Thank you Nintendo for sending us the Switch 2 Edition of this game to review!

Metroid is one of my favorite Nintendo franchises, and Metroid Prime was a masterclass conversion from the 2D Metroid games and concept into first-person 3D. I played the first two Prime titles on GameCube and again on the Wii Trilogy release, completing Prime 1 to 99% (one missing missile...) and Prime 2 to 100%. (I sadly never got around to Prime 3.) I absolutely love these games, and while many disagree, I also love the motion controls from the Wii versions. Yes, they are not perfect, as the pointer can get lost sometimes. Even still, it's a great experience that outshines most other console shooters, as motion controls are much more accurate than dual analog sticks. As such, I was hoping and praying that we could review Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, and I'm really glad we were blessed with the opportunity.

Taking place after Super Metroid and well after the events of Prime 1-3, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond starts with Samus providing backup to a Galactic Federation team under attack on the planet Tanamaar. As she arrives to support them in their fight against the Space Pirates, she runs into Sylux, who is leading the opposing forces. During their conflict, a mysterious artifact the Federation had been trying to protect and investigate gets activated, and Samus finds herself in an entirely new place - on the planet Viewros in an unknown location, time, or even dimension. She was transported to Chronos Tower, where she is given the task to discover and preserve the legacy of the Lamorn, the native and now extinct race of powerful, intelligent beings that used to live on Viewros. Discovering the mystery of their disappearance and sharing what they left behind is a big part of the central narrative of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond.

It's probably worth noting that Metroid Prime 4 had a challenging development cycle, far more than is typical for a Nintendo game. I remember its original announcement way back in 2017, after which I promptly preordered the game on Amazon. (That preorder was eventually canceled by Amazon, but that's a different issue.) Unfortunately, back in 2019 Nintendo announced that development was being completely scrapped and restarted at Retro Studios. An unfortunate but probably necessary change, as Retro handled Prime 1-3 before that, even if there was a significant time gap and staff turnover in that time. Thankfully, bringing Prime back to Retro Studios was largely successful.

When you launch Prime 4 the first time, it quickly becomes obvious that a lot of effort went into visual design, and it's hard to overstate how fantastic of a job they did. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is arguably the best looking Switch 2 game to date, with a gorgeous 4K resolution at a solid 60 frames per second in Quality mode, or the equally awesome Performance mode which grants you 1080p at 120 frames per second. On my 4K monitor I prefer Quality mode, but on my OLED TV, where I played most of the game, I prefer the 120Hz Performance mode. Using either setting, textures look great, HDR lighting looks fantastic, and the action is impeccable with almost no dropped frames. It also looks really great; even if it doesn't match what more powerful consoles and PC can do, it clearly looks quite excellent on Switch 2. I did run it on Switch 1 to test it out, and it looks and runs better than it has any right to at a solid 60 frames per second, but it lacks quite a bit of texture resolution and fine details to get there. Nevertheless, it's quite a technical achievement no matter which console you play it on.

The music and atmosphere is equally impressive. When you first step into Fury Green and see that lush environment and hear the sprawling soundtrack, it takes you a second to catch your breath. The sound design is just incredible here, bringing everything together in a way few games accomplish quite the same way. The Metroid series has always excelled here, and the Prime subseries perhaps even moreso. In this way I'm very pleased to find that Prime 4 keeps that distinctly 'Prime' look, sound, and feel in the art, music, sound effects, and interface in a way that maintains a lot of continuity for returning fans while also being of the highest quality. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond's first impressions are extremely excellent indeed.

For those not familiar with Metroid Prime, perhaps an introduction is in order. Metroid is a series that started on the original NES (Nintendo Entertainment System), and started as a 2D side-scrolling adventure where Samus, the protagonist, could move and scroll the screen in all of the four directions. Her ability to gain new powers and explore the world in a non-linear way defined her adventure, making it one of a kind at the time. Metroid Prime was originally released for the Nintendo GameCube in 2002, and was a frankly incredible conversion from the 2D adventure format to first-person 3D. It managed to take the ideas started in the SNES (Super Nintendo) era's Super Metroid and convert them to 3D, despite Prime not being a remake in any way. Prime featured signature weapons and powerups from Super Metroid, like missiles, various beams, and more while also adding new things like different visors which granted Samus the ability to investigate her surroundings in new ways. The Scan Visor became a Metroid Prime staple, which is used as a gameplay mechanic to help teach the player things like the enemies' weakpoints, as well as a means to show the player lore as they play.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond carries forth many of the ideas that Metroid Prime started. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption was released way back in 2007, so Prime 4 has been longed for by fans for well over 15 years, and this fan is really happy it's here. The in-helmet view, the quick switch to third-person when going into morph ball mode, and the way Samus's arm shakes when charging up her weapon all feel consistent with previous releases and are just right. There were so many small innovations that Prime came up with all those years ago and are carried forward into Prime 4 that I as a long-time fan just take for granted but are difficult to describe. The controls both innovate and feel familiar; when a bright light flashes, you can see Samus's face in the reflection; the half-pipe fun with the boost ball; there are so many small things. You could argue that the game is almost too similar to older entries in some ways, or perhaps not similar enough in others, but as someone who loved what I played of the previous games, more of a good thing isn't necessarily bad.

