Team SCU / Varia the Hunter (YouTube)

Although the perspective and control scheme has shifted, so much of the original Metroid Prime shows up in Prime 2D. Samus Aran lands on Tallon IV in pursuit of her eternal foe, the space dragon Ridley. Beetles burst from the ground for you to energy blast in the face. Hallways full of Scarab hordes impede your progress. Prime’s ubiquitous Scan Visor allows you to get more info on your surroundings, activate machinery, and in one neat, new moment light up a dark room. The demo ends with the boss fight against the War Wasp-spitting Hive Mecha for the Missile Launcher, which unlike in Metroid Prime has a second phase.

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Prime 2D, like Metroid II remake AM2R before it, is an incredibly ambitious project. It’s clear that Team SCU knows their Metroid Prime, and they’ve so far nailed everything that made the original such a special game. I was skeptical about the game’s use of keyboard and mouse, but it feels great to have precise control over Samus’ arm cannon. If you have even a passing interest in the Metroid series, I highly recommend checking this out before it’s wiped from the internet.