Metroid Prime 4 Beyond Review: The Wait Was Worth It

Winter is coming, and Nintendo has delivered an epic Switch game to get lost in for the season. After a week of playing Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, I know it’s the one I’ve been waiting for. It’s full of alien motorcycles, alien relics, psychic powers and plenty of puzzles to solve.

It’s been a while since I’ve played a Metroid Prime game. I used to huddle around my GameCube in California to play the first one. I never got too far into the 2D Metroid games, but the caves and mysterious worlds set in Prime felt like exploring space tombs. For me, it always had a bit of a 3D Zelda vibe. Prime games seemed more powerful, more immersive than 2D games, even Dread. (THE Original Prime is on Switch also, remastered and worth playing.)

With Prime 4, announced more than eight years ago, it took me a while to get back to it. But now I only think about playing. My recommendation is to just experience it. Go in knowing nothing, and maybe even ignore everything in this or any other review. Mystery is Metroid’s calling card. Your big Switch adventure is here.

If you’re new, here’s the deal: 3D Metroid is a first-person shooter adventure game, but one with much more emphasis on exploration and puzzle-solving than straight battle. Once again, you play as Samus, the bounty hunter who quietly explores her world. Enemies and bosses appear, and they can be difficult, but expect challenges similar to boss fights in a Zelda game. Like every other Metroid game, your various powers are lost and must be found, piece by piece. In addition to running, jumping and shooting, you can turn into a ball. Or, this time, ride a Tron-like space bike called Vi-O-La.

I wasn’t sure if Prime 4 would be for me, or if I would feel lost in lore that I had forgotten or hadn’t absorbed (since I hadn’t finished Prime 2 or 3 and barely remembered what happened in Prime). It’s good. This game assumes you might come in clean, although knowing the Metroid series will help.

A touch of Hollywood, but not too much

It’s also clear that Nintendo is pushing the Metroid series more towards the mainstream. With Nintendo now making theme parks and movies, Metroid seems to be a future candidate for another franchise spin-off. The game’s stunning opening video sequences feel like you’ve been thrust into Star Wars, and yes, the new talking supporting characters are everywhere. Some are boring, others a bit cliché, but all seem to be auditioning for roles in future entertainment.

That annoying guy who always seemed to barge in during early game demos a few weeks ago? It doesn’t bother me too much. We certainly talk a lot at the beginning, but it settles down later. And good news: so far, after hours of play, these characters don’t bother you all the time. In fact, in most maze-like maps, they’re out of communication range and you’re on your own. Don’t worry, Samus’ lonely vibe is still there.

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Just enough feeling of being really lost

Samus finds herself isolated on a new planet, Viewros, which is full of ancient artifacts from a civilization called Lamorn that need to be awakened. You don’t know why you are here and you don’t know where to go. I mean, there are maps and suggestions, and sometimes the game sends you a specific objective on the map. But the game doesn’t hold your hand much. I’ve often wondered what to do next, which isn’t a bad thing at all. There are suggestions and clues in the game, and the design lends itself to other suggestions as well.

A semi-open world

And what still bothers me is the vast desert world of Viewros, which exists on a mega map where specific regions to visit are scattered around. The desert seems largely empty, but it holds mysterious things, some of which are even inaccessible at first. Underground caves resembling sanctuaries. Pieces of rubble. Strange machines.

Plus, the motorcycle you discover and ride – Vi-O-La, aka the Zelda horse from Metroid Prime 4 – adds a nice open-world feel here. Not huge for the moment, but enough to give dimension to the game. It’s not Breath of the Wildbut it’s a bit like Ocarina of Time’s space management. I love riding that Tron bike and I want every Metroid game to add that type of layer. (Would there ever be a spaceship to pilot? Will there be one later in this game? I don’t even know yet.)

It’s awesome (on Switch 2)

I haven’t played Metroid Prime 4 on the original Switch, but just like Pokémon Legends ZAit’s playable on both Switch and Switch 2. The Switch 2 version features a silky smooth 60 frames per second (or 120fps at a lower resolution) and a fun mouse mode with the Joy-Cons, but I barely used it. I just find the standard controls perfectly awesome as is.

And you do a lot of scanning of things in this game, using a Psychic Visor mode that sometimes activates relics, or scanning and cataloging creatures, items, and artifacts. This left trigger is perhaps the most used button in the game.

The game runs great both docked and handheld, which is good news because I’ll be traveling with this one for a while. I’m far from done (sorry, I’m a slow player), but it deserves the hype, even if it’s not a total reinvention of the control and playstyle. Now clear your brain of everything I’ve said and dive in. Better to know nothing at all.