Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Reviews
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond ended up being pretty brilliant as far as I’m concerned. I went in slightly wary because early impressions from others seemed mixed, but I walked away genuinely impressed. This isn’t a seismic reimagining of Metroid. It’s a confident, atmospheric, well-crafted adventure that honours the Prime legacy while giving Samus a few new tools and a shiny new bike to play with. There really aren’t a lot of first-person games that are able to pull off the Metroid formula well. 2D, however, is a different beast If you love the Prime series, or simply want a thoughtful first-person adventure with exploration at its core, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is an easy recommendation. A strong late-year release from Nintendo, and for me, the lesson I took from the game was that no matter how far away we travel from home, we can always find our way back despite the challenges. Maybe it’s just the place I am in life currently, but Metroid 4 just clicked with me.
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is the kind of comeback the series deserved: not just a simple “nostalgic revival”, but a chapter that accepts the weight of the Prime legacy and tries, with measured courage, to take it a step further. The intertwining of stunning art direction, level design, psychic powers and more technical combat with fierce new bosses creates an adventure that still demands attention, map memory and the ability to read spaces, but in return gives you that rare feeling of being truly alone on an unknown planet, armed only with your curiosity and Samus' armour. Not everything is perfect: a few lulls in pace, some less inspired areas and structural choices that might disappoint those hoping for a “pure” clone of the first three Prime games clearly show that Beyond is a compromise between tradition and modernity. But it is precisely in this balance, at times delicate, that the game finds its identity: an experience capable of speaking to veterans, while offering a more accessible entry point for those who are now discovering the exploratory soul of the saga. Ultimately, the long wait of almost two decades has been amply rewarded with Metroid Prime 4: Beyond; in what we might call a “welcome home” that doesn't just open the door and let you in, but invites you to look beyond, out the window towards new possibilities for Samus, for Viewros and for the very future of the series and the genre.
Review in Italian | Read full review
After a long wait, Retro delivers a confident, finely tuned Metroid experience that extends the classic gameplay loop with fresh structural swings, memorable boss encounters, and glorious environmental design.
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond shines in terms of controls, setting, puzzles, and audiovisual presentation, but it is weighed down by strange design decisions. Retro Studios gets it right by paying attention to every room and every battle, but excessive linearity, a lack of intricate settings, and a desert that impoverishes the cohesion of the map prevent it from achieving the greatness of the classic Prime games.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Metroid Prime 4 isn’t the perfect answer to 18 years of anticipation, nor does it always match the brilliance of the earlier entries often hailed as masterpieces. Still, that doesn’t mean it falls short where it counts. It may not hit every note fans hoped for, but both longtime players and newcomers will find plenty to enjoy—and enough moments that remind them why this series endured in the first place.
Review in Korean | Read full review
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond ends the eight-year wait with a technically stunning, 120 FPS showcase on Switch 2. While the narrative falls flat and new mechanics like psychic abilities feel awkward, the core loop of atmospheric exploration remains masterful. It is a polished, safe return that satisfies despite excessive hand-holding.
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is a curious case of a tale of two games. At times, it’s a phenomenal first-person metroidvania with some of the best visuals, immersion and level design ever seen in a Nintendo game, a great reminder as to why Metroid Prime used to rule the world back then. At the same time, it features one of the most pointless and barren open worlds ever put into a big budget title. What you really need to understand is that the former massively, gargantually outweighs the latter.
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond took years to arrive, and what we get is a game that remembers the series’ strengths while trying to push into new territory. It may not be the series’ best, but it’s a worthy return—and a promising glimpse of where Metroid Prime can go next.
After years of waiting and a divisive fan reception, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is finally here, and I couldn't be happier with the finished product. While there are some issues with the overabundance of dialogue and certain elements of exploration, the overall approach to gameplay and the narrative does a great job of evolving the series while staying true to what made it special in the first place. As someone whose wanted to get into the series for years, I am pleased to say that Prime 4 has finally succeeded at making me a proper Metroid fan.
Metroid Prime 4 Beyond is a solid science fiction experience. Discovering everything Viewros has to offer is incredibly rewarding and provides an unparalleled sense of alien atmosphere. The wait for a new Metroid Prime was long, but just a few minutes in Beyond are enough to remind us why we were so eager to return to this universe.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Eighteen years after Metroid Prime 3, and after eight years of development, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond arrives: it's not a masterpiece, but it's a worthy exponent of a historic saga. We'll tell you why.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Metroid Prime 4 Beyond is a stunning and atmospheric return for the series, with beautiful visuals, strong optimization on Switch 2, satisfying exploration and new psychic abilities that refresh the formula. It stays true to what made Prime special while delivering a polished and memorable adventure. The open world hub can feel empty at times, some modern additions like the motorbike do not always work, and a few bosses are easier than expected. Overall it remains a powerful and immersive experience.
Review in French | Read full review
Samus Aran returns in Metroid Prime 4 Beyond with an adventure where she must unravel the mystery of the planet Viewros, a hostile alien world where threats are constant. Explore labyrinthine environments and discover new abilities and upgrades that will allow you to access new areas.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
The concept of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is ambitious, risky, and sometimes confusing. Metroid Prime-style exploration is mixed with open-world travel, more character interaction, episodic zone progression, psychic mechanics, and squad-style fighting to make a game that is both familiar and daringly new.
It took Metroid Prime 4: Beyond eight years to crawl out of its 2017 announcement, but the wait didn’t strip away what makes the series work. Some of its new ideas feel a little undercooked, yet the critically-acclaimed formula of the original Prime game remains intact, now bolstered by fun additions to Samus’ arsenal. There are some fumbles that will get fans scratching their heads, but if you spend enough time with it, you will feel the old Prime magic humming again, steady and unmistakable.
For series devotees and curious newcomers alike, though, this is a confident return. When it sticks to exploration, scanning, and razor-sharp boss design, it is superb.
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond mixes familiar ideas with a few new touches that give the series a different feel. The action stays sharp, the exploration hits a good rhythm, and Viewros leaves a strong impression. Some moments feel more directed than expected, but the game keeps its pace and stays fun throughout.
Metroid Prime 4 Beyond lives up to the franchise. One might have feared that this long wait would end in disappointment, but that's not the case at all. On the contrary, we remain captivated by the quality of the game design, the care given to the music, the pacing and all the options available during boss fights, and the meticulous attention to detail in the puzzle-solving and exploration, which constantly challenge our minds. Of course, the Metroid style is unique and doesn't take the easy route we're used to, but the game offers a unique experience that shouldn't be missed.
Review in French | Read full review
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is a bold and competent evolution of the franchise, blending classic elements with an open world that, despite its moments of emptiness, rewards the player with intense challenges, rich exploration, and exceptional world-building. The intriguing narrative, breathtaking art direction, and balance between solitude and companionship make this one of Samus Aran's best adventures. Even with minor stumbles—such as inconsistent NPC guidance and repetitive desert sections—Beyond delivers exactly what fans expected: an epic, difficult, rewarding journey full of identity. It's a triumphant return of the galaxy's most famous bounty hunter, with everything that makes Metroid… Metroid.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Metroid Prime 4 has occasional moments of brilliance, especially when it approaches the original trilogy, but the Metroidvania design seems to have been oversimplified, the open world does not work, and parts of the progression involve bizarre decisions.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review