Metroid Prime comprehensive playthrough part 1.5

Tallon Overworld - First Visit

Now you can switch the map to hexagon view, where you can see where each named world is in relation to each other, and which hexagon you are in.

This first area is called Landing Site. The main central area where your ship is, giving you a place to save and fill up on ammo.

I'm still walking around with the scan visor on constantly, scanning everything I can... But there's mostly nothing interesting to learn here, just boring plantlife... The pirate bases and chozo lore stuff is where all the interesting scans are. Still I kinda prefer playing this way, scanning everything... it's like you're exploring an unknown planet, scanning around for hazardous stuff before proceeding forward.

Found a missile expansion and a lower path I can get to as soon as I regain morph ball power. Also found an upper path, behind a waterfall, and to a door leading to the bridge to Impact Crater.

Temple Security Station... a cutscene shows off the area when you are in the glass bridge... Wow, this atmosphere is INSANELY good... From what I can tell looking out the bridge windows, and the encrypted lore just laying around, I guess that isolated landmass with tree roots growing on the sides of it, must be the temple the pirates are trying to get through... his is where the phazon core that was left here 50 years ago is located...

A info hologram inside this bridge has some pirate lore.

Field team reports are in on an aged structure of alien design built on the surface of Tallon IV. Studies show this structure projects a containment field. This field bars access to a prime source of energy within a deep crater. Science Team believes the field is powered by a number of strange Chozo artifacts. We have found some of these relics, and studies on them have begun. As this field could hinder future energy production operations on Tallon IV, we must dismantle it as soon as possible. If this means the destruction of the Chozo artifacts, it will be done.

Can't actually get into the Impact Crater area yet. Besides that, there's nowhere else you can go for now except Tallon Canyon... scanning lets you know about the explosive bioforms so that you know to avoid getting close and getting hurt by them.

The first real enemy in this area, the Beetle, is still not really much of a threat.

Insect's massive mouth enables it to tunnel through solid rock at high speeds. Above ground, Beetles can cover short distances rapidly. They attack anything that moves near their lair.

Found a path of unnatural carved stone... this is chozo civilization stuff I bet... just like in Metroid ZM, there are special chozo-prepared areas meant to help Samus regain her power suit functions...

This Chozo structure path leads to the elevator to Chozo Ruins West... where does that upper path lead? An explosive toxic fume-spitting flower... a blast sheild door...

Three mouth-nodules portrude from the stalk beneath the flower, each with a rudimentary brain cluster and the ability to spew toxic fumes at anything within a five-meter radius. The spores ejected from the stigma at the center of the flower are sufficient to kill this creature if they explode in its vicinity.

Chozo Ruins - First Visit

It's amazing how you can't see any sign of these ruins from the scenery within the bottom of Tallon Canyon... it feels a lot like finding the Forgotten Temple in BotW... like, a temple hidden away between the cliffs of a canyon...

Heiroglyphs on the walls, nearly broken building structures with overgrowth around them, birds flying way up in the sky and stuff... this game's atmosphere just keeps 1up-ing itself.

This chozo lore... omg i love this.

The history of the Chozo stretches back into ancient times, so far into the fog of the past that we know not where our ancestors came from. One thing is clear, however: the Chozo who colonized Tallon IV made a conscious choice to eschew a civilization of advanced technlogy. We Chozo chose to live in harmony with nature, guided by the providence of the universe. We believe we will spend peaceful days here and plan to leave our words from time to time.

So these bird people forgot where there ancestors came from, and how they became so technologically advanced...

Main Plaza

Oh yeah... Orpheon had room names on almost every door if you scanned them, but on the planet most of the doors aren't scannable. Only certain cases like this will there be directions posted on the wall showing where a door will lead to.

Wow, so many interesting details just in this room alone... Scanned a tree coming up out of the ruins floor, and detected poison water beneath... What's with that weird bird etching on the wall? You can't scan it, it's just there for aesthetics I guess.

