The ride has been rough for Metroid Prime: Federation Force. From the rocky announcement to the radio silence that followed, positivity was certainly hard to come by. As a guy who loves a good multiplayer game, I was interested but didn’t really know what to think. I carried that mindset to a visit to Nintendo to play the game, checking out four missions as well as a few rounds of Blast Ball. I walked away more positive than I imagined, but that doesn't mean that the experience is issue free.

Metroid Prime: Federation Force takes place in the Bermuda System. Four Federation Marines, equipped with mech suits, venture about, going on various missions. Some task you with collecting artifacts or data and others pit you against a hostile threat. The Bermuda System is home to terribly strong creatures and more importantly, the villainous Space Pirates. Metroid series lore is present, but the focus of Federation Force is all on the action. The background is all presented, both before the mission and in logs hidden throughout, but it felt less necessary and more supplementary.

That’s because this isn’t a story-focused game, but rather a multiplayer-focused shooter where you both work together and compete to be the best player. While the prospect of a multiplayer Metroid Prime wasn’t something the world was asking for, I was delighted with how well it came together in this demo. There are puzzles and obstacles that require you to work together as a team. This is immediately made clear from the first mission we got to play, entitled Hardball.

Most of the objects here are golden balls that you have to shoot into holes. Each player has their own crash course to play through, testing their shooting skills in various ways. One player has a lot of twists and turns, while another moves between gigantic pillars in a timed pattern. The real test follows immediately after however. One player must carry an artifact to the end of the stage while the others work together to free the way and get rid of boulders and enemies. At certain safe points, the player carrying the item can put it down for a little bit and help the other get rid of obstacles.

The march to the goal is slow, however. The mechs don't exactly go very fast and it makes a few moments move at a snail’s pace. You do, however, quickly learn that taking your time is of the utmost importance. A good example can be found in a mission called Containment, which takes place on the ice planet Excelcion. Your goal is here to capture various Ice Titans, so that they can be sent off for research. This is easier said than done. These creatures have a massive health bar and they don't exactly act kindly when you shoot at them. The shots help you to steer them in the right direction fortunately. The other players will have to remove the clutter and open the gates to capture the dreaded beasts.

The slower speed was also of importance in Uplink, where you have to upload data of a crashed ship. You’re required to search and explore various remains for info. Turrets and various smaller enemies ensure that you have to stay on your toes. The final showdown requires you to really take aim, as Space Pirates drop down from every corner and try to destroy the computer uploading the data. The battle here gets intense and requires great teamwork.

The controls haven’t changed much since Federation Force’s reveal at E3 2015. You move around with the Circle Pad, press the B button to jump and the A button to shoot. The Y button is dedicated to use the special items like missiles, bombs, shields, decoys and repairs. The L button locks onto your closest opponent and the R button activates gyroscope aiming. I really struggled with this at first. The gyroscope gives you freedom to look in any way you like and moves more swiftly than you think. The first mission I was failing to grasp it, which resulted in some frustration. While there is another control scheme that uses the C stick to aim, I decided to stay put and proper learn it. After playing the first mission for the second time, I knew my limits and understood how to approach the movement of Metroid Prime: Federation Force.

Before you even start a mission, you can choose three mods from a variety of options. These mods are split in three categories: Support, Assist, and Offense. Some raise a percentage of your fire power, others increase the durability of a decoy (A decoy that looks like Samus I might add!). You can mix and match as you desire and become the player type you want to be. You can go full support and heal of your comrades as needed. On the flipside, if you are good with shooting, it might be better to go full offensive and lead your team to victory that way. When you are done choosing mods and boot up a mission, you get a pile of items. You can share them with your team in any way you see fit and pick more from crates that you encounter. It is another way how Federation Force encourages working together as a team.

A great usage of items is required in mission 17, named Infestation. The marines have to go into a Space Pirate base and destroy it from the inside. While Space Pirates filled up this area, Metroids can also be found everywhere. You must freeze the parasitic beasts with your Ice Missiles and stop them in their tracks. All is well as you slay the Metroids until you activate the self destruct sequence and they start appearing everywhere. The final stretch of the mission requires you dodge Metroid while carrying one of their eggs out, all for the research efforts of the Galactic Federation. That was hands down the most horrifying moment of the entire play session. Not only because of the time pressure, but also how this can easily fall apart at the very end. We ended up losing the egg and making a run for it.

This may seem like a rather straightforward adventure, but that is far away from the truth. Remember the mods? To get new ones, you have hunt around the environments to find secret passageways and more. Each mod goes into a pot for the players at the end. Each player earns points for performing various feats, including healing others, shooting at enemies, playing with style, and a whole lot more. You also lose points for destroying your mech, so be aware of that. Your total points decide your ending rank and each person can pick a new mod in that order. Players can decide to skip their turn if they have the mod in question, but if you did well, why not enjoy the fruits of your hard labor? The points system requires every player to actively participate and the rewards are nothing scuff at. The further you progress in the game, the better these new mods get.

Metroid Prime: Federation Force can be played up to four people. This can be alone with drones, locally, or over the internet. There doesn't seem to be a requirement where you need four people to begin a game, which is nice at the very least. Next to choosing your mods, you can set yourself apart in battle quite easily. There are various skins that you can unlock, which change how your mech looks. Some of the unlocked options included flowers, polka dots, all black, and a pig. There are a variety of messages that you can equip, accessible by the directions on the D-pad. These can be spammed at your leisure during battle. What makes them funnier is when you let them be pronounced in various languages and in male or female voices. You can even change the pitch. I ended up with a high pitched Japanese female voice. Just because I can.

Naturally, we did play some more Blast Ball. Sadly, it didn't seem like there was anything added since the E3 2015 build. You can play it alone with bots, locally, online, or even through download play if you so desire. We did feel that we were all better at Blast Ball, thanks to our experiences in the campaign. It ended in many 3-2 score matches, which is the best possible outcome. Somewhere it does still disappoint me that there aren't more options in this mode. I would love bigger and more extensive games. At the very least, it is quite portable with just five minutes on the counter.

Graphically, it looks nice. I wouldn't call Metroid Prime: Federation Force the best looking Nintendo 3DS game, but it is bright. The space shooter brings a good array of color to the system, which makes it all pop in 3D. The music and sound design is the highlight. Familiar pews and cries give this game its identity, while throwing solid background music into the mixture.

Metroid Prime: Federation Force is shaping up to be quite an interesting game. The various levels in our demo session were fun to play and encourage players to really work together. Thanks to the mods and various other options, players can really build their own identity and playing style. One thing that takes time is learning the controls. Aiming with the gyroscope might seem obtuse at first, but it grows on you incredibly fast. Another thing that felt slightly underwhelming is the game's lore, but we might just have to wait and see on that. We barely have seen how the final game plays out and this mystery will be unraveled piece by piece. There isn't a long wait left, so we will know more know very soon.