Nintendo's latest financial results did not mention Metroid Prime 4: Beyond at all, leading to worries about the game's performance and what could that mean for the series going forward.

In the latest financial results release from Nintendo, it's revealed that it took Switch 2 under seven months to overtake the Wii U's lifetime sales while the original Switch officially became the best-selling Nintendo console ever. And alongside console sales, the best selling Switch 2 games list was also updated with Pokemon Legends: Z-A – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition and Kirby Air Riders' first sales coming in strong with 3.89 million and 1.76 million copies sold respectively. However, those weren't the only first-party games released since Nintendo's last report.

Notably absent were two of Nintendo's biggest holiday games Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. Nintendo typically includes games when they pass one million copies sold, however Koei Tecmo confirmed last month that Hyrule Warriors has sold over 1 million copies (via Nintendo Life). Koei Tecmo published the game in Japan, so it's possibly a case of the Nintendo-published versions of the game having not sold over one million.

Metroid – despite having under four weeks to chart given the financial report's cut-off of December 31, 2025 – was not mentioned at all, suggesting that the long-awaited sequel did not get off to a great start on either console. However, it's possible the game sold over one million copies between the two versions – as Nintendo counts them separately as seen with Pokemon – but seemingly neither did it independently.

Fans over on the Metroid subreddit are understandably a bit worried given Metroid's multiple hiatuses, with one user saying: "This might be it for prime. Sad to see man." After all, fans had been waiting 18 years since Metroid Prime 3. However, given the extremely mixed critical reception to the game, some see this as a given, with another responding, "Sale numbers reflect the general sentiment people have of that game."

Of course, Metroid has never been a massive seller in the grand scheme of things, with Metroid Dread being the best-selling title in the series at just over three million as of 2022 – which is less than 1-2-Switch for context. While the years of hype and presumably expensive development make this a rough one, I don't see it being the end of Metroid unless the sales were extremely bad.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild's success was in part responsible for the open-world section in Metroid Prime 4

Walmart seemingly made a whoopsie earlier this week by posting a promotional image for Nintendo Switch Online's retro game collection that included Metroid Prime 2: Echoes and Pikmin 2, two games that are not, in fact, playable or announced for the service at the moment. Now, Nintendo says the whoopsie was actually made on its end for accidentally giving Walmart an image with games it doesn't currently intend on adding to NSO.

Walmart's original leak had the two GameCube classics listed alongside games that are already available on the subscription, including Mario Kart 64, Star Fox, and Tetris.

Nintendo's also had a knack for dropping games into its NSO GameCube selection before getting around to the ones that it's already promised (where's Super Mario Sunshine, Nintendo?), so fans took it as soft confirmation.

Nintendo has now provided a statement to IGN, claiming that the image "incorrectly" featured games that it has no plans to bring to NSO.

"We recently provided a retailer with an image of Nintendo GameCube - Nintendo Classics titles that incorrectly included games that are not planned for release at this time. The image has been removed, and we apologize for any confusion."

Whether you interpret Nintendo's comment as "not happening" or "not happening... right now" is another question, though. Metroid Prime 2 is undoubtedly one of the console's best games, and it would be weird for Samus' sequel not to come to the service at some point, especially as a follow-up to Metroid Prime Remastered and last year's Metroid Prime 4: Beyond.

Pikmin 2 is a slightly different case since that game is actually available to buy as is on the eShop right now, alongside the series' first game. Although it wouldn't be unheard of for Nintendo to add a game to NSO while having another purchasable version on its store. Link's Awakening comes to mind, for example.

After superhero hit Dispatch arrives on Switch with mandatory censorship, Nintendo says don't blame us: "Nintendo does not make changes to partner content"

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is a game with a lot of flaws, but none of them drew more attention from the gaming world than Myles MacKenzie, the character who spends much of the game's runtime bombarding Samus and the player with tutorials and hints of questionable helpfulness. The devs apparently took steps to make the character less annoying, but I'm still scratching my head over how they missed the fact that this kind of thing was always going to drive Metroid fans up the wall.

"[The characters in the hub's] personalities were decided on depending on their roles," according to a quote in Famitsu from the Nintendo side of the Metroid dev team (translated by GamesRadar+). "MacKenzie, the engineer, acts as the player's guide so we consciously gave him a bright, light-hearted vibe. We wanted him to develop items and such, so he is presented as a highly talented, technically minded person. But in order to make sure he wasn't annoying, we made his character absent-minded and kind of cowardly."

But that only addresses how the character is written – which, for me, is perfectly fine. Yes, I know, there are legions of folks out there with automatic cringe responses pointed at MacKenzie's sillier bits of dialog, but I truly don't believe he or other members of the crew are rendered meaningfully worse than any other sidekick in a major video game. Heck, I'll go a step further – I even think characters like Armstrong, with her barely-contained fangirl outbursts at meeting Samus, and Tokabi, with his religious introspection, are pretty endearing.

The problem is that I don't want any of that in a Metroid game. No characters, no dialog – just a sense of loneliness and isolation as I figure my way through a hostile alien planet. I've understood this to be the overwhelming sentiment of the Metroid fandom going back decades. While 2002's Metroid Fusion is regarded as one of the high points of the series, the chief complaint against it still haunts the series to this day – its introduction of lengthy dialog sequences that overexplain where to go and what to do.

