Nintendo: Why Metroid Prime Could Be The Perfect VR Film

Highlights

Metroid Prime's first-person gameplay makes it the ideal candidate for a potential virtual reality movie, providing an immersive and emotionally lived experience.
A VR Metroid Prime movie could combine cosmic horror, alien hunting, and classic horror elements to create a survival horror sci-fi film with broad audience appeal.
The lack of speaking characters in the original game doesn't hinder the potential success of a VR Metroid movie, as the VR headset can immerse viewers in Samus Aran's point-of-view and reinforce the themes of isolation and dread.

Metroid Prime’s first-person gameplay has become the definitive standard for modern Metroid games. Developed by Nintendo’s Retro Studios, the sci-fi action-adventure follows Samus Aran, a lone bounty hunter, through an often horrifying alien world. This unique journey, which hones in on Samus’ isolation, makes it a contender for a potential virtual reality Metroid Prime movie.

While many virtual reality gamers long for an experience akin to The Matrix or Ready Player One for the ultimate gaming simulation, virtual reality film fans desire a more immersive story that brings the journey closer to an emotional lived experience. The technology is available for VR films to create that experience. Unfortunately, attempts to captivate audiences with VR movies have thus far been largely disappointing. Samus Aran’s journey, on the other hand, is primed for a potential VR movie thanks to the critically acclaimed Metroid Prime games.

The Chronological Order of Metroid Games Explained

Metroid games generally focus on the player's story in gameplay, but certain titles do make their shared chronology important.

Possible Metroid Movie Formats

Metroid, like The Legend of Zelda, could likely work as either animation or live-action in film. But the franchise's Ridley, Metroid larva, and other creatures, especially those that fly, would work best in a 3D or virtually reality film project. The latter format is perfect for a first-person sci-if horror adventure, like Metroid Prime. This entry in the franchise would be bounty hunter Samus Aran's best candidate for a movie, especially a VR movie.

The Metroid game series isn't just a sci-fi action-adventure. As a potential film in any format, a Metroid movie should emphasize the cosmic horror, the alien hunt and gore, and the classic horror genre beat of escaping the "monster house." This escape is usually illustrated as a race for Samus to escape the impending destruction of the planet in the games. All these elements can come together as a survival horror sci-fi Metroid movie. Films with their roots in this genre, like Aliens or Resident Evil, tend to fare well at the box office despite the niche audience. Adding the kind of intergalactic space elements that make the Star Wars franchise attractive could also help to draw an even wider audience, even those who may be unfamiliar with Nintendo's deadly bounty hunter.

The original Metroid Prime game lacks an engaging cast of speaking characters to create an experience that survival horror film fans have come to expect. This, however, doesn’t detract from the possibility of Nintendo faithfully and successfully adapting Metroid Prime as an isolated movie-going experience. The VR headset lends itself well for immersing the audience into Samus’ courageous yet terrifying point-of-view. That being said, Nintendo could also add other bounty hunters, space pirates, or speaking aliens to liven up the story.

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption captured this more dramatic storytelling with the inclusion of the Galactic Federation, dialogue scenes, and Samus’ flashbacks. Combining these dramatic elements or sticking with the traditional lone, silent bounty hunter experience that has defined most of the Metroid series are both viable options for a Metroid movie.

Why A Metroid Prime Film Can Be The Perfect VR Movie

The third-person, 3D movie experience may be the less expensive option compared to a VR movie, which requires headsets for audiences as opposed to 3D glasses. Both are more immersive experiences than non-3D formats. A 3D Metroid movie would provide a shared movie-going experience with a potentially horrifying atmosphere. A VR movie, though, could do that more, and reinforcing the themes of isolation and dread.

It’s this sense of isolation and looming fear that makes Metroid’s classic gameplay thrilling. There's a constant stalking sensation of not knowing whether Samus is prey or predator, which is elevated by the dark atmosphere. This is heightened even more for players who choose to play the games alone in a dark room. Any theater can provide the perfect dark atmosphere for a Metroid movie, but only VR can evoke the dreadful sense of isolation, even when viewers are surrounded by scores of people in a theater.

This is where the lack of an ensemble cast can work to the advantage of a potential Metroid movie. Viewers could instead be surrounded by legions of monstrous alien creatures coming for Samus, and thus, coming for them too, in a sense. Both Samus and viewers would have to endure carnage in order for the bounty hunter to survive, get the suit upgraded, or finally put Ridley down. It's an enthralling and emotionally gripping tale that would only amplified by VR.

Samus Aran’s Metroid Prime-style story fits perfectly with a VR experience as a future game and movie, should Nintendo choose to adapt the franchise. Considering most of the lackluster VR film projects, this strategy could be the blue ocean filmmaking opportunity Nintendo can take advantage of to further carve out a branded Nintendo movie-going experience. From Metroidvania to first-person shooter, Metroid is a niche-defining franchise that can dominate the niche market of VR films. If successful, Nintendo could finally put VR films on the map as a viable mainstream format, while simultaneously increasing the reach of its Metroid Prime fan base.