Metroid Prime 4: Beyond for Nintendo Switch 2

5 reviews for Metroid Prime 4: Beyond for Nintendo Switch 2

1. 

   Eric – 10 February 2026

   Metroid Prime 4: Beyond reignites the classic first-person adventure with style, delivering one of the most polished entries in the series yet. Samus Aran’s journey on the mysterious planet Viewros blends atmospheric exploration, satisfying combat, and clever puzzle-solving with new psychic abilities that feel fresh without losing the core Prime identity. The addition of the Vi-O-La hoverbike adds speed and excitement to traversal, while the richly detailed environments reward careful scanning and backtracking. �9meters +1On Switch 2, the game shines technically — offering both 4K Quality and 120 fps Performance modes, with tight controls and optional mouse-like aiming from Joy-Con 2 for precision shooting. � Visually and aurally it’s one of Nintendo’s best, though a few areas feel less inspired and NPC moments don’t always land. �NintendoThe Shortcut⭐ Verdict: A triumphant return for Samus and Prime fans — gorgeous, deep, and engaging, even if it’s not completely revolutionary. A must-play on Switch 2.

2. 

   Brandon – 10 February 2026

   Metroid Prime 4 is a return to form that fans of the series have been waiting for. Having recently played the first 3 games, I can say with 100% confidence that this game captures everything that makes a prime game a prime game. I will admit, Retro Studios played it very safe and a lot of what you see, you have seen before, but if it ain’t broke, then don’t fix it.The story is simple- you are helping galactic soldiers fight off an invasion, a device gets set off, and you are teleported to a foreign planet. On this planet you will meet soldiers who also teleported during the event. Each trooper has a unique personality and I never had a bad time dealing with them. Your goal is to work with them to escape the planet by expanding your arsenal, and finding 5 keys.Gameplay is classic prime. You run, jump, roll, and shoot your way through maps until you get a new item. Once you get new gear, more paths open up. You will see familiar upgrades like missiles, boost ball, spider ball, lasso, grapple, elemental beams, and more. Enemies are scattered about the map with some being incredibly weak, and others taking more shots than they should. Puzzles also litter the world and are fun, if not simple to enjoy. The psychic element tossed on everything was not needed, but it makes things look cooler at the very least.The exploration is there like the past games. Except now, you traverse a large desert to get to a new area, opposed to taking an elevator. Arguably the worst part of the game is the desert, but not enough that it ruins the experience, and the motorcycle controls so good, so its bearable. Each map is unique and you get the traditional earth, fire, ice, etc. areas. Volt-Forge, is arguably the best region in the entire series.Graphics are excellent and the 4K 60hz mode looks wonderful on my 65” 4K OLED TV. HDR is the best it’s ever been on the console and visually, I think Metroid Prime 4 is one of, if not the best-looking game on the Switch 2. Music is good, but not the best. While you get some absolute hits from Fury Green and Volt Forge, the rest is kind of forgettable. Prime 1 and 2 have it beat in this area, but its not a blowout.Now let’s talk about what people have been saying online. People claim that the NPC’s ruin the game and that it’s linear. This game does not have an NPC issue like people say. The troops move the story forward, and that is needed in these games. Samus is a human living in a world with other people, so making connections and working with others is what she does. None of the troops were annoying and they added to the stakes of the plot. As for the game being linear, has anyone played the past 3 games? They are all linear with “exploration”, aka map design, making you forget it was. The number of times I back tracked in Prime 1 was insane, and that’s due to not being able to advance without specific items.So that’s my review, and honestly, this is a great game, even with its flaws. It does not reinvent the wheel, but we did not ask for that. It does feel like Retro had more in mind, but due to development issues, they had to set aside more ambitious things to get the game out. Still, we got a complete package where Samus looks and plays the best she ever has. Easily my #2 Prime game and I look forward to the next release, hopefully not 18 years from now. Rating 9/10.

3. 