There's still only one possible path to take at this point. Next is some hallways with some more easy enemies.

Scarabs think nothing of sacrificing themselves for the safety of their swarm. When a hostile life-form is sighted, they block its progress by embedding themselves in floors and walls. Embedded Scarabs violently self-destruct when threatened.

Capable of launching sustained energy beams when active, the Eyon is sensitive to light and will close shut if a bright flash ignites nearby.

Ruined Nursury

Below that metal block is a Sandstone block that heavily implies you can destroy it with something later.

Another chozo lore scan in this room.

Many years have passed since we Chozo first took root in this land. The passage of time has always been a source of fascination to us; it is the belief of many Chozo sages that the truths of the universe hide within the tumbling currents of time's flow. Even as we search for answers there, however, we find illumination in other, unexpected places. We know not how the ability has come to us, but recently many Chozo have begun to sense things beyond the realm of ordinary perception. Strange sights and inexplicable sensations flood our minds, filling us with visions. We take this growing ability to be a sign of our burgeoning harmonization with the infinite; perhaps, finally the universe's secrets are becoming known to us.

Wow, so these people were like hyper intelligent, almost god-like beings that could see the 4th dimension or something.

This place introduces the War Wasp enemies. They're really annoying if you don't destroy their nest and stop them from respawning right away.

More weird useless details.

North Atrium

You can see poison bubbles seeping up through the ground... This atmosphere is just astonishingly good.

Analysis indicates significant amounts of water once present in this location.

Ruined Gallery

I just noticed I have a danger detector on the left... the meter goes up when I get close to hazardous material.
These firefly enemies are called Plazmite. They light up the room, and killing them makes the room darker, they don't attack you at all.
The map room was on the way through a roundabout path to get around the poison water pit and up to the next door.

Hive Totem

First missile expansion in plain sight... too easy, of course it's a boss battle trap.

Hive Mecha, the Chozo's boss battle test to earn back my missile ability. It spews out Ram War Wasps, very fast moving enemies that circle around you and eventually stop to ram toward you.

The War Wasps are the only species on Tallon IV to evolve a true hive mind.

This special brand of War Wasp can only be found in this boss fight. Very easy to miss logbook scan.

This was actually kinda hard... I think this battle was improved a lot with motion controls... advanced mode is definitely what I'm sticking with... like wow, the ability to turn easily and keep spinning along with the wasps REALLY helped a lot here. This might've taken a few tries otherwise on the standard GC controls on hard mode.

Right after getting missiles, you find an easy energy tank and then have to turn around because you can't progress further without the morph ball ability. While backtracking, the missiles unlock the Chozo Ruins map, and another missile expansion. And with the map you know that other blast door, from the Main Plaza, leads to a short non-through path so that's obviously where I should go next.

Ruined Shrine

Here there's sort of a miniboss against a bunch of beetles and then the Plated Beetle, was incredibly easy. I'm not even sure that qualifies as a miniboss.

Finally got the Morph Ball back. I see a tunnel here I need to come back for with bombs.

Chozo Ruins - After Morph Ball

Obviously the next place to go is back towards Hive Totem, where there was a morph ball path behind where I got the missile and energy tank... Oh but wait, there's another path from the Main Plaza I can take now, let's go there first.

Ruined Fountain

This room turns really dark when you destroy the Plazmites.

More Chozo lore... This is getting really interesting.

The surges of negative energy brought by the meteor far exceed our expectation. We Chozo have yet to find a way to rid ourselves of the Great Poison. All we can do now is seal it away and wait for the day when a power to purify the poison appears. However, it is already impossible to collect all the pieces of the Great Poison, as it has already spread, seeping into the planet and hardening.

There's 2 ways to go from here. One way leads to Meditation Fountain.

Some chilling prophetic scans here...

When decay flows, the Hatchling will walk a poisoned path to the source.

The time of prophecy draws ever closer. It is said that when the plants wilt, and the creatures change, and all life fades, the Newborn will descend from the sky.

