We played Metroid Prime 4: Beyond – First Hands-On Preview
Blog Andrew Joseph 05 Apr , 2025 0
For seven years, Metroid Prime 4 is just a logo. Fans obsessed with tweaking each Nintendo presentation, hoping the game will be updated until the trailer is finally released in 2024 and actually reveals the game footage in the game. This year, not only Metroid Prime 4: In addition to launching, there are some very interesting visual and gaming upgrades available on the Nintendo Switch 2. We played the latest episode of Retro Studio in the Classic Sci-Fi Action Adventure series on Switch 2, and we have a lot to tell you. Continue reading to learn more.
Beyond beauty
The first thing we noticed in Metroid Prime 4 is its gorgeousness. It has an incredibly clean, stylish aesthetic, and Nintendo promotes at 120 frames per second on the Switch 2. This is not the case on Switch 1, and it's hard to track Nintendo is able to stick with that number in the full game, but it's an ambitious goal. So far, the Prime 4 has a very good sense of scale. We fought against a bunch of clumsy enemies, saw a huge clumsy mech strut, and then knocked down a large boss with several different attack stages. The area we demonstrated is just a small part of what the full game might offer, so we hope we see some grander setups and large open environments, some of which have been ridiculed in the trailer.
But Metroid’s game is also related to narrow tunnels and dark corridors, and we’ve seen some of them too. Like previous Prime games, the quick button press aims at the third person Morph ball mode, instantly pops Samus out, allowing her to travel through certain areas. We had to do some testing on this and it worked well, so we couldn't wait to search every corner and gap in this game for missile upgrades, energy tanks, shortcuts, and more. This is the most detailed Metroid game to date, and these parts are no different, giving us a glimpse of the battle factions happening below you as you roll through the tunnel above them. But wait, how do you play everything?
Samouse Aran (OR, Mouse and Metroid)
One of the most fascinating additions to Metroid Prime 4 on Switch 2 is the optional mouse controls. Looking back, the Prime series has unique control options across a variety of games. The main games of the first two Metroids were built around the rather traditional Nintendo Gamecube controller (although turning the historical 2D side-scrolling game into a first-person action-adventure game with a third-person ball rolling mechanic, all bets are off. Metroid Prime: The hunter of the Nintendo DS has touch screen controls. Metroid Prime 3 on the Nintendo Wii has pointer and motion controls. Metroid Prime Pinball on the DS comes with a gameboy Advance cartridge-shaped rumble. We won't talk about Metroid: Blast Ball on the Nintendo 3DS.
Metroid Prime 4 on the Switch 2 now allows you to rotate the correct Joy-Con 2 sideways, place it on a flat surface, and tactile feedback with the effect of each lens and precise mouse pointer. Even for neat games, the game can seamlessly switch from traditional stick controls to a whim mouse control without stopping to enter the settings. We can see a lot of people think this is their preferred way to play Metroid Prime 4, and the convenience of you swapping back and forth between the mouse and pointer controls gives you the option of just putting the Joy-Con 2 on the table, and when it's time to do a serious comb sequence and use traditional controls for a colder exploration of the employment exploration prime 4, there's no need to provide it. Or maybe you need to play the whole game in handheld mode or professional controller. Either way, you have a choice.
“Nintendo Switch 2 Edition” upgrade path
One thing Nintendo is still unclear is that the Prime 4 is located where the list of 2 titles is listed in its awkward transition switch 1. While some original switch games like Echo of Wisdom and Link’s Awakening are offering free upgrade patches for Switch 2, some other visual upgrades like Breathing of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom (as well as some bells and whistles) (and some games like Kirby and Lodgotten Land) will receive $10 and $20 upgrades that improve the visuals and add new content. When they enter Switch 2, which categories of mouse controls and 120fps options will appear?
Well, like its release date and base game price, we don't know yet. You will be able to buy the base game and the “Switch 2 Edition Upgrade Pack” separately or as a bundle in the Bright Red Switch 2 branded box, but so far we don't know how much it will cost either. Our best guess is that given the Switch 2 version will be priced at $10, as it doesn't have extensions like Mario Party's “+ Jamboree TV” and Kirby's “+ Star-Crossed World”, but we're not 100% sure yet. Samus has unlockable psychological power in Prime 4, so we might just have to ask her. However, she is usually not very talkative.
Metroid Prime 4 has no release date yet, but it will be moving it to Switch 1 and Switch 2 in 2025, so hey, at least we don't have to wait another seven years to find out more. Lock it as everything about AIGN and make sure to read our hands-on coverage Nintendo Switch 2 Hardware,,,,, Donkey Bananaand Mario Karting World.
Brian Altano and Logan Plant Love Metroid and talk about it frequently in IGN's Nintendo voice chat, which is IGN's weekly Nintendo podcast. Check it out on Fridays, IGN.com, YouTube and podcast services.
