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Multiplayer Mode icon.
Multiplayer Mode is an alternate game mode in Metroid Prime Hunters in addition to its Adventure Mode. The controls in both modes are identical, barring slight differences between different Bounty Hunters. Up to four players can battle at once, playing as Samus or one of the other six hunters present in the game. Players can compete in local and online matches, and exchange friend codes or add each other as rivals after matches or through Rival Radar.
There are seven play modes and 26 arenas. Players start with the Power Beam, Charge Beam, 99 Energy, ten Missiles, an Alt-Form unique to each hunter, and the Alt-Form's abilities. Various Affinity Weapons, energy, Missiles, and power-ups can be obtained by finding them scattered around the arena. Affinity Weapons have varying ammo capacities, while energy and Missiles max out at 199 and 59, respectively. When defeated, a Death Ghost appears at their final position before the player respawns with default equipment.
In Single-Card Play, one person with a copy of the game hosts a match and chooses an arena while up to three others can join and play as Samus. In Multi-Card Play, anyone with a copy of the game can create or join a match, and bots can also be added. Bots have three difficulties—easy, medium, and hard—and have differently colored armor depending on the difficulty. In Wi-Fi Play, one can find a game with random players or play with registered friends and rivals. If two or more players choose the same hunter, an alternate color palette will be applied to those who chose the hunter last. Players are ranked from 1-5 stars based on skill, and can be paired with others of the same rank when searching for a match.
Different play modes have different settings, which are controlled by the host. The host sets the time limit in minutes (3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, or 60) and can turn on team play when optional. Advanced settings include showing hunters on the radar, setting damage levels, enabling friendly fire in team play, and switching between default weapons and Affinity Weapons only.
Though the official Nintendo server for the game has shut down, online play is still possible by manually inputting one of Wiimmfi's DNS on the console's Wifi-Connection Setup. All of the features are functional through this method, including voice chat. The Wii U Virtual Console port of the game does not support online multiplayer.
Playable characters
Each of the seven playable characters is a spacefaring Bounty Hunter working towards their own goal:
- Samus Aran - Available initially.
- Kanden - Available initially.
- Spire - Available initially.
- Sylux - Beat in either Adventure Mode or Multiplayer Mode.
- Weavel - Beat in either Adventure Mode or Multiplayer Mode.
- Trace - Beat in either Adventure Mode or Multiplayer Mode.
- Noxus - Beat in either Adventure Mode or Multiplayer Mode.
Bot versions are as follows:
- Sambot
- Kanbot
- Spibot
- Sybot
- Weabot
- Trabot
- Noxbot
If two or three bots are created for the same hunter, numbers will be added to the latter bots' names to differentiate them from the first one in the player list. For example, a match between four Samus Arans, one controlled by a human and the other three by AI, will feature the bot names "Sambot", "Sambot 2", and "Sambot 3".
Commentator
A commentator will sometimes announce events during gameplay.
Battle/Survival/Prime Hunter
- "Hunter Massacre"
- "Victory is Imminent"
- "Hunter is Hiding"
- "Prime Hunter"
- "Hunter Eliminated"
Capture/Bounty
- "Octolith Taken". The same voice speaks this line when a countdown begins in Adventure Mode.
- "Octolith Dropped"
- "Bounty Rewarded"
- "Octolith Captured"
Nodes
- "Multi-Node Bonus"
- "Node Captured"
Arenas
Of the 26 possible arenas, only eight are initially available for play. The rest must be unlocked through various means. All except three are taken directly from Adventure Mode with minor alterations, a trend of older shooters.
