Free Aim

Free Aim, Free Aim Mode or Aim Mode is a feature used in the Metroid Prime series, Metroid: Other M, Metroid: Samus Returns and Metroid Dread, which generally grants fluid control over which direction the player can aim Samus's Arm Cannon. In most games, it is a secondary mode that must be accessed by holding down a button and prevents Samus from moving from where she stands, due to controller limitations. 
==Appearances==
===In the Metroid Prime series===
In the first three-dimensional Metroid video game, Metroid Prime, as well as its sequel, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, the third dimension exponentially increases the directions in which Samus can aim her Arm Cannon, allowing for free-aiming. However, these two games, being released for the GameCube, do not solely rely on free-aiming, and instead use a lock-on to snap a targeting reticule on an enemy, eliminating the need for the player to directly position the reticule for an accurate shot. However, the player may enter free-aim by holding down a shoulder button and pushing the Control Stick to manually aim Samus' Arm Cannon, while being unable to move from where she is standing.
Free-aim becomes the only aiming system available in the next two installments of the Prime series, Metroid Prime Hunters and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, which take advantage of the touchscreen of the Nintendo DS and the motion controls of the Wii to implement precise aiming. The former abandons the lock-on system, requiring the player to manually adjust the camera likewise, whether with the face buttons or the touch screen, to aim. The latter takes advantage of the Wii Remote's infrared pointer system to grant the player the ability to intuitively aim Samus' Arm Cannon anywhere through the targeting reticule. Depending on options, the player may still be able to aim at other targets even while locked onto a particular target, allowing the player to engage multiple threats simultaneously in certain situations, such as hordes of Crawltanks and Crawlmines in the Xenoresearch Lab early into the game. In both games, and only these games (as well as the Wii ports of Prime and Echoes), Samus can still move while free-aiming, which can be seen as a convenience to players.
The free-aiming system of Corruption was praised by critics as intuitive, and inspired the developer, Retro Studios, to develop Wii ports of the previous two chapters of Prime with the same aiming system used in Corruption and release them together with Corruption in the compilation Metroid Prime Trilogy, granting players the then-unavailable ability to move while aiming in those two games. By default, the free-aim does not snap the targeting reticule to a locked-on enemy, although the player can adjust in-game options such that it does. As the first two games were not designed with free-aim in mind, some of the boss battles, such as the Omega Pirate in Metroid Prime, may be more difficult than when first played on the GameCube if the lock-on system is not set to rein in the targeting reticule.
===In Metroid: Other M===
Free aim returns in Metroid: Other M as Search View, a secondary aiming system that is accessed when the player shifts into first-person perspective by rotating the Wii Remote such that its infrared pointer faces the screen. This aiming mode breaks from the limited number of directions Samus can fire from in third-person perspective, allowing her to fire at enemies and obstacles with great precision while being unable to move from where she stands.
===In Metroid: Samus Returns and Metroid Dread===
Metroid: Samus Returns and Metroid Dread demonstrate how the concept of "free-aim" can translate from the 3-D Prime games into a 2-D Metroid game, by allowing her to aim in a 360° arc around one axis, as opposed to the discrete, few directions she can fire in prior 2-D Metroid games, to precisely target enemies. While the 3-D Prime games used a targeting reticle to track where Samus is aiming, Samus Returns equips Samus with a laser sight to track her aiming direction, which will glow red when it intersects with an enemy or certain objects like Item Spheres. If she aims at crystals while the baby is with her, it will eat them. As with most Metroid games that use free-aim, this mode must be accessed by holding down a button. In Samus Returns, Samus cannot move from where she stands during free-aim, although she is allowed to jump and use the Melee Counter. She can aim in any direction in Dread, and can do so while moving.
In Dread, Samus can still Free Aim even if her left hand is pressed against a surface she is close to.Looygi Bros. "20 Cool Details in Metroid Dread" YouTube. November 26, 2021. Retrieved November 30, 2021. However, she can only aim in front of her, otherwise she will disengage from the surface.
When Raven Beak is preparing to fire his Beam Burst at Samus, he aims at her with a laser scope similar to her own.
====Grapple Point Aiming==== 
If Samus free aims the Arm Cannon at a Grapple Point, the laser sight will glow blue and the Arm Cannon will automatically select the Grapple Beam if it is not selected (only after it has been acquired), allowing her to grapple onto the Grapple Point without having to manually switch beams. If Samus points it away or lets go of the Grapple Point after latching on, she will automatically switch back to the beam she was using before aiming at the Grapple Point. As a result, Free Aiming at Grapple Points acts as a quick method for switching to the Grapple Beam which is useful in combat situations and the Diggernaut chase sequence.
