With Metroid Other M, the series gets all prequelly. Remember the first time you completed Metroid on the NES and discovered that Samus was in fact a woman? Since then the series has maintained an intriguing sense of mystery, with our female hero remaining silent through her various escapades. Metroid Other M is radically different, focusing heavily on narrative and allowing Samus to pour out her thoughts and insecurities during lengthy cut-scenes. Does this result in a better plot? Find out in this part of our Metroid Other M review.
Read the rest of our Metroid Other M review now
Metroid Other M review
Metroid Other M review: Controls
Metroid Other M review: The best Metroid yet?
In chronological terms Metroid Other M is neatly sandwiched between 1994’s Super Metroid and 2002’s Metroid Fusion. The game opens with Samus’ epic confrontation with the evil Mother Brain at the end of Super Metroid. Samus is saved from certain destruction by the sacrifice of an infant Metroid – a jellyfish-like creature capable of siphoning power from living things – leaving our plucky heroine with plenty to ponder about.
After escaping the exploding planet Zebes, Samus picks up a distress signal coming from a seemingly derelict space station known as a “Bottle Ship”. Predictably she decides to investigate, discovering that members of the Galactic Federation are already on-site, and that the team includes a few familiar faces from her shadowy past.
One of the biggest selling points of Metroid Other M is the considerable expansion of Samus’ back-story. In this new adventure we learn that she was once a member of the Galactic Federation and was seen as something of a reckless youth. For reasons that become apparent throughout the course of the game, Samus parted company with the Federation Army under a cloud and as a result some members of the team on board the Bottle Ship treat her with suspicion.
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One of the key characters in Metroid Other M’s storyline is the Federation commander Adam Malkovich, whose relationship with Samus is under the spotlight for much of the game. A superior officer during Samus’ time in the Army, Malkovich is initially aloof and instructs her to restrict the use of weapons during the mission. It’s this command that creates one of Metroid Other M’s more preposterous gameplay mechanics – Samus can’t use her most vital armaments until Malkovich explicitly tells her she can. Cue plenty of frustrating dead ends and untimely deaths thanks to nothing more than obeying orders.
For the most part Metroid Other M does an excellent job of fleshing out the story of the series and giving gamers a deeper insight into Samus’ personality and her past. The biggest problem is that when our female protagonist opens her mouth it’s hard not to think of her as anything but a hormonal, angst-ridden teenager. Her voice-acting is stilted and lacks enthusiasm, wiping away much of her mystique. Whether or not the icy and detached dialogue is an intentional move on Nintendo’s part is debatable, but it definitely harms the narrative, not to mention Samus’ formerly legendary reputation.
The proliferation of cut-scenes in Metroid Other M also sets the game apart from previous entries in the linage. Many are of considerable length and – unforgivably – they’re unskippable.
Samus Aran is unquestionably one of the most appealing Nintendo characters and most fans will welcome the opportunity to delve into her past, but in the case of Metroid Other M things could have been handled a lot better. Giving Samus a voice and elaborating on what makes her tick actually results in a less attractive protagonist, and it’s hard to empathise with her whining by the time the adventure draws to its dramatic conclusion.
Read the rest of our Metroid Other M review now
Metroid Other M review
Metroid Other M review: Controls
Metroid Other M review: The best Metroid yet?
