Metroid Prime 4: Beyond’s Ending Does Samus Dirty (Spoilers)

by

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond aims to both continue the story of previous games and revitalize the franchise after a long hiatus. While Nintendo hasn’t officially stated it, the game feels like the beginning of a new series of Prime adventures, potentially even another trilogy. The game’s ending strongly suggests more stories are to come, but it does so in a way that somewhat changes the established character of the hero, Samus Aran.

Spoilers for Metroid Prime 4: Beyond follow.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond includes a variety of Federation characters who are stuck on the planet Viewros alongside Samus. Throughout your journey in Sol Valley, you’ll encounter five of them: Myles MacKenzie, an engineer who needs saving; Reger Tokabi, a sniper who shares personal stories; Sergeant Ezra Duke; Private Nora Armstrong, a huge fan of Samus; and VUE-995, a mech unit. Each character interacts with Samus in a unique way, offering different perspectives and experiences.

How invested you become in these characters will likely differ, as I found them to be fairly typical military figures. However, the game clearly wants you to form a connection with them. They essentially function as your team, supporting you from the base camp in various ways. When you attempt the crucial mission to infiltrate the Lamorn tower, you’ll face it together. While the stated goal is to reactivate the Master Teleporter and return home, the game subtly implies you’re also working to rescue your crew – they’re all stranded and hoping to get home, just like you are.

Just as you begin powering up the Master Teleporter, Sylux launches his attack. The final fight becomes a chaotic team effort, where you’re working with all five Federation soldiers, rushing to revive them when they fall, and breaking through Sylux’s defenses so they can focus their fire on him. However, even after seemingly defeating him, Sylux returns. The teleporter is badly damaged and won’t last long, and it requires Samus to operate. Sylux is fixated on attacking Samus, knowing that if she’s injured, the teleporter will be useless. In a heroic sacrifice, the Federation squad members each restrain Sylux, buying Samus precious time. They urge her to escape, and at the most intense moment, you must press A to teleport away, leaving your comrades behind to protect you as they hold onto Sylux.

That is: The five Federation characters act selflessly and heroically, while Samus saves herself.

Given the dire situation, Samus really doesn’t have a choice – failing to activate the teleporter means instant death and restarting that part of the boss fight. She’s not acting out of selfishness, but she isn’t being particularly selfless either. This is Samus Aran, a renowned hero with a long history of incredible feats. Everyone knows her reputation and naturally expects her to succeed. Considering all she’s accomplished in the past, it’s difficult to believe she couldn’t have found another solution instead of leaving her team behind.

Okay, so the ending of Metroid Prime 4 has me thinking… if this is supposed to lead into a new game, what’s going to happen next? Sylux is still out there, stranded on that crumbling planet with no obvious way to get off. And the really scary part? He’s still in charge of the Metroids and seems to still have those space pirates following his orders. I’m also wondering about the Federation troops who were with me. Did Sylux take them out right after I escaped, or did they manage to get back to base? Either way, without anyone to operate the teleporter, they’re stuck too. It’s a pretty intense cliffhanger!

Now that the game is over, it’s unclear what the future holds. Will the next installment center around the conflict with Sylux? Will Samus return to the planet Viewros to find her allies? Even knowing where Viewros is seems uncertain, given the vastness of space. The quick glimpse of a star map hints that it’s likely lost somewhere among countless unexplored worlds. Ultimately, the ending doesn’t offer much direction for Samus’s story after this game, leaving the revival feeling somewhat aimless. This lack of a clear path forward results in a disappointing final impression of Samus Aran.

There’s a touching moment where Samus pays tribute to her fallen friends, but it doesn’t really tell us what’s next. Overall, the ending is pretty bleak. While it’s great to have Metroid Prime back, the story ends with Samus unable to save those who relied on her, and a new group of characters becoming the heroes. Even if you like these new characters, it feels like Samus was sidelined in her own game.

As you reach the last area with your team, you can speak to each member individually before the final fight. They each share thoughts that fit their personalities – some are humorous, others thoughtful. VUE apologizes for damaging Betsy, the large mech you used to break through the forcefield, and Tokabi notes the area feels holy. Throughout the area, your troops discuss finding the teleporter and how much they want to leave. Armstrong, a dedicated private who admires Samus, simply says, “Finally, we get to go home.”

I’m sorry Armstrong, but no we don’t. Not all of us. Not yet.

Read More

2025-12-05 22:40