Metroid Prime 4: Beyond has had quite the tumultuous development cycle. Originally announced in the E3 Nintendo Spotlight presentation in 2017, we’ve been waiting a long time to finally get our hands on this project. During the recent Nintendo Switch 2 media event, I got roughly 15 minutes with Metroid Prime 4: Beyond.
There wasn’t any one moment in Beyond that was earth-shattering. Nothing that knocked my socks off or flipped the formula on its head, and I don’t mean this as a negative. What makes a franchise like Metroid Prime sing is the interconnected world and intricacies of its level design. Having those moments of elation after bashing your head against a wall trying to figure out how to reach a high ledge or a powerup that’s just out of grasp. Discovering small corridors or holes you didn’t know existed the first 100 times you walked through an area.
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The demo for Beyond I played was not long enough to discover them, but it was long enough to know that the philosophies haven’t changed. Walking through dense areas with plenty of objects to scan, it felt like reconnecting with an old friend you haven’t seen in a while. I didn’t relish in this moment for too long though, because the demo pushed me along a relatively linear path.
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Features A New Way to Play
Everything felt fluid as I blasted my way through dozens of enemies using the new Joy-Con 2 mouse controls. Now, maybe that was because I was playing at 120 frames-per-second– A first for a Nintendo console. For those uninterested in the higher framerate, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond will also be available at 4K resolution with 60 FPS in docked mode if you choose Quality Mode.
The game, itself, looks stunning, the open areas with breathtaking vistas in the distance showcase the power of the Nintendo Switch 2 hardware. Of course, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is also coming to the original Nintendo Switch, but we don’t have a comparison reference for that version as it was not available to play at the event.
The demo felt like an opening tutorial of sorts, using the limited powers I had at my disposal. A small Morph Ball sequence had me rolling around the rafters and a battle waged below me. Using bombs to clear obstructions allowed me to progress along the path to my next arena full of enemies. As I made my way through the facility, I helped a group of guards attempt to protect something known as “The Artifact,” which seems to be part of the central plot of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. After a shootout with some Space Pirates, it was time to confront the mutated Space Pirate Aberax in a one-on-one showdown.
The Joy-Con 2 mouse shines in Metroid Prime 4.
The fight against Aberax is where the mouse controls of the Joy-Con 2 really shine. The precision aiming needed to hit Aberax’s glowing weak points was made much easier thanks to the natural feel of playing with a mouse. Using the left Joy-Con 2 to control Samus’ movements was also easy. However, if you prefer to play with the standard controller, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond still has the lock-on feature and is totally playable in this mode too.
There was quite a bit of platforming involved in this fight as Abreax unleashed devastating energy waves that I had to jump over or quickly turn into the Morph Ball to duck underneath. It was a slugfest as we traded blows, and I watched its health bar slowly tick down.
After finishing the fight, I was introduced to Sylux, the game’s main antagonist, who originally appeared in Metroid Prime Hunters for the Nintendo DS. While we still don’t know much about the story or general level design of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, I’m still just as excited as I was eight years ago.
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond launches in 2025 for the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2.
