An Introduction to Sequence Breaking
What is Sequence Breaking?
Sequence Breaking means you do things in Metroid Prime the developers probably didn't intend, such as getting items out of order or going places you're not supposed to go yet.
Why Sequence Break?
If you've played through Metroid Prime a couple times, and you think you've seen all the game has to offer, think again. You can hone your skills and do things you probably never thought possible (while getting better and better completion times to boot).
So, how do I get started?
A good trick to start with is Space Jump First.
As soon as you land on Tallon IV (after the Space Pirate Frigate intro) you can get the Space Jump Boots item. This trick may be very difficult at first, but when mastered, can be done on the first try every time.
If you have the Japanese, European, Australian or North American Player's Choice version of Metroid Prime, you will need to do something slightly different from the below description. To see how you should start, scroll down to the *** JPEU METHOD below.
To begin in the North American version, get on top of your ship, if you're not already there. Turn around so you're facing the back engines of the ship, and look down so you can see where you're going. It might help to lock your view looking down (hold L). Walk slowly and carefully to the left back of the ship when facing the back (so you're standing on the far right back of the ship when facing forward).
When you have gone as far as you dare to, turn and face the front of the ship again. In the distance you should see a door with some "Spidervine" (an orange or red dot) above and to the right of it. Switch to your Scan Visor and lock on to the Spidervine. You should receive an "Object out of scanning range" message.
(*** JPEU METHOD In the Japanese, European, Australian and North American Player's Choice versions of the game, you will need to climb up to the door you can see facing forward from your ship. Inside that room are three Seedlings hanging from the ceiling. You need to lock on to the Seedling nearest you, then begin to back up over the cliff and back to your ship while still locked on. The lock will break if you go straight back over the edge, so move to the left some first, then jump backwards. When you get back to your ship, be careful not to go too far back or the lock will break. Mount the ship and move as far back and to the right as you dare.)
You are now ready to perform a Dash Jump (all versions of the game). This is the most difficult part of Space Jump First. To perform a Dash Jump, you need to execute a Dash escape move, then quickly release L to continue flying to the right. To do this, simply press (do not hold) B and snap the Analog Stick to the right at the same time (do not hold right on the Analog Stick), then release L a split second later. You will know if you performed the Dash Jump correctly if you fly to the right. Contrary to what you might think, the Dash Jump will work the best if you do not press any buttons on the controller during it. If you seem to land high up on a ledge, turn and jump over two pits to reach the Alcove where the Space Jump Boots are kept. Congratulations! You've collected the Space Jump Boots First.
To summarize:
1. While standing at the back right side of the ship and while locked on to the Spidervine, simultaneously press B (do not hold it) and snap the Analog Stick to the right, then let go of the Analog Stick.
2. Release L as soon as the Dash begins (and you hear the rocket jet sound effect). You should be pressing nothing on the controller at this point--just let the Dash Jump carry you to the ledge.
An annotated QuickTime video of this trick is also available on this site. (Scroll down to see the video of the Japanese, European, Australian and North American Player's Choice version of the trick.)
One last thing: be careful jumping over the pits to the Alcove! You wouldn't want to fall and have to do this all over again, though most of us fell our first times as well. ;)
What can I do now?
With the Space Jump early you can jump to the Missile Expansion in the Chozo Ruins Main Plaza, as shown in this QuickTime video. That will give you five Missiles (and the ability to launch them), so you never need to fight the Hive Mecha.
You can then go straight into Ruined Shrine and pick up the Morph Ball by opening the Missile Locked Door with your new Missiles. In fact, you don't even have to fight the Plated Beetle for the Morph Ball: just Space Jump across the Beetle Pit. Be careful not to fall too low in the air while Space Jumping, and you should make it all the way across to the Morph Ball without setting off the fight. Even if you set off the fight on the way back out, simply use the Morph Ball or the Space Jump to exit the room without firing a shot at the Beetles.
From here the sky's (almost, but not always) the limit: you can try a Low Percent game by skipping key items in the order the menu to the left shows, or you can get some more items out of order to get a better time in a Speed Run. And please do show these tricks off to your friends--they will be better people thanks to you. ;)