| Name | Unlocked | Modes |
|---|---|---|
| Combat Hall | Unlocked from start | Battle, Survival, Prime Hunter, Nodes, Defender |
| Data Shrine | Unlocked from start | Battle, Survival, Prime Hunter, Nodes, Defender, Capture |
| Processor Core | Unlocked from start | Battle, Survival, Prime Hunter, Nodes, Defender |
| High Ground | Unlocked from start | Battle, Survival, Prime Hunter, Nodes, Defender |
| Ice Hive | Unlocked from start | Battle, Survival, Prime Hunter, Nodes, Defender, Capture |
| Alinos Perch | Unlocked from start | Battle, Survival, Prime Hunter, Nodes, Defender, Capture |
| Sic Transit | Unlocked from start | Battle, Survival, Prime Hunter, Nodes, Defender, Capture |
| Transfer Lock | Unlocked from start | Battle, Survival, Prime Hunter, Nodes, Bounty, Defender, Capture |
| Sanctorus | Play 2 local games | Battle, Survival, Prime Hunter, Nodes, Defender |
| Compression Chamber | Play 4 local games | Battle, Survival, Prime Hunter, Nodes |
| Incubation Vault | Play 6 local games | Battle, Survival, Prime Hunter, Nodes |
| Subterranean | Play 8 local games | Battle, Survival, Prime Hunter, Nodes, Defender |
| Outer Reach | Play 10 local games | Battle, Survival, Prime Hunter, Nodes, Defender, Capture |
| Harvester | Play 12 local games | Battle, Survival, Prime Hunter, Nodes, Defender, Capture |
| Weapons Complex | Play 14 local games | Battle, Survival, Prime Hunter, Nodes, Defender , Capture |
| Council Chamber | Play 16 local games | Battle, Survival, Prime Hunter, Nodes, Bounty , Defender, Capture |
| Elder Passage | Play 18 local games | Battle, Survival, Prime Hunter, Nodes, Bounty, Capture |
| Fuel Stack | Play 20 local games | Battle, Survival, Prime Hunter, Nodes |
| Fault Line | Play 22 local games | Battle, Survival, Prime Hunter, Bounty, Capture |
| Stasis Bunker | Play 40 local games/1 Wi-Fi game | Battle, Survival, Prime Hunter, Nodes , Defender, Capture |
| Head Shot | Play 1 4-Player match | Battle, Survival, Prime Hunter, Nodes, Capture |
| Celestial Gateway | Land on Celestial Gateway in single player | Battle, Survival, Prime Hunter, Nodes, Defender |
| Alinos Gateway | Land on Alinos in single player | Battle, Survival, Prime Hunter, Nodes, Defender |
| VDO Gateway | Land on Vesper Defense Outpost in single player | Battle, Survival, Prime Hunter, Nodes, Defender, Capture |
| Arcterra Gateway | Land on Arcterra in single player | Battle, Survival, Prime Hunter, Nodes, Defender, Capture |
| Oubliette | Defeat Gorea 2 in single player | Battle, Survival, Prime Hunter, Nodes, Defender |
Items
Several useful objects will often appear within each arena for players to find. These can range from health and ammo refills to new weapons and a few rare power-ups:
- Medium Energy - Restores 60 energy.
- Large Energy - Restores 100 energy.
- Volt Driver - Gives the player the Volt Driver.
- Battlehammer - Gives the player the Battlehammer.
- Magmaul - Gives the player the Magmaul.
- Shock Coil - Gives the player the Shock Coil.
- Judicator - Gives the player the Judicator.
- Imperialist - Gives the player the Imperialist.
- Omega Cannon - Gives the player the Omega Cannon.
- Affinity Weapon - Gives the player their respective Sub-Weapon (or five Missiles to Samus).
- Small Missile Ammo - Restores five Missiles. Drops from defeated enemies when using Power Beam or Missiles.
- Large Missile Ammo - Restores ten Missiles.
- Small Universal Ammo - Restores Sub-Weapon ammunition by a small amount (except for the Omega Cannon). Drops from defeated enemies when using Power Beam or Sub-Weapons.
- Large Universal Ammo - Restores Sub-Weapon ammunition by a large amount (except for the Omega Cannon).
- Deathalt - Locks the player in Alt-Form and causes their touch to be lethal to others (the Hunters' variant of the Death Ball from Metroid Prime 2: Echoes Multiplayer). Found in Processor Core (with four players), Ice Hive, and Head Shot.
- Double Damage - Doubles the power of all attacks. Found in Sanctorus, Compression Chamber, Processor Core, High Ground, Ice Hive, Fuel Stack, VDO Gateway, and Sic Transit.
- Cloak - Allows the player to become semitransparent for a short time, but still visible on radar. Found in Subterranean, Weapons Complex, Harvester, Fuel Stack, and Sic Transit.
Modes
Players can choose from seven different modes of play. The rules and goals of each mode vary.
