Star GoldStar GoldStar GoldHalf StarStar Grey
GameCentral
Published December 2, 2025 3:00pm
Share this article via whatsappShare this article via xCopy the link to this article.Link is copiedShare this article via facebook
Comment now
Comments
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond – a very controversial sequel (Nintendo)
After a wait of 18 years there’s finally a new Metroid Prime game on Nintendo Switch, but will it live up to the hopes and expectations of its fans?
We feel certain that Metroid Prime 4 is going to make a lot of people very angry. It is not a great game, but it is certainly not a terrible one either and while at times it barely resembles a Metroidvania at all, we did have a lot of fun with it. However, it may be party to some of the most baffling design decisions we’ve ever seen in a Nintendo game, and we’re not just talking about Myles MacKenzie.
What makes this belated sequel so peculiar is that the most controversial elements are so very obviously not what long-time fans would want, such that their presence almost feels like a form of trolling. Many will, not unreasonably, accuse the game of being dumbed down but it still doesn’t seem like something that is likely to attract a mainstream audience, in what should’ve been a clear-cut case of giving fans what they want or just not making the game at all.
We’ll discuss Beyond on its own merits – which are many and interesting – but we’ll warn you now that if you’re a veteran Metroid Prime fan this is not the game you were hoping it would be.
Although it’s been a long time since a new Metroid Prime, there has been the more recent Metroid Dread, which is an excellent example of the original 2D style of the franchise. There was also Metroid Prime Remastered in 2023, which was so good it almost felt like a full remake – which is no less than it deserves, as Metroid Prime 1 is one of the few games we’d consider almost literally perfect (Super Metroid on the SNES is another).
The genre name of Metroidvania is a portmanteau of Metroid and Castlevania, although that’s always flattered Castlevania’s input. Metroid is the true root of the concept, of an action platformer where progress is regularly blocked until you have a specific tool or weapon. This often necessitates a lot of backtracking and careful exploration, as you learn to use your increasing range of abilities in unusual ways.
Apart from being first person, the Metroid Prime games have all worked in that same way and at first it seems as if Beyond will as well. After a brief introductory level, the first main area of the game is very reminiscent of the forest section at the start of Metroid Prime 1. At that point we began to assume that Beyond would follow the pattern of many other belated sequels and simply rehash the first game.
Expert, exclusive gaming analysis
Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning.
To a degree that is what happens, as there are very few genuinely new ideas or gimmicks here. You gain psychic powers early on, but this really doesn’t amount to anything other than having the word ‘psychic’ before traditional abilities like psychic grapple or psychic spider ball (for crawling up surfaces when you transform into a morph ball).
You can detect otherwise invisible platforms and perform very limited telekinesis with motes that power machinery, but these moments are rare and involve no skill or problem-solving. In fact, there’s very little in the way of substantial puzzles at all. There are obstacles but they never stretch or test you in the way the older games did. The only thing that comes close is the new control beam, whose projectiles you can control remotely, but after being introduced early on it’s barely ever required again.
Beyond’s troubled development is well documented, with the game having restarted development from scratch in 2019, but the final product gives every impression of having been patched together from multiple different versions. There’s nothing to suggest that’s actually what has happened, but it’s what it feels like.
The bike is fun, the desert is not (Nintendo)
Once you get out of the nostalgia heavy first area you then emerge into an open world desert which is filled with… almost nothing at all. There’s a (very small) handful of temples to power up your elemental beam weapons, and some ruins you have to explore before the final battle, but most of the desert is completely empty, with only a few listless enemies putting in an occasional appearance and who often disappear before you can finish them off – as if they find the area boring too.
This is a shame because the motorcycle you use to traverse the desert is a lot of fun to ride, with wonderfully bouncy suspension, but there’s nothing to do with it but drive in a straight line to where you’re going next. And while at first it seems like you can progress through the game in a non-linear fashion your options are far more limited than they first appear, as you explore each area more or less in turn.
If this is all starting to sound bad, we haven’t even got to the most controversial aspects yet. Metroid has never had much in the way of complex plots, but this one is especially simple. Basically, you’re stranded on an alien planet and you need to get five keys to get home. And that’s it.
Sylux, who Nintendo has been hyping up for years as a deadly rival to series protagonist Samus Aran, barely appears in the game under normal circumstances, just a little at the beginning and the end, and says maybe three sentences in total, none of which explain who he is or what he wants. If only everyone else in the game was as laconic though, as throughout the game – basically one per area – you meet a new ally who absolutely will not stop talking.
Myles MacKenzie, who proved so controversial in the previews, is the first and most annoying but one of the others is a pair of soldiers who escort you through almost the entirety of one of the areas, leaving no doubt as to where exactly you have to go. That’s nothing compared to the final full level though, which is completely linear, with almost no Metroidvania elements, and has the whole crew following you along for most of it.
