Metroid Prime 4: Beyond releases a 7 minute trailer featuring all new combat, overworld, and story updates. Read on to find out more about Samus’ latest adventure through the galaxy.
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Trailer Showcases New Skills and a New World to Explore
The Most Anticipated Game in the Galaxy
New gameplay footage for Metroid Prime 4: Beyond was revealed in a 7 minute trailer, detailing new never-before-seen information. The trailer goes in-depth with looks into Samus' new psychic abilities, the alien planet Viewros, and the characters to encounter during the events of the story.
This is the latest look into Metroid Prime 4: Beyond’s gameplay since the last trailer, shown on November 4, which teased a few new abilities. The game was first announced in a Nintendo Direct in 2017, but the prospect of a fourth Metroid Prime installment had been highly anticipated by fans and critics for a long time. The project remained dormant, however, until its reveal trailer in June 2024.
Metroid Prime 4 Balances the New with the Old
This new Metroid Prime 4: Beyond trailer showcased many innovations for the Metroid Prime series, while still keeping its DNA intact. The combat, for instance, has been revamped with the addition of psychic abilities like the Control Beam, a beam whose trajectory can be controlled by the player, and the Psychic Glove, which lets players telekinetically interact with the environment. These have been integrated into Samus’ classic arsenal, which includes her Power Beam, Morph Ball, and Missiles.
Exploration has also been innovated upon, with Beyond introducing the Vi-O-La motorcycle. Players can ride it to reach different points of interest across Viewros' central Sol Valley desert while fighting enemies and collecting energy crystals.
Sol Valley, which functions as a central hub for the planet, will connect players to the different main areas, like the Fury Green jungle, Volt Forge factory, Ice Belt laboratory, and Flare Pool molten facility, which are classically-designed, intricate levels filled with enemies, collectibles, and upgrades. The Environmental scan also returns from past Metroid Prime games, allowing players to learn more about the planet through scanning different objects.
Metroid Prime 4's story continues from the original trilogy, with the mysterious Sylux returning after being hinted at in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption’s ending. Not much is known yet about Sylux despite his appearance in Metroid Prime: Hunters, but he will be playing a much larger role in Metroid Prime 4 as the main antagonist. New to the series, meanwhile, are the AI companions that will accompany you on your journey through Viewros.
Controversial Changes to the Metroid Formula
While these changes to Metroid Prime's combat and exploration were welcome innovations to the gameplay, the changes to Metroid Prime 4's story and NPCs have been controversial to fans and critics alike. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond introduces brand new characters from the Galactic Federation, a galactic government, that serve as AI companions.
Not much is known about the game's story except that these characters will serve as guides who talk the player through different areas of the game. NPCs have been present in past Metroid Prime games to flesh out the story and interact with Samus, particularly in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, but they have never been integrated into the gameplay to this extent before. Fans are also concerned about the amount of dialogue, likening it to the infamously panned Metroid: Other M, which was criticized for its melodramatic, meandering storytelling among other things.
Fans and critics have taken to social media to criticize this inclusion, as it supposedly detracts from the series' famously mysterious, isolated, and ambient atmosphere. One character in particular, Myles Mackenzie, has been subjected to criticisms for his quirky dialogue and nervous demeanor.
Despite this, hype for the game remains high, as those who have been able to play it praised its graphics, gameplay, and story.
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond releases on December 4 for the Nintendo Switch and Switch 2, and pre-orders are available now. Read our article on the game to find out more:
Sources:
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition — Overview Trailer
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Has a Potentially Fatal Flaw
