Initial release date: December 4, 2025
Developers: Nintendo, Retro Studios
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2
Nominations: The Game Award for Most Anticipated Game
Genres: First-person shooter, Action-adventure game
Publishers: Nintendo, Nintendo of America Inc.
Series: Metroid, Metroid Prime
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Played Switch 2’s version
- Used Pro Controller
- 10 hour campaign
- Hated collecting green energy crystal
- Biomes – Thunder Forge was standout
- Sol Valley was okay minus the forced collecting
- Boss fights were challenging and fun
- Exploration good
- Vi-O-La bike was useful
- Enjoyed Galactic Federation Trooper Squad NPCs
- Best looking Nintendo game I played
- Great art
- Solid music score
- Cheesy but fun voice acting lines
- Samus needed to talk in this
- Forced Mech Part collecting with boss fights
- Lamorn Psychic powers were decent
- Puzzles were never difficult
- Needed more Metroidvania gameplay
- Great use of Samus’ equipment and powers
- Didn’t like Reger Tokebi in beginning yet ended up liking him at the end
- Final boss fight was all over the place
- Ending cutscene has choices
- Too much padding at the end for me
Introduction
I played the original Metroid Prime back in 2002 on the Gamecube while attending UWM which didn’t allow me to really play and enjoy it much back then. Fast forward to Metroid Prime: Remastered where I gelled with it and got “it” as far as atmosphere and controls were concerned.
I never touched Metroid Prime 2 or 3 so I know I am missing a lot of content when it comes to Metroid Prime’s canon. Now we have Metroid Prime 4: Beyond which I thoroughly enjoyed minus the forced collectible padding to complete the campaign I experienced at the end.
Presentation
The biggest negative opinion for Metroid Prime 4: Beyond was wasting my time with it’s green energy crystal collecting at end game which I hated. Nintendo and Rare Studios could’ve added the Memory Fruit and Samus’ Psychic Cannon upgrades post boss fight rewards.
Instead I was forced to drive around Sol Valley on Vi-O-La (the bike) what seemed like hours collecting these stupid -ass green crystals. Thank god for the super missile and those rock ore green crystal deposits which netted massive green crystal energy.
I played Metroid Prime 4 on my new Switch 2 and the game looked and ran amazing at 4k 60 displaying great art assets and frame rates. Music and voice acting were good. Exploration as a whole was engaging from a gameplay mechanics perspective.
Story
Metroid Prime 4’s story starts off with Samus Aran assisting the Galactic Federation on planet Tanamaar as they’re being attacked by Space Pirates. While fighting the bad guy antagonist known as Sylux an artifact is activated transporting Samus to Viewros.
Viewros is home of the Lamorn species where the rest of the game’s story takes place. Samus has to find a way back home which she does via collecting 5 teleportation keys and memory fruit.
Gameplay
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is a first person exploration adventure game mechanically centered around upgrading the protagonist Samus Aran with new equipment to progress the campaign. You do the latter by, naturally, exploring and defeating bosses.
The core gameplay mechanics feed off Samus’ Psychic powers that you unlock through progression , off the top of my head, Psychic Glove, Bombs, Morph Ball, Charged Shots etc. The latter let’s Samus explore and open up new pathways.
Samus Aran’s main arm cannon is upgradable with elemental shots such as fire, thunder and ice that you get by completing the various main map biomes such as Fury Green, Thunder Forge, Flare Pool and Great Mines. Each biome was pretty fun to explore with boss encounters and plenty of upgrades to acquire.
New, I guess, to the Metroid Prime series are talking NPC companions which Metroid Prime 4: Beyond has four of. Much has been made about this but I enjoyed this aspect of Metroid Prime 4’s story exposition. The NPCs fleshed out Samus since she’s a mute.
The only gameplay mechanic I had to actually learn was the Psychic glove morph ball bomb orb door/altar gameplay sequence. The latter just felt weird to me. Boss fights were challenging all the while using Samus’ abilities and gadgets to the fullest made then fun. Don’t forget to use the charge shot people!
Visuals
Like I alluded to in my KEY TAKAWAYS section I played Metroid Prime 4: Beyond on my Nintendo Switch 2 and It’s easily and maybe art has to do a little with it, is the best looking Nintendo game I played in 40 years. Granted I haven’t played Cyberpunk 2077 yet.
I’m sure the next mainline Mario and Zelda will have something to say about the subject as well. But I digress, Metroid Prime 4 is the best looking video game I played on any Ninetendo system. Art work is beautiful.
Sound
Sound and music were solid. Music had that classic sci-fi desolate Metroid vibe with heavy rock tunes during intense boss fight gameplay sequences. The Galactic Federation NPCs all had cheesy lines but they were delivered in a fun way.
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond: This game could've been an 9/10 instead of a 8.5/10 but the fact that forced padding involving collecting green energy crystals were a thing to progress lost me. So I docked the score. Every other aspect for judging a video game was solid. I'm happy to see Metroid is back. I personally been a fan since 1987. – Jason
