Game: Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
Genre: Action, Adventure
System: Nintendo Switch 2 (Also on Nintendo Switch)
Developer|Publisher: Retro Studios | Nintendo
Age Rating: EU 12 | US Teen
Price: US $69.99 | UK 49.99 | EU € 69,99
Release Date: December 4th, 2025
Review code provided with many thanks to Nintendo Europe.
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Review
Before the cool kids started casually throwing around the term “Metroidvania,” we simply had Metroid. I’ve always leaned more toward the 2D side of the series. Metroid Fusion remains my personal favourite, but my path through the Prime games has been unconventional to say the least.
I first dipped in via the Wii’s Metroid Prime Trilogy, which probably wasn’t the ideal entry point. Motion controls and I have never been best friends. Much later, I played Metroid Prime Remastered on Switch and absolutely enjoyed it, so stepping into Metroid Prime 4: Beyond felt like closing a long and strange circle. With years of delays, a total development reboot, and a platform shift, was the wait worthwhile? Somewhat surprisingly… yes, at least in my humble opinion.
Beyond the Beyond
The story begins with Samus heading to a military facility to help protect an artefact under attack from a bad dude called Sylux and his minions. Things go sideways almost immediately; this is still Metroid, after all, and both Samus and her adversaries are flung far into an unknown part of the universe, now looking for a way home. It’s a classic setup, and of course, Samus loses her abilities along the way. It wouldn’t feel right if she didn’t start at square one; at this point, it’s practically a tradition.
This new world is mysterious, full of environmental storytelling, and ripe for exploring, but what really stood out to me was how the scanning mechanic shines yet again. I’ve always been the kind of player who happily scans everything. Plants, robots, rock formations… if it glows, I’m scanning it. Metroid Prime 4 embraces this habit with a percentage tracker on your save file, so you’re gently encouraged to go wild. You can skip most of it if scanning isn’t your thing, but for lore-hungry players, it’s a real treat.
Along the way, Samus crosses paths with a small cast of military characters who pop in at key moments. They’ve caused some debate online because they talk. Quite a lot. Personally, I didn’t mind them. Their nervous humour and anxious energy felt convincing rather than intrusive. After all, wouldn’t you be anxious if you met a celebrity? Samus, being Samus, responds with her usual quiet determination. The game still maintains that signature sense of isolation when it needs to, especially in the deeper parts of each region.
Samus in Motion
Gameplay sticks closely to the traditional Prime structure: explore, upgrade, backtrack, conquer a boss, and repeat. It’s familiar, but in the way that slipping on a well-worn jumper is familiar. New abilities appear at a steady pace, and they’re useful without feeling overwhelming. Early on, you unlock a psychic-style scanning pulse that interacts with certain devices, and later upgrades include grappling hooks, double jump and the usual Metroid beats.
The boss battles are a real highlight. They feel like puzzles wrapped in spectacle. Once you figure out the pattern, how to expose a weak point or how an ability ties into the encounter, there’s a real sense of relief and accomplishment. Despite being played from a first-person perspective, the game isn’t really trying to be a modern shooter. The emphasis is on observation, rhythm, and exploration. Your blaster gets the job done, but the star of the show is how you use your tools, not how quickly you can fire or rack up a kill count.
A Galaxy That Runs Smoothly
Performance is excellent on Switch 2. At startup, you can choose between a display mode and a performance mode, and both look surprisingly similar unless you scrutinise every frame. Environments are varied, from dense forests to crumbling temples to metallic labyrinths. Dungeons lean toward tight corridors, giving the world a grounded, almost oppressive feel, while boss arenas open into wider spaces that break the tension nicely.
One new feature stands out: Samus’s motorcycle-like “Vi-O-La Vehicle.” Yes, Samus now has a bike, and yes, it’s as fun as it sounds. There’s a large desert region that gives you the chance to properly zip across the sand, and even though the area isn’t the most visually interesting location in the game, the sheer joy of racing across it makes up for that. It probably helps that I’m a big motorcycle fan.
Controls feel smooth whether you play docked or handheld. The hybrid aiming system, locking onto targets with a trigger and using a gentle gyro for fine-tuning, works beautifully. Even as someone who normally avoids gyro, I found myself warming to it almost immediately.
A Few Quirks Along the Way
Metroid Prime 4 follows a more linear structure than some fans may expect. You work through dungeons in a fairly set order to collect five key items that unlock a central tower. It’s more Zelda-like than previous Metroid entries, and while I didn’t mind this, players hoping for heavier non-linear freedom may raise an eyebrow.
The other point worth noting is that, considering the famously long wait for this game, the level of innovation is fairly conservative. This absolutely feels like another Prime game rather than a bold reinvention. Whether that’s a strength or a weakness depends entirely on what you’re hoping for.
Conclusion: Original and Still the Best
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond ended up being pretty brilliant as far as I’m concerned. I went in slightly wary because early impressions from others seemed mixed, but I walked away genuinely impressed. This isn’t a seismic reimagining of Metroid. It’s a confident, atmospheric, well-crafted adventure that honours the Prime legacy while giving Samus a few new tools and a shiny new bike to play with. There really aren’t a lot of first-person games that are able to pull off the Metroid formula well. 2D, however, is a different beast
If you love the Prime series, or simply want a thoughtful first-person adventure with exploration at its core, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is an easy recommendation. A strong late-year release from Nintendo, and for me, the lesson I took from the game was that no matter how far away we travel from home, we can always find our way back despite the challenges. Maybe it’s just the place I am in life currently, but Metroid 4 just clicked with me.
Final Verdict: Two Thumbs Up
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