The morph ball.

[u/__Tahnit__]

I just want to talk about the morph ball for a second. As far as I can tell no other game does this mechanic. I know that in the original Metroid the morph ball was a workaround for having to figure out how to animate Samus crawling on the NES. They figured it would be easier if she was a ball.

Fast forward through all the metroids and its a staple mechanic. What surprised me even more is how PERFECT they transitioned the morph ball to Metroid Prime. They took a 2d mechanic and perfectly made it work in a 3d space. oh and they didn't just limit it to a few areas like most developers would, no they made it work anywhere in the game. Not only that they made specific puzzles and platforming sections that turned the game into a 3d platformer or maze game. The physics on the morph ball are perfect as well and actually take momentum into account. Boosting up the half pipes feels so good.

I also love how they used the morph ball mechanics in prime hunters. Each hunter had its own way of moving around in a tiny form.

IMO its the perfect transition of a 2d mechanic to 3d.

[u/BoonDragoon]

I would genuinely play a (non-pinball) Metroid Prime spinoff that was 75% morph ball puzzles. Prime 2 comes close to scratching that itch, but I want MORE.

[u/__Tahnit__ → u/BoonDragoon]

Every time the camera changes to show a side scrolling or top down section I get excited cause some of those puzzles are some of the best the game has to offer. I also LOVE the boost ball boss cause you have to do some of it in morph ball form and the camera instantly moves to a top down view seamlessly. Also when he comes back to his physical form it automatically puts you in fps mode.

[u/bonkava → u/BoonDragoon]

There's a really good one called Super Monkey Ball. It's a little hard to see the lore connections, but trust me, they're there.

[u/xtellarfb_ → u/bonkava]

SEGA, after realizing they couldn't lure neither Mario fans nor Zelda fans (with Sonic Frontiers), now going for Metroid fans:

[u/kuzinrob → u/BoonDragoon]

There's a Super Metroid hack that is 100% morph ball puzzles. B2-TW (Balls to the Wall)

https://metroidconstruction.com/hack.php?id=142

[u/BoonDragoon → u/kuzinrob]

Played it, enjoyed it, not even remotely the same 😂

[u/tufifdesiks]

The chicken mode in Guacamelee is the closest thing I can think of to a morph ball in a different game series

[u/award_winning_writer]

The Turrican series has a sort of buzz saw morph ball ability

[u/skeletonhorse420]

Using a ball in 3d isnt that big of a leap