Instead of series protagonist Samus, the teaser trailer for Federation Force featured a foursome of bright, blocky-armored mech soldiers. Since the gameplay hinges on co-op multiplayer, faceless Federation grunts made better in-game sense than having four Samuses, Nintendo's Kensuke Tanabe said. The main story mode has players roam around shooting enemies and solving puzzles a la Four Swords Adventures, while Metroid Prime: Blast Ball acts as a fun, sportsy semi-tutorial.

While many fans clamored for a Metroid on current-gen consoles, Tanabe told Engadget last year that Nintendo considered a Wii U version but decided against devoting a team to its development. The New 3DS' omnidirectional C-stick was intriguing enough to build Federation Force for the mobile system. Developers changed the game's look to fit the smaller screen, shrinking players to bright, stocky chibi soldiers.

Metroid Prime: Federation Force launches for #3DS on 8/19, but you can be one of the first to play it at #PAXEast! pic.twitter.com/P14vQ373bo — Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) April 20, 2016