Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Review

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond It was first announced in 2017, just a few months after the original Switch hit stores. It was revealed with just a logo, with Bandai Namco confirmed as the developer. Metroid Prime 4 It silenced the radio for several years. In 2019, Nintendo was clearly unhappy with Bandai Namco's progress with the game and shockingly announced the following developments: Metroid Prime 4 Relaunched by Retro Studios. Bandai Namco version Metroid Prime 4 It would have been a full-blown disaster, as I can't imagine Nintendo being particularly enthusiastic about Retro's final product.

Retro Studio has been an indispensable developer since its formation in 1998. The first game was grand and groundbreaking. metroid primeRetro features two well-reviewed direct sequels before being critically acclaimed. Donkey Kong Country Returns duology is considered by many to be some of the best 2D platform games ever made. Retro's perfect performance and metroid prime Miscarriage, I went in Metroid Prime 4: Beyond I was more disappointed than when I played the video game with high expectations.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond It takes Samus Aran, the long-time protagonist of the franchise, to the planet Viewros and tasks you with collecting five teleporter keys. Initially, Samus is granted special psychic abilities that expand as the game progresses, giving players more exploration and puzzle-solving options in typical Metroidvania fashion.

The psychic angle could have been a way to give Samus a unique moveset not seen in previous games, but instead it was used to recycle abilities we've seen for decades, but now with a gorgeous purple glow. Instead of boost ball psychic Boost Ball. instead of spider ball psychic Spider Ball. The new Control Beam ability, which allows players to directly control charged beams for combat and puzzle-solving purposes, is simple. Batman: Arkham's Batarang has been transformed. Psychic abilities are sometimes used to drag objects around, but the psychic concept does not reach its full potential.

Now, there's still plenty of fun left to be had with Samus' arsenal. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. Verified product metroid There's still life in the formula, and there's a relatively satisfying feeling of progression as players gain new tools to better explore the game world. Puzzles and dungeons built around these abilities are just as fun to conquer. It may not be very original, but Metroid Prime 4: Beyond It's still best when it sticks to the hits. It's when they play new material that things really go off the rails.

Metroid Prime 4 doesn't know what it wants to be.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Stuck between classic styles metroid prime Games and open world games. It doesn't fully commit to either side, and that's its biggest downfall. Metroid Prime 4's semi-open world consists of a large, boring desert with little interest, and it seems to serve no purpose other than arbitrarily extending the game's runtime by not only placing dungeons far from each other but also giving players a reason to go. in the back Go to already completed dungeons and get important key items.

Image via Nintendo

I headed into the Ice Dungeon, but realized I needed a Flare Shot to continue. Since Samus can't install the cannon chip herself, she had to figure out where to get it and then return to base to actually unlock the ability. I later tried to go to Lava Dungeon, but found out that I needed an Ice Shot to continue. I went and got it, went back to the base, installed it, and headed to the Lava Dungeon when I found out. I needed something else In practice, exploring means backtracking. yet again to get that ability. There's no fast travel either, so this all sucks a lot more than it would otherwise.

As annoying as the open world is, at least Samus doesn't have to wander the desert on foot. Early in the game, she always buys a controversial motorcycle, which greatly reduces her travel time. that Metroid Prime 4 The motorcycle is called Vi-O-La and it makes the desert a little more distinct, although many fans are concerned about it. The bike is fast and fun to ride through the dunes. Vi-O-La isn't a bad addition and I wouldn't want to see it again as a more interesting place to drive. It also decks Samus in sleek new red armor, one of the most visually impressive suits to date.

Something other than a motorcycle metroid prime I was worried that fans would get in. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond He was the game's “cringey” sidekick. Samus wasn't the only one teleported to Viewros. So the galactic bounty hunter must rescue his companions and bring them safely to base. There may be some silly dialogue here and there, but the other characters don't really drag the game down. beyond that There may be more cutscenes and cinematic moments than fans are used to, but they're actually some of the better and more memorable parts of the experience.

I also enjoyed a few specific action sequences in the game. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Amid the tedious desert driving and backtracking, there are its fair share of truly exciting set pieces. I won't spoil them here, but these moments make it worth trudging through. Prime 4: BeyondThe more boring sections of .

Unfortunately, boredom also takes some away. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond's bosses fight to hit as hard as necessary. I love the boss design of this game. beyond that It provides a powerful list of threatening creatures for Samus to face off against, and I appreciate that it doesn't reuse tired boss fights from previous games. But what it does is repeat some of the mini-boss fights, and the bigger boss fights go on for too long. It was okay at first, but the boss had so many attacks that about halfway through the fight I wanted to keep going.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Loves to put obstacles in the way of fun. Examples include unnecessarily long boss fights, boring deserts, and tedious backtracking, all of which prevent players from fully enjoying the game's solid dungeon design and gorgeous graphics. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond It's a stunning piece of work with breathtakingly beautifully realized environments. It makes me happy to see what Retro can do when I build it. metroid prime Although it is a game created specifically for Switch 2, beyond that It's really impressive that it's a cross-generational game and still looks this good.

When the player is immersed beyond thatIn the dungeons of , they will most likely have a good time. Yes, it's a little more limited and linear than you'd expect from the series, but it's still fun. So it's a real shame when the game prevents players from truly enjoying the best parts and instead forces them to engage with the worst elements.

It derails any momentum Metroid Prime 4's Green Crystal Hunt could have had.

This is especially noticeable during one of the main missions the player undertakes. ~ have to If you want the game to end, complete it. In addition to collecting 5 keys Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Players are also tasked with collecting green energy crystals and delivering them to their home base. I tried to destroy every crystal I saw while driving through the desert, figuring it wouldn't be a problem. I deposited money towards the end of the game and am less than halfway to my goal.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond There is a shrine with a lot of green energy crystals that players can raid to increase their total. The shrine itself has some frustratingly easy puzzles, and completing them all wasn't enough of a fix to progress through the game. In the end, we had to walk around the desert for about an hour to break stones. It's not my idea of ​​a good time, and it's not exactly what I want to do when I play games. metroid game.

I think there's an open world here, despite the stuttering. metroid prime A game can work, but it can't be half-decent like this: beyond that am. beyond that It could have been a revolutionary step forward breath of the wild It was for zeldaBut instead it's a weird in-between where old ideas are recycled and new things are tried, only fun when everything falls flat. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond There's an identity crisis, and the result is a baffling open world surrounded by solid dungeons that still falls short of what came before.

system

released

December 4, 2025

ESRB

Teen/Animation Blood, Violence

publisher

nintendo

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Advantages and Disadvantages

• Exciting, cinematic moments and action set pieces
• gorgeous graphics

• Potentially the most boring hub world in history
• Green Crystal Collecting Contest Seriously Derails That Momentum
• Most of the 'new' psychic abilities are reproductions of things we've seen before.
• The lack of fast travel made the unpleasant backtracking even worse.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Released for Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2. Game Rant played the Switch 2 version for this review.