Samus returns once again. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond has finally landed on Nintendo Switch platforms. Is this a return to Prime Metroid or something to Dread? Grab the double jump upgrade and follow me as we find out!
Bounty Hunters, Bath, and Beyond
Following the events of Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Sylux, a bitter rival of Samus and the Galactic Federation, leads an assault on a facility harboring a mysterious artifact. After a brief battle, the artifact activates, teleporting Samus and everyone involved in the skirmish to a mysterious planet with few answers as to how and why. It’s now down to everyone’s favorite galactic bounty hunter to find out what has happened and get everyone back home safe, while putting a stop to the menacing Sylux’s plans.
The story is on par with previous titles in the franchise; as expected, Samus is somewhat of a chosen one and has ties to the mysterious planet. Given Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is a prequel to titles like Super Metroid and Metroid Dread, there isn’t too much movement in terms of character and story development to find here. Instead, it’s more focused on the tale of what happened on the planet and the conflict between Samus and Sylux.
Second Verse, Same As The First
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, which comes as a shock to absolutely no one, follows the gameplay beats of the previous games in the Prime series. It does have a slightly more focused combat system and significantly greater depth in the writing compared to the other titles in the series, aside from Metroid Dread and the remake of Metroid 2: Samus Returns.
You explore the world in a first-person perspective through the visor of series heroine Samus Aran. As such, the game has a special level of immersion that the 2D titles just can’t quite match. It also means platforming isn’t quite as prominent here, as outside of a few exceptions to the rule, platforming in first-person shooters is often painful.
If you’re coming in fresh from Metroid Dread and are less familiar with the series otherwise, you’ll be pleased to know that despite the camera angle shift, it’s mostly business as usual. You’ll be exploring areas, looking for upgrades, and activating triggers to further your adventure. There’s a reason “Metroid” is the first component in the term “Metroidvania”; Prime 4 is a mostly familiar adventure for the series, for the better.
As you explore the planet of Viewros, you’ll be using your visor to scan enemies, bits of the environment, and items to get further details about what is going on as you slowly uncover more of the map. In a move that won’t come as a surprise to those familiar with the series, Samus has lost her abilities again and needs to reclaim them as well as some new ones.
Friday Night Smackdown
Combat is quite fun, especially using the second Joy-Con as a mouse cursor when locked on for maximum freedom when it comes to aiming, enemy missiles be damned! You can dodge when locked on, allowing quick but short bursts of movement, and of course, Samus can charge her beam cannon and also unleash a barrage of missiles when required.
The major change or gimmick of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is the inclusion of the Vi-O-La motorcycle that Samus gets a few hours into the adventure. This is taken advantage of in the sprawling, empty literal sandbox of a desert they give her to drive around in for large swathes of the game. There is a basic amount of vehicle combat with locking on to fire or spinning Vi-O-La around to melee foes, but Twisted Metal this is not.
While Metroid Prime 4: Beyond does a good job of hitting traditional “Metroid” beats on a surface level, a few hours in, you start to realize that it feels more like a Metroid Parody than Prime. It feels like the team behind the game was torn between the idea of making a more traditional title like Metroid Prime Remastered and trying to further the series like Metroid Fusion and Other M tried before it.
All Fur Coat and No Knickers
The issue I had with Metroid Prime 4: Beyond was, funnily enough, one of the same major issues from the aforementioned Other M: it looks like a Metroid game but lacks a lot of the atmosphere and subtle nuances, opting for grand set pieces and large open worlds. The latter links in with a feature which undoubtedly comes off as more filler and less killer; that is, leading to an item search later on in the game so extensive that it would make The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker blush.
Boring, empty, lifeless, and forced open world aside, it’s also stuff like the inclusion of a wise-cracking sidekick who is one near miss away from “he’s behind me, isn’t he?” He’ll do things like irritatingly tell you an enemy needs missiles rather than letting you experiment or scan it for that info. The game offers the illusion of having these grand biomes to explore, but aside from coming back with a particular upgrade later on to grab an extra life slot, there isn’t that much in the way of meaningful exploration. It’s more a bunch of linear corridors that offer what feels like a vain attempt to make the planet feel a little more habitable, rather than completely alien and feral like the iconic ground of Zebes from the original Metroid.
Despite my complaints, I’d still say that Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is a great game, and fans of the genre/series will find much to love here; it just feels like a different game trying to imitate the original Prime trilogy. Even in the more populated sections of Prime 3, the game still had an atmosphere and specific level design magic to it that made it unmistakably a Metroid game. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, on the other hand, talks a big game but ultimately shies away from the alien and isolated atmosphere or labyrinthian worlds and fear of the unknown, instead offering all-out war scenes, buddy cop drama, and deceptively linear world design.
Prime Presentation
If there is one aspect I feel that is unmatched in Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, it is in its presentation, aforementioned level design issues aside. The game looks phenomenal on the Switch 2, both when using its intense graphics-focused mode or the 120fps-focused performance mode. The game just looks and performs to perfection.
The different biomes on the planet are visually varied and huge in scope. One area I particularly liked was the Vi-O-La Factory, which looks like something straight out of Star Wars. Weather effects are on full, and particles just hammer your screen. Rain pouring down Samus’ visor while the hum of electricity surrounds you, looks and sounds amazing.
The voice acting, as painful as it is to have some clumsy Federation troop prattle on at me throughout the game, is done well. It might not be to my taste, but I can appreciate the passion that went into it.
Another aspect Metroid rarely misses is the music. Of course, you’ve got a small armada’s worth of tracks from ambient to sci-fi action to just plain tense. The ambient music you’ll hear throughout most of your time playing through the open-world desert section is perhaps the only one that stands out as a negative in what is otherwise a bunch of hits.
Verdict
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond feels like a representation of where the franchise is in a way, stuck with one foot in the past and one in the present, without a clear direction of where it wants to go. It certainly has some great moments, is enjoyable overall, and is worthy of the franchise name, but several aspects of the game come off shallow. Waiting eight years since the initial announcement hasn’t helped establish this title as the definitive next step for Samus either.
While not a complete misstep, it isn’t the strongest action-adventure game or what I personally have come to expect from the same series that put out titles like Metroid Fusion and Metroid Prime Remastered. It’s nice to have Samus back, but if there’s a follow-up, next time I’d like a little more Metroid in my Prime.
METROID PRIME 4: BEYOND IS RECOMMENDED
If you would like to see more Nintendo games, you may be interested in our review of The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom.
Many thanks go to Nintendo for a Nintendo Switch 2 review code for this title.
Pride of utopia & greatest thing ever, I found the One Piece, Collected the Dragon Balls & won the Mortal Kombat Tournament in one night, it was quiet for me that night! Follow me on Twitter @powahdunk
