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Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
2025 video game From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is a 2025 action-adventure game developed by Retro Studios and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo Switch 2. Players control the bounty hunter Samus Aran, who is transported to the undiscovered planet Viewros and tasked with a mission from its inhabitants, the Lamorn. She fights for survival while confronting her rival Sylux, who holds a grudge against her and the Galactic Federation.
Beyond retains the first-person gameplay of previous Metroid Prime games. Players guide Samus through non-linear environments, fight enemies, upgrade her abilities and scan objects and lifeforms for information. Beyond adds psychic abilities, used to control beam shots and manipulate objects, and a hub world, which Samus crosses with a new motorcycle, the Vi-0-La. The Nintendo Switch 2 version includes support for the Joy-Con 2 mouse controls for more precise aiming.
Nintendo announced Metroid Prime 4 for Switch at E3 2017. It was initially developed by Bandai Namco Studios overseen by Kensuke Tanabe, the producer of the previous Metroid Prime games. In 2019, unhappy with progress, Nintendo announced that development had restarted with Tanabe under Retro, who had developed the previous Metroid Prime games. Nintendo revealed Beyond in June 2024 and confirmed the Switch 2 version in April 2025.
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond was released on December 4, 2025, eighteen years after Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (2007). It received generally positive reviews, with critics praising its environmental art, gameplay additions and enhanced graphical fidelity on Switch 2, although the non-player characters and open-world elements received criticism.
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Gameplay
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Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is an action-adventure game played from a first-person perspective.[1] Players control Samus Aran using the Joy-Con controllers to move, jump, aim at enemies and objects, and fire weapons.
Beyond is an open-ended game that takes place across a vast world of different regions, in which gameplay focuses on solving various puzzles, exploring rooms, and defeating enemies with a variety of weapons and the aid of a "lock-on" function that allows Samus to move in a circle while staying aimed on an enemy. The lock-on function can also help with interacting with objects, such as connecting a Grapple Beam to swing between platforms. The game uses a first-person view, except in Morph Ball mode, in which Samus' suit transforms into an armored ball and the game uses a third-person camera. A heads-up display, which simulates the inside of Samus' helmet during first-person view, provides a radar and mini-map functions, as well as displays on health and ammo amounts; when fighting bosses, the display also keeps track of their health. The player can scan objects and lifeforms to gather information.[2]
New to Beyond are psychic powers, which allow Samus to operate specialized mechanisms, see hidden platforms, and perform guided shots against enemies.[3][4] Beyond also adds a hub world, Sol Valley, that Samus crosses with a motorcycle, the Vi-0-La.[5] The motorcycle can perform manoeuvres that provide a speed boost and allow Samus to defend against enemies. At times, Samus is assisted by Galactic Federation members—these individuals help with solving puzzles where needed, and assist in combat,[6] though players will be required to keep them alive and revive them with psychic healing powers when they fall. The Nintendo Switch 2 version allows players to use the Joy-Con 2 controller as a mouse, similarly to a PC first-person shooter.[7]
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Synopsis
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Setting and characters
The Metroid Prime games are set between the original Metroid (1986) and Metroid II: Return of Samus (1991). Metroid Prime 4: Beyond takes place following the Nintendo 3DS spin-off game Metroid Prime: Federation Force (2016).[10][11] The protagonist is Samus Aran (Erin Yvette),[12] a bounty hunter hired by the Galactic Federation to assist them with the apprehension of extraterrestrial threats and the preservation of order in the galaxy.[13] She previously neutralized the mutagen Phazon that the Space Pirates were procuring to augment their own ranks, and defeated the corrupted entity Dark Samus on the energy source's homeworld of Phaaze.[14]
