Metroid Prime 4 doesn’t stand up to Nintendo’s best | The VergeSkip to main contentThe homepageThe VergeThe Verge logo.The VergeThe Verge logo.TechReviewsScienceEntertainmentAIHamburger Navigation ButtonThe homepageThe VergeThe Verge logo.Hamburger Navigation ButtonNavigation DrawerThe VergeThe Verge logo.Login / Sign UpcloseCloseSearchTechExpandAmazonAppleFacebookGoogleMicrosoftSamsungBusinessCreatorsMobilePolicySecurityTransportationReviewsExpandLaptopsPhonesHeadphonesTabletsSmart HomeSmartwatchesSpeakersDronesScienceExpandSpaceEnergyEnvironmentHealthEntertainmentExpandGamesTV ShowsMoviesAudioAIVerge ShoppingExpandBuying GuidesDealsGift GuidesSee All ShoppingCarsExpandElectric CarsAutonomous CarsRide-sharingScootersOther TransportationFeaturesVideosExpandYouTubeTikTokInstagramPodcastsExpandDecoderThe VergecastVersion HistoryNewslettersExpandThe Verge DailyInstallerVerge DealsNotepadOptimizerRegulatorThe StepbackArchivesStoreSubscribeFacebookThreadsInstagramYoutubeRSSThe VergeThe Verge logo.Metroid Prime 4 doesn’t stand up to Nintendo’s bestComments DrawerCommentsLoading commentsGetting the conversation ready...GamingCloseGamingPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All GamingReportCloseReportPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All ReportAnalysisCloseAnalysisPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All AnalysisMetroid Prime 4 doesn’t stand up to Nintendo’s bestAfter infusing Zelda and Mario Kart with new life, Nintendo has left Metroid standing still.After infusing Zelda and Mario Kart with new life, Nintendo has left Metroid standing still.by Ash ParrishCloseAsh ParrishVideo Games ReporterPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Ash ParrishDec 4, 2025, 7:59 PM UTCLinkShareImage: NintendoAsh ParrishCloseAsh ParrishPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Ash Parrish is a reporter who covers the business, culture, and communities of video games, with a focus on marginalized gamers and the quirky, horny culture of video game communities.Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is finally out after a long and difficult development — and despite some bright spots, the game really shows its age.Nintendo has a long and celebrated history of doing things its own way. During the original Switch era, going back to Super Mario Odyssey in 2017, Nintendo has focused on bringing open-world style exploration elements to many of its major releases. That strategy has worked very well, breathing new life into storied franchises like Donkey Kong, Mario Kart, and The Legend of Zelda. But it hasn’t quite added the same revolutionary touch to Metroid Prime 4.In all of the other games that got the open-world-style treatment, those elements were additive to the experience. Exploring vast stretches of Hyrule in Breath of the Wild, for example, inevitably led to some kind of new discovery — a shrine to crack, a korok to uncover, or a treasure to find. We had never seen Hyrule rendered like that on a Nintendo console, and it was neat to traipse about it and take it all in.In Beyond, though, that kind of exploration is more of a chore than a treat. In his review, Andrew Webster described the desert hub world Samus travels through as “a bare and boring place.” There are things to discover, but they’re no more than mile markers on a long stretch of desert.RelatedMetroid Prime 4 excels when it’s actually being MetroidThe problem is that for the type of game Metroid is, free-roaming exploration doesn’t work, or at least not in this execution. In the early hours of Beyond, while zipping across the desert on the extremely cool-looking VI-O-LA bike, I encountered a wrecked structure belching smoke. After taking care of a few enemies, I looked around to see if there was any puzzle to solve or treasure to take, only to find nothing. There seemed to be something higher up that I could interact with, but I couldn’t reach it. So I left.A Metroidvania gates progression behind power-ups. When you encounter a roadblock, that’s typically your signal to come back later. That works in a closed environment like the biomes of Viewros, the new planet Samus explores, but it kills momentum in an open world because there’s no guaranteed payoff for your time. It makes the world feel emptier in a way it didn’t for Breath of the Wild or Super Mario Odyssey. In those games, I knew that my noodling would net me something more than bug gunk all over my sleek biker suit power armor. I could probably return to that crash site when I have whatever required power, but I don’t feel compelled to go back.What am I supposed to do here? Image: NintendoI’m also really annoyed with Beyond’s illusion of choice. In your first time zooming across the desert, a colleague named Mackenzie, speaking with an authority that sounds like a message to the player from the developers, says that you can go wherever you want next. But when I did that, I immediately hit a wall of fire I could not pass. It felt like the developers were playing a prank on me, like, “lol, we said you could go anywhere but we really want you to come back when you have the right