Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
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About Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is a first-person action-adventure game developed by Nintendo EPD Production Group No. 6. Set on the alien planet Viewros, it follows Samus Aran as she battles creatures and solves environmental puzzles to escape. Launching December 4, 2025, it’s exclusive to Nintendo Switch and Switch 2. The game blends exploration with combat, using Samus’s iconic charge beam, a new psychic skillset, and a bike-like vehicle called the Vi-O-La. It’s a direct sequel to the 2017 Metroid Prime: Dread, retaining the series’ emphasis on scanning, backtracking, and spatial problem-solving. If you’ve ever wanted to zip through bioluminescent forests and blast space frogs while piecing together ancient ruins, this is your jam.
Gameplay
You spend most sessions scanning environments for secrets and hazards, then using the Vi-O-La to glide over terrain or power mechanisms. Combat revolves around the charge beam’s precision fire and psychic attacks that freeze or disrupt enemies. The bike adds a layer of mobility, letting you tackle vertical areas and physics puzzles. Missions often force you to balance exploration with survival, like dodging toxic gas while fending off hordes of crawlers. The psychic abilities, such as telekinetic grabs and mind probes, let you manipulate objects and interrogate foes. Each area is a maze of interconnected zones, with new tools unlocking paths backward. The controls are tight, but the camera occasionally stutters in dense environments. Sessions usually last 30-60 minutes, with frequent pauses to upgrade gear.
What Players Think
PlayPile community ratings give it a 92% approval, with 78% of players completing the base game. Average playtime is 35 hours, though 25% spend over 50 hours chasing 200+ achievements. Moods are overwhelmingly "Curious" (64%) and "Determined" (58%), but 12% report frustration with camera angles. Critics on Destructoid and IGN praise the "rich environmental storytelling" and "polished traversal," while some call the combat repetitive. One user review states, "The way the psychic powers integrate into puzzles is brilliant, even if the pacing drags in the middle act." Completion rates jump after the 15-hour mark, suggesting a post-midgame surge in content. The game’s 88% Metacritic score aligns with community feedback, though it lags behind Metroid Dread’s 92% due to fewer platforming innovations.
PlayPile's Take
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is a must-play for longtime fans craving more Samus-driven mystery, but its $59.99 price may test patience if the camera and combat don’t click. The 200+ achievements add replay value, especially for completionists. Newcomers might find the dense lore and slow pacing daunting, but the core loop of explore-solve-fight is satisfying. If you’re into methodical 3D exploration and don’t mind occasional clunky mechanics, this is a solid entry. Just don’t expect it to surpass the series’ best, stick to this if you’ve burned through earlier entries and still crave more Metroidvania-style discovery.
Game Modes
Single player
IGDB Rating
82.0
RAWG Rating
3.6
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SpacePrez
@spaceprez.bsky.social
"I didn’t like Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, but it’s better than my version of a Metroid Prime experience" YOU DON'T HAVE A VERSION! @jaypeters.net doesn't make videogames! Saying "give me zelda" does not mean you made a game! Its not yours! This is so insane!!
PJ 🌻 - Dead Space Remake 🎮
@pxljim.bsky.social
Game #7 of 2026 ✅ Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. Nintendo Switch 2 🎮 I still can't tell whether I enjoyed this or not. Some parts were fun, other parts were stinky. It's been a long time since a game has made me feel complete indifference.
Cheap Ass Gamer
@cheapassgamer.com
Pre-Played Metroid Prime 4: Beyond (S) $39.99 via Gamefly. Includes Everything the Game came With except the Shrink Wrap. #ad ow.ly/ZWY150Yp3uy
Shinesparkers
@shinesparkers.net
Today we're sharing Episode 34 of the Shinesparkers Podcast, a spoilercast for Metroid Prime 4: Beyond! Amanda, Roy and Irene share their perspectives after completing the game, including on the characters, story, gameplay and where we go from here. shinesparkers.net/podcast/epis...
Game-Corgi-and-Fun
@gamingcorgiluv.bsky.social
Myles and His Toys Metroid Prime 4: Beyond #PhotoMode #VirtualPhotography #gametography #MetroidPrime4 #NintendoSwitch2
Game-Corgi-and-Fun
@gamingcorgiluv.bsky.social
The Living Dead Metroid Prime 4: Beyond #PhotoMode #gametography #VirtualPhotography #screenshot #MetroidPrime4 #NintendoSwitch2
ro 🕯️
@samusaran.bsky.social
it really is quite confusing to me especially when xenoblade chronicles 2 and 3 predate scarvio, and then retro studios made everybody forget that metroid prime 4: beyond is a switch 1 game. even pokemon legends z-a did better in the performance department. like what....happened to scarvio?
RedMenaceH 🔞
@redmenaceh.bsky.social
I think in the next few months I'm gonna write a small piece about how each of the NPCs in Metroid Prime 4: Beyond reflect aspects of Samus Aran's own character and how the game brings/integrates a lot of secondary lore and external information of the universe into the canon more directly.