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A first-person shooter perspective dominates the screen, showing an armored character firing an orange energy weapon at an enemy in a metallic arena. The HUD displays green and red geometric targeting reticles in the center, with numerical indicators including a score of 290521 at the bottom and energy/ammo bars along the edges. Green neon UI frames the top and sides of the gameplay area. An overhead radar map appears in the lower-left corner showing player position and movement zones. Explosions and weapons fire illuminate the orange-tinted environment.

Metroid Prime: Hunters

银河战士：Prime: Hunters

4.8 (409)

NDS Action 991 plays

Metroid Prime: Hunters is a first-person action game developed by NST and released in 2006 for the Nintendo DS. The game follows bounty hunters in a sci-fi universe, featuring fast-paced combat and exploration across diverse environments. Players take on the role of Samus Aran and can unlock other hunter characters, each with distinct weapons and special abilities. The stylus-based controls take advantage of the DS hardware, allowing for intuitive aiming and movement mechanics. The single-player campaign progresses through distinct missions and challenges, culminating in boss encounters with various adversaries. Multiplayer modes support up to four players competing simultaneously in various competitive formats and battle types.

Developer: NST
Released: 2006
Platform: NDS
Genre: Action
Players: 4P
Rating: 4.8 / 5 (409)
Last updated: 2026-07-21

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About Metroid Prime: Hunters

Metroid Prime: Hunters arrived in 2006 during a fertile period for the Nintendo DS, roughly two years into the handheld's commercial life and at a point when developers were actively pushing its dual-screen and wireless capabilities to their limits. The game had been previewed as a tech demo — titled "Metroid Prime Hunters: First Hunt" — bundled with early DS hardware at launch in late 2004, making it one of the most anticipated DS titles before it even had a release date. Developed by NST (Nintendo Software Technology), the American first-party studio, rather than Retro Studios who handled the mainline Prime trilogy on GameCube and Wii, Hunters carved out its own identity as a first-person action game built specifically around the DS hardware's strengths and quirks. The story places Samus Aran in the Alimbic Cluster, a remote region of space, where she competes against six rival bounty hunters — each with a unique Affinity Weapon and alternate form — to claim the "Ultimate Power" left behind by the extinct Alimbic civilization. The single-player campaign tasks players with visiting a series of planets and space stations, collecting Octoliths (eight in total) while defeating the rival hunters who appear as recurring boss encounters and navigating environmental puzzles that echo the exploration DNA of the broader Metroid series. The control scheme was one of the most discussed aspects of the game at launch: the recommended setup uses the touch screen as a free-look aiming surface, with the face buttons or d-pad handling movement, effectively giving the DS a mouse-and-keyboard-style input that felt remarkably precise for a handheld first-person shooter of its era. Alternative control configurations were available for players who found the default uncomfortable during extended sessions, though the touch-screen method remained the most responsive. Level structure is largely linear within each world, punctuated by locked doors that require defeating enemies or solving switch puzzles, with teleporter networks connecting areas. The game also features a morph-ball mechanic inherited from the series, used to access tight tunnels and lay bombs for both combat and environmental interaction. Multiplayer was a headline feature: up to four players could compete locally via DS Download Play — meaning only one cartridge was required — or over Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, Nintendo's online service active at the time. The multiplayer suite offered several modes including Bounty, Survival, Prime Hunter, and Capture the Flag variants across dedicated arena maps, and it built a notably active competitive community in the years following release. Reception in its era was positive, with critics highlighting the technical accomplishment of delivering a smooth first-person shooter on handheld hardware and praising the multiplayer depth, while some noted the single-player campaign felt shorter and less atmospheric than the console Prime entries.

What makes it special

Metroid Prime: Hunters is technically notable as one of the earliest handheld first-person shooters to use a touchscreen as a live aiming surface, predating the widespread normalization of touch-based controls in gaming. The implementation — dragging the stylus across the lower screen to aim while moving with the d-pad — delivered a responsiveness that surprised players and critics accustomed to the limitations of analog-stick FPS controls on portable hardware. The game also launched with a functional online multiplayer suite via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection at a time when online play on a handheld was genuinely novel, making it a landmark in portable competitive gaming.

Pro tips

Use the touch-screen aiming method (stylus on lower screen) rather than the face-button alternatives — it offers the fastest and most accurate targeting, especially against rival hunters.
Learn each rival hunter's Affinity Weapon weakness early: hunters take increased damage from their own Affinity Weapon type, so picking up and using the correct weapon turns tough boss encounters into manageable fights.
In single-player, scan every room with the scan visor before engaging enemies — many Alimbic lore entries unlock upgrades and hint at hidden Octolith locations that are easy to miss on a first pass.
In multiplayer, master the Morph Ball as an evasion tool — rolling through tight corridors and dropping bombs mid-chase can break an opponent's lock-on and turn a defensive retreat into a counter-attack.
Manage your weapon ammo carefully in the campaign; the standard Power Beam has unlimited shots, so switch back to it when your Affinity Weapon reserves run low rather than burning through all special ammo on weaker enemies.

