Metroid Prime 4: Beyond brings Samus Aran back to alien jungles, sprawling ruins, and mysterious environments, now optimised for Nintendo Switch 2. Featuring classic first-person exploration, puzzle-solving, and combat, the game introduces the Vi-O-La bike and psychic abilities to expand traversal and gameplay. With 4K/120fps support, Joy-Con mouse-style controls, and immersive atmospheric design, it’s a polished, must-play entry that satisfies longtime fans while welcoming newcomers to the franchise.
After a long and turbulent wait, the venerable franchise returns with Metroid Prime 4: Beyond — and it’s worth every second. This latest chapter delivers the classic first-person, exploration-driven sci-fi adventure that defined the series, while embracing modern performance and platform enhancements on the new Nintendo Switch 2. The result is a rich, atmospheric ride that feels at once nostalgic and forward-looking.
A New World to Explore – Planet Viewros Unfolds
In Beyond, players are dropped on the mysterious planet Viewros, where the familiar heroine Samus Aran must navigate alien jungles, ancient ruins, and sprawling environments after being unexpectedly transported there. The sense of wonder and isolation that has always defined Metroid Prime returns in force. As you scan your surroundings, investigate bizarre fauna, and unearth cryptic alien architecture, the game expertly blends exploration with the creeping tension of the unknown.
Traversal feels re-imagined but faithful — Samus now has access not only to her classic tools but also a new rideable vehicle, the Vi-O-La bike. The Vi-O-La changes up pacing and exploration, letting you quickly traverse terrain or approach dangerous zones in new ways; what might once have been a long, slow slog becomes a slick ride across treacherous landscape. The bike doesn’t replace traditional platforming or scanning-based exploration, but supplements it — giving players freedom to switch between slow, deliberate scanning and faster, fluid movement.
Gameplay: Familiar, Refined, and Enhanced
For longtime fans, Beyond feels recognisably Prime — scanning environments, hunting secrets, toggling beam and missile weapons, and unlocking areas in classic Metroid style. But there are modern touches: Samus gains “psychic abilities,” enabling creative interactions with environment and enemy combat that hint at deeper layers beyond bare firepower.
On Switch 2, the enhancements shine. The “Switch 2 Edition” offers two display modes: Quality Mode (4K 60 fps docked / 1080p 60 fps handheld with HDR) and Performance Mode (1080p 120 fps docked / 720p 120 fps handheld with HDR). Aiming is improved too — thanks to support for Joy-Con 2 mouse-style controls, targeting becomes sharper and more accessible, whether you’re locked onto a fast-moving alien creature or lining up a precise shot through a narrow tunnel.
These enhancements don’t just polish the experience — they transform it. Exploration moves smoother, combat feels more responsive, and transitions between moments of quiet scanning and chaotic firefights flow without interruption. For a franchise built on immersion and environmental storytelling, the gains are significant.
Atmosphere, Storytelling & The “Metroid Feel”
Visually and aurally, Beyond nails the tone. Alien flora rustles under wind and alien calls echo through dense jungle canyons. Derelict buildings creak, flickering hull lights cast long shadows, and every scan ping reveals alien hieroglyphs or hidden panels hinting at lost histories. The presentation evokes classic Prime — but cleaned up and modernised for today’s hardware.
Narratively, there’s intrigue. While the broad strokes remain familiar — marooned bounty hunter, alien mystery, unraveling threats — there’s freshness in the details. Encounters with hostile fauna, cryptic alien relics, and a mysterious adversary add stakes beyond simple survival. Rival encounters and narrative tension seem designed to pay off long-developed lore threads.
The pacing too strikes a welcome balance: interstellar loneliness and creeping dread alternate with adrenaline-fuelled confrontation, exploration, and discovery. It’s a living, breathing world — one you might hesitate to disturb, until you must.
Switch 2 Edition: A Leap Forward, but Not Without Compromise
It’s important to note that the “Switch 2 Edition” enhancements are only available on Nintendo’s new hardware; the original Switch version lacks mouse controls, 4K output, 120 fps performance, or the improved load times.
For players on Switch 2, the upgrade is transformative. But on standard Switch hardware, Beyond may still feel like a good, though not great, entry — impressive in its ideas, but with some of the polish inevitably sacrificed for compatibility.
A Few Hiccups – But None Fatal
No game is perfect. The addition of the Vi-O-La, while broadly welcome, can sometimes outpace level design: there are moments where terrain and enemy placement don’t quite accommodate high-speed traversal, leading to awkward navigation or pacing breaks. Similarly, while psychic abilities add variety, their implementation occasionally feels under-explored, more a hint of potential than a fully realised system.
Minor performance dips or pop-in textures — especially on standard Switch — surface during heavy indoor sequences or dense environments. And while the shift to a more open-world-adjacent traversal model is largely successful, some veteran players may miss the tight corridor-based exploration that defined earlier Prime titles.
Pros / Cons
Pros:
- Classic Metroid Prime exploration and atmosphere refined for modern hardware
- Stunning alien environments with attention to detail and immersive audio
- Switch 2 optimizations: 4K, 120fps performance, and mouse-style Joy-Con controls
- Fluid traversal with Vi-O-La bike adds new dimension to exploration
- Psychic abilities and enhanced combat mechanics deepen gameplay
- Cross-generational appeal for longtime fans and newcomers
Cons:
- Original Switch version lacks advanced Switch 2 enhancements
- Vi-O-La bike occasionally outpaces level design
- Psychic abilities feel underutilized in some areas
- Some veteran players may miss tighter, corridor-based exploration
- Minor performance dips or texture pop-ins in dense environments
Verdict: A Bold, Beautiful Return — And a Strong Call for Switch 2 Owners
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is a long-awaited return not just of a franchise, but of a style: atmospheric, exploratory, sci-fi adventure that rewards curiosity, patience, and a keen eye. On Nintendo Switch 2, it delivers that vision with polish, depth, and modern performance that elevates the experience — making it feel like a must-play flagship for the new hardware.
If you own a Switch 2, Beyond is arguably one of the platform’s early must-haves: a game that reminds you why Metroid remains a benchmark for immersive, atmospheric design. If you’re on the original Switch, it’s still worth playing — but know you’ll be missing out on some of the refinements that make the new edition truly shine.
“A triumphant, atmospheric return for Samus Aran — powerful, polished, and perfectly timed for the Switch 2.”
