*Disclaimer: This review contains spoilers. 

During the winter break, I got to play Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. It was released on Dec. 4, 2025, for the Nintendo Switch family of systems. It is the long-awaited follow up to Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, which was released in 2007 for the Nintendo Wii.  

After the main 2D series returned in 2021 with Metroid Dread, it was time for Samus Aran to make her return to 3D. 

I beat the game with 100% scans and items and I had a fun time playing a new Metroid game. I enjoyed Metroid Prime 4, with its amazing soundtrack and sound design, beautiful art direction and visuals. However, it has setbacks from making head scratching story and gameplay decisions. 

Aran is asked to come to the planet Tanamaar and help defend a Galactic Federation base under attack by the Space Pirates. The Federation presumed their target was a recently found artifact. Aran sees that the leader of the attack is Sylux, a bounty hunter with a personal grudge towards the Federation and Aran. After their brief clash, a shot from Sylux activated the artifact, teleporting him, Aran and remnants of the base to Viewros, an undiscovered planet. 

Viewros was home to the Lamorn, an extinct alien species that caused their own demise. They used “green energy” to nurture Viewros’ flora and fauna, but it backfired when the wildlife became more aggressive from being exposed to the energy, including the Lamorn, who transformed into Grievers. They foresaw Aran as their “chosen one” and spent their last moments in pre-recorded messages, granting Aran a psychic crystal that gives her psychic powers and guiding Aran to her objective: preserve the Lamorn history by growing a memory fruit and spread their legacy to another planet and collect the five Master Teleporter keys to activate the Master Teleporter; her way home. 

While a simple story overall, which I did not mind, one thing I disliked about it is that Sylux was being treated as the secondary plot. He is battled twice throughout the story, after beating him both times, but is revealed to be a robot disguised as him. 

The real Sylux was in a psychic healing pod in Chrono Tower, the final area. He was responsible for the robot projections of himself, and other things in the game. You do see small visions of Sylux’s backstory throughout the game, but there should have been more.  

I dislike that the complete backstory cutscene, being crucial to his narrative, is locked in the gallery, viewable after beating the game 100%. 

Gameplay wise, all of Sylux’s fights are incredible. The music alongside the gameplay made these the best 1v1s in the entire series. They even surpass the Dark Samus fights in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. 

Not just Sylux, but all the boss fights are well designed and fun to play. They are the game’s highlights. 

Besides Sylux, a few Federation troopers were transported to Viewros as well, and they accompanied you throughout the game. 

Each trooper is well written and I liked what they brought to the story. At base camp, they could interact with each other and some of them made me laugh. However, during combat, they do not do much, making you do most of the work instead of being a team effort. 

Specialist Myles MacKenzie is an engineer not the best at combat, but has vast knowledge of machinery. Corporal Regar Tokabi, a spiritual sniper that prefers solitude and believes that his survival is guided by his faith. Sergeant Ezra Duke, an experienced squad leader that comes off as stubborn, but is loyal and compassionate at his core. Private Nora Armstrong, my favorite, has a sharp intuition, a bright personality and an admiration for Aran. And VUE-995, a battle android eager to help with a sense of humor. 

Interactions between Aran and the troopers felt awkward at times, as some asked Aran direct questions, while she remained silent. Aran being a silent protagonist is a Metroid tradition, but it felt off here.

As for gameplay, one aspect I liked most about its predecessors, especially from Metroid Prime and Metroid Prime 2: Echoes was the level design. I liked exploring aimlessly and getting lost. 

The level design in Metroid Prime 4 is the most linear in the whole series. In Fury Green, the first area, the map is a straight path to the base camp and the boss, with little to no branching points. 

My main issue is with Sol Valley, the open world desert that connects the entire world. Sol Valley has the most missed opportunities. While exploring the desert on Vi-O-La, a motorcycle that Aran obtains in the story, there is not much to do. 

I did not find the green crystals that were bothersome to collect, as I spent most of my time filling out the map and collecting any crystals that I saw. 

Sol Valley also has six shrines and four Galactic Federation debris sites. I think there should have been more shrines and some Space Pirate debris to show that it is not just Aran, the Federation troopers and Sylux that are stranded. 

I thought the ending was sobering as the troopers kept Sylux at bay for Aran to activate the Master Teleporter and return to Tanamaar. The post credits scene is hauntingly beautiful as Aran plants the Memory Fruit and her psychic crystal in the ground as the music reflects Aran silently mourning the loss of her companions.

The soundtrack is among the best in the series. All the tracks have more depth than their predecessors. Returning composers, Kenji Yamamoto and Minako Hamano, did magnificent work on this game.

Overall, Metroid Prime 4 is an incredible game that suffers from setbacks in the story and gameplay. 

My rating: 8/10

Edited by Stuti Khadka and Bidhya Sapkota