Nintendo made the tough decision at the beginning of 2019 to restart the development of Metroid Prime 4 with the help of Retro Studios. Since then (and even before), there's been very little activity on the Metroid front.
Fortunately, there is a passionate Metroid fanbase and one talented group of developers known as "Team SCU" have been working hard on a 2D version of the GameCube hit, Metroid Prime. While it was originally thought to be a joke, it's actually real.
It's called Prime 2D - with the other part of the name removed for obvious reasons, and the first demo has just gone live.
"Hey everyone! The time has finally come for the first public Prime 2D demo. When we first posted it, this post was this April Fools’ day page with fake screenshots, hiding the fact that it was actually our real demo, but we can clear that joke away now that April 1 is over."
SCU further notes how this project is "made by fans for the sole purpose of having fun" and says "all aspects of this demo are subject to change" and may not necessarily reflect the final version.
The demo itself gives players the opportunity to explore the Tallon Overworld, including the Artifact Temple and Chozo Ruins, and includes a range of abilities and power-ups such as the Morph Ball. There's also 360 degree aiming, the ability to scan the environment, and apparently a little extra after the credits.
Would you be interested in a 2D Metroid Prime game? Like the look of this project? Tell us down below.
[source metroid-database.com]
Comments 104
Copyright strike from Nintendo in 3...2...1...
Looks pretty neat though!
...Yeah I don't think removing Metroid from the title will change anything.
Cool, might as well check it out before nintendo inevitably does the thing they're famous for.
It seems the average IQ on earth drops by 80 points on 1st April. Some jokes don't even make sense and most of them aren't even funny.
@Rhaoulos IQ is based around 100 being the average. I'm not clever enough to work out whether the average dropping by 80 points means people are defined as cleverer or less clever.
Mmmm knowing that it will be closed down, why don’t they change the sprite and name and just carry on making it xxx
STOP REPORTING ON ****ING FANGAMES YOU'RE GOING TO DRAW NINTENDO TO THEM.
And take down in 5.. 4.. 3..
Young man,
Get in the know, don't be lax (I said)
Young man,
It's good to get all the facts (I said)
Young man,
About the copyright acts
There's no need to be unlisted
It's fun to learn about DMCA (x2)
They shouldn't be a big deal
They can give you a strike
They can do whatever they like.
If this is as good as it looks, I wish Nintendo would just buy them and release this game in stead of shutting it down. More 2D metroid would be fantastic while we wait for Prime 4
I like 2D metroid... But metroid prime is God tier and cannot be remade.
Looks nice, but still hoping for a 2.5D Metroid Snes/Gba style reboot. And for personally loved other M. The third person/first person views were great, snappy action, great visuals. As usual just the hard-core crowd getting emotional about it. Deserves better than the slating it got.
People.... Nintendo takes down projects that try to earn money. As long as it remains free they stay up. There are tons of Nintendo inspired, modded or revamped games out there.
I’ll always be a fan of Metroid Prime but I’ll always be a HUGE fan of 2D Metroid. So..... take that as you will.
@Axelay71 YES. I felt Other M was like the Metal Gear Solid/Hideo Kojima of the Metroid series. I loved it and still reference that thumbs up sometimes
Really loved that game.
As horrified as i was upon learning that Metroid would become a third person shooter i think i really prefer it that way now. The prime series along with Wind waker are two times i was proven wrong about what i thought i wanted. Sometimes it's good to just let the developers make the game they wanna make. You might be pleasantly surprised!
As for this mockery of a legit metroid game i say bah! Get your own ideas and stop ripping off the work of others you hacks!
I'll gladly try a game you created if it's your own thing and not some copycat business.
How long until nintendo try and get the creator locked in a dungeon?
Metroid prime was my favorite Metroid game despite not completing it. I just couldnt get used to the wii pointer control scheme. This looks pretty incredible tho.
