Samus is back and this time the talented group from Team Ninja takes the reins for an all new chapter in the Metroid saga. Metroid: Other M isn’t a sequel to the Prime series, but rather a middle chapter that comes directly after Super Metroid and before Metroid Fusion on the Gameboy Advance.

The story starts off immediately following Samus’ encounter with Mother Brain. She returns to the Galactic Federation to give her report. After doing so, she responds to a distress signal called a ‘Baby’s Cry’ from a Federation ship called the Bottle Ship. Once there, Samus encounters a federation squad, all of whom she recognizes. This reunion gives some of the back story on Samus’ beginnings as a cadet in the Federation army and her relationship to Adam Malcovich (the squad leader). Samus and Adam don’t quite see eye-to-eye but they disregard their differences in order to discover the reason for the distress call. Samus decides to join the efforts of the Federation squad and thus sets out into the depths of the Bottle Ship to ascertain more clues.

Metroid: Other M progresses similarly to previous Metroid games: explore areas, shoot enemies, find items, and explore further. Particularly unique to Metroid: Other M is how you explore. The game is controlled only with the Wii remote and allows players to control all of Samus’ movements by holding the remote sideways. To get a closer look at the environment or enemies, simply point the remote at the screen. It’s incredibly intuitive and allows players to seamlessly transfer from first-person to third-person very quickly. This takes a little getting used to, but the controls are easily mastered as the game has you go through a tutorial at the outset.

Another unique aspect of Metroid: Other M is the fact that Samus begins the game with all of her suit powers but with a catch. They must be activated by Adam periodically throughout the game. You might be wondering, “well are there still items to collect?” Rest assured there are still plenty of items to collect but most of which are upgrade items and only some are major upgrades. All others will be activated by Adam at key points in the game.

Gameplay

From a gameplay perspective, Metroid: Other M stands out as a very unique entry in the franchise. While movement is done primarily like Super Metroid’s control layout, all aiming is done using the Wii remote. Movement is done in three dimensions in most cases but you’re usually observing Samus at a certain angle. It’s only when you go into first-person mode that you can look all around to vanquish enemies. It may sound clunky, but it’s really well designed and fast paced for those intense fire-fights. All the staples Metroid fans have come to love are back including the grappling hook and morph ball. You’ll also be very happy with the musical score in the game.

Graphics

Metroid: Other M had some big shoes to fill graphically after the fantastic Metroid Prime trilogy. Thankfully for us, it fills them very well. All the environments are incredibly detailed and show off the Wii’s graphical prowess. The particle effects from gun fire, water, and snow are all very well done. Other M also introduces fans to pre-rendered cutscenes that are beautifully detailed and fit very well into the game’s own engine-generated cutscenes.

Story

I only separate ‘Story’ out because it’s featured so heavily in Metroid: Other M. The game also has quite a bit of plot twists and dialogue to go along with it. Most all of the cutscenes are very interesting but some of Samus’ musings to herself are a little much. She’ll often talk inside her head more than she does to characters in the game which can become a little boring to watch. A couple times I had to ask myself, “Do I really need to know every little thought Samus is thinking?” The voice acting is decent, but Samus’ voice felt monotone and her lines forced at times. Overall though, the story is very engaging and the cutscenes do add a lot.

Conclusion

Metroid: Other M is an incredible game and is simply a must-own for any fan of the franchise or anyone with a Wii. Despite some slow cutscenes and hit-or-miss dialogue, Metroid: Other M shines with its great graphics and intuitive gameplay.

Metroid: Other M gets a 9.5/10