What’s up with “Narration”?
If you’ve been poking around in the settings for Metroid Prime Remastered, you might have happened across a curious tab labeled “Narration.” Samus Aran is a somewhat famously quiet lady, so this might raise some eyebrows for longtime fans. Has Nintendo really slipped Other M-style dialogue into this remaster without warning?
No, they haven’t. Metroid superfans have no fear; the “narration” in Metroid Prime Remastered is a largely unobtrusive holdover from some of Metroid Prime‘s overseas releases. With the help of a couple of posts from the Metroid subreddit, let’s dig into the differences between these narration options.
Off
This one should be pretty self-explanatory. With this box ticked, nobody will say a single word aloud. It’s the Metroid experience you’re probably expecting, and it’s the one that’s available by default.
Partial
This option will add a touch of voice-over to the very beginning and the very end of the game. There’s no real addition to the plot here, but if you choose this setting before starting a new game then Samus gets a bit of introduction establishing her legendary status, which is at least a little interesting.
Full
“Full” narration will give you that intro and outro voice-over in addition to a discreet intro every time you start the game up. A narrator will announce the name of the location you’re currently in. This feature is lifted from the Japanese version, so a couple of location names have changed — Phendrana Drifts, for example, becomes Ice Valley.
Which should you use?
To be honest, it doesn’t really matter what narration option you choose. Most players won’t even notice the difference between the three, given how sparse and insignificant the narration actually is. If you’re gunning for a more authentic experience, the very first release of Metroid Prime came with no narration whatsoever, so “Off” is the one for you. If you want a bit of voicework every so often, “Partial” is probably a better call than “Full,” given the changes to certain location names.
