Metroid Prime 4 looks and feels great, but Im nervous about one little thing
**Excitement Builds for Metroid Prime 4: Beyond as Release Date Approaches**
After a long hiatus, Nintendo’s beloved bounty hunter, Samus Aran, is set to make her triumphant return in *Metroid Prime 4: Beyond*, launching on December 4 for both the Nintendo Switch and the anticipated Switch 2. Since the release of *Metroid Prime 3* in 2007, fans have eagerly awaited a new installment in the iconic series, with the only notable entry since being *Metroid Dread* in 2021. Recently, a preview event allowed players to get a taste of the upcoming game, revealing that it retains the classic *Metroid Prime* feel while introducing some modern elements. The demo showcased Samus navigating an abandoned alien planet filled with perilous creatures and mysterious artifacts, a hallmark of the series that fans have come to love.
The gameplay experience in the demo was split into two segments, highlighting both the beginning of the game and a more expansive jungle area known as Fury Green. Gamers will be pleased to know that the familiar mechanics are intact, with an emphasis on exploration, combat, and puzzle-solving. The game boasts impressive visuals, running smoothly at 4K/60FPS on the Switch 2, and the art direction is consistent with the series’ aesthetic. Retro Studios has also introduced dual-analog stick controls for the first time, enhancing the fluidity of combat. Samus’s new psychic abilities add an intriguing layer to gameplay, allowing for creative interactions with the environment and enemies. However, while the core gameplay appears solid, the introduction of a voiced NPC, a quirky Galactic Federation engineer, has raised some concerns among fans. Many players worry that this character could detract from the isolated atmosphere that has defined the *Metroid* experience, which relies heavily on Samus’s solitary journey through dark, atmospheric worlds.
As anticipation builds for the release, the community remains cautiously optimistic about *Metroid Prime 4: Beyond*. While the demo showcased a promising return to form, the potential impact of the voiced character has left some fans feeling slightly apprehensive. Nintendo has a strong track record, and many are hopeful that the game will deliver an engaging experience that honors the franchise’s legacy. As we count down the days until December 4, gamers are encouraged to pre-order the game for $69, ensuring they don’t miss out on what could be one of the year’s most exciting releases. With Samus Aran back in action, fans are ready to dive into another thrilling adventure filled with mystery and exploration.
It’s just good to have my wonderful friend Samus Aran back.
Arguably
Nintendo’s
coolest character, Samus and her
Metroid
series has largely been in the wilderness since 2007, when
Metroid Prime 3
came out. I enjoyed
Metroid Dread
a great deal a few years ago, but that’s really the only game starring Samus in nearly 20 years that I’ve cared about. On Dec. 4, that streak will hopefully end with the launch of
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
on
Nintendo Switch
and
Switch 2
.
I got to play about an hour of the game at a recent preview event, courtesy of Nintendo, and boy do I have some thoughts. For the most part, at least based on the early parts of
Prime 4
, this is still the
Metroid Prime
you know and love. But, I have one major concern. Let’s get into it.
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Credit: Nintendo
‘Metroid Prime 4 Beyond’
$69
at Amazon
Releases on Dec. 4
Pre-order Here
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‘Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment’ is fine. It’s also the most disappointing Switch 2 exclusive.
It feels good to be back in the power suit
The aliens are very mean.
Credit: Nintendo
My demo of
Prime 4
occurred in two distinct chunks: A short, 10-minute glimpse at the very beginning of the game (a demo I had already played back in April), and a longer look at the point when it seems like the game properly
starts
. As in, Samus finds herself on a mysterious, seemingly abandoned alien planet full of wonder and mystery, and she’s gotta figure out what the heck to do about it. Classic
Metroid
stuff.
The longer portion of the demo took place in a jungle-themed area called Fury Green. This place is
very
reminiscent of past
Metroid
games; gross bug monsters and alien plants attack Samus every few minutes, and weird alien artifacts litter the landscape, just waiting for Samus to get the right item or ability to use on or around them. While this portion of the game was fairly linear and straightforward, there were definitely doors and pathways I couldn’t open yet because I didn’t have the proper ability, which is what you want to see in a
Metroid
game. It was also, seemingly, the first hour or so of the game, so I’m not going to condemn that part of it for being linear.
Despite having started life as a Switch 1 game (and still getting a Switch 1 release),
Prime 4
might be the best-looking game I’ve seen running on a Switch 2 so far. The demo was running in the 4K/60FPS configuration, though the 1080p/120FPS version looks great, too. Beyond raw tech specs, Fury Green is just a tremendously gorgeous area, and the art direction in
Prime 4
seems to be on par with the rest of the series.
Series developer Retro Studios has also nailed the feel of running around this ancient, unknowable world and shooting everything in it with a gun. Combat is fast, smooth, and fun, and as a bonus, this is the first
Metroid Prime
game to launch with normal, dual-analog stick controls. It feels great, and Samus’s new psychic abilities add some interesting variety to both puzzle-solving and fights. She can manipulate little balls of energy to power alien devices, as well as fire a beam that stops time and allows you to manually fly it around the environment for a few seconds. I did one major boss fight at the end of the demo where I had to take out three targets simultaneously using that last ability, and it felt like classic
Metroid Prime
stuff.
So, yeah, I’m not really worried about the parts where you look at and play
Metroid Prime 4
. My demo also, heartbreakingly, didn’t include any motorcycle stuff.
But I was kind of hoping I’d be the only one around here
Hell yes.
Credit: Nintendo
This demo of
Prime 4
would have left me excited for the game with zero reservations if not for one little thing: At one point in Fury Green, Samus runs into another stranded human, a dorky Galactic Federation engineer guy who is fully voice-acted. He accompanied me throughout most of the rest of the demo, partially as someone to protect in a brief escort quest-like section, but mostly as a guy who chimes in on comms every now and then to chat with Samus (who does not speak at all).
This isn’t the first time a
Metroid
game has put Samus near other people, either with or without voice acting. Results in previous games have been…mixed, to say the least.
Metroid
has always worked best when Samus is truly alone on a dark and preferably goopy alien world. The early
Prime
games, in particular, have utterly flawless senses of atmosphere. Before you meet this engineer doofus,
Prime 4
feels reminiscent of that. After you meet him, it’s still a fun game with very pretty visuals and good combat, but it’s not the same.
It also doesn’t help that he’s genuinely kind of annoying, and it’s hard to tell if the game is in on the joke or not, from what I played.
I’m not going to render judgment on
Prime 4
for this just yet. For all I know, this dude is only a small part of the game and won’t be chattering in Samus’s ear for the entire adventure. I just don’t want to spend an entire
Metroid Prime
adventure listening to a geeky dude talk in pseudo-Marvel Cinematic Universe banter at me.
After seeing that part of
Metroid Prime 4
, I’m officially
slightly
concerned about a game that had given me no reasons to feel that way up until now. I think Nintendo has earned the benefit of the doubt here, but I can’t lie: I’m a little more nervous than I’d like to be. We’ll see what happens when
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
launches on Switch and Switch 2 on Dec. 4.
In the meantime, you can
pre-order
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
for $69.
