Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Review – Prime, But Not Quite Prime Prime

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Metroid Prime 4: Beyond starts with a large-scale battle where Samus joins Federation forces. The initial action feels reminiscent of games like Halo, suggesting a new direction for the Metroid series. While the game does move away from some traditional Metroid Prime elements – notably with more interaction with Federation characters and a focus on combat – most of the game successfully builds upon the classic Prime formula. The result is a rewarding return to the series, expertly capturing what makes Prime great, though its experimental ideas are a mixed bag.

The game begins with a large-scale battle between the Federation and a group of Space Pirates led by Sylux, a recurring rival of the hero Samus Aran. Sylux is mysteriously controlling Metroids, but the immediate goal is for the Federation to secure an ancient artifact before Sylux can get to it. When the mission fails spectacularly, the artifact sends Samus to Viewros, a planet that’s slowly dying after its inhabitants, the Lamorn, vanished long ago. Samus discovers a Psychic Crystal that allows her to use the Lamorn’s advanced technology. She soon realizes she’s not the only one stranded there—Sylux, along with Federation soldiers and equipment, has also been transported to Viewros. Now, they’re all stuck on this desolate planet and must find a way to escape.

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Recordings show the Lamorn believe whoever possesses the Psychic Crystal is their prophesied savior. While it’s now impossible to rescue the Lamorn themselves, they want to ensure their history and culture survive. To do this, they’ve created a Memory Fruit for the Crystal bearer to take off-planet using a powerful teleporter. It’s a bittersweet situation – you can’t save the Lamorn, but you can preserve their legacy. Your mission has two parts: deliver the Memory Fruit to another world, and use the Lamorn’s teleportation technology to rescue yourself and the other stranded Federation soldiers. Let the adventure begin!

The technology linked to Lamorn’s psychic abilities works a lot like the upgrades Samus usually gets, but with a psychic edge. You’ll quickly unlock the Control Beam, a psychic version of your charged shot that you can guide around corners, and the Psychic Bomb, which creates a psychic energy source from a bomb that can power other devices. These are cool additions, though some can be a bit complicated to use. For instance, using the Psychic Bomb requires a few steps: switching to Morph Ball mode, holding a button to create the energy source, switching back out of Morph Ball mode, and then switching to a special visor to collect it. It becomes easier with practice, but a more streamlined approach would have been helpful.

You’ll also get the Vi-O-La, a futuristic motorcycle that helps you travel quickly across the large world between main areas. I wasn’t a fan of it at first. It initially felt like just a tool for crossing the desert of Viewros, but I started to enjoy it as I played. It felt a bit stiff compared to other racing games, but once I got used to how it handled, I found it much more enjoyable. Making tight turns eventually became satisfying, though the open world often felt too empty to really show it off. Unfortunately, the Vi-O-La highlights one of the game’s control quirks. By default, you summon the Vi-O-La with the Start button, and access menus with the Select button. This allows you to quickly hop on and off the bike, which feels good. However, it means you often accidentally call the Vi-O-La when you try to pause the game, or get a message saying it’s not available when you’re exploring.

Prime 4 features many more characters than previous Metroid games, which may not appeal to all players. You’ll initially be guided by Myles MacKenzie, but he quickly takes a backseat. While some fans worried about a talkative companion, Myles mostly acts as an optional hint system you can contact via radio. Throughout the game, you’ll meet various allies, often fitting familiar military roles like the lone sniper or tough sergeant. The story focuses heavily on these characters, and though their acting is solid and they become endearing like Vi-O-La, they’re somewhat stereotypical. Notably, Samus remains completely silent, communicating with others almost entirely through yes or no responses.

What I really loved is that even with more characters around, the game still managed to keep that classic Metroid feeling of being alone and exploring. Things really open up once you get the first couple of teleporter keys, and then the other areas feel just like the original Prime games – you’re left to discover secrets on your own. The Ice Belt is a perfect example; it’s so lonely and quiet, but with this creepy feeling that something bad is about to happen. It’s also where I learned a lot about the story and what happened to the Lamorn. The Flare Pool was different – it focused more on action, and even had me fighting alongside other Federation soldiers. It was cool, but also stressful because those squadmates could actually die, and if they did, it was game over if I didn’t heal them quickly enough. That didn’t happen too often, but it was super frustrating to lose progress at the last second, especially near the end when things got really hard.

