Developed by: Retro Studios Published by: Nintendo Platforms: Nintendo Switch 2 (Reviewed), Nintendo Switch Release Date: Out Now! This Blaugust feels as though it’s flown by; and for my penultimate post, I’m here with my second review of the month! Just like last week, my aim is to keep my review relevant to the weekly theme. Week 4 of Blaugust is “Staying Motivated” week, so I’ve decided to finally write up my thoughts on Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, which I finished off earlier this year. So why this game, you might ask? Well, it’s a game which had an infamously turbulent road to release. This started with the initial reveal at E3 2017, before the announcement of development being restarted in 2019, with Retro Studios (the developers of the original Metroid Prime Trilogy) coming back on board. We then had to wait several years, until June 2024 and the renewed announcement of the game, which finally launched in December 2025. Upon release, Metroid Prime 4 endured a mixed reception; and you can see the signs of disrupted development as you play, with some unusual decisions and inclusions. However, you can also see the many merits and talents of the people who worked on this game, shining through in several ways. This duality makes Metroid Prime 4 a fascinating game to talk about – and in this post, I’m going to summarise my thoughts in the form of a relatively brief review. As is my target for this month, I’m going to see if I can write my review more efficiently, and express my main thoughts without spending too long in the weeds of the details. In addition, I hope this is a post imbued with motivation for the Metroid Prime series – as despite some problems with Metroid Prime 4, there are many reasons for optimism about both this game and the future of the series as a whole. Without further ado then, let’s jump into my review for Metroid Prime 4: Beyond! The Chosen One So, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond begins with bombastic style; Sylux, a surviving villain from previous Prime games, is attacking Galactic Federation bases, and Samus is sent to stop his latest attack on the planet Tanamaar. As Samus arrives on the scene, we see her fly through the hailstorm of other ships and gunfire, setting the stage brilliantly for a cinematic adventure. When Samus lands, we finally get to take control, and this opening segment acts as a tutorial to get the player used to Samus and her first-person abilities again. After all, it’s been about two decades since Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, so I imagine many of us are a bit rusty! The opening sequence is incredibly fun, teaming up with Federation Marines to prevent the attack and defeat the first boss of the game, enjoying the feeling of embodying Samus at full strength and with all her equipment available. However, this is where Sylux walks in, and in the ensuing firefight, a mysterious object is struck and activated, transporting Samus (and others) to a brand new location. After the thrill of the opening sequence, this is where the game really begins. Samus learned TM29 Psychic! Samus wakes at Chrono Tower on the planet Viewros; the difference is immediate, with the sparse desert and abstract futurism of the tower design a stark contrast from the grey, military style of the Tanamaar base. We discover Samus has lost almost all her abilities (par for the course in Metroid) and she instead gains access to the Psychic Crystal, which grants her new Psychic abilities over the course of the game. At the top of Chrono Tower, Samus is informed that the native Lamorn have gone extinct, and she is the “Chosen One” who must bring their history to a new planet (no pressure then)! In order to do so, Samus must explore Viewros, find the four Master Teleporter Keys, and use them to activate the Master Teleporter and go home. I have to say I felt bad for Samus here – how many times is she going to end up stranded? Either way, it’s a classic video game set up; find the various items, and return back to a central location for a final boss fight sequence. Perhaps not the most original structure, but still effective, and it importantly lets the compelling Metroid Prime formula take the focus – with the added wrinkle that Sylux has been transported to Viewros as well, and is on his own quest to kill Samus and prevent our progress. We start by being teleported to Fury Green, the jungle area of Viewros; here, we start to become more familiar with our setting and situation, and something else becomes markedly clear; this is a stunningly beautiful game. The lush foliage, detailed environments, and atmospheric visual effects are incredibly impressive, and are a brilliant technical showcase for the capabilities of the Nintendo Switch 2. In combination with a suite of palpably immersive sound design, Metroid Prime 4 really encapsulates the sense of cathartic isolation at the heart of the series. I get the impression that Retro Studios wanted to bring Samus into the modern era with Metroid Prime 4, keeping the compelling Prime gameplay, but adding a more cinematic world and story. This is where the game is both ambitious but disappointing too. As Samus explores Fury Green, she runs into another friendly Federation Marine who’s been stranded on Viewros: Myles MacKenzie, an engineer. After saving him from a wave of attacking Grievers, he joins forces with Samus and sets up a hub of operations we can return to for information and upgrades. This isn’t the only friendly character; as the game continues, we build up a squad of sorts, consisting of various personalities and skill sets. As a premise, I love this – integrating Samus more into the universe. However, other than grunts of pain when hit by an enemy, or the occasional nod to a comrade, we never see Samus remove her helmet or even hear her talk, whereas other characters have plenty of dialogue. It feels very uncomfortable (and quite bizarre) when other characters are talking to Samus or even helping her out, and she just doesn’t reply at all. Furthermore, there are points later in the story centred around teamwork or sacrifices, and this disconnect between Samus and everyone else meant they didn’t land at all for me. My theory (I have no evidence) is that Samus did talk in a version of this game, but someone had veto power and told Retro Studios to remove her dialogue. Whichever the reason, this really hurt my experience of Metroid Prime 4. Forge A Path As you’d expect, Metroid Prime 4 sticks to the classic formula of shooting and exploration, with each new upgrade or ability granting access to previously locked sections of Viewros. The planet is structured with the vast open world of Sol Valley at the centre, and five gateways to other locations necessary for collecting the Master Teleporter Keys and leaving the planet. Each of these has their own distinct feel, whether that be the vast mechanical structures of Volt Forge, the intense heat of Flare Pool, the cold wasteland of Ice Belt, or the claustrophobic tunnels of the Great Mines. Within each are sprawling maps to explore and hidden secrets to uncover; in addition, there’s a superb balance of action and exploration, with one of my personal highlights being a tense outbreak and escape from the Ice Belt facility. On the other hand, the connecting open world is a disappointment. Sol Valley is mostly an empty desert area, with only a few challenge Shrines in the entire landscape, and a shallow side quest of breaking the many Green Crystals scattered over the map. Compared to almost any modern open world game, it is incredibly disappointing in comparison. The much needed (and much marketed) means of traversing Sol Valley is Vi-O-La, a new bike that Samus acquires in Volt Forge. I’m in two minds about this inclusion. At times, the bike can be very fun to use, and is certainly necessary for travel in the open world. When riding the bike, the game creates a strong sense of speed, and it has potent firepower for facing roaming enemies. Yet it is also relatively unwieldy, especially when cornering or in more enclosed areas; I also struggled to shake the feeling that Vi-O-La doesn’t fit with the often quiet and lonely tone of exploration in the Metroid Prime series; in fact, I found it most enjoyable when the vehicle is incorporated into set pieces, such as a spectacular boss fight in Flare Pool. Outside of these moments, I found the bike felt out of place, even though it’s a stylish creation by itself. In contrast, the new Psychic abilities are a very effective new inclusion. With the Metroid franchise now such a seasoned one, it’s easy for the familiar abilities – such as the Power Bomb or Charge Beam – to lose their surprise. The aforementioned Psychic abilities add a refreshing spin to many of these! For example, the Control Beam is a version of the Charge Beam that can be manually controlled and directed to targets out of our line of sight; and Psychic Bombs are bombs which can be picked up and thrown with the Psychic Glove. Both this Psychic Glove and the Psychic Visor can be utilised to manipulate the environment and the objects within it, often opening up new platforms and routes previously unavailable to us. Overall, these Psychic abilities are an underrated but also very successful part of Metroid Prime 4 from a gameplay innovation perspective. The Control Beam is essential for this boss As you can likely tell if you’ve read this far, there are some things I love about Metroid Prime 4, and some that I’m disappointed by. This disparate feel is compounded by the ending of the game, too. Without going too far into specifics, the final sequence contains multiple stages, all of which are challenging in their own way – even if not quite as varied as I’d hoped. Still, I felt satisfied by the completion of them, until the narrative decisions left me utterly confused. It’s not a good sign when a game cuts to credits and you’re surprised, because everything feels so unresolved. Even completing the game with 100% scans and Green Crystals doesn’t shed much more information, with a key cutscene about Sylux only able to be viewed in the gallery, not in game. This only makes me more convinced that the story of Metroid Prime 4 was significantly edited (and possibly at a late stage). I will say this though – the final note of the game could be an incredible set up for a sequel, if Retro Studios and Nintendo go ahead with a fifth Metroid Prime game! Final Thoughts I write that last point because Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is the framework of something excellent. The core gameplay is a brilliant continuation of the winning Metroid Prime formula, with the addition of innovative new Psychic abilities into the mix alongside many familiar abilities we know and enjoy. Plus, Metroid has never looked or sounded better, excelling on a presentation front on the Nintendo Switch 2 especially. When played in docked mode, it really is a captivating experience to behold. Yet, I can’t ignore the clear issues with the game, and they especially hurt because they feel like opportunities that weren’t taken. The idea of including supporting characters for Samus to build a rapport with is a wonderful one, but her lack of expression prevents this from ever working. As well as this, the open world of Sol Valley is far too empty and barren to feel enjoyable to explore, and ultimately just makes it feel like an unnecessary addition to fill out the play time of the game. Overall, I’d say whenever I was exploring Viewros alone as Samus, I thoroughly enjoyed myself – and whenever I was in the company of comrades or riding Vi-O-La in the open world, I found myself reminded of the clear drawbacks. Still, there’s much more great than bad in Metroid Prime 4, and I hope this isn’t the last we’ve seen of the franchise! 7.5/10 Rating: 7.5 out of 10.