It’s the year 20X6. Several years have passed since Samus Aran eradicated Phazon and rid the galaxy of its corrupting powers. Despite this significant blow against the Space Pirate threat, the Galactic Federation commenced Operation Golem, an initiative to create Mech Suits to be piloted by Federation soldiers. These Mech Suits were based on the designs of Samus’ Power Suit and thus built to be a powerful asset when facing off against Space Pirates in the future.
As the rookie pilots of the so-called Federation Force go on their first standard reconnaissance and recovery missions, they quickly run into Space Pirates. With remote help from Samus Aran herself, they uncover a plot to build a super-weapon with ancient technology found on one of the planets the newbie crew had surveyed earlier. When Samus suddenly goes missing, the Federation Force has to show what they’re made of and use the full potential of their Mech Suits to find her and foil the plans of the Space Pirates without relying on help from the famous hunter.
METROID PRIME: FEDERATION FORCE, released in 2016 for Nintendo 3DS, is the second multiplayer game in the METROID PRIME series. This time, however, the focus is put mostly on cooperative play, as all missions are playable solo or with up to four people. True to its name, the gameplay is following directly in the Prime lineage, with its first-person control input based around the original GameCube layout. The Federation Force’s Mech Suits come equipped with standard beam weapons, but can also carry specialised ammunition that allows for elemental projectiles and deployment of Missiles and Super Missiles. With a one or two-person squad, the remaining slots can be taken over by flying drones that assist the team with additional firepower.
The handheld-friendly missions take the Federation Force to various planets, throwing them into different, and often harsh, weather conditions. Violent storms, frozen valleys, and lava-filled caverns will put the Mech Suits to the test. The mission goals can be quite distinct from one another. Some missions require the capture of wild beasts, while others have the team investigate a Federation facility after an attack.
METROID PRIME: FEDERATION FORCE was developed by Next Level Games under supervision from Nintendo. The game was directed by Jason Carr with gameplay design contributed by Matt McTavish and Matt Smits. The game’s music was composed by Chad York, Darren Radtke, and Mike Peacock. Series veteran Kensuke Tanabe again served as producer of the game for Nintendo.