For those not familiar with Metroid, one of the key appeals is its melancholic atmosphere and sense of isolation (the original was heavily influenced by the film Alien – to the point where one of the main bosses was called Ridley), which Beyond purposefully takes a hatchet too. If you sat down and timed it, you are on your own for the majority of the time but it doesn’t feel like it, especially when Myles, who remains your main contact, is making unwanted suggestions about what to do next on the radio.
And yet that penultimate level is actually very entertaining. It begins to take on an almost horror movie tone, as you’re pursued by hordes of monsters and the game seems to be trying to channel the film The Descent, of all things. It never comes close to exceeding its 12 age rating but it’s neatly handled and there’s some interesting plot developments that, predictably, the game undoes immediately, but which do hint at the more serious narrative it could’ve been.
One of the greatest frustrations is that the game could’ve worked with the set-up it has, except one of the primary problems is that the script and voice-acting is so basic, almost like an 80s children’s cartoon. It’s so unsophisticated you never for one moment think of the characters as actual people.
You better get used to fighting these guys (Nintendo)
That includes Samus, who is kept mute the entire time. This seems to be in imitation of Link, but it doesn’t make sense in context. Link does talk in the Zelda games, you just don’t hear him: all the characters talk as if he’s just replied to them and it’s left to you to imagine what he said. Samus just nodding at people, or outright ignoring them, in Beyond makes her look incredibly rude or as if she physically can’t speak.
Beyond is such a muddle of good and bad ideas that even now we’re not sure what to make of it. It has some great boss battles but while there’s technically dozens of creatures in the game only one is persistently aggressive and is used so often, with minor variations, it feels like the only enemy.
The simplified exploration and puzzle-solving is so strange, given that not only did Metroid Dread not pull its punches but it was the most successful entry in the franchise so far. Beyond gives the impression of being purposefully dumbed down to reach a wider audience and yet the game has virtually no checkpointing – so you can easily lose 30 minutes of progress if you get caught out – and there’s no fast travel at all.
More Trending
-
Cyber Monday 2025 UK video game deals for PS5, Xbox and Switch 2
Channel: Gaming Gaming 1 day ago By Adam Starkey - GTA 6 footage leaked by former Rockstar Games employee confirms new feature
- Marvel Cosmic Invasion review - four-player beat ‘em-up in the stars
- Fortnite hit with 'AI slop' complaints after Epic boss says to remove warnings
Retreading your steps in the opening area was beginning to turn us nuts so we can only imagine how newcomers are going to respond to it. They may be drawn in by the graphics at least, which considering this is a Switch 1 game at heart are exceptional. The Switch 2 version looks great and while the mouse aiming controls are purely optional, they do frequently come in handy, especially in some of the trickier boss fights.
When the game works it works well and Beyond makes a convincing argument for a more action-orientated spin-off series, with enjoyable action, well-designed levels, and impressive visuals. The problem is that this isn’t a spin-off, it’s a numbered sequel to one of the most critically acclaimed games of all time.
Why Nintendo is purposefully trying to rile up fans, of what has always been a relatively niche franchise, we do not know. It’s been a long wait for Metroid Prime 4 and while the end result is fairly entertaining the fallout from its release is likely to be anything but.
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond review summary
In Short: Almost exactly what fans didn’t want from a new Metroid Prime but while it is widely inconsistent the majority of the game is undeniably entertaining.
Pros: Excellent graphics and the level design is clever, even if your progress through it is too straightforward. Good boss battles and clever use of mouse control. Surprisingly effective linear sections and effective soundtrack.
Cons: Barely a Metroidvania at times, with some sections being almost entirely linear. Very simplistic puzzling and few new ideas in terms of items and weapons. Characterisation for both allies and enemies is far too basic.
Score: 7/10
Formats: Nintendo Switch 2 (reviewed) and Nintendo SwitchPrice: £49.99/£58.99Publisher: NintendoDeveloper: Retro StudiosRelease Date: 4th December 2025Age Rating: 12
Even as a cross-gen game the graphics look great (Nintendo)
Email [email protected], leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter.
To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here.
For more stories like this, check our Gaming page.
Arrow MORE: Red Dead Redemption Xbox upgrade isn’t free despite Rockstar saying it is
Arrow MORE: Someone finally managed to escape from Tarkov in Escape From Tarkov
Arrow MORE: The 15 best and worst Xbox 360 games that defined a generation
Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source GameCentralSign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content.
Email I agree to receive newsletters from Metro I agree to receive newsletters from Metro Sign UpSign UpThis site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy
