Metroid Prime: Federation Force isn’t a bad game, but it isn’t the one we expected. After all these years with no Metroid and Samus from Nintendo and no real representation on the 3DS, you expect something big and definitive. Not a game where Samus herself is playing shadow games within it. Yet, after going through the entirety of it, I can’t help but wonder if maybe this game is building up to another.
It starts with a suit. Two suits, to be exact. Even though you’re a rookie member of the Galactic Federation Force, Nintendo lets you scan in the standard and Zero Suit Samus amiibo to get mechs based on her attire. The standard suit even lets you pick up missiles in groups of ten, making you a more lethal warrior. This in itself is quite a tease, since it’s giving us what we want: Samus as a protagonist.
Samus’ appearances also really drag the game out, making you want to keep coming back. She first appears in Mission 12 of Metroid Prime: Federation Force , only not really. You’re in the middle of a boss fight. You’re attacked by the foe. She flies in when it’s almost dead and defeats it. She never leaves her ship, but she’s there. It’s one of those things that makes you desperate to do the same, but only when controlling her.
Now we’re getting into spoiler country, but Samus herself doesn’t really show up until the very end. When your crew goes in to fight the Doomseye, Samus appears in person to save the day. She waited until the very end to perform her assaults and acrobatics, even coming in for yet another last minute save to get the marines when all seems lost. She’s certainly a hero, but she never gets the screen time and support she deserves. Instead, we’re teased with minor contributions.
The real tease comes in Metroid Prime: Federation Force’ s post-credits scene. Sylux is a foe in the series who briefly appeared in the end of Metroid Prime 3 , as his ship went to chase after Samus’. While he doesn’t appear in the 3DS main game, we do see hints of a possible plot for the next full Metroid Prime game. We save a Metroid egg in one mission, After the end, we see someone apparently in the Galactic Federation Force headquarters, breaking in to hatch and steal the Metroid. He wears a blue suit, just like Sylux. Between his ominous presence at the end of the last game and this, it seems like a setup for the next game.
Perhaps Metroid Prime: Federation Force is the ultimate placeholder. Nintendo is working on a Metroid for the NX, but wanted to give people a hint at what’s to come. Between Metroid Prime 3 and this 3DS game’s after-scenes, we definitely know there’s a Metroid in the wild and someone with a grudge against Samus and the Federation. It’s a perfect opportunity, and all we had to do was power through this spin-off game to see hints of it.
Image Credit: Eddy Shinjuku