In Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, Samus Aran is on a rescue mission. More specifically, she is off to a planet called Aether, where a group of federation troopers has mysteriously disappeared. Upon a rough landing, she quickly finds herself in the middle of struggle that has been fought for many years. Aether is divided by two parallel worlds - a dark side and a light side. In conquest of power, the creatures of the dark world, called the Ing, wish to eradicate the race of Luminons, which exists in the light world. The infamous Space Pirates stand in the middle of this war, and seek the valuable Phazon material, which must be mined in the deep clutches of the dark world. Many Space Pirates have died in this process.

Like Metroid Prime, cut-scenes are used sparingly to tell these story details. Instead, information is retrieved by scanning objects or enemies. Conveniently, this process takes less time and the scanning range is longer too, compared to the last game. Furthermore, when using the scan visor, things that are already scanned have changed color, which makes it a whole lot easier to keep track on things.

From the moment you gain control of Samus, you’re thrown into classic Metroid action involving shooting doors to open them and killing small beetles that crop up from the underground. This passage gives you ample opportunity to learn the basic gameplay mechanics. For Metroid Prime fans this doesn’t take long, as both the visor look, the pace, and the controls remain practically unchanged.

One difference is Samus’s arsenal of weapons. Apart from the standard charge beam, she’s armed with two other beams – a light and a dark one. Their effectiveness varies depending on which creatures you’re up against. In the case of the Space Pirates, the dark beam remains your best option, since it stuns them briefly, whereas the Ing are more susceptible to the light beam. Interestingly, as both beams require their own form of ammunition, you sometimes have to think strategically and conserve certain ammo types so you don’t run out.

You meet the first batch of Space Pirates within few minutes. An aircraft descends from the sky with two of them standing on the roof, ready to jump off. Their agility is great, and their actions vary greatly. They’re avoiding shots with quick sidesteps and use cloaking devices that make them not only partly invisible but also invincible for a short period of time. Some of them even fly wildly across the screen by means of jetpacks, and they spin out of control and crash when shot. Others, prepared for a close encounter, spawn right in front of you, and a few even decide to mount a couple of giant cannons. Fortunately, these can be destroyed with a couple of well-placed missiles, after which metal pieces and debris are scattered all over the place.

Generally, special effects such as these are used extensively – more so than in Retro’s last effort. Whether charging up your light beam or entering a portal, the effect is stunning. The way the purple and black matter, which is released by the dark beam, breaks up in a thousand pieces upon impact looks equally amazing. The areas are huge in scope with no hint of fog, and the overwhelming architecture of the buildings remains as impressively detailed as in the game’s prequel. The resolution seems a little higher too.

The upcoming path requires Morph Ball action. This aspect, too, functions identically compared to Metroid Prime. At some point the camera pans out, so the gameplay turns 2D. From here you must guide the morph ball through a small, fairly straightforward, maze, filled with harmful lasers that turn on and off. Timing your Morph Ball jumps becomes crucial here.

Back in first-person, your entry into the dark world occurs by stepping into a nearby portal. It is a sinister place where even the atmosphere drains your health. That is why Samus must activate protective bubbles by shooting crystals with the light beam, and then hop between these safe zones. Fortunately, health is actually gained just by standing in them. The Ing are also introduced here. They look like four-legged spiders each with a big, glowing yellow eye. Keeping track on these creatures is pretty hard. Not only are the capable of jumping great heights, they dissolve into blobs of black matter and seep into the ground only to re-surface at a different location.

After a portal have brought you back to the more bearable light world, you soon catch a glimpse of the mysterious Dark Samus, who wears a black suit with blue Phazon radiating from her shoulder pads. She quickly runs away, and your pursuit ends before it’s even begun when giant security bars are activated, preventing any further progress.

(Un)fortunately, you stumble into her again. She acts as the final boss of the demo. Her lightning-quick movements, combined with a fierce shock wave attack of blue energy, make her a more than worthy combatant. At times, she even forms a big protective shield around herself, and knocks loose pipes in the ceiling that come crashing down afterwards. It’s immensely hectic, and just as challenging as a boss battle ought to be. Personally, I almost managed to beat her, but in the end the evil version won.

Apart from this last battle, the demo requires little skill from the player, though. Most of the puzzles revolve around simply scanning the correct computer system, or destroying a certain object that blocks the way forward. Little thought or concentration is needed from the player. Running out of health doesn’t seem to be an issue either. Not only does Samus only lose five health points when hit by a charged up shot, most enemies also leave health supplies behind when they die. As a result, it matters little whether you fight well or not, as your health will likely be replenished after a battle. Hopefully the game will get tougher later on, and, reassuringly, since I was only fifteen minutes in to the game when the “Game Over” screen appeared, there is reason to believe that it will.

The demo also showed off the multi-player aspect of the game, though I only got to play the regular Death Match Mode. While not particularly deep, it’s certainly fast, frantic, and very accessible. This is mainly due to the emphasis being on evading shots and locking on to opponents rather than aiming for headshots, as in traditional first-person shooters.

The level I played, which has a simple but exciting layout, encourages you to use the morph ball frequently. There are devices that launch morph balls to the other end of the level – something that comes in handy when in need of a quick escape. An opponent will also lose his lock-on when you turn into morph ball mode. Furthermore, tiny tunnels containing valuable power-ups can also only be entered in this form. The functions of these power-ups range from giving you extra speed or strength to allowing you to infect another player with viruses. These can cause malfunctions in his suit, so he can’t shoot out missiles, for example. On a side note, the grappling beam also plays a role, and grappling and shooting can be done simultaneously, which looks very cool.

By implementing so many Metroid-specific elements, Retro is clearly trying to make the multiplayer experience special, and they appear to have succeeded in this. I still expect the one-player mode to be the main draw of the game, but this new addition definitely seems more than just a gimmick.

Even though the demo only scratches the surface, Metroid fans should definitely get excited about Retro’s upcoming title. It stays true to the Metroid formula, has slightly sleeker graphics than its predecessor; and includes a few new welcome gameplay features such as a full-blown multiplayer mode as well. Still, the game is highly unlikely to turn out as revolutionising as its GameCube prequel, even though the powerful duality theme is enticing and holds tons of potential.