The game’s structure feels like a series of connected, but distinct, sections – similar to exploring the vast world of Brinstar in Super Metroid. You really dig into each area, uncovering everything it has to offer before moving on, and it can take hours to fully explore. The action sequences offer a welcome change of pace from the more atmospheric exploration, creating a good rhythm to the gameplay.

It was always fascinating, though a bit disturbing, to observe how some creatures developed Metroids – essentially like growths – on their bodies.

The game does offer some guidance, which can be both helpful and annoying. At first, I found the hints a bit frustrating, like when my companion, Myles, insisted I hadn’t found everything in an area. I assumed he meant common hidden objects, but it turned out I was actually missing something important for the story, and he was trying to steer me right. I should have paid attention! However, this constant nudging can also become irritating. When I found a new upgrade chip, the initial reminder to return to base and install it was useful. But by the third chip, I’d figured it out and didn’t need Myles to point it out and mark it on my map – I was already on my way back before he even spoke.

As you explore the game’s world, you’ll frequently find and run into green crystals. These crystals contribute to a progress bar for restoring the Memory Fruit, but the bar fills very slowly. Just collecting crystals while completing missions wasn’t enough to fill it before the end of the game, so I had to spend extra time specifically searching for them. This felt like repetitive grinding, similar to what you find in RPGs—not terrible, but a bit boring and not really what I enjoy in a Metroid game.

I have mixed feelings about the large desert area between key locations. On the one hand, it really reinforces the sense of a desolate, dying world, and makes you feel small and isolated. It’s also surprisingly easy to navigate, thanks to the huge structures that act as natural landmarks. However, the sheer size of the desert doesn’t always feel necessary, and traveling between locations can become repetitive and slow. Even with the Vi-O-La mount, I often wished there was a fast-travel system. This is particularly frustrating when returning to base, as you have to ride to the entrance and then go through a lengthy, animated cannon launch to get back to the Fury Green area.

After finishing the game, I lost some of my excitement to return to Metroid Prime 4 because of a frustrating save system. I expected to be able to load an earlier save and continue exploring for missed upgrades, even after the point of no return warning. However, the game’s auto-save locked me into the final area, and my most recent manual save was overwritten with a “Mission Complete” message, forcing me to start a new game if I load it. I wish the game had warned me that the point of no return would erase all my saves, as I would have made a backup first. Now I can’t go back to explore without starting over.

Beyond excels at the core elements that make Metroid Prime great. It features classic ‘metroidvania’ exploration – a clear path guides you forward without leaving you completely lost, while still offering plenty of hidden secrets to discover. I often found small openings or noticed something unusual, and investigating always paid off. Even the desert, though less lively than recent Zelda games, contains optional puzzles that unlock some of the game’s best upgrades. The game’s focus on psychic abilities cleverly encourages you to constantly scan your surroundings, which helps with both exploration and finding secrets. Unlike previous Prime games where scanning felt separate from gameplay, here it’s seamlessly integrated, making exploration feel more connected and rewarding.

As a fan, I’m really impressed with how fluid and responsive the combat feels on the Switch 2, especially in Quality Mode where it consistently hits 60fps. The target lock-on isn’t just a simple way to hit enemies; it actually adds to the skill because enemies move around the lock, forcing you to lead your shots and adjust your aim on the fly. It’s fantastic! What really blew me away is how seamlessly you can switch between Joy-Con and mouse controls – no menus needed! It’s a clever bit of hardware that actually enhances gameplay. And all of this comes together beautifully in the boss battles, which are easily some of the best in the series. They’re challenging and unique, and the way the Metroids are integrated into the boss designs is just brilliant – and a little unsettling! Seeing them growing on the local creatures like… well, like cysts, was always a cool and slightly gross detail, and it’s back in full force here.

The Switch 2 version of the game is visually impressive, offering some of the best graphics we’ve seen on a Nintendo system. While some smaller details, like certain plants or metal structures, aren’t always perfect, the game frequently looks stunning. Areas like the frozen laboratory and the futuristic buildings really stand out. It doesn’t quite reach the visual quality of the game on PC or more powerful consoles, but it’s still a beautiful experience. I especially love how Samus’ new suit looks, and the high visual fidelity in cutscenes really showcases the detail in its textures and materials.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond occasionally feels like a game shaped by its difficult and lengthy development process. It sometimes includes gameplay features that were popular in the past, such as large, empty areas and AI-controlled teammates, but these elements aren’t as polished as the classic Metroid Prime exploration and story. While the game can be inconsistent and a little rough around the edges, it often reaches – and sometimes surpasses – the high points of the series.

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2025-12-02 18:12