'metroid Prime 4: Beyond' Thrillingly Brings The Series Into The Modern Era

Earlier this year, I played Metroid Prime for nan first clip successful astatine slightest a decade. Back successful 2023, Nintendo released a remastered version of nan 2002 classical for nan Switch, and I felt for illustration dusting it disconnected erstwhile we yet knew Metroid Prime 4: Beyond would get this twelvemonth aft astir a decade successful development. The original Metroid Prime holds up amazingly good for a 23-year-old game, but location were plentifulness of times wherever it showed its age. The platforming often felt overly clunky, arsenic precise power complete Samus Aran is not nan game’s beardown suit. Similarly, dealing pinch larger hordes of energy-sucking Metroids could get beautiful frustrating, again owed to a deficiency of precision.

But nan main emotion I came distant from nan crippled pinch was excitement complete a afloat modernized Metroid Prime experience. I’ve been willing successful seeing really nan lush alien worlds, monstrous enemies and first-person combat would consciousness connected a existent console, built pinch today’s exertion and nan galore improvements that person travel to crippled creation since 2002. I yet sewage a chance to play astir 90 minutes of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond last week and thing I saw diminished my excitement for nan bid being brought into nan existent decade — moreover if nan crippled felt almost excessively acquainted astatine times.

I played 2 segments of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. The first is an opening series that Nintendo made disposable for group to effort astatine nan Switch 2 demo experiences earlier this twelvemonth earlier nan console launched, while nan 2nd is simply a longer portion that takes spot connected a gorgeous alien satellite wherever it seems nan bulk of nan crippled will apt return place. That first conception is nan classical “get nan subordinate acquainted pinch nan controls” level wherever Samus flies successful to thief take sides a guidelines nether attack. Since I had played nan Switch type of Metroid Prime recently, I felt correct astatine location pinch nan controls moreover though a fewer buttons were remapped. All of nan classical Metroid moves, including complaint blasts, nan morph ball, nan rocket cannon, nan scanning visor and much are intact here, and I quickly slipped backmost into nan regular of scanning enemies for anemic points and blasting away.

Right from nan jump, nan crippled looks fantastic. There’s an extended cutscene (at slightest for a Metroid game) that shows Samus flying successful to prevention nan time done a battle-torn base, and everything from nan flash of fireball explosions to mini specifications connected Samus’s vessel springiness disconnected a level of item that we simply haven’t seen successful a Metroid crippled before.

I was playing nan crippled connected nan Switch 2, successful some handheld mode and hooked up to a TV and it looked awesome either way. The aforementioned explosions popped nicely successful HDR and nan framework complaint ne'er stuttered successful a measurement that I picked up on. As usual, Nintendo’s creation guidance is top-notch, but this is nan first Metroid Prime crippled made connected a console pinch immoderate powerfulness down it (remember, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption came retired connected nan original Wii). The crippled isn’t rather aiming for photorealistic graphics, but it’s person than almost immoderate different Nintendo crippled I tin deliberation of. The combo of impeccable style and a modern solution that yet lets nan Metroid world radiance is thrilling, and I can’t hold to spot much assortment successful nan worlds that Samus explores.

There’s besides a batch much sound chatter than successful nan original Metroid Prime. As you get dropped into defending nan guidelines nether attack, plentifulness of different soldiers admit Samus, inquire for help, show her wherever to spell and mostly praise her for being a badass. It’s a batch much sound activity than I’m utilized to successful a Metroid game, and it goes a agelong measurement towards making nan travel consciousness little isolated.

The 2nd area I sewage to research looks moreover amended than nan somewhat generic guidelines wherever nan crippled kicks off. It’s a classical Metroid world that mixes earthy beauty pinch a mysterious, alien culture. And, of course, a batch of nan quality wants to termination you for invading its territory (or perchance because it is being controlled by extracurricular forces). The large leader of nan demo was trim from this cloth: a elephantine tentacled works flinging its elephantine spiked arms astatine you and firing disconnected venomous flowers. A classical Metroid conflict if ever location was one, albeit 1 that felt not wildly different from immoderate of nan leader battles from Metroid Prime. That said, nan scope of nan conflict felt bigger, owed to nan size of nan arena and really nan plant’s tentacles made maneuvering and getting disconnected clear shots a challenge. While nan leader intelligibly had a cardinal assemblage correct successful nan mediate of nan room, nan tentacles made it consciousness for illustration it was each astir me, astatine each times

This leader felt for illustration an upscaled but acquainted type of ones from past games, and it was acold from nan only point that felt familiar. For example, nan crippled still uses prevention stations scattered passim nan representation to prevention your advancement alternatively than conscionable autosaving astatine important points. That’s a throwback I didn’t precisely miss and didn’t expect to spot successful 2025. Plenty of nan euphony cues and sound effects felt for illustration they could person been lifted consecutive from different Metroid Prime games, and nan basal move group and weapons Samus has early successful nan crippled is astir identical to really you commencement Metroid Prime. Naturally, thing happens wherever she loses astir of those abilities and has to regain them to advancement — successful nan demo, I had to find nan Morph Ball powerfulness up to move on, conscionable arsenic you do successful astir each Metroid crippled before.

At times, it felt for illustration nan crippled was leaning a spot excessively heavy connected nan already-established model alternatively than trying thing new. But fixed that I was early successful nan game, I’m allowing for location to beryllium a batch of unexpected changes to come. And I did get a chance to effort retired nan biggest gameplay alteration Nintendo has teased frankincense acold (no, not nan motorcycle): caller psychic abilities.

These powers, astatine slightest successful nan demo, are chiefly utilized for solving biology puzzles, arsenic they supply a caller measurement to interact pinch various objects and structures. But there’s besides a combat constituent that I needed to usage to hit nan aforementioned boss. You tin complaint and occurrence disconnected a benignant of psychic beam — erstwhile it leaves your blaster, clip slows to astir a crawl and you tin return power of its guidance pinch nan analog stick. While fighting nan boss, I had to guideline nan beam astir a big of obstacles to deed each of nan 3 tentacles; erstwhile I did that, nan monster was susceptible and I could past complaint successful and blast it pinch my accepted weapons. You tin spot immoderate examples of this powerfulness successful action successful nan video below.

I wish I sewage a chance to spot really these powers would germinate passim nan game, and I’m decidedly intrigued to spot really they negociate to abstracted nan gameplay successful Metroid Prime 4: Beyond from nan aspects of it that consciousness simply for illustration an updated type of what came before. And to beryllium honest, I’m not sad nan crippled feels familiar. Plenty of group haven’t knowledgeable nan Metroid Prime bid earlier aliases haven’t played it successful much than a decade, and galore of nan acquainted aspects felt for illustration a cleanable illustration of “if it’s not broke, don’t hole it.” And it won’t beryllium agelong earlier we tin each find retired if Metroid Prime 4: Beyond finds a measurement to really guidelines retired from its predecessors aft each this time. The crippled arrives connected December 5 for Switch and Switch 2.