As someone who never enjoyed the Prime Games due to the camera giving me motion sickness. I’m all for these fan projects but Nintendo ninja lawyers will issue a dmca in 3... 2... 1...
@anonymunchy they took down loads of fangames that were completely free
I just got flashbacks to Ocarina of Time 2D... I loved that little tech demo I played back in the day.
Now that's a good April Fools' joke. A fake turning out to be true. This looks amazing!
@Noid It's all over gaming social media anyway. They want it to be known.
picture number3 looks like something from star gate s.g.1 one of apophis guards
They never learn.
Don't start crying when Nintendo takes this down again.
Man... with talent like that, instead of making a fan game they should probably just make an original game. I'd buy it.
On the one hand, yay more 2D Metroid, on the other, boo, more Prime.
I loathe the Prime series on principle because it got Metroid stuck in an endless loop of interquels and remakes instead of going forward. When are we ever getting a sequel to Fusion, fan-made or otherwise?
I get that people love Nintendo's games, but seriously, if you have the talent and resources to produce a fan game, just produce a spiritual sequel instead.
Steal the gameplay not the iconography.
Nintendo can't touch you then, and you'd be able to charge a little bit of money to support your efforts.
Where's the south park "aaaaaaand it's gone" meme when you need it?
I give it about 16 seconds before it’s rightfully taken down
The Nintendo ninjas on their way to their house.
I really don't understand 2 things about people who undertake these types of projects;
1. You will be stopped by Nintendo. Period. Keep your mouths shut about it until you complete the game entirely.
2. Why not devote those resources to creating an actual original game with original characters?
@Chamver
1. For that 15 seconds of fame.
2. Because creating an original character and story is difficult. So, they just steal from Nintendo.
@Chamver Coming up with an original idea is the hardest part. At least this way they might get a job involving their skill set (if not their creativity.)
Download and played it. fantastic game!!!!
actualy holds anything a 2d metroid fan wanted after super metroid.
Music,gameplay, level details such as water reflection, explosions,scanning movement, all A+++.
@Chamver
Because they will get some fame and they could get a job on some project.
Example of that is Migami Games that did Castlevania FAN games and now he released Wallachia on the Switch. Actually he has another game coming that is Metroidvania. The FAN projects are the ones that could start your career otherwise good games get lost in the sea of dumb, mediocre shovelware
C&D time! Go go go!
(Seriously make your own game or reach out to Nintendo with a proposal. )
@Chamver agree.
Downloading it before Nintendo takes it down.
So, what platform is this demo on?
Looks like if they made it for DS. I like it, Too bad it will get taken down by Nintendo.
@Savino I didn't know there was an android port, thank you for mentioning it! 😀
As usual, so much talent and vision that'll just be wasted if they go forward with this.
Regardless, that pixel art is positively stellar. Like they said, swap out Samus and her ship for something similar and I will buy this...
@Mach_Rider prepare for copy right. It will happen
This looks amazing, can’t wait for the full version!
NINJA APPROVED
@BloodNinja maybe
But Nintendo WILL take this down
@anoyonmus Every game that they have taken down is actually still available for download. The internet is like a hydra; cut off one head, several more grow back in its place.
NINJA APPROVED
Okay. As someone who has recently made and released a free and complete fan game - a full ACTUAL GAMEBOY adaptation of the first episode of Life is Strange as a "lite" RPG - using GB Studio, I feel very qualified to answer all of these "why do it" questions;
Because I wanted to. Because I enjoy that game enough that I wanted to make a tribute to it. Because I wanted to see just how close it was possible to get to telling the same emotional story, with the same characters, in a form where if you could travel back in time (because LiS), you could actually play it on a real Gameboy cart and get something close to the same experience.
And going by the feedback? My time and attempt at doing so, purely for my own enjoyment, created something that people enjoy as an alternative take on it.
