Logan Plant’s hands-on preview suggests that Metroid Prime 4: Beyond retains the series’ investigative first-person exploration, while adding psychic abilities and a companion whose dialogue and escort role raised concerns for him. His report covers just over an hour on Nintendo Switch 2, focused on the opening and the Fury Green area—not the full game, its open desert, or its Vi-O-La motorcycle sections.
What the preview says Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is like
In his November 14, 2025 preview for IGN, republished by Yahoo Tech, Logan Plant describes an opening that leads Samus to Viewros and then into Fury Green, a forest area. The sampled section follows familiar Metroid Prime rhythms: explore in first person, scan surroundings for information, consult the map, fight with the arm cannon, and return to blocked routes when new abilities make them accessible.
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Plant summed up his response to that familiar investigative flow positively: “This still looks and plays like Metroid Prime, and I really enjoyed falling back into its investigative flow.” That is his judgment of the portion he played, not a verdict on the complete game.
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Scanning, traversal, and combat
The preview describes scanning environmental details and lore, using the Morph Ball to traverse, and encountering routes that cannot be opened until Samus gains the right ability. These examples point to recognizable series conventions in Fury Green, but a little over an hour in one area cannot establish how the full game’s exploration or progression is structured.
#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.
Two new psychic tools feature in the section Plant played. The Psychic Glove manipulates psychic objects, while the Control Beam lets Samus direct a charged shot toward multiple targets. Plant also reports a boss encounter with Carvex that required him to use the Control Beam to hit two targets in sequence. That is an example from this preview build, not evidence of the full game’s overall difficulty.
Fury Green’s presentation and Switch 2 performance
Plant praises the sampled area’s art direction and reports a strong performance impression on Switch 2: handheld Performance Mode ran at 120 fps in his session, and docked Quality Mode ran at 4K/60 fps. Those are observations from one preview session. Nintendo’s published mode specifications provide the broader advertised settings, but do not promise that every scene maintains a particular measured frame rate.
Why Myles MacKenzie is the preview’s main concern
Myles MacKenzie, a Galactic Federation specialist, accompanies Samus for part of the sampled section. Plant’s chief criticism is the frequency and tone of Myles’s dialogue, along with the escort sequence. This is one writer’s reaction to a limited section; it does not establish how prominent Myles is across the full game or whether other players will find him equally intrusive.
Rank #2
![Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Nintendo Switch 2 Edition - Nintendo Switch 2 [Digital Code]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/415BEE24o-L._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.
- 4. Aim with a Joy-Con 2 controller as a mouse
- 5. Experience enhanced resolution, framerate, and load times in the Nintendo Switch 2 edition of the game
Plant says he could mute voice acting, but his preview does not establish a separate setting for companion dialogue or hint frequency. So it does not answer whether players can keep other voices audible while reducing Myles’s interruptions.
What this preview leaves unanswered
The hands-on session did not include the open desert or the Vi-O-La motorcycle content shown in earlier footage. Plant says those elements remained unanswered after the event. Nintendo’s official description confirms that Vi-O-La is used to traverse and explore the environment, but that does not reveal how the bike handles or how its sections fit into the game.
Nintendo’s premise is that an accident transports Samus to the mysterious planet Viewros, where she scans for clues and uses her equipment, weapons, psychic abilities, and Vi-O-La to survive and escape. Nintendo’s UK description also names the ancient Lamorn and Sylux. Those official details establish the broader setup, not what the preview’s unplayed areas are like.
Rank #3
- 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.
Which version to consider
Nintendo lists the game for both Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2. The Switch 2 Edition adds mouse control with Joy-Con 2 controllers, enhanced visuals, and higher frame-rate options. Nintendo says the Upgrade Pack is available through the Nintendo eShop on Switch 2 and the Nintendo Store; its US store also lists a physical Switch 2 Edition. No price or current retailer availability is established here.
| Switch 2 display mode | Docked | Handheld | HDR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quality Mode | 4K at 60 fps | 1080p at 60 fps | Compatible |
| Performance Mode | 1080p at 120 fps | 720p at 120 fps | Compatible |
These resolution and frame-rate figures are Nintendo Support’s specifications for the Switch 2 modes, not independent measurements or a guarantee that every scene holds its listed frame rate. The Switch 2 Edition is the version with the stated mouse-control feature; the available information here does not specify comparable mode settings for the original Switch edition.
Nintendo’s product listing says the game does not support Nintendo Switch Online Save Data Cloud backup. The listed launch date was December 4, 2025, on both platforms; that date is historical, not an upcoming release.
Rank #4
Is Metroid Prime 4: Beyond worth playing?
This preview makes the game look promising for players who want the familiar loop of scanning, mapping, exploration, and first-person combat, with psychic abilities layered into traversal and encounters. The main caution for players who dislike frequent companion chatter is Plant’s reaction to Myles and the escort section. Because the preview did not cover the open desert or Vi-O-La content, it cannot settle whether those parts broaden the experience or how well they work.
For a platform choice, Nintendo’s feature list gives Switch 2 owners the clearest distinction: Joy-Con 2 mouse controls and the specified Quality and Performance modes. Players deciding whether those additions matter can weigh them against the fact that the game is also listed for the original Switch.
Quick Recap
Sources
- Logan Plant’s hands-on preview, republished by Yahoo Tech, November 14, 2025
- Nintendo US product listing
- Nintendo UK game description
- Nintendo information on the Upgrade Pack
- Nintendo release announcement
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