After almost a decade since its initial announcement, and another decade on top of that since Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is finally a real game that you can play right now. It's very difficult for a game to live up to the level of anticipation created by that long of a gap, especially so when its development has been as troubled as it seems to have been with this game. After development was publicly scrapped and handed over to Retro Studios back in 2019, it became clear that something about Kensuke Tanabe's vision for Metroid Prime 4 wasn't gelling.
In many ways, Beyond shows the scars of a game with development issues. This game feels like it's constantly being pulled in different directions. At times, it wants to be an action-packed cinematic experience, and at others it just wants to be an atmospheric place for you to hang out in. Sometimes, it seems like it wants you to explore and roam freely, but then it also constantly tries to nudge you in specific directions. One moment it feels exactly like the first Metroid Prime, and the next it feels like a radical departure from anything Metroid has ever done before. These conflicts often threaten to tear the experience apart.
Having finished the game, it doesn't surprise me at all that Beyond has had such a polarizing reception in fan spaces. This game truly does reach dazzling new heights for the Metroid franchise. But it also makes some confounding design choices in the process. In the end, I feel like I'm solidly in the camp that likes this game. Sure, a lot of the risks taken by Retro Studios don't pan out, but believe me when I say that Beyond is just dripping with every bit of the magic that I felt playing the first Metroid Prime.
Let me take a step back to explain. Beyond shakes things up at a core level by altering the way the experience is structured. This game's world is more akin to a 2000s Zelda game than it is to the tightly-knit maze of a typical Metroid game. Beyond's main areas are now linked through a large overworld desert called Sol Valley which has shades of Hyrule Field or The Wind Waker's Great Sea. I didn't immediately hate this! It's quite a novel thing to see in a Metroid game, and they have really nailed the game-feel of riding your shiny new motorcycle.
But as the hours pile on, Sol Valley becomes a sore spot. For an area that is so large, it is truly visually uninteresting and featureless. There really aren't that many secrets to find or points of interest to explore. This is something that the developers mistakenly tried to remedy by filling Sol Valley with green crystals that you are frustratingly forced to collect in order to fuel an unnecessary endgame grind. It feels like a retroactive inclusion to justify the very existence of the overworld. By the end of the game, Sol Valley feels like blatant padding for a game that already feels spread way too thin.
Once you leave Sol Valley and enter one of the handful of "traditional" Metroid areas, however, things improve. Right out of the gate, Metroid Prime 4 is a visually stunning experience. The areas outside of the desert are dense with detail, and I was constantly delighted by what I was seeing. The 120fps support and stunning HDR implementation had me outright thinking that this may be one of the most visually pleasing games I've ever played. Sure, the occasional low-poly asset may sometimes remind you that this is essentially a souped-up Switch 1 game, but the art direction more than makes up for it, and the animation work is truly stupendous.
In terms of gameplay, however, the level designs do leave me a little conflicted. Fans of the original Metroid Prime may feel disappointed by just how simplified these levels are. Beyond is very preoccupied with making sure that the player never loses their way. The levels here are the most linear and guided that I've ever seen in this franchise. It still absolutely invokes all of the things I love about Metroid Prime; the atmosphere, the carefully hidden upgrades, the exciting first-person combat, are all here. And hell, I know for a fact that there are people out there that will actually prefer this more streamlined take on Metroid. But nonetheless, there is a looming sense that this is a game that doesn't have much trust in your intelligence as a player.
The most glaring example of this is the existence of Myles MacKenzie, the first of several voiced NPCs that you encounter during your adventure. Myles is obnoxious at first, but after quickly learning that he is dead weight to Samus in the dangerous wilds of planet Viewros, he fades into a supporting role through the occasional radio message. These don't really interrupt the gameplay per se, and there were times where I even appreciated the way he smooths out some of the more frustrating aspects of Metroid's backtracking by always pointing you in the right direction. But other times, I really wish he would just shut up and let me discover things for myself. It again feels very similar to 2000s Zelda. Like in those games, the hand-holding is a sore spot, but not enough to ruin the experience.
And on the topic of voiced NPCs, this is perhaps the most controversial design choice, at least judging by online comments. However, I think the hate here is unjustified. Sure, Metroid is traditionally associated with loneliness and isolation, but that doesn't mean that it can't evolve into something else. In fact, I found most of the characters in Beyond to be quite endearing, and I appreciated the way they served as a window into the wider Metroid universe outside of Samus herself.
They are perhaps a little too shallow. You won't find any deep character arcs or serious character exploration here. But I found this crew of Galactic Federation soldiers to be added very respectfully to the spirit of Metroid, and do a good job of adding a little bit of color to the overall narrative. They help to drive some of the game's most exciting and cinematic moments, yet they step back frequently in order to give Samus plenty of alone time to enjoy.
Metroid Prime 4's issues may threaten to subject it to death by a thousand cuts. I apologize for yet ANOTHER Zelda comparison, but it really is quite similar to the feel of Skyward Sword. That game was similarly conflicted. It also experimented with the old Zelda formula and failed spectacularly in some aspects. But despite that, it still managed to retain the magic of past games. Similarly, and even moreso than Skyward Sword, Metroid Prime 4 overcomes its problems to become an experience that is greater than the sum of its faulty parts.
A lot of that comes down to the unparalleled atmosphere and sense of immersion. It's almost comical how many times Samus becomes stranded on a strange planet, but they have once again managed to make the trope work here. Viewros is a mysterious world with a fascinating past. I spent a lot of time gleefully putting on the hat of Samus the detective, scanning every artifact in order to learn about the history of the Lamorn, the psychic-powered natives of the planet that have tasked Samus with executing their plan to preserve their history long after their extinction.
The game expertly weaves these moments of silent isolation with exciting combat encounters that showcase the same excellent control schemes that shone in Metroid Prime Remastered. Best of all are the boss encounters, some of which are truly the most memorable of any Metroid game. The more linear design helps to mantain a sense of forward momentum, and with only a few hitches, the pacing is excellent. The returning upgrades and new abilities all feel great and complementary. The sound design is fantastic, from the music to the ambient sounds. And yes, even the voice acting, as cheesy as it can be sometimes, adds greatly to the experience.
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is conflicted. While it has its low points, it certainly is an interesting game from start to finish. It challenges your assumptions of what a Metroid game can be, and presents new directions that the series can and should explore further in the future. Will the next Metroid embrace the open-world hints of Sol Valley? Or will it be even more cinematic and action-focused?
I don't think this will be many people's favorite Metroid game, but I anyhow see it as a critical stepping stone that hopefully leads us to something much greater in the future. Hopefully we won't have to wait another 18 years, though.