==Official data==
===Metroid Prime 3: Corruption manual===
;AIMING/FIRING
:"AIMING IS A SIMPLE MATTER OF POINTING WHERE YOU WANT TO SHOOT WITH THE WII REMOTE. HOWEVER, THERE ARE SEVERAL LEVELS OF SENSITIVITY THAT YOU CAN CHOOSE BETWEEN TO OPTIMISE YOUR EXPERIENCE. YOU CAN SET THESE LEVELS IN OPTIONS BEFORE BEGINNING YOUR GAME OR PRESS [1] MID-GAME TO BRING UP THE MAP SCREEN, THEN SELECT OPTIONS, CONTROLS, THEN SENSITIVITY. THE THREE SENSITIVITY SETTINGS (BASIC, STANDARD, AND ADVANCED) REFLECT HOW SAMUS'S VIEW CHANGES AS YOU SHIFT THE WII REMOTE. THE BASIC SETTING IS RECOMMENDED FOR BEGINNERS--THE LOW SENSITIVITY WILL MAKE IT EASIER TO AIM AT ENEMIES AND MOVE WITHOUT BECOMING DISORIENTED, AND THE LOCK-ON FREE AIMING SETTING WILL DEFAULT TO OFF, MAKING SHOTS HOME IN ON LOCKED-ON TARGETS. PLAYERS FAMILIAR WITH FIRST-PERSON GAMES WILL LIKELY PREFER THE HIGH SENSITIVITY OF THE ADVANCED SETTING.TO FIRE AT TARGETS, SIMPLY PRESS [A]. YOU CAN ALSO PRESS AND HOLD [A], THEN RELEASE IT TO FIRE A CHARGE SHOT. WHEN YOU DESTROY OBJECTS OR DEFEAT ENEMIES, POWER-UPS IN THE SHAPES OF GLOWING ENERGY ORBS OR MISSILES WILL APPEAR--SIMPLY WALK OVER THESE TO PICK THEM UP, OR PRESS AND HOLD [A] TO CHARGE YOUR WEAPON AND SUCK THEM IN LIKE A TRACTOR BEAM."
;LOCK-ON FREE AIMING
:"LOCK-ON FREE AIMING ALLOWS PLAYERS TO AIM FREELY AT ANYTHING IN VIEW EVEN WHILE LOCKING ON TO A TARGET WITH THE [Z]. SINCE THE GAME DEFAULTS TO A STANDARD CONTROL SCHEME, YOU WILL AUTOMATICALLY HAVE LOCK-ON FREE AIMING ENABLED--IF YOU WANT TO CHANGE THIS, SELECT CONTROLS IN OPTIONS, THEN TURN OFF THE LOCK-ON FREE AIMING FEATURE. WHILE OFF, THE PLAYER'S SHOTS WILL AUTOMATICALLY FIRE DIRECTLY AT A LOCKED-ON TARGET. BEAR IN MIND THAT EVEN IN BASIC MODE, YOU CAN STILL TURN ON LOCK-ON FREE AIMING IN THE CONTROLS SUB-MENU."
===Metroid Prime Trilogy manual===
;Lock On/Free Aim
:"This sets whether you can move where you aim while locked on. The initial setting is ON, and your aiming cursor will move while locked on."
;Aiming and Changing View 
:"Use the Wii Remote to aim beams and missiles at wherever you are pointing. Point at the edge of the screen to move the viewing angle in that direction.Note: Select SENSITIVITY in the Controls Menu to alter the movement sensitivity."
===Metroid: Samus Returns===
====E3 website====
"Classic Metroid II: Return of Samus gameplay is joined by a wealth of new content, including a set of brand new abilities that utilizes a mysterious energy resource called “Aeion,” a powerful melee counterattack, and 360-degree Free Aim Mode."'
====On-screen tutorials====
*"Press and hold [L] to lock your position and enter Free Aim mode."
*"Use [Circle Pad] to aim in the direction you wish to fire beams and missiles."
====Metroid: Samus Returns Official Guide====
;HOW TO PLAY - BASICS - MOVEMENT (p. 5)
:FREE AIM
:"Hold Up, Left, or Right to aim in that direction. For times when more precision is required, use the Free Aim mechanic by pressing the L Button. When you hold L, Samus enters an aiming stance, which lets you aim in a full 360-degree motion. This is useful during Metroid fights and for enemies you want to keep your distance from while retaining the ability to fight."
===Metroid Dread===
====On-screen tutorial====
"Hold* [L] to enter Aim Mode, and tilt* [L stick] to aim.If a target is nearby, Samus will automatically face that direction."
*In E3 2021 footage, the tutorial said "Press L to enter Aim Mode" and "Tilt L stick to aim".
====Metroid Dread Report====
;FREE AIM
:"Samus can aim and fire in any angle. In the Metroid: Samus Returns game, Samus had to plant her feet in order to aim freely. Now, she can also make fine adjustments to her aim while on the move in the direction she’s facing."
====Metroid.nintendo.com====
;FREE AIM
:"Aim and fire at any angle when standing still or jumping. While moving, Samus can refine her aim up and down in the direction she’s facing."
====Loading screen tips====
==Gallery==
RavenBeak Battle2.png|Raven Beak's laser sight.
==References==
Category:Special Actions
Category:Miscellaneous