The music is undoubtedly the weakest aspect in Metroid Prime. While praise for the game's graphics and sound effects is almost universal, this one crucial part of the game somehow splits the jury. While it's true that many seem to enjoy the game's techno remixes and peppy upbeat melodies, I find that it's a style of music wholly unsuited to the Metroid series.
Looking back on past Metroid games one finds some exceptional music
in almost all instances. Pop in your old Metroid cart and you'll be
treated to perhaps the most atmospheric opening theme in an NES
game. Start playing and you'll hear some of the best melodies ever
composed during the 8-bit era. And who can forget the first time you
near a power-up and that eerie ringing melody begins playing. Even then
the music served to enhance the atmosphere of the game, surprising
considering the limited technology available. Metroid II: Return of Samus
was hampered by the Game Boy's limited sound chip, but it too had
some nice melodies in the mix and tried to complement the mood.
And that leads us to Super Metroid. This is what all Metroid games should aspire to. The reason why Super Metroid's music succeeded was that it refused to give in to gaming conventions. It was less of a gaming soundtrack and more of a movie score, subdued in parts yet intense in others, never feeling as though it had to draw attention to itself. But above all, it was atmospheric and haunting like no game soundtrack before. You were exploring the depths of a planet, dangerous and mysterious caves filled with strange creatures, and the music reflected that beautifully. Hard to believe it was on a cartridge. It complemented the gameplay so perfectly that without it Super Metroid would not be nearly as memorable as it is.
Metroid Prime, on the other hand, is a step back. It starts off well in the Space Frigate, with an epic opening sequence leading on to more moody pieces as you explore. It remains positive throughout your first boss encounter, and then the escape sequence kicks in. This was the first sign that something had gone wrong. What was this shrill noise attempting to pass for music? Was it supposed to make my game more enjoyable? If it was, it failed, though the urge to cleanse my ears of such a horrible aural experience did push me to escape the Space Frigate that much quicker.
Afterwards the soundtrack had highs and lows, though the
highs never quite neared the expectations set by Super
Metroid. Is a cheery whistle-infused tune the right music
for exploring an ancient crumbling temple? Does upbeat
electronica set the right mood for exploring ice caverns?
Taste is one thing, but the game deserved an epic score.
What we got was video game music that wasn't even up
to par with the original Metroid for the most part and would
have been better suited to any generic action game than
to Metroid. Even in areas where the music was more or
less appropriate (like the Phazon mines, or the
Underwater Frigate) it just wasn't really very effective or even particularly good. It was just sort of there.
Of course, this isn't Retro's fault. Ironically enough, this was the one aspect of Metroid Prime that was in the hands of Japanese developers. And incredibly, it was composed by none other than Kenji Yamamoto, Super Metroid's original composer! How he managed to deviate so far from what he did in Super Metroid is beyond me. Perhaps he decided to experiment with a new style because he believed the 'new' Metroid was somehow separate from the classic Metroid series. Perhaps he was too busy composing music for Fusion to give Prime his full attention. Or perhaps he simply didn't care for the project. Whatever the reason, Metroid Prime 2 deserves better and more appropriate music. Just as I like the music in the film The Matrix but would never want to hear it in The Lord of the Rings, so too should techno and Metroid never merge again. If the designers at Retro Studios are as good at music as they are at art, then the entire sequel should be an in-house project.
Need a reminder of what Metroid should sound like? Visit the Downloads page!
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