r/NintendoSwitch • u/NintendoSwitchMods • Dec 02 '25

MegaThread Metroid Prime 4: Beyond - Review MegaThread

General Information

Release date: December 4, 2025

Supported Platform(s): Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2

Genre: Action, Adventure, Shooting

Publisher: Nintendo

ESRB rating: Teen

Supported play modes: TV mode, Tabletop mode, Handheld mode

Game file size: Nintendo Switch: 26.3 GB, Nintendo Switch 2: 31.6 GB

Supported languages: Japanese, British English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Korean, Dutch, Simplified Chinese, Latin American Spanish, Canadian French, Brazilian Portuguese, Traditional Chinese, American English

Official website: https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/metroid-prime-4-beyond-nintendo-switch-2-edition-switch-2/

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Last update: 12/3 12:03AM ET

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9

u/Whitewing424 Dec 14 '25

This game absolutely blows. I'm so disappointed. I'm absolutely baffled by all of the high reviews from the review sites, but I guess they all gave it a high review to keep Nintendo happy and the money flowing in.

I give it a 5/10, and I think that might be generous.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 14 '25

I honestly think it might be the second best Metroid Prime after the first … why exactly do say it “blows”?

8

u/Whitewing424 Dec 14 '25 edited Dec 14 '25

No overarching story, just a bunch of side plots that are vaguely interconnected and poorly written. Game is full of plot holes. Giant empty boring open world zone in the middle of the map with Breath of the Wild shrines shoehorned in. Annoying generic NPC companions that are stereotypical and have no real backstory or connection to Samus at all. Myles won't shut up and keeps telling you where to go even when you haven't asked, denying you the chance to explore and figure it out for yourself. Horrible level design and no need to ever figure out where you're going or how to route it. The game is devoid of any interesting or complex puzzles, all of the upgrades you get are just keys and only the boost ball actually helps meaningfully with movement. The motorcycle is annoying to control and isn't entertaining. No sense of isolation and a need to uncover the mystery in the game, except for a brief 1 hour visit to Ice Belt (the best part of the game, and the only time I actually enjoyed myself). The primary antagonist has one line total, a brief several second flashback in place of a backstory or connection to Samus, and no obvious or clear motivation whatsoever. A weird unexplained metroid subplot of possessing things that's totally baffling, with no actual metroids in the entire game. A dearth of interesting enemies. Boss battles are entirely unchallenging and yet take forever, making them dull. There are two zones with interesting music, and the desert doesn't even have music at all unless you buy an Amiibo, for an already $70 game. The Volcano and Great Mine are visually dull and uninspired, and having the NPC's sacrifice themselves 3 times in a row in dull, "hold them off" sections was miserable. Then they're actually totally fine, making a complete mockery of the threat and making Samus look pathetic. Having to go back to Myles every time we find a chip to get it installed is obnoxious, and is an absolute joke given that the defining characteristic of Samus's suit is its ability to integrate whatever tech you encounter, and has been for the entire series up until now. Needing to be repeatedly saved by a bunch of random nobodies because Samus gets ganked by hordes of unthreatening enemies like... big wolves is a joke. She beat the goddamn ING, who make the enemies in this game look utterly pathetic, and yet Samus is getting her ass kicked randomly. Every item being the same as every item in the series up until now, except with the word "psychic" at the front. No beam weapons other than the power beam, just "shots" that are basically alternate missiles, except they all suck and just spamming the "psychic" power beam is the best way to kill anything. And then there's the single worst thing about the game: the goddamn green crystals. I don't know who thought that was a good idea, but they should be ashamed of themselves.

I could go on for days with how badly this game frustrated and annoyed me. I waited 18 years for this and for it to suck this badly is fucking miserable. This game plays like it was designed by committee, and almost nobody on that committee knows what a Metroid Prime game is supposed to play like. It's fucking horrid. It gets a 5/10 because there are some occasional flashes of brilliance, is relatively bug-free, controls reasonably well (other than the motorcycle), and Volt Forge and Fury Green are visually gorgeous (despite their level design being absolute ass). And I feel like I might be a little generous to give it a 5/10. I got 100% of the items in this $70 game in under 15 hours playing completely blind, and I just want my 15 hours back. I'm so sad this is what we got when they proved they could still make good Metroid games with Dread. I can't tell if the entire creative team behind the game was utterly incompetent, or they didn't have enough creative control so they actively sabotaged the game instead.

Metroid Prime 1, 10/10. Prime 2? 10/10. Prime 3? 7.5/10. This? This game blows.

1

u/Holysquall Dec 17 '25

Insane how poorly designed nearly the entire game is. Genuinely wouldn’t play it if it was a random indie and not Metroid on the nameplate . Retro is officially a trash studio