Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Just Might Be Worth Every Second Of The Wait

Man, I knew Metroid Prime 4 might be coming in the Nintendo Direct, but my prior knowledge did nothing to soften the blow. The showcase was filled with exciting reveals; the final entry was just as powerful as the very first one. Nintendo knows how to shock the hell out of its fans.

The legendary video game series that revolutionized the medium and created a genre so beloved it’s still an active choice for indies, Metroid is a name the gaming industry will never forget. I’m a huge fan of Metroidvanias in general, but the OG stands above all. 

And after years of waiting, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond finally graced us with its presence.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Sure Took Its Sweet Time

Metroid may have been the pioneer of 2D side-scrolling platformers with non-linear, open-ended exploration freedom and the ability to move both to the left and right, but the series has adopted a different path from this legendary inception as well.

This approach came with the Metroid Prime series when it went a full-blow 3D first-person shooter. Still, the series refused to abandon its intense focus on “exploration before combat,” which sets it apart from all the conventional FPS games.

Your favorite exploration style in a Metroid game?
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However, the legendary Metroid series’ tendency to play with its fans’ feelings is also pretty legendary. Over the years, Metroid has made us wait desperately for a new entry on countless occasions. 

You must be wondering “So Nintendo has its own Silksong, huh?” Hey, at least it’s a reality, not a fantastical creation (I say this while sobbing uncontrollably). My comedic tragedy aside, Metroid’s case is a little different. The series continued to receive entries in the meantime. Metroid: Samus Returns, the remake of the second game, Metroid Dread, the brilliant Switch title, and Metroid Prime Remastered. These kept us occupied.

Thus, the Metroid fan in me is a little more patient thanks to being rewarded than the unfortunate Silksong fan. Besides, Metroid Prime 4 had mitigating circumstances for its absence. Its production was restarted from scratch in 2019 under Retro Studios, after being handled by Bandai Namco Studios initially. Well, all that’s in the past. We finally have it, and that’s all that matters.

We got Metroid Prime 4 before Silksong
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The Wait Was Well Worth It

Let me just take a moment to say that the trailer was mindblowing! And I mean literally mind-blowing. There aren’t that many things out there that cause people to pass out of excitement, and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond has proudly earned its place in that hall of fame.

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It pleases me to tell you, my friends, that all of our wait has finally been rewarded, and it was worth it. Metroid Prime 4 may have taken a long time to become a reality, but it’s just as much Metroid Prime as you know, perhaps even more. This is true from the second the trailer begins.

We see gameplay elements characteristic of the series refined to perfection with the beautiful visual upgrade. Samus’ iconic arsenal, her shooting through mobs while skillfully evading the bullet storm, exploring the rich environments and scanning enemies, using her morph ball ability to slip through, and finally coming face to face with the iconic Sylux we were promised years ago. Seeing all this, I myself was close to fainting.

What I fell in love with was the original Metroid formula, and thus I was not completely on board with the FPS direction of the Prime series. Still, when I gave it a try, I couldn’t help but acknowledge that the Metroid essence is still intact, albeit with a different design choice this time. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is making sure to give off the same feeling, and I love it.

https://twitter.com/CriticalGamesAU/status/1803076260551401928

I was afraid the development troubles and the studio change might have affected the game, but I was extremely relieved to know that it was all ill-founded worry. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond looks incredible, a love letter to every fan, and a big Thank You to the loyal followers’ every minute of patience.

A Prelude To Switch 2

Now, to answer the elephant in the room. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is releasing in 2025, so is it a Switch 2 title? 

After people were done fainting over the shocking reveal trailer, another thought soon occurred. “This must be running on Switch 2.” Unfortunately, this myth was soon debunked. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond was not running on Switch 2; it’s still a Switch game.

However, you and I both know Nintendo’s plans for this one. Remember Breath of the Wild? Exactly. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is probably going to be a similar title. A Switch 2 launch title, yet also available on the last gen as a “no one gets left out” gesture. I don’t think I’ll have any problems with this strategy if it is indeed true.

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Metroid Prime 4 is a genuine heavy hitter, and with it kickstarting the Switch 2, we just might be looking at a masterpiece of equal standing or even more than the overwhelmingly good era of Nintendo Switch.