stuff.” Tears of the Kingdom wouldn’t do me like that.Another element that demonstrates just how late Nintendo is to the party is the companions. They are all too quick to tell Samus what to do, where to go, and what she’s doing wrong. That kind of guideposting was and still is all the rage in big-budget action-adventure games like Horizon Zero Dawn, and it can be helpful when you get stuck. But part of Metroid’s appeal is using your wits and skills to figure shit out on your own.I don’t need you to show me how to get back to Fury Green. I’ve been there several times already! All that goes out the window, though, when Mackenzie, your primary companion, chimes in with tips unannounced and unasked for, condescending to both me and Samus. Samus Aran is the baddest bounty hunter this side of Zebes, a fact everyone around her acknowledges except when it’s time for her to do the very things they all rightfully venerate her for. No, Mackenzie, I don’t need you to show me how to get back to Fury Green. I’ve been there several times already!Nintendo’s biggest mistake with Metroid Prime 4, though, is that it feels too much like the original Metroid Prime trilogy. Perhaps the most impressive thing about Nintendo’s other recent major mascot titles is that they all share the same basic structure of their predecessors, but have some new twist that makes the old feel new. With Odyssey, it was Cappy’s transformation powers. In Tears of the Kingdom, it was the Ultrahand powers working in tandem with the physics engine to create unique emergent gameplay experiences that felt magical. In Bananza, the simplicity of being able to break nearly everything on screen did the same.Nintendo gave you weird, often simple tools and let you loose on the world, and it resulted in some of the best games the company has ever made. There’s none of that in Metroid Prime 4. The psychic powers Samus gets are mere remixes of powers she’s had before. A psychic lasso is just a spicy grapple beam.Beyond isn’t without merit, because there’s still nothing quite like the Prime brand of 3D exploration. But it seems that eight years and a development reboot should yield something more impressive than this, especially considering the treatment Nintendo has given its other franchises. In Metroid Prime 4, the old doesn’t feel new, and the new doesn’t feel good.Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.Ash ParrishCloseAsh ParrishVideo Games ReporterPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Ash ParrishAnalysisCloseAnalysisPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All AnalysisGamingCloseGamingPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All GamingNintendoCloseNintendoPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All NintendoReportCloseReportPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All ReportMost PopularMost PopularCrucial is shutting down — because Micron wants to sell its RAM and SSDs to AI companies insteadSteam Machine today, Steam Phones tomorrowApple’s head of UI design is leaving for MetaAntigravity’s 360-degree drone is here to help you forget DJIBMW iX3 first drive: a ‘New Class’ is in sessionThe Verge DailyA free daily digest of the news that matters most.Email (required)Sign UpBy submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.Advertiser Content FromThis is the title for the native adMore in GamingRussia bans Roblox over ‘LGBT propaganda’ and ‘extremist’ contentNvidia’s new RTX 50-series GPU driver restores PhysX support for popular gamesPlayStation is making an MLB The Show mobile gameThis haptic mattress topper lets you feel a movie while you fall asleep during itCrucial is shutting down — because Micron wants to sell its RAM and SSDs to AI companies insteadThe annual app recaps for 2025: all Wrapped upRussia bans Roblox over ‘LGBT propaganda’ and ‘extremist’ contentEmma Roth2:41 PM UTCNvidia’s new RTX 50-series GPU driver restores PhysX support for popular gamesTom Warren2:11 PM UTCPlayStation is making an MLB The Show mobile gameJay PetersDec 3This haptic mattress topper lets you feel a movie while you fall asleep during itAndrew LiszewskiDec 3Crucial is shutting down — because Micron wants to sell its RAM and SSDs to AI companies insteadEmma RothDec 3The annual app recaps for 2025: all Wrapped upJess Weatherbed12:00 PM UTCAdvertiser Content FromThis is the title for the native adTop StoriesAn hour agoGoogle’s AI model is getting really good at spoofing phone photos60 minutes agoMicrosoft is quietly walking back its diversity efforts12:00 PM UTCThe future of country music is here, and it’s AI3:00 PM UTCAnthropic’s quest to study the negative effects of AI is under pressureVideoDec 3BMW iX3 first drive: a ‘New Class’ is in sessionDec 3One day, AI might be better than you at surfing the web. That day isn’t today.The VergeThe Verge logo.FacebookThreadsInstagramYoutubeRSSContactTip UsCommunity GuidelinesArchivesAboutEthics StatementHow We Rate and Review ProductsCookie SettingsTerms of UsePrivacy NoticeCookie PolicyLicensing FAQAccessibilityPlatform Status© 2025 Vox Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved

Metroid Prime 4’s development has been a protracted and challenging journey, culminating in a release that, according to Ash Parrish’s analysis in *The Verge*, ultimately fails to live up to the legacy of the Nintendo’s best offerings, particularly within the Metroid Prime series. The core issue lies in the game’s execution of an open-world design, a strategy that has proven remarkably successful in revitalizing franchises like Donkey Kong, Mario Kart, and, notably, The Legend of Zelda. However, in *Beyond*, this ambitious approach feels less like a revolutionary addition and more like a chore, diminishing the inherent momentum of the Metroidvania genre.

Parrish argues that the desert hub world, Samus’s primary location, is characterized by a sense of emptiness and lack of tangible reward for exploration. While the game does offer discoveries – mile markers and treasure – they lack the organic, impactful connections that defined earlier titles. The sense of wonder and reward, vital to the Metroid experience, is noticeably absent. The VI-O-LA bike, while visually impressive, becomes a tool for navigating a largely barren landscape, underlining the game’s failure to fully embrace its core identity.

A significant contributor to this feeling is the game’s reliance on intrusive guidance provided by the companion, Mackenzie. This constant stream of tips and directions, mirroring the trend of head-start systems in larger action-adventure titles, feels antithetical to the game’s established principles of player agency and self-reliance. Parrish highlights the criticism that Mackenzie’s interventions actively undermine Samus's established role as a formidable, independent bounty hunter, a reputation painstakingly built through the series. While such guidance can be helpful in challenging games, *Beyond* employs it excessively, transforming a supposed expansion of the Metroid formula into a frustrating imposition.

Furthermore, *Beyond* suffers from a sense of “illusion of choice,” where player decisions often lead to predetermined outcomes. Early in the game, a colleague’s pronouncements of unparalleled freedom – “you can go wherever you want next” – are quickly negated by impassable barriers, showcasing a deliberate attempt to manipulate the player’s progression. This tactic reflects a broader tendency to prioritize a specific narrative path over genuine player exploration, essentially directing the player’s way through the world.

The game's power-ups, primarily remixes of existing abilities, further reinforce this critique. The psychic lasso, a variation on the grapple beam, exemplifies the lack of innovation – a trend that extends to Samus’s acquisition of new skills. Instead of introducing truly transformative gameplay mechanics, *Beyond* offers familiar elements, failing to deliver the “magical” emergent experiences that characterize successful Nintendo titles like *Super Mario Odyssey* or *Bananza*. It showcases a missed opportunity to leverage the core strengths of the Metroid formula—player skill, puzzle solving, and a satisfying sense of discovery.

Ultimately, Parrish contends that *Metroid Prime 4: Beyond* feels anachronistic, lacking the freshness and excitement that have defined previous installments. As he suggests, there’s a disparity between the "old" – the core tenets of the Metroid experience – and the “new,” which feels more like a diluted imitation. The game’s protracted development and subsequent release failed to capitalize on the series’ rich history and proven gameplay mechanics--a disappointing culmination given Nintendo’s previous successes in revitalizing other treasured franchises.