And no, trying to recreate them in such a low fidelity form isn't lazy, when you have to deal with every sprite and frame of animation and background and scripting and gameplay mechanics, collision detection, etc. It's about finding workarounds and tricks and doing things that most people wouldn't consider possible, to see if it works. I couldn't give a toss about attention. I made it in tribute and respect for the people whose work I loved. And I did it to show it could be done - I had zero programming experience and learned as I went over the course of the last year in my free time. If I could do that, anyone could. And the web browser version is up for free, for all to play, as is the ROM. I have zero interest in making any money from it, and if people get a couple of hours of entertainment out of it particularly right now - great.
Sometimes it's just nice to do things and give them away to people to hopefully enjoy, because you can.
And since one of the producers on the original and LiS 2 was quote "excited" to try my take on the game, apparently he sees some value in a project like it too.
Thanks to a GBxCart RW and a cheap bootleg cart (not a flash cart, an actual cart) from ebay, I have my own Gameboy cart of the end result too. I may well write a second cart and send it off to him someday. I also want a label and box made up.
I hope that explains it.
And now, back to episode 2...
As a MASSIVE fan of the Prime Trilogy and someone who prefers the 3D games to the 2D ones, I had to try it out and... it's so darn good you guys. It was fun seeing one of my favorite games in a new style. It only goes up to the Hive Mecha boss fight and cuts out the frigate Orpheon all together, but the sprite work is simply phenomenal. They were also pretty clever with how they translated some of the 3D elements of Prime 1 into 2D. There are also a few surprises for Prime veterans in there. It has a lot of promise, it's going to be disappointing when Nintendo shoots it down. Hopefully, these developers can use their talents on official games down the line.
Ohhhhhhh.......
This looks so great, gonna download it immediately!
@ChromaticDracula @Axelay71
Me 3.... Loved Other M's 2.5D System!
Change the main character design, the ship design, and some of the music a little more, maybe a couple of other minor details, and this could be released as its own thing, that just happens to be kinda reminiscent of a Nintendo game but not breaching any copyright or trademarks whatsoever--just in case it comes to that.
@impurekind @Dragonslacker1 That is what I was thinking. Make it an original game. Like Axiom Verge.
I think there are still a few ‘Knight’ titles left that can be used. 😉
In reality, it is probably a lot more difficult to design your own levels and mechanics than duplicating an existing 3D game into 2D.
Well made. Good stuff. Nice job. The dev here has talent. Shame this will be taken down soon by the big N as is their legal right.
Looks like garbage, deserves C&D, this is why we can’t have nice, official Metroid things and why the Metroid series is in the state it is, yada yada, moving on.
Reminds me a lot of Shadow Complex, which is good.
Goodness the Metroid community never fails to impress! This looks fantastic, way more ambitious than anything Nintendo has done with the series in a while (although I loved Samus Returns).
I still hold that AM2R is the greatest 2D Metroid game ever made. If you haven't played it yet, it's definitely worth searching out.
@Lifeis2-D If you recreate it and add some of your elements and perspective to it then it's okay. Still even if you just want to recreate your version of the game, the work idea still belongs to the original creator so you still had to give them credits at the end. Not doing so will make it fall into the plagiarism categories and they had the right to take down that work. Also even if you aren't profiting off that work and dump it for free online for all to play, someone else could still take what you did, load it onto a repro cart and sell it for profit thus your work profit someone else and there's nothing you can do about it as the culprit may had lived in China.
Tried the demo. Man the controls are awkward, it feels like you need three hands to really play this well with the controls for movement, jumping, and shooting all scattered to completely different parts of your keyboard. It seems like they wanted to replicate Samus Returns' analog aiming to the game's detriment. And with no option to change the controls? I couldn't even get past the main area of Chozo Ruins dealing with this crap. It's virtually unplayable as is, until they fix it I'm not touching the rest of this.
I watched the video and there does seem to be good things going on with this, especially with the little surprise they threw in with the Hive Mecha, but it's all for naught if I can't actually play it.
No doubt Nintendo will have this taken down ala AM2R when they reveal the next Metroid game for Switch.
