December 4, 2025
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is a 2025 action-adventure game developed by Retro Studios and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo Switch 2. It is the tenth main game in the Metroid series. Players control the bounty hunter Samus Aran, who is transported to the undiscovered planet Viewros and tasked with a mission from its inhabitants, the Lamorn. She fights for survival while confronting her rival Sylux, who holds a grudge against her and the Galactic Federation.
Beyond retains the first-person adventure gameplay of previous Metroid Prime games. Players guide Samus through non-linear environments, fight enemies, upgrade her abilities and scan objects and life-forms for information. Beyond adds psychic abilities, used to control beam shots and manipulate objects, and a motorcycle, the Vi-0-La, used to cross the hub world. The Nintendo Switch 2 version includes support for the Joy-Con 2 mouse controls for more precise aiming.
Nintendo announced Metroid Prime 4 for Switch at E3 2017. It was initially developed by Bandai Namco Studios overseen by Kensuke Tanabe, the producer of the previous Metroid Prime games. In 2019, unhappy with progress, Nintendo announced that development had restarted with Tanabe under Retro, who had developed the previous Prime games. Nintendo unveiled Beyond in June 2024, and confirmed the Switch 2 version in April 2025.
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond was released on December 4, 2025, eighteen years after Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (2007). It received generally positive reviews, with critics praising its level design, gameplay additions and enhanced graphical fidelity on Switch 2, although the non-player characters and open-world elements received criticism.
Summary
Following the failure of their previous mission, the Space Pirates attack a Galactic Federation facility on Tanamaar. Samus is dispatched to help and discovers Sylux has led the attack in hopes of retrieving a recently unearthed artifact. During the confrontation, the artifact is damaged by Sylux, which sends everyone to the unknown planet Viewros. Samus narrowly survives and discovers a recorded message from a Lamorn while inspecting the surroundings. The Lamorn instructs Samus to bring Viewros' legacy to a new world with the help of five keys collected across the now-abandoned planet to activate the Master Teleporter. Samus accepts and gains psychic abilities.
On her way to the Lamorns' temple, Samus encounters Federation soldier Myles Mackenzie, who informs her the Master Teleporter may send them back to Tanamaar. While progressing through Viewros, Samus gains new abilities, including a motorcycle titled Vi-O-La, and rescues other Federation soldiers Reger Tokabi, Ezra Duke, and Nora Armstrong. Samus also discovers that the Lamorn inadvertently became extinct after abusing a source known as Green Energy to bring peace to a harsh Viewros; seeking technological and scientific advancements, the Lamorn attempted to grant its regenerative effects on themselves, to no avail; the remaining Lamorn sought security at Chrono Tower and chose Samus to bring an end to their suffering.
With the five keys collected, Samus also uses the crystallized Green Energy to gain the Memory Fruit, required to fulfill the Lamorn's request. As Samus and the Federation members use the reformed Master Teleporter -- the artifact unearthed on Tanamaar -- Sylux intervenes and attacks the group. He sends himself and Samus into an alternate dimension, where he is defeated. Although believed to be dead, Sylux attacks them once more as they leave, prompting the Federation soldiers to cover Samus while she leaves. Arriving in the new world, Samus plants the Master Fruit with her psychic powers, sprouting a rapidly growing tree. There she hangs a Federation pendant in respect for her comrades' seeming sacrifice. With her mission successful, Samus leaves for other pursuits.
Gameplay
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is a first-person action-adventure game. Players control Samus Aran using the Joy-Con controllers to move, jump, aim at enemies and objects, and fire weapons.
Beyond is an open-ended game that takes place across a vast world of different regions, in which gameplay focuses on solving various puzzles, exploring rooms, and defeating enemies with a variety of weapons and the aid of a "lock-on" function that allows Samus to move in a circle while staying aimed on an enemy. The lock-on function can also help with interacting with objects, such as connecting a Grapple Beam to swing between platforms. The game uses a first-person view, except in Morph Ball mode, in which Samus' suit transforms into an armored ball and the game uses a third-person camera. A heads-up display, which simulates the inside of Samus' helmet during first-person view, provides a radar and mini-map functions, as well as displays on health and ammo amounts; when fighting bosses, the display also keeps track of their health. At times, the player can perform a scan function in order to gather information on objects and enemies, as well as to interact with objects such as lifts.
New to Beyond are "psychic powers", which allow Samus to operate specialized mechanisms, see hidden platforms, and perform guided shots against enemies, and the Vi-0-La - a specialized motorcycle, which can be used to explore the open-world region of the game's setting, and is capable of performing manoeuvres that provide a speed boost as well as allow Samus to defend against enemies. At times, the game sees players being assisted by Galactic Federation members - these individuals help with solving puzzles where needed, and assist in combat, though players will be required to keep them alive and revive them with psychic healing powers when they fall. The Nintendo Switch 2 version allows players to use the Joy-Con 2 controller as a mouse, similarly to a PC first-person shooter.
Also See
- Metroid Prime
- Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
- Metroid Prime Pinball
- Metroid Prime Hunters
- Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
- Metroid Prime: Trilogy
- Metroid Prime: Federation Force
Sound Effects Used
Image Gallery