Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Review - Back To Bounty Hunting

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Review - Back To Bounty Hunting By  Chris Carter Published 39 minutes ago Chris is A Gaming Editor at ScreenRant. He has been a professional writer since 2009, and has written for top TV, comics, movie, and video game outlets like Engadget, Polygon, Destructoid, and more. He brings with him an expertise in every game genre, no matter how niche or mainstream. You may know him as the former Managing/Reviews Editor of Destructoid, where he published hundreds of game reviews across every genre, including MMOs, sports games, and Metroidvanias. Find Chris on Twitter @_SRChris. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

Although a lot of major franchises are eating well in this modern era, Metroid fans know that rough patches can be around the corner for any storied series. Just take the wait for Metroid Prime 4, for example: it's been so long since the last entry that some fans have had kids who have grown up and left the house in that time.

A lot of those fans are going to enjoy this newest entry, which once again puts bounty hunter and galactic hero Samus Aran at the forefront. If you're not a fan, though, you'll need to get used to a few long-running Metroid Prime quirks.

Samus Is Back, And It Took Long Enough

The Iconic Bounty Hunter Returns To First-Person

Metroid Prime 4's Samus holding up her fist, which is glowing purple

When we last left Samus in the Prime universe, the hunter Sylux was pursuing her. Now, she's stranded on the planet Viewros and must unravel the mysteries of the ancients while wielding psychic powers, and using a motorcycle to traverse a sandbox-like hub desert that connects the four main zones you'll be exploring throughout the game.

The cycle, called the Vi-0-La, is a key part of the game's core loop, and will potentially inform how much you enjoy Metroid Prime 4 as a whole. While the desert is barren at first glance, it holds a wealth of secrets and is woven into the fabric of the entire game, all the way through the ending.

It's an interesting concept, and for the most part, I did buy into it. Even when I just needed to get from Point A to Point B, it never felt like a chore to get on the cycle and ride. It's as easy as pressing a button (+ on Switch) and off you go, so long as you're in a driveable area like the hub mentioned above.

That aim for accessibility also plays into one of the most contentious elements of the game: the addition of some friendly troopers that chat you up throughout the game's narrative. Now, I was expecting the worst here, but ended up being pleasantly surprised. Not only are several NPCs fun to listen to (and have extensive backstories to boot), but their direct impact on gameplay is typically minimal.

Metroid Prime 4 Gameplay.

A lot of the ways you'll interact with them are optional, including the ability to radio into a friendly NPC named Myles Mackenzie for hints. You'll typically head into a core game area for an item, hear some chatter from your team after, and then check in at the base to actually install said item. In that time, you only need to listen to Mackenzie in audio form, and only for a few minutes when occasionally installing your upgrades.

None of them are by any means "companions" that follow you throughout the entire game, which was the worst of my fears, especially given how many AAA studios have failed at the execution of this idea in recent years. While I would have preferred more autonomy from Samus in general, this is still very much her adventure.

It's a good thing, too, because you're going to be doing lots of blasting in this game, which Metroid Prime 4 leans into. Combat is constant in this game, including in the overworld on your bike. Even in cutscenes, Samus is often seen pointing her arm cannon at foes immediately, blasting first, then asking questions later.

While there are plenty of moments where the story slows down and sheds some light on your situation on Viewros (as well as the backstory of the planet and its inhabitants), you will be attacking nearly everything in sight, so don't worry.

I Hope You Like Scanning Things

Sometimes It's Too Much

First-person screenshot of Samus using her scanner in Metroid Prime 4. A dead Space Pirate's morphology is being studied.

Most of the time you can just shoot your way through, but for the boss fights that occur every one or two hours, you'll need to utilize some extra mechanic, like Samus' morph ball, or any number of Viewros upgrades and psychic abilities. While I won't spoil them all here, one of the first upgrades you acquire is the power to shoot a slow-motion ball of energy, and control it in first-person (similar to the Nikita Launcher in Metal Gear Solid).

Not only will you use this controlled blast with puzzles, but you'll also need to wield it in several boss and miniboss fights, navigating around hazards to blow up a weak point. The way in which upgrades are linked to boss battles feels slick, and more like a classic Zelda game, where you need to use all the tools in your arsenal to take out some of the more formidable enemies.

Given that Metroid Prime 4 runs at 4K at 60 FPS (or 1080p at 120 FPS in performance mode), the Switch 2 is up to the task to showcase all of this action in a way that wasn't really possible in many first-party Nintendo releases. The first-person action still holds up, and you have the option to use a lock-on mechanic or free aim as you build up your arsenal and gain access to new elemental weapons (which also factor into the game's puzzles and boss fights).

Where Metroid Prime 4 slips up a bit is in excessive use of the scanner. With the press of a button, Samus can scan her surroundings, including enemies, hazards, doors, and lore objects. In many cases, you'll be granted extra tidbits of information that help pepper in lore for Viewros, connecting you to its people and the area in which the game takes place.

Screenshot showing Samus lock onto an enemy during combat in Metroid Prime 4 Beyond.

In the rare moments where I could scan for fun and learn more about the game, it ruled. But for the most part, scanning feels like a chore and can give away some puzzle solutions. It's not like you can avoid it either, as Metroid Prime 4 forces you to scan a lot of consoles to progress, which stick out on your scanning HUD like a sore thumb and make some sequences and exploration trivial. Scanning is a core part of the Prime ethos, but it could have been refined here to give the player more agency.

By far, my most enjoyable sessions of Metroid Prime 4 were when the game told me nothing. There was nothing to scan (or the scans came up completely inconclusive), no hints, and no NPCs offering help. It was just me, Samus' arm cannon, and my brain trying to figure out some of the more challenging puzzles. If that was the entire game, Metroid Prime 4 could be in the conversation for Game of the Year in my eyes.

That said, Metroid Prime 4 dips and dives so often you won't be stuck in a section you aren't enjoying for long. The loop of getting on your bike, heading to an area, then diving in and exploring it still works, especially if you're off the critical and beaten path.

Hopefully, Metroid Prime 5 Doesn't Take 18 Years

I Want To See This Through

Samus driving the Vi-O-La motorcycle in Metroid Prime 4.

I had a bittersweet reaction when I rolled credits on Metroid Prime 4. Without spoiling anything, I knew how special this would feel to fans nearly every moment playing through it, but it's not an easy game to recommend wholesale. There's a start-and-stop quality to it that can feel jarring at times, especially with the scanning mechanic.

The addition of a "crew" is also going to come as a shock to some, especially after living through the disappointment of how Metroid: Other M handled the addition of extra cast members in a relatively solitary series. Samus works best alone, but the friendlies in Metroid Prime 4 were far less annoying than I initially expected them to be.

If you consider yourself a big Metroid fan, you'll probably find a lot to love about Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. It hits many of the same beats as the past three games in the series, which, in turn, owe much to the classic entries. Just go in with an open mind.

8/10

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond

Reviewed on Switch 2.

Like Follow Followed Action First-Person Adventure Metroidvania OpenCritic Reviews Released December 4, 2025 ESRB Teen / Animated Blood, Violence Developer(s) Retro Studios Publisher(s) Nintendo Engine RUDE engine Prequel(s) Metroid Prime 3: Corruption 6 Images Close

Genre(s) Action, First-Person, Adventure, Metroidvania Expand Collapse Pros & Cons

• An engaging adventure with some clever puzzles.
• Great visual fidelity and performance on Switch 2.
• Fantastic boss battles.

• The story is abrupt and sometimes meandering.
• Scanning can feel like a chore.

• Gaming
• Metroid Prime 4

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