I think this is the way to remake most of the Metroid Series if they ever are remade. Super Metroid and Metroid Prime for instance especially shouldn't be remade as a 2D and first person game respectively, because they are both already the peak of those styles for Metroid. Make Prime 2D and Super a 3D game if they ever get remade.
Am I the only one who thinks the art style is a bit meh?
Don't get me wrong, it's still a great effort considering that its fan made.
@Ghost_of_Hasashi The entire thing is firmly marked as an unofficial fan creation even on the title screens. One of the original producers is fully aware of it, and I've not only released demos over the last year that they could have noticed, I've actively invited and said any legitimate DMCA request would be honoured happily right up to the final release. Even the "proper" game has the first episode for free (so nobody is in danger of losing money if they somehow want to consider a LA/Pokemon style game anything close to the original). But there are other fan produced LiS games and even full length movies on youtube, and those are also tolerated.
As for the "repro" cart argument... I lose what exactly in that scenario? Any developer can have their game pirated to hell. I haven't made and have no interest in making any money from this.
Frankly if some Chinese bootleg company feels they even could make anything from selling this, I'd be mostly flattered my niche home creation full of crappy art and bashed together in my free time was seen as worth that. Even more so if someone likes it enough to want to go to the trouble of spending money for one when the ROM/browser versions are free for all. I have the only two legit carts of it that exist, I know I made it, other people know I made it, and I'm not losing out on money because I have no desire for any here and wouldn't be making any either way.
People enjoying it is far more rewarding.
@I-U While Super and Prime are definitely more modern, polished experiences that don't need overhauls as major as Zero Mission and Samus Returns, they're not perfect games that couldn't be improved and need to be done in a completely different style. Super Metroid could stand to overhaul Maridia and add more missions/powerups there, it's a fairly linear slog and the only thing you really need to do is fight Draygon and go. More branching areas and more powerups (Spider Ball being the most obvious, they could also potentially throw in Samus Returns' Aeion Abilities or adapt Boost Ball to 2D). For Prime, Magmoor Caverns and Phazon Mines are also very linear areas and also need more missions, and they could throw in some of the powerups from 2 and 3 to fill that void nicely (Seeker Missiles, Screw Attack, Grapple Lasso/Voltage). Adding fast travel to both games would also improve them, especially Prime which has you trudge from one end of Tallon IV to the other 3 TIMES (going from Chozo Ruins through Magmoor Caverns to Phendrana Drifts for the Boost Ball, then all the way back to Tallon Overworld for the Space Jump Boots, then all the way back to continue Phendrana)!!!
And even if they don't want to bother with all that, remakes don't need to be wildly different designs like Zero Mission and Samus Returns, Metroid fans are actually kind of spoiled in that regard (although frankly I think there should be more games like it), most remakes actually tend to copy/paste the same design and throw in a token new feature or two while being largely the same experience.
I'm of fan of almost any 2D metroid, this looks cool.
I'm pretty stunned by this, it looks amazing! I'm sure they have more up their sleeve; this demo indicates that there is a lot more to share. Can't wait for the final release. It will be available!
NINJA APPROVED
@Bolt_Strike Did you try it with a gamepad? Maybe it's geared more towards that?
Not a fan of the point and shoot in a Metroid game, doesn't feel right.
@Bolt_Strike I disagree with everything you've said about Super and Prime. Every Metroid game that has had the Spider Ball has had to sacrifice a bit of pacing or immersion for the upgrade. Hopefully it stays only in Metroid II and its remake for 2D Metroids. It kills the flow of the game. The reward of an Energy Tank or Missile Expansion in my opinion is not worth the tedium of climbing a wall for a couple of minutes. Spider Ball is better used in the Primes, but even there I think all the games would add by subtraction by having the Spider Ball and those tracks removed. The Prime Trilogy would look better environmentally and would have more immersive settings with that removal. The Screw Attack on the other hand is superior in the 2D Metroids and in the way in Prime 2 and 3. It gave Prime 2 and 3 some of their worst room designs either with the empty, long gaps, requiring multiple jumps to be crossed, or empty tower spaces that have green panels slapped on the walls. I don't want to imagine Tallon IV getting cut up and remade with that Screw Attack just for the sake of throwing in a power-up. Adding Seeker Missiles, Grapple Lasso and Grapple Voltage would not be as bad, but all would slow Prime down and make Tallon IV more artificial because they would bring in their own door, shield and/or terminal designs to the environments.
