Metroid Prime 4 starts with a bang, but it didn’t really impress me much. However, everything changed once I reached the game’s first real playground, a Giger-esque otherworldly factory filled with robots, puzzles, electrical dangers, and a cool motorcycle.
Nearly a decade after it was first teased and 18 years after Metroid Prime 3, Retro and Nintendo have finally released Metroid Prime 4: Beyond for Switch and Switch 2. Over here at Kotaku, we didn’t get an early copy of the sci-fi action adventure FPS like many other sites. So I’ve been playing it today on Switch 2, taking my first power-suited steps into this latest entry in the beloved Metroid Prime series. Two things struck me right out of the gate while playing Prime 4: This game looks really nice. And the opening hour is meh.
Metroid Prime 4 is a gorgeous game, even if some online don’t think it looks realistic or detailed enough. What Retro has pulled off here is at times stunning and always runs at a flawless 120FPS at a crisp resolution, too. It might not be as sharp as something like Black Ops 7 running on a PS5 Pro or as detailed as Assassin’s Creed Shadows on a Series X, but Prime 4 nails it where it matters, using art style and smart graphical tricks to create something that looks wonderful on my big dumb 4K 120hz television.
I especially love the lighting and Prime 4‘s HDR implementation, with dark areas not looking washed out and bright lights popping off the screen. It’s easily the best-looking Switch 2 game around.
However, visuals weren’t enough to win me over during Prime 4‘s first hour. The game starts off with an action-packed tutorial and then a slow exploration of an alien world, where you meet a very annoying Galactic Federation soldier who, along with the game itself, practically holds Samus’ hand through most of the first part of Prime 4. It’s not bad, per se, but I wasn’t excited to play more. Thankfully, you ditch that annoying dude and set off to visit the game’s first real area, Volt Forge.
This is where Prime 4 gets really good. I won’t spoil too much, as it’s an experience I don’t want to ruin for anyone. But what makes Volt Forge so excellent is how it blends everything great about Metroid Prime into one haunting and large level. There are boss fights that utilize your various tools and weapons. It has puzzles that feel just challenging enough that solving them is satisfying, but not so annoying as to be a brick wall. And some incredible music, too. And to my surprise, Volt Forge even gets a bit creepy at points. Don’t expect jump scares or worry that Prime 4 is a horror game; it never goes that far, but I enjoyed the change in pace from the opening level.
Maybe the most unexpected part of Volt Forge is that it reminds me of Titanfall 2 and that game’s much-praised level set inside a large factory. Again, I won’t spoil exactly what happens in Volt Forge that reminded me of that level from Repsawn’s excellent sci-fi mech shooter, just know that the factory Samus is exploring is far from broken down. So you might want to be careful.
And at the very end of Volt Forge, you unlock Prime 4‘s motorcycle, which handles fine enough and feels great to drive. I have no idea if the rest of the game will match Volt Forge’s quality or if I’ll enjoy the more open-ended hub desert where the motorcycle is primarily used. It’s possible that everything after this will be terrible. For now, though, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond was able to overcome its so-so opening hour and win me over with a creepy and dangerous trip through an alien factory.
