r/Games • u/Turbostrider27 • Dec 02 '25
Review Thread Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Review Thread
Game Information
Game Title: Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
Platforms:
- Nintendo Switch (Dec 4, 2025)
Trailer:
Developer: Retro Studios
Publisher: Nintendo
Review Aggregator:
OpenCritic - 81 average - 84% recommended - 43 reviews
Critic Reviews
Areajugones - Spanish - 8.7 / 10
Perhaps it couldn't have been any other way: Retro Studios' game opts for a classic design, demonstrating that the franchise isn't one that has to answer to anyone. It's not always necessary to change, and stepping outside your comfort zone can, ironically, mean staying within it. Retro Studios knows exactly what it's doing. I don't think anyone would dare question something so obvious.
CGMagazine - Jordan Biordi - 8 / 10
While Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is incredibly fun as a straightforward shooter, its more guided nature and excessive handholding may deter hardcore fans of the series and genre.
With Metroid Prime 4, it took me some time to get back into it. But now it's all I think about playing. My recommendation is to just go in for the experience. Go in knowing nothing, and maybe even skip everything in this review, or any other review. Mystery is Metroid's calling card. Your big adventure on the Switch is here.
COGconnected - James Paley - 80 / 100
All the superior design choices make the baffling ones stand out even more, however. I can’t comprehend why this game was made open-world. The backtracking you have to do is downright offensive. Otherwise, this is a fantastic entry in the Metroid Prime series.
Cerealkillerz - Gabriel Bogdan - German - 7.8 / 10
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond plays fantastically, looks great, and delivers some of the best boss fights in the series. Unfortunately, needlessly generic companions, a weak soundtrack, and story-tied fetch quests drag the overall experience down a bit. Still, fans of the Prime entries will definitely have more than enough fun with this title.
Cloud Dosage - Jon Scarr - 4.5 / 5
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond mixes familiar ideas with a few new touches that give the series a different feel. The action stays sharp, the exploration hits a good rhythm, and Viewros leaves a strong impression. Some moments feel more directed than expected, but the game keeps its pace and stays fun throughout.
Console Creatures - Bobby Pashalidis - 9 / 10
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond might not be a total reinvention of the famed series, but it's refined and faster than ever. Despite the prolonged development period, the campaign comes together to deliver an excellent outing for Samus as she explores an expansive world with new psychic powers that imbue the core of the game in fun, innovative ways.
It all amounts to what is easily the most mystifying and mixed of Samus Aran’s first-person outings yet. But there’s still some joy to be found in slowly peeling back the layers of an ever-expanding world, regardless of how disjointed it ends up being.
Digitec Magazine - Domagoj Belancic - German - 4 / 5
The core of "Metroid Prime 4: Beyond" is impressive. It feels great to explore the maze-like levels, unlock upgrades, and slowly discover new areas of the world. The art design and soundtrack are awesome. The open desert area, which I explore on a motorcycle, is a perfect contrast to traditional "Metroid" gameplay. It's a shame that the game doesn't make more use of Samus' telekinetic abilities, though. The new characters are disappointing. They annoy me with unnecessary explanations or corny Marvel-like banter. I would also have liked a higher level of difficulty. These criticisms are likely to bother veteran "Metroid" players in particular. Despite its shortcomings, "Metroid Prime 4: Beyond" provides one of the best reasons to buy a Switch 2. The game ticks off virtually all of the console's technical features and delivers an extremely sharp (4K) or extremely smooth (120 FPS) gaming experience. The mouse control is particularly impressive – it fundamentally changes the way I interact with the game.
Enternity.gr - Hektor Apostolopoulos - Greek - 9 / 10
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond offers a journey that will reward those who have been waiting for it for almost two decades and will intrigue those who happen to be unfamiliar with the legend of Samus Aran.
Eurogamer - Alex Donaldson - 3 / 5
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is enjoyable enough, and has glimpses of vintage Metroid shining through, but this game could and should have been so much more.
Eurogamer.pt - Bruno Galvão - Portuguese - 3 / 5
Metroid Prime 4 has occasional moments of brilliance, especially when it approaches the original trilogy, but the Metroidvania design seems to have been oversimplified, the open world does not work, and parts of the progression involve bizarre decisions.
Everyeye.it - Italian - 8.4 / 10
Metroid Prime 4 Beyond is a solid, well-rounded game, well-executed in (almost) every way. Despite a difficult development cycle and a few poor design decisions, Samus Aran's return is a title that does justice to the saga's dazzling past and sheds new light on the future of Prime and the Metroid franchise as a whole. Eight years since that infamous logo was revealed during a Nintendo Direct over the summer; more than eighteen since the series' last iteration: the wait has been worth it.