@Kidfunkadelic83 the first metroid prime which this 2d version is based on was ONLY on gamcube metroid 2 and 3 were on wii but you didnt need to use motion controls ?
@TELBOI01 no it wasnt only available on cube. Metroid prime was on the Wii as part of the prime trilogy. Metroid prime, 2 echoes and MP3. All 3 are only playable with wiimote and nunchuck. They dont support classic controller what so ever. Metroid prime 3 was built around the motion controls. 1 and 2 had them added in with classic controller completely removed.
@westman98 but the next Metroid game is Metroid Prime 4, are you refering to the rumored and higly antecipated 2D Metroid game that continues the Metroid Fusion history?
this fan project make me realize how amazing Metroid Prime would be, if Nintendo decided to do a 2D side-scroling game istead of the 3D first person adventure we have.
@Chamver There are so many independent developers out there, most of the time these things are made to get attention and fan reactions help them secure jobs or funding. Look at Ember Labs, incredible talent that only got big big when they did a Majora’s Mask fan video, now they’re making their own big budget games. Had they only done original stuff it could have taken longer - or they may have had to start out working for another company.
@Kidfunkadelic83 here's hoping the Switch Metroid Prime Trilogy sees the light of day and we can all enjoy all three games with proper dual stick controls.
@Richnj that would be both amazing and an ideal control scheme for me.
Yet another developer trying to get easy notoriety once Nintendo shuts this down. If you have the skills to make your own game, make your own game.
Last time Nintendo took down a fan-made Metroid game, it was at least partially because they had their own Metroid 2 remake in the works, so another Metroid 2 remake would impede the sales of what they planned to release. If they take this down, I'm going to take it as a sign that Metroid Prime Trilogy HD is finally coming to Switch... Or they just don't want people to be happy during the series' 35th anniversary.
@KayFiOS "To properly celebrate Metroid's 35th anniversary, we're making the fans of the series feel alone and isolated, just like Samus in the games."
It is clear this will be taken down, but maybe Nintendo should learn from this and...heaven forbid... make a new metroid game? I know prime 4 is eta 2025 but a new 2D title or the HD Trilogy could be dropped much sooner. This franchise needs more love from Nintendo.
@Axelay71 yes! I also loved Other M.
I would love to play a Metroid game with this art style on my Switch. Of course, I will most likely buy any Metroid game for the Switch (please release Metroid Prime Trilogy for the Switch). Since Super Metroid was my introduction to the series, making me an instant fan, I am partial to this art style.
@Axelay71 @Moistnado I bought Other M for $20 but I never got around to playing it. Maybe I should give it a chance.
@Giygas_95 You know somehow, that's still better than how they celebrated the 30th anniversary. You could tell me that getting Federation Force was better than nothing, and I would disagree with you.
It looks amazing, but I can't help but wish people with skills like this would spend years working on original (or even just really similar but not related to Nintendo's IPs) games. All that work will inevitably go down the drain...
@Moistnado glad someone agrees i think it's brilliant Samus looks so cool in this game.
@Gamer_Griff you should its really good, its the hard core crowd as usual getting emotional about it. I loved it give it a go.
@Dualmask That's why I enjoyed Axiom Verge so much; it feels like Metroid while being its own thing.
@Axelay71 Thanks for the recommendation; I'll keep an open mind and give it a go. It'll feel like a new Metroid game for me.
