After 18 years of waiting, gamers finally have access to Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. It launched on 4th December 2025 for Switch 2 and the original Switch, with developer Retro Studios handling this project for Nintendo.
Although it’s been divisive with the media and gamers, for us it offers some of the most captivating, inspired moments in the series’ history. A genuine wonder… with the occasional flat moment. Let’s balance it all out and see what’s on offer.
A Breath-taking World of Exploration in Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
Okay, so Metroid Prime 4 wasn’t in development for 18 years. But it is 18 years since the last instalment, which launched on the Wii back in August 2007 to close out the brilliant Metroid Prime Trilogy.
However, the game has had an arduous development process.
US developer Retro Studios handled the original and acclaimed trilogy, but Nintendo first handed the latest project to Bandai Namco Studios. Metroid Prime 4 was announced at E3 2017, highlighting just how long it’s been doing the rounds. The game reached an extensive stage of development, too, until Nintendo suddenly announced in January 2019 the project was canned.
It was an unusual step for Nintendo, but not unheard of. The gaming giant explained the new game didn’t meet their standards.
The project was handed to Retro Studios. Concern there was this wasn’t the same Retro Studios of 2002 with the first Metroid Prime (on the GameCube). Much of the key staff from 20 years back have moved on to do other things, so it was down to a new team to deliver the goods.
From Development Stasis to FPS Glory
Since its launch, gaming press reaction has been very positive, if mixed, and rage bait YouTubers have been doing the usual thing of making out it’s the worst thing to happen to humanity sense the plague. The reality is, despite its innovative take on the Metroid Prime formula, we consider Beyond a goddamn triumph.
Us here at Professional Moron went into this review kind of expecting a strong game that perhaps didn’t live up to its full potential. The press reviews look like this:
- IGN: 8/10
- The Guardian: 4/5
- Nintendo Life: 9/10
- PCMag: 5/5
- Famitsu: 8/10, 7/10, 9/10, 8/10
- Video Games Chronicle: 3/5
- Destructoid: 7.5/10
Quite a wide verdict, then. As big fans of this series, one of Nintendo’s lesser-known franchises, we weren’t sure what to expect. But for us this is firmly in the 9/10 territory, an absolutely captivating sci-fi adventure with a focus on exploration, consideration, and methodical environment searches.
It’s not a traditional style first-person shooter (FPS). There are shooty boom boom moments, of course, but this is not DOOM: Eternal (2020). It’s an exploration game meets FPS and many Metroidvania elements, meaning you have to carefully explore a multi-layered world.
By the time we reached the second major level, the phenomenal Ice Belt, we were sold on it. Just one of the most flat out, breathless, intense experiences and as you bring the region to life, with the ice melting around you, and it’s really something special. One of the best gaming moments of 2025.
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond doesn’t always hit the incredible peaks of Ice Belt.
Some of the gameplay elements are a bit flat. For example, clearing an area like Ice Belt results in you getting a power up. But you have to carry that thing, rather pointlessly, back to a NPC (non-playable character) who’ll implement the power up. It’s tedious and stupid, a total waste of 10-20 minutes.
Plus, we died at one point in the first world (Volt Forge) and the game’s save system style means you must restart from the last time you saved. That meant we had to replay an entire 30 minute segment of the game we’d just cleared, rather than just use a checkpoint system (which Beyond does do, thankfully, for the game’s bosses).
That’s where the divisive nature of Beyond kicks in. It’s also quite linear, so the mind-bending Metroidvania elements are a bit more restricted. Plus, it introduces NPCs to the series for the first time and that’s led to some criticism.
They have voice actors for the roles and the characters are a bit… annoying.
Around the worlds/levels you explore, there’s also an open world element. A giant, DUNE type expanse of eerie dessert you explore on Samus’ motorbike (another new thing for the series). These new additions were only ever going to split fan opinions, but for us we have no issue in the series evolving.
For us, the above are minor issues. As the game is so regularly brilliant, with that aspect of using the morph ball to roll around, and how Retro Studios has designed this maze like world to let you explore. It’s really something. Again, at it’s best this offers some of the best Metroid moments.
One of the main additions being Samus’ new psychic abilities, which open the world in unique ways (although these are occasionally a bit clumsy and frustrating). Otherwise, every power up you gain is great fun and opens up the world and its various areas to explore.
The Prime series focusses on taking your time. It’s not like Valve’s Half-Life 2 (2004), Call of Duty, or most other FPS. You take your time, central to that being the series’ famous scan function.
As Samus in first-person mode, you have the option to scan your environment and objects within.
The attention to detail with that is staggering, there are 10,000+ objects to scan along the way and each part reveals something important about the world. Some gamers looking for a more frenzied type FPS may not like that, but it is the bedrock of the Prime franchise.
Away from the gameplay, it’s a wonderfully atmospheric world. The graphics and focus on detail are a marvel, complemented by the eerie and iconic score to these games (for Beyond completed by Kenji Yamamoto and Minako Hamano).
Think back to October 2021 and Nintendo launched Metroid Dread. That was a 2D platformer and a mighty fine one, too. We must note that Beyond is better. We appreciate other people’s opinions on the game and some of the negativity, but for us this is a glorious return for Samus.
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond isn’t always perfect. But its hit rate is constant, it’s an enthralling experience, and we were really swept along with it all. Across all 15+ hours, at the end of it we just wanted to get straight back into that world.
The only key point we make is to get the Switch 2 version.
If you still just have your original Nintendo Switch, then do consider the new Switch 2 console as it’s fantastic. Although we appreciate forking out for it may not be within your budget, but if it is then you can experience the gloriousness of Beyond as it was intended by Retro Studios.