Lethal toxin levels recorded. All waterborne microscopic life-forms eradicated. 100% extinction rate predicted for local ecosystem within a three-cycle period.

Magma Pool

Oh damn I probably shouldn't go here yet without the Varia Suit.

The other door from the Ruined Fountain leads to Arboretum. You can see this tower structure from the tunnel without a ceiling before it.

Inside, there's a big poisonous tree growing out of the poison water.

4 runic symbols to scan... one of them I tried to scan on the floor from a distance, but it doesn't count because you can't see the floor from that angle.

wtf, the texture designs on the walls around here are kinda trippy... It's amazing that I'm this far into Chozo Ruins and still every single room has looked different from the last. There's so many unique details.

I don't think I can get any farther on this rune hunt without morph ball bombs. Only way I can go is through the door straight ahead from where I came from.

Dat misty tunnel.

Gathering Hall

The War Wasp ambush in this room is crazy. Good thing there's a save room right here.

From here, looks like the north door leads to a dead end room that probably has another boss/power up (bombs, probably, and the high up east door that I may or may not be able to access yet looks like it eventually leads to another dead-end path/boss.

I'll try North, to Watery Hall Access. Another poison-seeping hallway with amazing atmosphere.

That which fouls the waters seeks the sun.

The Great Poison comes from Tallon's core.

I guess the Chozo managed to figure out the source of the poison, but couldn't do anything about it.

Watery Hall

Another 4 runic symbols hunt in this room. This unlocks the gate to where the Charge Beam is, with no boss guarding it. As well as some Chozo lore.

Disaster struck suddenly. We had a vague, dark foreboding, and it became truth. A meteor appeared from nowhere, casting a dark shadow of debris over the land with the violence of its impact. Its destructive force spent, the fallen star burned itself out rapidly, and the incident should have faded into memory... but the meteor brought with it corruption. A Great Poison burst forth into the land, a strange energy that clawed at natural life with a ferocity. That strange, negative energy emitted from the meteor expanded to encompass Tallon IV in a night, as a spider weaves a web.

Getting the charge beam reactivates the eye laser enemies in this room.

Also I spotted another tunnel here that I need to come back here for after getting bombs. and try to get in that tunnel while avoiding the eye lasers.

The Charge Beam doesn't do anything to help you progress, but it does let you draw in health and missile pickups which is a huge convenience.

Back to Gathering Hall... Next I did some platforming to get to the upper east path.

lol these Shreikbat enemies.. They are extremely trivial, especially if you see them hanging on the ceiling from a distance and kill them before they even notice you.

East Atrium

Cause of ceiling's collapse not recorded.

Records indicate superstructure has stabilized; further collapse unlikely.

Energy Core Access

It's another eye laser dodging hallway. Obviously there's a bomb path here that's meant to let you skip past everything on your way back after getting the bomb ability.

Energy Core

This room design feels like part of a doom map... have to explore the walls to find unmarked tunnels within the room...

A Stone Toad is able to remain still for days.

Burn Dome

Incinerator Drone, another easy Chozo boss test to earn the bomb ability... This also has another boss-exclusive scan, the Barbed War Wasp... These things are annoying, they always get right up in your face and are really hard to target. They have projectile stinger attacks.

After getting the bomb and turning back, you can immediately use your bombs to power up some structures in the Energy Core room to raise the platforms and get to the east door. The game explains it as your bomb sending an "electrical impulse" into the device to activate it.

Furnace

This path wasn't part of the blue map that was downloaded in the map console for some reason. It leads to a dead-end with an energy tank. Need spider ball to go further on this path.

Chozo Ruins - After Morph Ball Bombs

Wow... there's SO many places I can return to now with bombs... Watery Hall is the closest one, where I got the charge Beam... This morph ball path leads to Dynamo Room.

Another place I gotta remember to come back to with the spider ball. No indication on the map that I'm missing anything there but I totally am.