@I-U So then maybe speed up the Spider Ball? IDK. As for the Prime games using the Screw Attack, if the large gaps are really an issue, they could just have you use it at the top of some of the larger rooms. For example, maybe in the Landing Site, you could jump up to the door leading to the Artifact Temple and Screw Attack across to an otherwise unreachable ledge at the other end of the room.
IDK what your issue is with Prime being too "artificial" with technology. I mean, the whole game is like that and it's not as if it doesn't fit the lore. The Chozo and the Space Pirates were both technologically advanced (although the Chozo Lore does specify they wanted to life a simple life on Tallon IV, but that's already gone out the window with all of the high tech space doors throughout the ruins), so the extra obstacles to accommodate the new powerups wouldn't be out of place. As for slowing the game down, aside from adding new missions (which is you know, more content, so it would be appreciated), having to occasionally use a new weapon wouldn't slow down the game that much, and most of those obstacles would be one time only.
Regardless, it doesn't HAVE to be these powerups, they're simply the first ones that come to mind because they appeared in similar games. The larger issues is that the areas in question (Maridia, Magmoor Caverns, Phazon Mines) are way too linear compared to other areas and needs one or two instances where you branch off from the "main path" to find a powerup before continuing. Every Metroid game seems to rely on this linear, gauntlet style design for their final area (same thing with Sanctuary Fortress and Pirate Homeworld in Prime 2 and 3, although they're slightly better about it), presumably to increase the challenge, but it just kills the exploration. And then Magmoor Caverns is primarily just a connecting area between Phendrana Drifts and Tallon Overworld/Chozo Ruins that comes off as largely pointless padding, you want to talk about slowing the game down, that's what kills the pacing the most. They just need more content and missions there to make the areas more worthwhile and explorable.
Mouse aiming looks really awkward. Reminds me of the crappy motion controls the Wii version was forced to have. Apparently, they haven't added any music to the game yet either.
@Trikeboy Come back and talk about "easy" once you've spent 20-100+ hours on something like this. I'd be willing to bet you'd change your tune long before completing anything.
Awesome work. Would love a new 2D Metroid. Satiate us Nintendo!
@WoomyNNYes PC
I probably wouldn't get much out of this since I have never quite adapted to using a keyboard and mouse for sidescrollers, which is a shame because I think I would have enjoyed games like Noitu Love Devolution and Bleed more otherwise. I'm not too good with twin-stick movement in sidescrollers either, although I do keep going back to Bleed and Bleed 2 on my Switch.
@Mach_Rider
lol you know, but thos actually looks professional especially compared to that fake metroid 2 that was made years ago.
Nintendo should buy this game and release it as a spin off Metroid title on the Switch...it won't happen though. They have TOO MUCH riding on the success of Metroid Prime 4. They want to keep the image of Prime 4 and Metroid perfect. That's why they are taking so long with Metroid Prime 4 and started over production. They know this is almost a make or break title for the Metroid Series and expectations are sky high. I can't wait for Metroid Prime 4. This looks like a cool fan project but as polished as it is it's lacking that intangible Nintendo spirit.
I would MUCH rather play a 2D version of the Prime games.
@Zeldafan79 By that logic anything fanmade is "ripping off the work of others".
looks amazing. really wish nintendo would just pay these fine people and publish it. its just free money for them, and it would get people even more stoked for prime 4
Why doesn't Nintendo just grab one of these incredible Indie projects and release it legitimately, everyone wants one, and they refuse to make one.
This got me thinking. With the rumours that the Metroid trilogy has been finished for a while, and Nintendo launching a switch pro this year, I wonder if they're upgrading the finished trilogy even more to launch alongside the switch pro? It would make sense to have a least a few fully optimised games to show off what it can do, and releasing an upgraded prime trilogy seems like a sure bet.
Why not just
?
@Giancarlothomaz
I expect a Metroid game to release on Switch before Prime 4.
@westman98 the rumored and higly antecipated 2D Metroid game that continues the Metroid Fusion history or Metroid Prime Trilogy?
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