The main gameplay loop of Metroid is a constant combination of combat and exploration. Samus starts off with a set of basic weapons and little else. As she gains more powers, more of the map opens up for her, which then unlocks more powers and the cycle continues. In Prime 4: Beyond, she is granted Psychic abilities for the first time in this series, though many of those powers do resemble abilities she previously had. For example, the Psychic Visor is functionally identical to her Scan Visor from before. Her morph ball bomb is lost, but she gains a new Psychic bomb, which is also largely identical. There are certainly some new abilities, like the Control Beam, along with some neat upgrades that are new, but the general template of how Samus's abilities upgrade and work is largely similar to how it's always been.

One aspect that is entirely new to Metroid is rather than having access to Samus's Gunship, she instead is granted access to a new motorcycle-like Vi-O-La. Vi-O-La is fun to ride, but it also leads to one of Prime 4's most controversial design choices, Sol Valley. Sol Valley is a large desert area that acts as a hub of sorts where you can ride Vi-O-La about to find entrances to each of the various areas. I don't really mind this, but it is quite different than Prime 1 & 2's more interconnected regions, or Prime 3's area select. On top of this, you are asked to gather Green Crystals, which you can find spread throughout Sol Valley (and a few other places). Collecting these crystals is actually required to complete the game, making this type of grind quite of out character for a Metroid game. I personally didn't mind collecting it too much, as it was a somewhat calming change of pace, but it does extend playtime doing stuff that isn't nearly as exciting as the main adventure is.

Another controversial change in Prime 4 is you have a small groups of Galactic Federation characters that you work with. While you certainly do most of the work, they do play a part, and one in particular likes to contact you over the radio reminding you what to do next. I heard about this before I started playing and assumed the complaints were exaggerating how bad it is; while it is exaggerated to an extent, at times it really is that bad. I found it most annoying when I was searching in the Sol Valley desert for Green Crystals, and Myles kept reminding me that I had to go to such and such place. Yes, I know, but I'm farming green right now!

Because of the nature of Sol Valley being an open field of sorts, this has led to areas that basically only have one entrance and exit, making each zone feel more like a self-contained dungeon rather than interconnected areas. This also leads to the game being surprisingly linear. All Metroid games have a degree of linearity, but several regions here are functionally just long corridors with you going from one end to the other. Each area is filled with things to do, and I enjoyed most of my time in them, and some of the bosses are a ton of fun. And some regions, like Volt Forge, are still a total blast to play through. Even if there are some missteps, Metriod Prime 4: Beyond is still a lot of fun overall.

From a technical point of view, Prime 4 is incredible. Graphically it looks stunning, and this also translates into fantastic performance in-game. The control methods are many and varied, and though I am perhaps the oddball and prefer dual-JoyCon motion controls the most, there are many options that all work great. Everything from dual-analog to gyro aiming to even mouse mode - they all work great. I did find motion controls to be slightly more responsive than mouse mode, but it could just be familiarity talking, as I played most of the other Prime games using the Wii motion controls. Whatever the case, players from the most casual controller users to hardcore PC shooter fans are likely to find something to like in how Metroid Prime 4: Beyond plays and controls.

Morally, Prime 4 is first and foremost an action adventure game, so there is animated violence as you blast enemies of various kinds. Some enemies splatter a bit of their blood when shot, but it's not red. While many weapons are science-based like missiles, Psychic powers and abilities play a major role in both the story and gameplay, as players are required to use them.

A curious aspect of the game's art style and design, especially in a couple of key areas, is the rather obvious yonic imagery on display. (For those unfamiliar with the term, it means resembling the primary female sexual organ.) I asked my wife what these things looked like, and she immediately responded in kind without me giving it away first. It's obvious enough that it's a running gag when discussing the game in various circles online. There are no sexual references intended with the artistic design, but the designs look the way they look.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is both flawed and excellent. Technically, artistically, and sonically, it's nearly flawless. The main gameplay represents Metroid Prime quite well, and it plays like a dream. Unfortunately, the level design and some gameplay decisions are a mixed bag. Even despite this, I can't consider Prime 4 any less than a very good game, even if it falls short of greatness. If the rumors are true that Nintendo intends to release a new trilogy of Prime titles starting with Prime 4, then we have a lot of greatness to look forward to, as long as they learn from the lessons of the merely good but not great Prime 4. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond has some good bones, and hopefully Metroid Prime 5 puts them to good use! Even with its flaws, it's still a game I recommend for Metroid and action adventure lovers.