notes A *Metroid Prime* team-based-shooter spin-off for the 3DS that had infamously poor reception at its reveal. The core premise is neat and even fun at times, but the experience alone is painful at times. It is baby’s first team shooter looter. > [!warning] > Spoilers below! ![[Published/Published Files/Game Notes PDFs/Metroid Prime - Federation Force Notes.pdf]] ## Stats - Started Playing: 4/5/24 - Beat: 5/29/24 - Time Played: 10 hours ## Legacy - Just a besmirchment to the Prime name. - A butt of jokes - It is baby’s first team shooter looter. I could see myself having fun either this, like I did with Hunters as a kid. But getting 3 friends to buy and play would have been hard. The game falls flat as a Metroid tie in and as a single player experience. ## Overall - Samus is just a namedrop thing. Such a bummer. - Okay. The play clock has to be wrong. It says I’ve played for 28 hours. Sleep mode? - Yep. Activity Log says just 6:30 hours. A cardinal sin of play clocks. - The game is fine, even fun at times. It would definitely be more so with friends. The shackling to Metroid was just an attempt to bolster sales (a la dinosaur planet becoming Star Fox Adventures). - Coolest Missions - The one where you have to get out of the mech to go flip a switch and are exposed. - The Metroid egg side quest inside the destroy metroid base mission. ## Story - Alex Miles? Is that a lore character? - Faceless, soulless Space Marines - A Metroid sin of too much gabbing - Lots of “retrieve data for research team” themed missions. We’re trying to disrupt Space Pirate activity. - Of course there are Metroids...🙄 - Just grab a Metroid Egg too. Think of all the good we could do if WE researched it. Sounds veryyyyyy Alien. - Sylux is teased if you get the egg it seems. But I couldn’t tell it was him because of the chibi style. ## Gameplay - Default controls are gyro. Not *terrible* - The jump is awful. Clunky, and aims your gun down a smidge. - Charge shot takes a bit. Maybe a perk to upgrade later? - So is this a wave based ally team shooter? Triforce Heroes for Samus? - Mods remind me of the mod system in Mega Man Battle Network 3 - But we need waaaayyyy more than 2-3 mods. So limited. - The lil nubbin works as a second analog stick for camera. - Clearly a team shooter in core design - Why get a morphball when you could shoot one?! - Mission objectives designed for four are worse when solo. - And even worse when those are paired with accurate aiming. Oh lordy this is gonna be a long game Early on follows this structure: 1. Explore planet for research 2. Find/do thing 3. Escape sequence 4. Space pirates appear 5. Extraction - There are some lore interactive objects. Not as engaging though as core series. - So the boss battles of big monsters does carry over. That feels Prime enough. - **Playing single player, the game gives you a mod that doubles your damage output and halves incoming damage. Essentially vital in solo play, but it takes up a mod slot. And since you are less likely to get medals, it takes long to get additional mod slots. It cuts customization and flexibility in half too apparently.** - So you need medals to upgrade and get metals by 1) completing a mission 2) completing said mission in a specific time and 3) completing a secret objective. The other two parameters are only revealed after your first run. Forcing replaying these missions, which is good for portable team shooters. Not good for a Metroid game. - **Everything is so much more difficult and tedious without a squad.** - Mods are also sort of like the antithesis of Metroid too with its permanent upgrades that allow for more exploration and maneuverability. Now it’s just equip the thing and rotate out as needed. - Okay, the Metroid egg retrieval bonus mission was tense. Holding egg removes ability to shoot. Self destruct sequence on going. - Final four levels - First is just a clear room after room linear wave with restocks in between. - Second is also destroy transfer device, BUT the start involves your mech being disabled and you have to explore zero suit style. - Well that was short lived. One minute and twenty seconds outside the mech. - Perhaps you could have skipped the mech? There are pathways forward designed for a zero suit player...🤔 - Not a fun final gauntlet. Blegh. - Third is another transfer device. Wonder what the twist will be. - A boss fight that nearly made me go into a fourth phase. ☠️ - Final level - You fight Samus. In her morph ball form. Enlarged by a growth beam. I think the battle was blast ball. 🥲 - WOOOOOOOOOOW. - The destruct sequence is so fast. And you just die. I’m gonna have to refight Samus. Screw this. - It was blast ball. ⚽️ - 3 of 4 may all be “destroy transfer device.” ## Music/Sound Design - Sure is some Metroid music. And Luigi’s Mansion 2 sfx? - Same exact developer. - Soundtrack is forgettable. No real use of iconic Metroid themes. ## Graphics - Chibi-bobble head characters. How is this remotely Metroid? Kinda Nintendo Land Metroid-y. - Not keen on the gun design. Kinda like that meme of the mom saying “we have Nintendo at home” and it’s some emulation box from China. - Okay, I like the visual of the ammo type in the gun. Very in-world UI. I think that’s called diegetic UI. - But selecting them is awful. And then you may not have the right weapon selected. Ugh: - I like the head gear moving and shifting when strafing. Gives the vibe of being inside a moving mech. ## World - Three world “Burmuda” system - Old robot world. Yellow, acid, etc. - Frozen planet - Big, empty spaces. Slow walking. - Multi-planet like Hunters