Nintendo came out swinging hard at the February 2023 Nintendo Direct, not only announcing that Metroid Prime Remastered was a thing that was coming out, but releasing it right then and there digitally so that everyone could play it. However, the trailer for the surprise release highlighted the game’s new dual-stick controls and its classic GameCube controls. It didn’t mention a third option, the Wii-centric motion controls given to the series when Metroid Prime: 3: Corruption came out and applied to all the games when Metroid Prime: Trilogy landed on the Wii. For these games, the players used the Wii controller to aim at the screen and some motion controls to do certain functions. Considering Nintendo Switch has the same motion control capability, you may be wondering, before you buy it, if Metroid Prime Remastered has the Wii-style pointer controls too.
You Can Use Wii-Style Pointer Motion Controls in Metroid Prime Remastered on Switch
Yep, as the title of the article already spilled, you can choose the Wii method of control if you like. Those who have already downloaded the game will quickly find out that they have the option to choose what play style they want to go with of the three. Well, actually four. You can play with the Joy-Con removed, pointing one at the screen to aim in full-on pointer mode, or you can choose a hybrid, which uses the pointer controls but pulls in the locked-in-place style from the GameCube game’s controls as well.
You can also go with either the more traditional dual-stick layout like in any modern shooter or the old-school GameCube style with the Joy-Con either attached or in its weird control holster thing. This makes plenty of sense as, if you’re playing your Switch on the go, there’s not much ability to use the Joy-Con like Wii Remotes, but the moment you plug it into your TV it’s easy to sit back and waggle to your heart’s content as the game was originally designed to play as.
In fact, it might be even better now. The Joy-Con’s motion detection and tech are way more advanced than the Wii’s controls were when Metroid Prime: Trilogy came out. That means the aiming mechanism, which was surprisingly good for the Wii ports of the games, should be even better here. Metroid Prime was one of the few FPS to truly pull off the promise of the Wii’s point-and-shoot gameplay on the platform, and it might turn out to be the preferred way for folks to play as long as they’re at home sitting on the couch.
So, Wii-style pointer controls are a real and viable option for Metroid Prime Remastered on Switch. Now we just have to wonder if this much control freedom will be given to us when Metroid Prime 4 hits sometime in the very distant future.