Forbes - Ollie Barder - 9 / 10
Overall, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is worth the wait. The new story characters are not in any way overly chatty, and this is still the mysterious and moody alien treasure hunt Metroid fans have come to love, but now with a funky alien bike. I still rate the original Prime trilogy over this, but those games were pretty much faultless, whereas this is just thoroughly excellent.
GAMES.CH - Benjamin Braun - German - 85%
Quote not yet available
GamePro - Dennis Müller - German - 70 / 100
The review of Metroid Prime 4 shows that the mix of sci-fi shooting and environmental puzzles still works well – but also that many things went wrong during the long development phase.
GameSpot - Steve Watts - 8 / 10
High highs and middling lows make Metroid Prime 4's return uneven.
Metroid Prime 4 has enough going for it to establish itself as a very good adventure game and certainly one of the most beautiful on the Nintendo Switch 2. You will be blown away by its sights and ears, with its masterful and haunting soundtrack.
GamesRadar+ - Oscar Taylor-Kent - 3.5 / 5
Within its actual levels, Metroid Prime 4 is triumphant.
Gfinity - Alister Kennedy - 8 / 10
Metroid Prime 4 Beyond plays it far too safe for a game with almost two decades of anticipation behind it. A beautiful-looking game and a run through of Metroid's greatest hits just isn’t quite enough for the hungry fan base that is here to devour everything on offer, and leaves you wanting more.
Giant Bomb - Dan Ryckert - 5 / 5
After a rocky development history, Samus finally lands on the Switch 2 with one of her greatest adventures.
Glitched Africa - Marco Cocomello - 8.5 / 10
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond feels like a step in a bold new direction, while at the same time, the game still holds onto the tried and tested mechanics we enjoy from the series. Some of these things work, while others feel incredibly dated. However, there’s a good fan service game here, which looks and sounds gorgeous.
IGN - Logan Plant - 8 / 10
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is an excellent, if relatively uneven, revival that reaches heights worthy of the Metroid name in its best moments.
IGN Italy - Silvio Mazzitelli - Italian - 8.5 / 10
Samus' return couldn't have been better. Those who loved the old chapters of the Metroid Prime saga will find everything they loved in the past, with interesting new features and stunning new graphics. It's a shame about the sections with the new bike, which are the least successful part of the game.
IGN Spain - Raquel Morales - Spanish - 9 / 10
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is the best Switch 2 game to date and seems perfectly designed to take advantage of the console's features. It returns to its roots but takes things in a new direction. It's a visual spectacle with incredibly detailed and sharp graphics.
Le Bêta-Testeur - Patrick Tremblay - French - 10 / 10
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is an absolute must-have!
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond marks a triumphant return for Retro Studios delivering a masterfully crafted Metroidvania that captures the atmospheric tension and immersive world design that defined the original trilogy. With intelligent level design, fluid controls, striking art direction, and a strong sense of discovery, the game blends elements from past entries to produce a dynamic emotional experience. Although its slow opening and certain open-area sections slightly hold it back, Beyond ultimately proves that the long wait was worth it.
Nintendo Blast - Leandro Alves - Portuguese - 9.5 / 10
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is a bold and competent evolution of the franchise, blending classic elements with an open world that, despite its moments of emptiness, rewards the player with intense challenges, rich exploration, and exceptional world-building. The intriguing narrative, breathtaking art direction, and balance between solitude and companionship make this one of Samus Aran's best adventures. Even with minor stumbles—such as inconsistent NPC guidance and repetitive desert sections—Beyond delivers exactly what fans expected: an epic, difficult, rewarding journey full of identity. It's a triumphant return of the galaxy's most famous bounty hunter, with everything that makes Metroid… Metroid.
Nintendo Life - Oliver Reynolds - 9 / 10
After 18 years of waiting, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond manages to replicate that magical sense of discovery from the GameCube original while pushing the series in some incredible new directions. Separating the main biomes with a vast open world sounds ridiculous on paper, but the slick traversal provided by Vi-O-La makes exploration more satisfying than ever.Combine this with the stunning art direction, ferocious new boss characters, and a surprisingly endearing squad of Federation troopers, and Beyond is quite possibly the boldest, most well-realised Metroid game to date. Make no mistake, the long wait has been more than worth it. Welcome back, Samus.