In Beyond, Samus works alongside a platoon of troops from the Galactic Federation,[15] including Myles MacKenzie (David Goldstein), an engineer who specializes in maintenance and repair of vehicles, as well as weapons development; Reger Tokabi (Kalani Queypo), a hunter who carries an arrowhead-shaped talisman for good luck; Sergeant Ezra Duke (Jason E. Kelley), a veteran of the Federation who is stubborn in battle and often comes into conflict with his superiors, but sincere and compassionate towards his troops; Private First Class Nora Armstrong (Jennifer Sun Bell), a skilled problem solver with a personal admiration for Samus, whose proficiency in structural knowledge and vehicular operation makes her an intuitive asset to the team; and VUE-995 (Richard Dorton), a combat android created to pilot Federation vehicles.[16][17]
On her journey, Samus comes into contact with an ancient alien race known as the Lamorn, who have crystals embedded in their heads granting them psychic abilities, and bestow similar traits onto Samus in exchange for her cooperation in fulfilling a request they make of her.[18] In addition to uncovering the planet's secrets, Samus is also opposed by Sylux (Laith Wallschleger),[19] a rival bounty hunter who harbors a strong hatred for both Samus and the Galactic Federation.[20] Sylux previously sought the Octolith artifacts to usurp the "Ultimate Power" alongside other bounty hunters in contention with Samus during the events of Metroid Prime Hunters;[21] he has been monitoring her whereabouts since the destruction of Phaaze at the end of Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, and previously infiltrated a lab station to steal infant Metroids the organization were researching at the end of Federation Force.[22][23]
Plot
Following the failure of their previous mission,[b] the Space Pirates use Metroids to become stronger, a process that involves infusing Metroids into their subjects at a cost of their free will. Samus is dispatched to Tanamaar by the Galatic Federation to prevent the Pirates stealing a recently unearthed artifact, following their attack on Federation facilities. The Pirates are being led by Sylux, a rogue hunter whom Samus had previous dealings with. In the confrontation with him, Sylux accidentally damages the artifact, causing it to activate and teleport everything in its surroundings to the unknown planet of Viewros.
On Viewros, Samus exploring the Chronos Tower. She acquires a crystal with psychic capabilities and uncovers a holographic recording from Chatoyant Vooloon, the last priest of the extinct Lamorn race. Facing extinction, the Lamorn made plans for their legacy to be preserved and teleported to a new world by a Master Teleporter at the pinnacle of the Chronos Tower. It can only be activated by five keys scattered across Viewros. Samus arrives in the jungles of Fury Green, where she rescues the Federation technician Myles MacKenzie. They are attacked by feral creatures called grievers.
Myles a base camp in Fury Green to help Samus. After finding the first key, Samus learns that the Lamorns were psychically cultivating a tree to grow a memory fruit, a seed that will preserve their legacy on a new world. The cultivation can only be completed by feeding the fruit with green energy—a life energy uncovered by the Lamorns contained in crystals across Viewros. Samus acquires a motorcycle called Vi-O-La and battles Sylux. Sylux takes control of the Chronos Tower, erects a barrier around it, and infuses Metroids into the master teleporter key's guardians.
Samus encounters the Federation soldiers Reger Tokabi, Ezra Duke, Nora Armstrong, and the combat robot VUE-995. Recordings reveal how the Lamorn race hoped to use green energy to nurture the planet, it made the wildlife aggressive and transformed the Lamorn into grievers. The surviving Lamorns sealed themselves into the Chrono Tower, with hope someone would end their suffering.
Samus secures the keys for the teleporter, and uses a teleporter chip recovered by Reger to find mech parts. Myles repairs a giant Federation mech to breach a forcefield that blocks entry back into the Chrono Tower. Samus and the squad enter the tower and activate the master teleporter. Sylux ambushes them, but Samus defeats him in an alternate dimension. Sylux recovers and critically the teleporter. The soldiers restrain him long enough for Samus to leave Viewros via the teleporter. Samus plants the memory fruit and accelerates its growth using the psychic crystal, which sprouts into rapidly growing psychic tree. In tribute to the soldiers, she leaves on the tree a pendant she received from Reger.
