Metroid Prime Hunters: First Hunt

This article is written from the Real Life point of view

Metroid Prime Hunters: First Hunt
North American box art
Developer(s)	Nintendo Software Technology Corporation Retro Studios (supervision, art direction)
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Distributor(s)	Nintendo
Designer(s)	Masamichi Abe Richard Vorodi
Engine	Metroid Prime Hunters
Release date(s)	Bundled with the DS system US-November 21, 2004 CA-November 21, 2004 AU-February 24, 2005 EU-March 11, 2005
Genre(s)	First-person action-adventure
Mode(s)	Single Player, Multiplayer (multiple cartridges required)
Platform(s)	Nintendo DS (bundled)
Media	128-megabit (16 megabyte) cartridge
Input	D-Pad, buttons, touch screen

Metroid Prime Hunters: First Hunt is an official demo of Metroid Prime Hunters, the first Metroid game for the Nintendo DS. It was included in Nintendo DS packages at the time of release, but has long since been discontinued. The game includes three short single-player games, a trailer for the full game, and a small multiplayer section.

The game is a collection of trials to test Samus's abilities. These include Regulator, Survival, and Morph Ball Training. Points are gained based on performance in these trials, and by combo-ing enemies without missing a shot.

Regulator (Type A)

"Combat training within a holographic arena. Destroy all of the hologram targets before time expires."

Regulator can be counted as the 'main' mode of this demo. In it, Samus must reach the end of a "holographic arena" consisting of twelve rooms before the 10 minute Countdown ends. Each room is teeming with enemies, including (what appear to be) Mochtroids, Metroids and Zoomers. She must destroy all the enemies in one room to unlock the doors and progress to the next. At the end of her path there is a room in which she has to face a green doppelgänger of herself to a remix of Meta Ridley's music to complete the mode.

This mode is called "Power Suit Performance Analysis" during gameplay. Samus can gain the Missile and Super Missile upgrades throughout the course of this training exercise. The highest possible point-score is 47,610, though time is kept as well.

The weapons used in this mode are Power Beam and Missile. The Power Beam, unlike other games, has limited ammo, but will regenerate back to 1 if you deplete it. The missiles don't have their own separate ammo cache, but instead use 10 Beam ammo.

Survival (Type B)

"Survive as long as you can against creatures growing in ferocity. Exterminate the Xenomorphs before they exterminate you."

The player must defeat as many enemies as possible before dying on the Assault Cradle level. The player faces an abundance of Mochtroids, several Metroids and Zoomers. The music accompanying this trial is a remixed version of the Meta Ridley battle theme. Samus can gain the Missile upgrade in this mode, as well as a temporary Damage power-up in the highest room.

Morph Ball (Type C)

"Navigate obstacles and dangers as you control the Morphball through the use of the Touch Screen. Test your Morph Ball abilities as you collect modules."

Morph Ball training requires the player to guide Samus through a series of modules to reach the end of the area in 55 seconds. The use of the Boost ball is required to reach the goal and is activated by pressing up on the d-pad twice. The music for this trial is a remix of the Parasite Queen's battle theme. The level in which this takes place appears to be an early form of the Stasis Bunker level in Metroid Prime: Hunters and has only Zoomers in it as enemies. This challenge is called the "Morph Ball diagnostics program" during gameplay. The highest possible point score is 72250 for collecting all of the modules.

Multiplayer

Nintendo DS box art with Metroid Prime Hunters: First Hunt demo.

The game also includes a wireless multiplayer mode for up to four players, each of which play as a Samus doppelgänger, but there are no in-game bots (Which appear in the final game) to play against. There are three levels available for multiplayer. They are Trooper Module; Assault Cradle; and Ancient Vestige.

Trooper Module

Nintendo 3DS HOME Menu banner depicting a Game Card with the icon from First Hunt.

This level appears to be an early form of the Data Shrine level in Metroid Prime Hunters. There are several key differences, however:

• In the middle of the level are three floating platforms, as opposed to the bridge seen in Metroid Prime: Hunters.
• To either side of the platforms was a Morph Ball Cannon, similar to the Morph Ball sized tunnels in Data Shrine. They would launch players to the centre of the map.
• The ring going around the outside of the level was accessed at the corners of the main room, not the sides.
• This level also featured the Electro Lob gun.

Assault Cradle

This levels appears to be a very early form of the Harvester level in Metroid Prime Hunters. There a lot of differences between the two, but the fundamental level design remains the same:

• Like Harvester, Assault Cradle has a large tower in the middle flanked by a pair of external platforms.
• In Assault Cradle the middle room appears to be a lot wider, and a little narrower. It was also open at the sides.
• There are a pair of Morph Ball Cannons on the external platforms, as well as a pair of jump pads towards the outer edges. These could be used to access the top of the tower.
• Unlike Harvester, the top of the tower was a fairly small room, but had a pair of exits on wither side which led to a pair of smaller external platforms. These could then be used to drop down into the lower middle room.
• This is the level that the Survival mode takes place in, although the Morph Ball Cannons cannot be accessed.

Ancient Vestige

This level appears to be an early form of the Combat Hall level in Metroid Prime Hunters. There are very few differences, as this level remained largely unchanged:

• Both ends of the hall had jump pads, allowing easier access to the upper levels.
• The bridge in the middle had a missile pickup, and it was very easy to obtain Super Missiles on this level.
• The shielded corridor at the side of the level had a damage amplifier in it.

Secret Video

"The Real Hunt Begins".

If a high score is obtained in any of the trials, a secret video can be viewed. It depicts Samus, who sees a Power Trooper being killed above her with a Beam as the Pirate Battle theme from Metroid Prime plays. Samus turns to see a group of shadowy figures resembling Noxus, Weavel, and Spire from left to right. The screen turns blank and prompts the player to visit a Nintendo website with the slogan: The Real Hunt Begins. This video can be viewed any time after it is unlocked by tapping a glowing hexagon on the title screen.

Trivia

• In the final version of the game, Metroid Prime: Hunters, Metroids and Mochtroids do not appear at all, making it the only Metroid title to not feature the series' namesake in any shape or form. Quadtroids however appear in Hunters and share some characteristics with Metroids.
• In Survival mode, the word "Xenomorphs" is used. This is a possible reference to the 1979 film, Alien. For more references to the Alien series in Metroid games, see List of similarities between Metroid and Alien.
• Two unused models were present in the game's data: a test room with a grid texture (testLevel_Model.bin), and an unidentified object resembling a space station (mp5_model.bin).
• The demo makes a cameo appearance in the first season's fifteenth episode of House, titled "Mob Rules", where House produces his Nintendo DS and holds it up to a comatose patient's ear. Notably, the sound effects are different, possibly due to copyright issues.
  • First Hunt was also featured in the first season's second episode of Supernatural. It opens with two boys playing the game in a tent at night when they are attacked by a Wendingo.