Metroid Prime: Hunters Controls — NDS Keyboard Keys

Default keyboard bindings for Metroid Prime: Hunters on our in-browser NDS emulator. Plug in a USB or Bluetooth gamepad to auto-detect mappings, or rebind any key from the emulator settings menu.

Keyboard	Console button	Typical use
`↑`	D-Pad Up	Move up
`↓`	D-Pad Down	Move down
`←`	D-Pad Left	Move left
`→`	D-Pad Right	Move right
`X`	A	Primary action (jump / confirm)
`Z`	B	Secondary action (attack / cancel)
`S`	X	Tertiary action
`A`	Y	Quaternary action
`Q`	L	Left shoulder
`W`	R	Right shoulder
`Enter`	Start	Start / Pause
`Shift`	Select	Select / Mode

Touch-screen input on Nintendo DS games uses the mouse on desktop or finger tap on mobile. The default thumbstick mapping is the same as the D-Pad on Lite/DSi titles.

Rebind any key from the EmulatorJS in-game settings menu (gear icon → Controls). A connected gamepad auto-maps to the same buttons.

Metroid Prime: Hunters Longplay & Gameplay Videos

Watch a full playthrough of Metroid Prime: Hunters on NDS before you dive in — recommended for getting a feel for the game's pacing, story beats, and difficulty curve.

Watch longplay on YouTube

"Metroid Prime: Hunters" NDS longplay 2006

External references

Wikipedia article

Frequently Asked Questions

When was Metroid Prime: Hunters released?

Metroid Prime: Hunters was released in 2006 for the NDS.

Who developed Metroid Prime: Hunters?

Metroid Prime: Hunters was developed by NST, available to play in your browser on RetroGameSpace.

How many players does Metroid Prime: Hunters support?

Metroid Prime: Hunters supports up to 4 players, ideal for couch co-op or competitive sessions on the NDS.

What type of game is Metroid Prime: Hunters?

Metroid Prime: Hunters is a Action game for the NDS, playable instantly in your browser — no downloads, no installs.

How can I play Metroid Prime: Hunters for free?

Open this page and click "Play Now" — Metroid Prime: Hunters runs free in your browser via WebAssembly emulation. No account, no payment, no installer.

Do I need to download anything to play Metroid Prime: Hunters in the browser?

No. Metroid Prime: Hunters streams from a public archive into a browser-side NDS emulator. Nothing is installed on your computer.

Can I save my progress in Metroid Prime: Hunters?

Yes. Save states are stored in your browser (IndexedDB) per game, and you can also use any in-game save the original NDS cartridge supported.

Does Metroid Prime: Hunters work on mobile devices?

Yes — the NDS emulator runs on iOS Safari and Android Chrome. Touch controls overlay the game; landscape mode is recommended.

Is it legal to play Metroid Prime: Hunters this way?

RetroGameSpace is a transient caching reverse-proxy and does not host first-party copies of Metroid Prime: Hunters. Game files are fetched on demand from publicly-accessible archives. You are responsible for compliance with your local laws and the bring-your-own-ROM principle.

How long does the single-player campaign take to complete?

A focused playthrough of the single-player campaign typically takes between 8 and 12 hours depending on how thoroughly you explore each planet and hunt down all eight Octoliths. Completionists who scan all lore entries and collect every upgrade can extend that to around 15 hours.

Is multiplayer still accessible today?

Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection was shut down in 2014, so online play is no longer available through official means. Local wireless multiplayer between DS systems still works fully, and the DS Download Play feature means only one cartridge is needed for a group of up to four players.

What is the best strategy for a new player starting the game?

Begin by completing the tutorial on the Celestial Archives to get comfortable with touch-screen aiming before adjusting sensitivity in the options menu. Prioritize collecting Missile Expansions early to increase your ammo reserves, and do not skip the in-game lore scans — they provide context that makes the boss encounters easier to anticipate.

Is the game worth playing today for a Metroid fan?

Yes, particularly for the multiplayer experience with friends using local wireless. The single-player campaign is shorter and more combat-focused than the console Prime games, but the tight controls, rival hunter boss fights, and Alimbic lore make it a worthwhile entry in the series with a distinct identity.

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Screenshots1 / 2

Metroid Prime: Hunters

About Metroid Prime: Hunters

What makes it special

Pro tips

Metroid Prime: Hunters Controls — NDS Keyboard Keys

Metroid Prime: Hunters Longplay & Gameplay Videos

Metroid Prime: Hunters Cheat Codes

External references

Frequently Asked Questions

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