Next closest path to check out is the top of Arboretum.

Wow there's like... really complex abstract art on the walls up here... I never noticed this stuff before because of only having played this on an SD CRT before... The Wii U's Wii mode upscales it pretty well.

Found the 4 Arboretum runes, opening the upper North path to the Sunchamber.

Flaahgra's growth cycle has been radically accelerated. As a result, it requires near-constant exposure to solar energy to remain active. This exposure has made Flaahgra's outer shell thick and durable.

Flaahgra's tentacles is another easy to miss logbook scan.

Analysis suggests Flaahgra's central nervous system is located at the base of this structure.

Flaahgrah is basically a puzzle boss. Once you know what to do, there's very little chance of dying. Defeating this boss unpoisoned all the water in Chozo Ruins.

Varia suit acquired.

The only way out of the Sun Chamber is through the opposite door, towards the Sun Tower. The door we came from is now blocked by overgrowth.

The Pulse Bombu enemy just hovers around and randomly drops electrical poop. It doesn't go after you unless you use your charge beam. I can't kill it yet, but I can easily just walk passed it.

The Sun Tower looks like a long drop down, and you need the spider ball to get back up...

More Chozo lore.

The cries of this dying land echo in our ears as we Chozo watch the Great Poison seep ever further into the living pulse of the planet. The dark energy sinks into the trees and waters, devouring all life. Peaceful beasts die by the thousands - some creatures survive, but their forms grow as twisted and evil as the force that fell from the sky. Many of these mutated monstrosities remain small enough to do little harm, but others grow enormous and threaten our very existence. One such beast defiles our sacred fountain, disgorging poison from its foul form, replacing pure, flowing water with cascades of creeping death. Even in the face of such horror, we Chozo do not turn in fear. We are all that stands in the way of this Great Poison, and it is our duty to contain it.

This is kinda hinting towards the possibility that Samus could eventually destroy all of the poison-spreading sources that on this planet and save it from its inevitable total corruption...

Found the elevator that leads to Magmoor Caverns.

Hmm... well there's still a few blue areas I could check out in Chozo Ruins, there's no save point near here, so who knows if that's wise... or I could just go down to Magmoor Caverns now...

Magmoor Caverns - Save Station A

I'll check out North Magmoor Caverns really quick for a save point.

The elevator path leading to Chozo Ruins from Magmoor Caverns is still all adorned with Chozo Ruins aesthetics.

Yep like I thought, there's a save point in a misty tunnel right near the Chozo Ruins elevator.

Now I'll backtrack and try to collect whatever I can in Chozo Ruins and Tallon Overworld before proceeding further in Magmoor.

Chozo Ruins - Vault

South of the Magmoor North elevator is the Vault.

Chozo lore:

The future is a vague thing, ever-changing and always in doubt. Even if we Chozo could gain the ability to foresee the future, it would be a hollow gift, for we could never hope to control what has yet to occur. The fountain is an example of this -- the day may come when its water dries up, and there is nothing we could do to stop such a tragedy. But we do know this: unlike the uncertain flow of water, the power of our will is strong and enduring. The will of the Chozo will never run dry.

Got the missile pack from doing a bomb jump puzzle.

The path south of the vault leading back to the Main Plaza, has this big shiny ore deposit...

and leads out onto a high platform in the Main Plaza with an energy tank. Seems like you always get an energy tank after every boss (although you do have to go looking for it).

Before I finish cleaning up Chozo Ruins, I'm curious about what I can get in Tallon Overworld, since I'm right near the elevator to it.

Tallon Overworld - After Varia Suit

The upper west door at Tallon Canyon leads to Root Cave, and I can get through there now that I have missiles.

The door at the bottom of Root Cave leads through a smokey cave (with a missile hiding among the smoke).

Oh! here's the Magmoor Caverns East elevator... The one from Chozo Ruins goes to Magmoor Caverns West.