If the game is 100% complete, a cutscene details Sylux's backstory as a Federation field captain, in which his reckless attempt to claim a Space Pirate superweapon left him as the sole survivor of his platoon, and caused him to blame the incident on Samus and the Federation.[24]
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Development
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Metroid Prime 4 was produced by Kensuke Tanabe, who produced the previous Metroid Prime games. During a 2015 interview, when asked about the possibility for a new numbered entry in the Metroid Prime series, Tanabe remarked that such a project wouldn't be produced for Nintendo's then-current Wii U home console, but instead for Nintendo Switch (then known by the codename "NX"). He also shared several ideas for the potential next installment, including a narrative focused on Samus and Sylux, and increased use of Galactic Federation characters.[25]
Nintendo announced Prime 4 during the Nintendo Direct presentation at E3 2017, and confirmed it was not developed by Retro Studios, which had developed the previous Prime games.[26][27] Eurogamer reported that Prime 4 was being developed by Bandai Namco Studios in Japan and Singapore. The Bandai Singapore staff included former LucasArts staff who had worked on the canceled Star Wars 1313.[28] In 2018, the Nintendo of America president, Reggie Fils-Aimé, said Metroid Prime 4 was "well into development" and "proceeding well".[29][30] Nintendo did not show it at E3 2018; the Nintendo of America marketing manager Bill Trinen said they would share more when they "had something that would wow people".[31]
In January 2019, the Nintendo EPD manager Shinya Takahashi announced that development had restarted under Retro Studios with Tanabe remaining as producer. Takahashi said the previous studio had not met Nintendo's standards and that the decision to restart was not taken lightly.[32] In October 2020, Retro posted a job advertisement seeking storyboard artists to work on "emotional" and "interesting and innovative scenes that elevate the narrative". The Video Games Chronicle writer Andy Robinson took this as an indication of a more cinematic focus.[33] The Nintendo developer Next Level Games, the third-party studio Virtuos, and other teams provided support. Tanabe also contributed material to the scan logs.[34]
Release and promotion
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Metroid Prime 4: Beyond was originally announced for the Nintendo Switch (top). An enhanced version was also released for the Switch 2.
Nintendo released the first trailer on June 18, 2024, which revealed the full title.[26][35] The trailer showcased similar gameplay to previous Metroid Prime games, with Samus exiting her gunship, navigating a research facility using her morph ball and scanning abilities, encountering the bounty hunter Sylux who first appeared in Metroid Prime Hunters, and ending with an establishing shot of a forest world.[36] Nintendo also announced that Metroid Prime 4: Beyond was scheduled for release in 2025.[35]
Nintendo released a second trailer in a Direct presentation on March 27, 2025, introducing the forest planet Viewros setting, new enemies, the Lamorn race, and Samus's psychic powers.[3] In a Direct presentation on April 2, Nintendo announced a version for Nintendo Switch 2, with enhanced visual resolution, the option to use 4K at 60 frames per second or 1080p at 120 frames per second, and optional mouse controls when using the Joy-Con 2 controllers.[37] A 20-minute demo, covering the opening level first seen in the June 2024 trailer, was made playable at Nintendo Switch 2 Experience events held worldwide between April and June, and showcased during a Nintendo Treehouse livestream.[38][39] This same demo would later appear at Gamescom in August, at Fan Expo Canada in Toronto, Ontario,[40] and would be distributed for Switch 2 kiosks in Walmart and Target stores in the US in November.[41]
On September 12, Nintendo released a new trailer showcasing a desert environment and Samus's motorcycle, along with the release date, December 4, 2025.[42] Amiibo figures were also announced for Samus, Samus with the Vi-0-La motorcycle, and Sylux.[4] A trailer focusing on the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition was released on November 4,[43] and a seven-minute long "overview trailer" was released on November 14.[44] On the day of the game's release, seven music tracks were released on the Nintendo Music app.[45]
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Reception
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Pre-release
At the Game Awards 2024, Beyond was nominated for Most Anticipated Game.[46] In November 2025, media outlets were allowed to play a 90-minute demo, including the opening sequence and a section in the Fury Green area of Viewros.[47][48] The presentation, puzzles and combat were praised.[2][49][6] Ethan Van Allen of Game Informer felt Samus's new psychic powers were "a standout" and praised the new mouse controls.[47] Nintendo Life's Alex Olney felt they blended well with the gameplay and were "refreshingly different".[49]
