Review: Metroid Prime 4 – Beyond

Metroid isn’t one of my go-to Nintendo franchises and somehow, I skipped most of them growing up, either because it was never on the 82-in-1 cartridges I owned for my Golden China knockoff NES or because I owned a Mega Drive instead of a SNES and it seemed to skip the N64.

My only exposure to Samus was occasionally choosing her in Smash Brothers and playing a few hours of my mate Chiraag’s Metroid Dread and quitting because of the difficulty.

I still recognise the franchise is a big deal with hordes of passionate fans so in spite going into this with zero Prime games completed, I was excited.

I put in most of my hours while on holiday, on flights and layovers, and that made the game feel so memorable because it matched the rhythm of travel and downtime. There’s something special about the games you choose to play on holiday, from God of War Ragnarok defining my December 2022 to Mario Wonder in 2023 (also my only 10/10 game since The Last of Us 2) so I expect that to flavour my review a bit.

Gameplay

At its core, Beyond feels a bit like Halo, but modernised in some parts. I haven’t seen other reviews describe it like that but that’s how I felt. Halo games don’t have great visual feedback when you shoot enemies and Metroid was the same. I wanted bodies to contort a little and more accurate ragdoll physics.

I haven’t played the others, so I don’t have a point of comparison.  You explore interconnected environments, scan everything that could hide secrets, fight aliens, and unlock abilities that let you reach places you could not before.

The basic combat is solid and satisfying, with Samus’s controls feeling tight and responsive. Gyro and mouse-style aiming options make shooting feel precise, although not everyone will love mouse controls on a Joy-Con. I tried mouse controls for a bit and then switched back to controller.

The game mixes exploration with guided progression. Some areas like the open desert valley drag at times and feel a bit repetitive and unnecessarily padded out, like too much lettuce in a salad, but boss fights and combat encounters were strong and often highlight the best moments of the game.

Graphics and presentation

On the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, Beyond looks great. You choose between a quality mode with 4K visuals at up to 60fps when docked, and a performance mode that targets 120fps at up to 1080p. Both modes are smooth, and handheld performance is excellent, with environments feeling detailed and varied from jungle to temples to biomechanical ruins.

The sound design and soundtrack is really memorable and while not Donkey Kong Country, is still catchy. I found the narrative to not be as compelling as other games I played recently like Mafia Old Country or Ghost of Yotei.

Difficulty and accessibility

Beyond gives you more control over difficulty than other Metroid games. You can pick easier settings to focus on story and exploration or crank up challenge if you want tougher combat. I opted for easy because I struggled enough with paying R100 for cappuccinos in Hong Kong to also struggle with a videogame.

Value for money

Base game content and length feel appropriate for a full-price title. It took me about 16 or so hours to roll credits and I got stuck a few times. I didn’t like that some items were locked to Amiibos but I’m used to that mechanic from other Nintendo games and it wasn’t a dealbreaker. The game costs R1 599 which is unfortunately the going rate for most Triple A titles these days.

Final verdict

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond modernises a beloved formula in ways that largely work. The combat is decent, the world is worth exploring, and the Switch 2 performance modes are excellent.

Aside from some pacing and narrative missteps, this is a strong entry that works well for newcomers. Playing it while traveling made it a bit more special and by the time I got back home I was satisfied I had invested my time well.

Metroid Prime 4 is available on both the Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo Switch 2.