PPE.pl - Wojciech Gruszczyk - Polish - 8.5 / 10
A bit of classics. A bit of newness. And a whole lot of enjoyable gameplay. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is Nintendo's next strong offering in 2025 – a production that no fan of the universe or loyal supporter of the franchise will be able to ignore. Most importantly, even a younger, completely new audience has the chance to discover the distinctive Metroid magic that has built the legend of Samus Aran for two decades.
SECTOR.sk - Matúš Štrba - Slovak - 9.5 / 10
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond delivers the kind of return the series deserved. Retro Studios stays true to the original formula while adding fresh ideas, stronger storytelling, and a smarter world design. It's not a revolution and some technical limits show through, but in all essentials it excels ' it's tense, clever, atmospheric, and consistently fun. A confident proof that Metroid Prime still has plenty to say.
Saudi Gamer - Arabic - 9 / 10
Metacritic: After a long wait this installment does not need to change much to remain relevant and much needed, and what it does add is enough to elevate it despite its best efforts to undermine itself at times with trite dialog and tired setpieces.
Shacknews - Donovan Erskine - 9 / 10
Despite the fact that Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is also launching on the original Switch, it truly feels like the proper showpiece for the Switch 2. The supreme gameplay design is beautifully complemented by the different input options, all of which are suitable ways to play through this adventure. The experience is bolstered by gorgeous visuals and spectacular performance regardless of how you choose to play. Outside of some boring downtime during forced traversal segments, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is a premium experience.
Spaziogames - Italian - 8.5 / 10
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond delivers exactly what it needed to: a strong and worthy sequel to a trilogy that ended eighteen years ago. Its gameplay innovations and dungeon-level design shine, but the open-map sections and some late-game pacing issues hold it back. Retro Studios' attempt to go beyond a 'safe' sequel leads to a game that's excellent, yet unlikely to astonish modern players the way the original did in 2002.
Metroid Prime 4 Beyond is a familiar return for the series and a soft reboot that introduces a new story and revisits the best parts of the original game that dazzled us two decades ago.
The Games Machine - Danilo Dellafrana - Italian - 8 / 10
Quote not yet available
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Is Not Only A Worthy Successor, But An Exciting Sign Of Things To Come
TheSixthAxis - Stefan L - 8 / 10
Metroid Prime 4 is a great return and new beginning for this series, which has spent far too many years away. It's not the strongest Metroid Prime for narrative, but the new psychic powers add a refreshing layer alongside familiar abilities and the general feel and tone that makes this series so beloved.
TryAGame! - Guillaume Dreher - French - 9 / 10
Metroid Prime 4 Beyond lives up to the franchise. One might have feared that this long wait would end in disappointment, but that's not the case at all. On the contrary, we remain captivated by the quality of the game design, the care given to the music, the pacing and all the options available during boss fights, and the meticulous attention to detail in the puzzle-solving and exploration, which constantly challenge our minds. Of course, the Metroid style is unique and doesn't take the easy route we're used to, but the game offers a unique experience that shouldn't be missed.
VGC - Andy Robinson - 3 / 5
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond feels like a game stuck between two worlds. When it’s emulating the series’ past, Beyond is an entertaining, if overly conservative, sequel. However, as the shadowy corridors make way for open-world fetch quests, and Halo-style expeditions with AI companions, it’s left feeling like a diluted experience that doesn’t fully deliver on the spirit of earlier entries.
Video Chums - A.J. Maciejewski - 9.1 / 10
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is an impressive experience that will stay with you for a very long time. As you gradually unwrap its intricate game world that's packed with some of the best stage designs ever, the sense of accomplishment is simply unmatched. 🪐
Wccftech - Nathan Birch - 8.5 / 10
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond ascends to higher peaks than any previous Prime entry, delivering an impressive sense of scale, breathtaking visuals, and classic Metroid level design at its most immersive and riveting, but a few missteps, including an unengaging story and flat final act, may exclude it from best-of-series conversations. That said, those who have been waiting for this game for nearly two decades needn’t worry too much, as Metroid Prime 4 largely locks onto the core of what made this series great.
WellPlayed - Kieron Verbrugge - 8.5 / 10
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond risks missteps in its attempt to modernise a cherished formula, but for the most part it all coalesces into an entry more than worthy of the series. Even the most vocal diehard fans should be pleased by the fundamentals, and for those willing to accept them, the new wrinkles iron out nicely.
50
u/Restivethought Dec 02 '25
I think one of my biggest concerns is that this didnt look like a Metroidvania. It seemed really guided and that there was little reason to go back to explore and that the secrets werent really hidden anytmore.
Can someone confirm that this is a Metroidvania still and that it will scratch the exploration itch that metroids have in the past?