Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is at its best when it lets Samus explore strange, atmospheric places, scan their secrets, and fight through memorable encounters. Its open desert hub and some new controls interrupt that rhythm, but the exploration, bosses, item hunting, and melancholy Lamorn story give this return plenty to recommend.
What kind of Metroid Prime game is it?
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is a single-player first-person action-adventure from Retro Studios, published by Nintendo. It launched on December 4, 2025, for Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2, with a physical edition listed by Nintendo. Samus is transported to the planet Viewros, where she scans for clues, uses her weapons and equipment, and gains psychic abilities. Nintendo also describes Vi-O-La, a rideable bike for travel and combat in open areas. Nintendo’s product listing and its September 19, 2025 announcement provide the game details.
The design mixes familiar Prime exploration with more combat and character interaction. That change is most successful in the game’s carefully composed environments; it is less convincing when the adventure asks players to cross broad stretches of open space or spend extended time with Federation soldiers.
Where the adventure shines
Atmospheric exploration and distinctive environments
Exploring Viewros is the strongest reason to play. The pleasure comes from moving through unusual biomes, scanning the surroundings, and gradually making sense of spaces that initially feel unfamiliar. TechRadar praised the environments, soundtrack, strengthened movement, and late-game exploration, while GameSpot’s Steve Watts highlighted the atmosphere and traditional Prime-style exploration. The game’s best stretches recapture the series’ balance of isolation, curiosity, and gradual discovery.
#1 Best Overall
- Nintendo Switch 2 features Aim with a Joy-Con 2 controller as a mouse Experience enhanced resolution, framerate, and load times in the Nintendo Switch 2 edition of the game
- Explore a mysterious planet to find your way home Deadly sharpshooter Sylux has finally caught up with renowned bounty hunter Samus Aran! After an unexpected accident in the wake of their clash, Samus finds herself transported to Viewros—a mysterious planet once inhabited by an ancient race. Now she must explore this planet, all while battling the strange creatures that inhabit it, to find her way home.
- Scan your surroundings for clues, make the most of your equipment and weapons, and use Samus’s newfound psychic abilities—and her technologically advanced bike, the Vi-O-La—to traverse and explore the environment. Operate mechanisms, control your charge beam, and more—you’ll need every tool at your disposal to survive and escape Viewros!
- Play with mouse controls, enhanced visuals, and two different display modes—only on the Nintendo Switch 2 system Aim with a Joy-Con 2 controller as a mouse! The Metroid Prime 4: Beyond – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition game also features enhanced resolution, framerate, and load times.
- Two display modes let you choose how to experience the adventure. Enjoy more detail in Quality Mode, which runs at 60 frames per second in 4k while docked and in 1080p while in handheld, or prioritize super-smooth action with a higher frame rate in Performance Mode, which runs at 120 frames per second in 1080p while docked and 720p in while in handheld. Both choices are HDR compatible.
Combat, bosses, and the return to old areas
Combat takes a more prominent role, and the reviews identify boss battles as a particular strength. Backtracking and collecting also become rewarding once Samus has more tools: revisiting places with new abilities makes item cleanup feel like a natural continuation of exploration rather than a separate checklist. TechRadar specifically praised the endgame biome exploration and item collection.
A melancholy story at the heart of Viewros
The Lamorn story gives the journey an emotional thread. Watts described its tone as melancholic, a useful counterweight to the more familiar squad-character scenes. The game may give Samus more company than earlier entries, but much of its appeal still comes from the quiet spaces and history players uncover on their own.
What makes the experience uneven?
Sol Valley breaks the exploration rhythm
The open desert hub, Sol Valley, is the most consistent point of friction in the reviews. TechRadar called it the weakest element: a large, arid expanse with relatively little to discover. GameSpot likewise found travel between hubs tedious in a world it characterized as largely empty. Vi-O-La can be enjoyable to ride—TechRadar found the motorcycle fun, and Watts said it grew on him—but that does not make every crossing feel purposeful.
Rank #2
![Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Standard - Nintendo Switch [Digital Code]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41qNSkThD6L._SL160_.jpg)
- 1. Explore the mysterious planet Viewros as the renowned bounty hunter Samus Aran
- 2. Scan your surroundings for clues and make the most of your equipment and weapons to survive
- 3. Use Samus’s newfound psychic abilities—and her technologically advanced bike, the Vi-O-La—to traverse and explore the environment.
Psychic and bike controls take adjustment
The new psychic abilities add variety, but GameSpot found some interactions fiddly. Vi-O-La also feels stiff at first, according to Watts, before becoming more enjoyable with practice. These are not reasons to dismiss the game, but they can make moments that should feel fluid more awkward than the series’ familiar exploration.
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Federation soldiers bring more character interaction and a less solitary feel than previous Prime games. That is a divisive trade-off: Watts found the characters broad archetypes, while also noting that much of the game retains the series’ signature isolation. Players who value Prime most for Samus’s solitude may find the squad scenes less compelling than the environmental storytelling.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How it compares across platforms
Nintendo lists versions for both Switch and Switch 2, but the available Switch review points to a noticeable presentation difference. Nintendo Life’s reviewer reported that the Switch version ran smoothly, with longer loading screens and a less crisp image than on Switch 2. That is the outlet’s experience, not a guarantee for every setup; the review still recommended the game to Switch owners who are not planning to upgrade, provided they set expectations for the older system’s presentation. Read Nintendo Life’s Switch review.
Rank #3
![Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Nintendo Switch 2 Edition Upgrade Pack - Nintendo Switch 2 [Digital Code]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/415BEE24o-L._SL160_.jpg)
- Two display modes let you choose how to experience the adventure.
- Enjoy more detail in Quality Mode, which runs at 60 frames per second in 4k while docked and in 1080p while in handheld, or prioritize super-smooth action with a higher frame rate in Performance Mode, which runs at 120 frames per second in 1080p while docked and 720p in while in handheld. Both choices are HDR compatible.
How long is Metroid Prime 4: Beyond?
There is no established audience-wide average in the available reviews. TechRadar reported around 15 hours or less for a run that did not aim for full completion. Its reviewer took just over 15 hours to collect every item and scan on Normal difficulty. Those are that reviewer’s estimates and completion goals, not a promise of how long every playthrough will take. The same review was played docked and handheld, primarily with a Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller, and also tried mouse controls.
Review verdict
GameSpot scored Metroid Prime 4: Beyond 8/10 (“Great”). Watts summed up its peaks and flaws this way: “Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is uneven and messy in some respects, but at its best it meets or exceeds the best moments the series has to offer.” That assessment fits the broader review picture: the desert traversal and some controls weaken the connective tissue, but strong environments, boss fights, exploration, item hunting, and the Lamorn story give the adventure real highs. Read GameSpot’s review.
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