South from this East entrance, it looks like you can't get very far without either having the spider ball, or having enough balls to just walk through the lava. North from this entrance, is a whole other path you can take if you have the morph ball. Wow this game is so open ended... Gonna save Magmoor for next session though.

Next, I went passed the missile door at the Impact Crater glass tunnel, and got to the Artifact Temple.

More Chozo lore.

Throughout our living nightmare, as we battle with this unyielding darkness, we Chozo see a light. This light glows with promise, chasing the shadows cast by the Great Poison and purifying that which has grown toxic. It is strange though -- at times it looks to our eyes as if the light coalesces into the figure of a woman. Burning brightly, the luminescence descends from space then retreats back into the infinite blackness from whence it came. When this prophecy comes to pass, when the light recedes, the Chozo's long vigilance of containment will finally come to an end.

Wow, so they're fortune telling abilities predicted Samus coming here... I wonder if they had anything to do with the Chozo that adopted Samus and created her power suit... and come to think of it, they must've also equipped Samus's suit with decoding software in order to translate these chozo lore scripts.

The containment of the Great Poison... This task has fallen to the Chozo, and we will not flee from our duty, even as we suffer with the land and its creatures. We will pour our will into the Twelve -- the Artifacts that, when brought together, form the lock that holds this great evil at bay in the depths of the planet. This lock must stand up to all who might come to assault it. To preserve the power of the seal, and to protect it from those who would meddle for their own designs, we will spread the Artifacts across the land, hiding them from prying eyes. The lock must never open until the day comes when this disaster can finally be put right.

Got the first Chozo Artifact... The Artifact of Truth. The statues in this area now have holographic, ghost-like chozo heads on them that can be scanned for info on where other artifacts are... only 7 of the remaining 11 artifact locations seem to be known by these statues.

The heat of Magmoor was a test for many warriors. A Shrine in their honor holds the Artifact of Strength.

Invaders have claimed Phendrana as their own. A Tower sits atop their fortress. Collapse it to reveal the chamber where the Artifact of Elder is held.

A Sunchamber high atop our ruined home became the nest of a great beast, and a source of corruption. Many Chozo spirits have been drawn to this tainted place. Release their bond to the world to claim the Artifact of Wild.

There is a tower within the Ruins where Light always shines. Move through the waters there to find the Artifact of Lifegiver.

In one of Tallon's far corners, a Grove of life lies. Reveal the pillar beneath the waves to find the Artifact of Chozo.

Within the ruins of our home, we honor our fallen Elders in a great Hall. A chamber beneath the statue holds the Artifact of World.

A tall cave stands at Phendrana's Edge. Seek the unseen entrance at its top to find the Artifact of Spirit.

And that's all the artifact hints I get for now.

lol it's kinda weird how the window overlooking the artifact temple looks like Samus's visor, or more like the window on Samus's ship.

Passed the Waterfall Cavern with the morph ball, leads to Frigate Crash site.
Some Jetpack-equipped Space Pirates were standing near a crate of leaking Phazon goop, and flew away when they saw me.

Flying Pirates are extremely agile in the air, but the heat signatures of their jet packs can be tracked with Thermal imaging. While their Missiles are extremely potent, their jet packs can be even more so. If the pack fails, they will make a suicide strike.

This is the same material that was found on the Pirates research frigate, and it's the first time you can connect that with the "Great Poison" that the Chozo were talking about.

There's a small lake here, can't do anything here for now without the Gravity Suit and/or the Ice Beam.

Next, I'll go back to finish making sure I got everything I can in Chozo Ruins.

Chozo Ruins - After Varia Suit

Found a couple more missile expansions there... Since the Sunchamber path is still blocked off, the only way to get back to the East Magmoor elevator is through the Nursery path, where I found the first missile.

Now I'm like 99% sure I've gotten all the items and scans I can possibly get at this point before progressing further into Magmoor Caverns from one of the 2 entrances.
3 energy tanks
55 missiles
19% item collection
34% log book entries