8 Video Game Franchises That Reinvented Themselves

And finally, there are few better examples of a reimagined video game franchise than Metroid, which in its earlier entries was a 2D exploration platformer, before Metroid Prime came along in 2002 and quite literally changed the game.

Metroid Prime wasn't only the first game in the series to tout 3D graphics, it was also the first to adopt a first-person perspective - a polarising choice when first announced, albeit one which was wholly justified by the end result.

While there were understandable concerns that the game was basically perverting the Metroid formula into a more accessible first-person shooter, Metroid Prime ultimately retained the series' emphasis on exploration, using its new perspective to deliver a more immersive and atmospheric sci-fi adventure.

Prime's success of course spawned a successful run of 3D installments, yet with 2021's brilliant 2D side-scroller Metroid Dread, Nintendo also showed fans they hadn't forgotten the series' hallowed origins.