Battle
A standard mode where victory is based on the number of kills made. A kill grants a point, while self-destructing takes away a point. The host sets the point goal (1, 5, 7, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, or 100). The hunter who reaches the set goal for kills first, or who has the most kills when the time limit runs out, is the victor.
In Single-Card Play and when finding a random game over Wi-Fi, only Battle mode is available. With the latter, the settings are a seven-point goal, seven-minute time limit, no team play, and players vote on the arena.
Survival
All players are given a set number of lives (0-10); when a player runs out of lives, they are out of the game. The last hunter standing wins. If a hunter does not enter the fray for roughly 20 seconds, their location will be revealed on the other players' visors.
Prime Hunter
The goal is to hold the title of "Prime Hunter" for a set number of minutes (1, 1:30, 2, 2:30, 3, 3:30, 4, 4:30, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10). The first player to make a kill becomes the Prime Hunter. At this point, all other players attempt to steal the title by killing the current Prime Hunter. There are no teams in this mode.
While one is the Prime Hunter, their health drops at a steady rate and they have to kill to replenish (70 units of energy is restored for each kill), but they have increased speed and the affinity effects of all weapons. If the Prime Hunter dies by suicide instead of at the hands of another player, the next player to get a kill becomes the Prime Hunter.
Capture
Players are organized into Orange and Green teams. Each team has a base with an Octolith. The objective is to steal the other team's Octolith and return it to one's own base while one's own Octolith is still there. Entering an Alt-Form while in possession of an Octolith will cause the player to drop it. Each successful capture of an Octolith gains the team behind it a point. The first team to reach the designated number of points (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 15, 20, or 25) wins.
If the Auto Reset option is turned on, the Octolith is reset at the base when the carrier dies. Otherwise, it is dropped where they die, and can then be claimed by anyone else. If it lands in an unreachable position, it will reset.
Bounty
Similar to Capture, the goal is still to bring an Octolith to a base. The difference is that teams are not necessary, and there is now a single Octolith which must be brought to the only base. The objective is to be the first to reach the set point goal by bringing the Octolith to the base the designated number of times.
Nodes
Several rings will be placed around the battle field. A hunter who stands alone in a ring for ten consecutive seconds gains control of it. Leaving a ring will reset the capturing progress, and it will be halted if another hunter enters the ring at the same time. Nodes can be taken from other players. A point will be added to a hunter's score every few seconds for each node in their possession. Once a player reaches the set point goal (40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 120, 140, 160, 180, 190, 200, or 250), that player is the winner and the game is over.
Defender
A ring is placed somewhere in the map, and every second that a hunter spends alone in it adds to their time goal (1, 1:30, 2, 2:30, 3, 3:30, 4, 4:30, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10). This mode is generally more hectic than Nodes, as every hunter will be after the same ring all at once.
Trivia
- Two Bounty levels were removed from the game.[1]
- Each map has a theme unique to the area it is based on. Specifically, the Celestial Gateway, Alinos Gateway, Vesper Gateway, and Arcterra Gateway themes play on maps based on the respective areas' rooms in the Adventure Mode, and Gorea Returns plays in the Oubliette map.
- Exceptions to this include Arcterra Gateway playing in Harvester, and Vesper Gateway playing in Outer Reach and Head Shot. None of these three are based on any location on the Adventure Mode.
| Metroid Game Modes | |
|---|---|
| Difficulty modes | Easy/Rookie/Casual/Normal Mode • Veteran Mode • Hard Mode • Hypermode • Time Attack Mode Fusion Mode • Dread Mode |
| Multiplayer Modes | Metroid Prime 2: Echoes Multiplayer • Multiplayer Mode Deathmatch Mode • Bounty Mode • Bounty • Capture • Defender • Nodes Prime Hunter • Survival • Blast Ball • Rival Radar • Wireless Mission • Challenge Practice • Local Play • Versus • Tourney |
| Story Modes | Multi Mission • Single Mission • Adventure Mode (Melee) • Adventure Mode (Metroid Prime Hunters) • Campaign Adventure Mode: The Subspace Emissary • Assault Mission • World of Light |
| Miscellaneous | Adult and Child Modes • Attract mode • Boss Rush • Combat Sim • Dual Mode Morph Ball • Movies • Progressive Scan Mode • Regulator • Shooting Range Sleep Mode • Stylus Mode • Survivor • Theater Mode Classic Mode • Event Match |