   Thomas – 10 February 2026

   The case and cartridge arrived in excellent condition. While there’s a lot of divisive opinion about the game itself, I still enjoyed the experience. The visuals are gorgeous, and while the gameplay can feel a bit tedious and repetitive at times, there’s a good game here regardless of any shortcomings. Here are my spoiler-free thoughts:The story isn’t amazing, but it’s also not terrible. It may come off as a bit derivative and somewhat cliché, but it’s still fun when viewed with an objective lens. Having additional characters that interact with you doesn’t make or break the game, but some of the hand holding can be frustrating when you’re just trying to explore the world you inhabit and figure things out on your own. Suffice to say, Myles MacKenzie, the least liked of the Chatty Kathy NPCs, really isn’t all that bad. He’s just trying to be helpful, in his own special way.The music in the game is probably the most like its predecessors. It’s haunting, otherworldly, ethereal, and for longtime fans of the series will feel very nostalgic. No complaints in the sound effects department, except for maybe that unnerving screechy tension that comes into the music whenever you’re beset by…certain enemies. While I can appreciate the idea, and it is nice to know that an attack is imminent, it becomes rather grating on the ears after a while.Overall, I think I’d give Metroid Prime 4: Beyond an 8/10. Just my opinion, mind you. My final thoughts are that they should have dropped the number from the title and just called it Metroid Prime: Beyond, because it’s more like a new beginning than a continuation. It’s also more streamlined than the previous titles, probably in the hopes of ushering in a new audience by casting a wider demographic net. There are fewer exploration options, the path is more linear, but it still has that Metroid Prime vibe. I really like a lot of things about the game, but it’s far from perfect. Even so, I will continue to hope for more adventures of the intrepid Samus Aran far into the future. Thank you.

4. 

   Caleb Tamayo – 10 February 2026

   I know this game has received a lot of negative reviews online for a many reasons. I have finished the game, and I have played the first prime game. Overall this game isn’t as good as previous prime games but it’s still a good game worth playing especially if your a Metroid fan. Just because this game isn’t a 10/10 or a 9/10 game doesn’t mean you should avoid it. I personally give it a 8.5/10. This game does a good job immersing the player in the world and is very impressive graphically. I didn’t encounter any bugs or frame rate issues. The gameplay is just like previous prime games and is more linear kinda like fusion. Another highlight is the boss fights are really good. Also I will clear up majority of the negative points people bring up online.1. The NPCs voice lines and dialogueMajority of the NPCs dialogue is when you first encounter them or if a story event is occuring. Beyond that the engineer will guide you along once every 15-20min if your in the open desert area. If your not in the desert he will NOT talk.2. The open desert area is empty and boringThe desert is a bit empty but it still has things to do. Also you get to ride a motorcycle which is actually very fun. There’s mini dungeons, crystals, side quest items, enemy encounters, etc.3. I have to collect crystals to progress in the story, this is bad.Yes, this does happen towards the end. I don’t see why people are bringing this up because this was in prime 1, but in that game you had to find a more challenging item compared to crystals. It probably took me 15 min of crystal collecting to finish the required part. I did collect crystals and did mini dungeons as I was progressing through the story.ConclusionIf your a fan of Metroid, yes you will enjoy this game. It’s also very beginner friendly so if your new to this series you could start here. It’s not a bad game, don’t believe all the negativity online.

5. 

   Willie G.R. – 10 February 2026

   Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Nintendo Switch 2 EditionPersonally, I really liked the game a whole lot, but I am not so blind as to see what has caused such backlash against it. Note that these are just my personal opinions on the game, and I may or may not defend my opinions. I’ll start with what I liked about this:To begin with, the graphics on Switch 1 are nice enough, and it really seems as if this game is pushing that console to its limits. but on Switch 2, the graphics, framerate, load times, and image definition rise to such heights that it made me WISH this game had been made for SW2 from the ground up. The music is really REALLY good, though there are some tracks near the end of the game that are a huge miss, the worst being the final battle against the last boss. Now, about the NPCs, I just don’t understand people. Are humans so desensitized that they can no longer connect with characters that, despite all reasons, are well made and each serves a purpose in the game. Mackenzie is not as annoying as people say, I was expecting someone so bad, with such bad lines, that when I met the NPC, I was pleasantly surprised I did not feel bothered by him at all. He does contact you a lot, particularly in the open world hub, but it is actually NOT AS MUCH AS SOME REVIEWERS SAY! His function is like a Navi, which is not really wanted in a Metroid series game, but he doesn’t really ruin the game like people claim, and he also helps Samus adapt new tech into her suit, though an explanation for this function would have been welcome. Then there is Tokabi who is like a bit religious, and spiritual as well. He shares stories of his past with you, and gives you an upgrade for progressing the story, and power-ups that should have been left for Samus to find. Despite that, he’s a pretty likeable character. Duke is a sergeant, and he’s really cool, and like Mackenzie, he guides you and helps you with some doors, yet I hear no complains about him. Armstrong REALLY rubbed me off wrongly at first, as a cringy fangirl of sorts, but she actually has a development that shows good progression, and after that progression, she becomes very likeable and feels dependable, though her function is strictly for story progression. Then there is VUE, a robot whom has a bit of a personality, but his main purpose is being a tool for progression. There are plenty of upgrades to find, there are a total of 4 armors in the game (3 upgrades), but honestly, they feel more like aesthetic enhancement, rather than upgrades, there are LOTS of power-ups for your weapons to find, and in that sense, the game feels like playing a new version of the first Metroid Prime. There are also some details that really enhance your enjoyment of the game, like steam coming out of Samus’ arm cannon after firing lots of consecutive shots, but then there are many more missed details that just break the immersion at times. The game makes you fight a lot, which extends your gameplay and makes you feel like you need to be on your toes at all times, but most enemies are really easy to dispatch with a flurry of bullets, unlike prior Prime games, which makes me realize this REALLY is a brand new game series… and that brings me to the bad things.The maps are so linear, that the only way to get lost is if you have a terrible sense of direction, all main upgrades are literally lined up for you to grab as you move along in the story, so it loses the sense of being a Metroidvania, ironically enough, all armor upgrades, including the very last one, don’t really increase your defense at all, and I think the last armor upgrade made me take MORE damage from some attacks, which is insane! And I seriously failed to see the point of collecting all the power-ups, because at the end of the game, you literally DON’T NEED THEM!!!! Just shoot, shoot, shoot your main weapon, and you’re done. There is no incentive to use ANY of the secondary weapons, and honestly, I felt that collecting all that was a waste of time, made to increase the game time more than it needs to be. Then there is Sylux, who actually feels more like a pouty child with a scraped knee looking for payback for no reason. There is just a teensy tiny bit of story progression for him, and it makes him look BAD as a villain. I felt like he turned from villain to pathetic in just one clip. There might be more to his story, but what was presented here just sucked! There are also enemies that were promoted a lot before the game’s release, but disappear as soon as their scene is done, and if you miss the one that appears high above the mountains, you miss that scan. I am talking about those ferocious snow wolves. Finally, there is the heavy hand-holding in this game that just takes away your merit as a gamer of having found the way to progress further, though I admit I was spared longer hours of looking around thanks to Mackenzie’s Navi transmissions. Oh, and there are moments where it appears that Samus was supposed to say some lines, but I think those were cut out for some reason, plus there are clear signs that they tried to uglyfy her a lot, and THANKFULLY was undone, but don’t expect to see her usual beautiful face in THIS game.All in all, the game really is an 8 out of 10. The hidden story statues really build up this sad tale of a race that advanced too much, too fast, and paid a hefty price, the NPCs add life to this story as well, and the game is actually so simple that anyone can pick it up and play from start to end, but that’s EXACTLY why this game needs a new name. Metroid Prime is about claustrophobic, solitary environments where you alone must overcome the challenges a planet can throw at you without need of others or the need of guides. It’s supposed to be a puzzling world filled with corridors that can either take you back, or move you forward, where you need to keep your wits sharp, and figure how to best defeat the many varied enemies you’ll encounter, not just go “pew pew” a few times and move on. It’s not supposed to be a cinematic rollercoaster of a game that makes you feel you’re in a superhero movie with cringy lines and sad stories. And that ending is just heartbreaking! It made me feel all my effort was for too few a reward. I can say I can recommend this game, but with a big warning: THIS IS NOT METROID PRIME! This is Metroid Beyond. And while it is a good experience that will satisfy your 3D Metroid itch, it won’t fulfil that old urge of completing puzzles and figuring things out for yourself that the series used to offer in the past. I will play this again in the future for sure.