In Video Games Chronicle, Andy Robinson found the preview "solid, if not particularly surprising" and wrote that it featured an entertaining boss battle.[50] IGN writer Logan Plant wrote that while Beyond "likely won't redefine Metroid in any meaningful way – or live up to the unrealistic hype built by nearly a decade of waiting", it features "classic Metroid Prime exploration and combat, an intriguing setup, gorgeous art direction, and great technical performance".[6] Ari Notis of Polygon wrote that while Beyond was not a rehash of the original Metroid Prime games, with some tonal differences, it "plays the series' greatest hits".[48]
Journalists criticized the non-player character Myles MacKenzie, feeling he detracted from the series' sense of isolation. Plant described the period spent with Myles as ranging from "mildly annoying to downright infuriating".[6] Robinson said Myles made him worried that Beyond would not be the Metroid game he hoped for.[50] Olney characterized Myles's dialogue as "sub-Marvel humor" and hoped he suffered "a painful, embarrassing death offscreen".[49] Donaldson hoped the sequence was not indicative of the full game,[2] and Notis said it was "hard to fully convey just how out of place Myles feels".[48] Van Allen thought Myles provided enjoyable comic relief, but hoped that companions were used sparingly.[47]
Critical response
Reception
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond received "generally favorable" reviews according to the review aggregator website Metacritic[51] and received a "strong" approval from critics according to OpenCritic.[52]
In Nintendo Life, Ollie Reynolds wrote Beyond was "absolutely nothing like [he] imagined — and that's a good thing".[63] He felt that, while the more linear level design and traditional environments did not modernize the series' formula as much as Metroid Dread (2021), Beyond deserved to be regarded as among the best Metroid games.[63] Reynolds also felt that the storytelling and art design were among the best in the series, and while the Galactic Federation soldiers were a controversial addition, "none of them are even remotely as irritating as previews suggested" and contributed greatly to the overall story.[63] He said that the Sol Valley hub world initially felt empty but became surprisingly interesting.[63]
Logan Plant of IGN said Beyond felt more like classic 3D Legend of Zelda games, but did not see this as a bad thing, as Zelda and Metroid "shared a lot of the same DNA".[5] He also felt that the atmosphere shifted between isolated exploration and sci-fi action setpieces, and said this helped to keep the game fresh.[5] Plant said that each environment felt fresh, and noted Volt Forge, a futuristic factory accompanied by heavy guitar music, as a standout.[5] He noted that Beyond was the most linear Metroid game, and that he "never felt truly lost", but felt this would help new players.[5] Contrary to Reynolds, Plant felt that Sol Valley was devoid of interesting locales and activities, and served only to pad out the runtime. He emphasized how it was the only place to acquire green crystals, which are necessary to progress.[5]
Rhys Wood of TechRadar wrote that Beyond had a unique atmosphere, in line with Metroid Prime.[66] He echoed Plant's sentiment that Sol Valley felt barren and lifeless, and felt the bosses and enemies lacked in variety.[66] However, he praised the aesthetic of other areas. He felt some areas were too linear, but that this did not detract from the overall quality.[66] Similarly to Reynolds, Wood found the Galactic Federation troopers less overbearing than he had feared, and that they appeared infrequently, allowing for long sequences of isolated exploration.[66] Edge gave Beyond 4 out of 10, critizing the backtracking and final fetch quest and writing: "Nintendo games have tested our patience before, but rarely in so many ways at once, and not without a core brilliance that makes such transgressions forgivable."[69]
The Amiibo functionality was criticized for locking certain features. The Samus Amiibo unlocks a radio feature for listening to the soundtrack in the desert, while the Vi-O-La Amiibo unlocks skins based on how far the player travels. The radio feature was later found to be unlocked via completing the game 100%, while the unlockable skins require scanning the Vi-O-La Amiibo at least once per save file. [70][71][72][73]
Sales
In its first week, Beyond was the third-bestselling game in the UK, behind EA Sports FC 26 and Mario Kart World. The Switch 2 version accounted for 83% of sales.[74] In Japan, the Switch 2 version sold 21,415 physical copies in the first four days.[75] In North America, the Switch 2 version reached number one on the Nintendo eShop chart.[76]
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Notes
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External links
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