While the rest of Fusion was good enough to overcome that issue, Other M doubled down on dialog and storytelling to become easily the most-maligned game in series history. Fans spent years lamenting Other M's choice to give Samus an array of Federation soldier pals who refuse to shut up. What a bold choice it was, then, to center Prime 4 on giving Samus an array of Federation soldier pals who refuse to shut up.

MacKenzie isn't the problem with Metroid Prime 4. Its true issue is the fact that it's an overwhelmingly directed experience, undercutting the excellence of its visual design, combat, and movement mechanics by funneling Samus through a series of tubes that don't offer any sense of exploration. MacKenzie's constant radio messages, telling you to go there or to do that, are simply an emblem of Metroid Prime 4's fundamental misunderstanding of what made the series interesting in the first place. It wouldn't matter if Shakespeare were the one on the line if this is the result.

Our Metroid Prime 4: Beyond review is less than glowing, but our list of the best Switch 2 games still offers plenty to love.

Nintendo has suggested the incredible response to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and its open-world pivot was partly responsible for Metroid Prime 4: Beyond's own freely-explorable desert section.

Unlike older Metroid Prime games, this year's Switch 2 shooter gives Samus both a speedy sci-fi bike and a large stretch of desert to drive over, which also serves as the connective tissue between the game's more traditional, linear, directed levels where our bounty hunter goes on foot (or folds up into a ball... dealer's choice.)

A Nintendo spokesperson told Famitsu, with translations from Nintendo Everything, that the development team kept seeing fan comments clamouring for an open-world Metroid near the start of production, "perhaps due to the influence of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild."

Nintendo ultimately decided against going down the full-fat open-world route since Metroid and the entire genre it spawned is about being locked out of certain areas until you find the right ability, and the devs thought it was incompatible with the open-world formula.

"Thus we thought to design a limited area that could be freely explored, and have that be a hub that could connect to other areas. Then we thought that if one could move around on the bike in a satisfying way in that area, it could be a segment that mitigates the tension from exploration, and paces the whole game," the spokesperson explained.

Just earlier this year, Mario Kart World also took its wheels to the open world, which simply makes me curious about what other upcoming Switch 2 games will go down the same route.

For more, check out our picks of the very best Switch 2 games so far.

Nintendo has once again locked a major feature of a Metroid game behind amiibo, as Metroid Prime 4: Beyond's bike is missing a radio until you pay up.

As much as I enjoy a good amiibo, one of the most annoying things about them is the lack of consistency. Some games introduce fun little extras – like the costumes and gliders found in Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, others are basically useless – like in Hyrule Warriors, where you get a pitiable single rupee or some other lame crafting material.

However, the actual worst implementation is any time Nintendo locks actual substantial content behind it (well, the real worst are games like Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival where they're required to play, but that game is widely considered so ass that I'm not sure anyone wants to play it anyway). One of the biggest examples of this was for Metroid: Samus Returns, where you need the now extremely rare Metroid amiibo to unlock Fusion Mode, locking a difficulty level behind it.

For whatever reason, Metroid seems to be the biggest victim of this, as Metroid Prime 4 has once again locked content behind amiibo. The Samus on the Viola amiibo lets you see how far you've travelled on the bike and unlock some new skins based on milestones, while Sylux unlocks a special scene (which you get for 100% completing the game normally).

But the worst offender is the new Samus amiibo, which gives the Viola bike a radio functionality, allowing you to play tunes while riding around the desert. Not only is this amiibo $30 (or a slightly less painful £17 in the UK), but it's specifically for the Metroid Prime 4 version of Samus. If you're a long-time fan who has the Smash Bros, Samus Returns, and Metroid Dread versions of Samus, they won't unlock this.

So what is the reward for those fans who have all of the previous Metroid amiibo, you ask? Well, if you scan any Metroid series amiibo you're treated to one of five sound effects from the game playing… and that's it.

The Doom Slayer voice actor is in Metroid Prime 4, and he's down for a Samus crossover: "I wouldn't be mad at that pairing. Neither one of us say much."

The Metroid Prime 4: Beyond voice credits feature the voice of another blaster-toting icon who is totally up for a team-up down the line: the Doom Slayer himself.

Following what seems to be a trend of the Switch 2 era, Nintendo has made another major voice change, as Metal Gear Solid actor Jennifer Hale no longer voices Samus after previously being the voice for every Metroid Prime release. Instead, Erin Yvette – who most recently played Scylla and Dora in Hades 2 and Blonde Blazer in Dispatch – has taken on the role.

Fans soon noticed another familiar voice in the long-awaited sequel, that being Ezra Duke's actor Jason E Kelley, who played Colt Vahn in Deathloop and the Doom Slayer in both Doom Eternal and in Doom: The Dark Ages. One spacefaring icon appearing in a game with another naturally led some fans to call for a crossover.

Kelley took note of this and responded to one fan on Twitter, saying, "I wouldn't be mad at that pairing. Neither one of us says much." Kelley's Doom guy probably had less than 10 lines throughout the entire new trilogy.

And while it sadly, probably, would never happen unless Nintendo suddenly became cool with the over-the-top violence of Doom appearing in Metroid, a buddy-cop team-up with two near-mute legends would be quite something.

Technically these two have crossed paths before, as Doom Slayer appeared in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – albeit as a Mii costume. And had Nintendo allowed Samus to appear in Fortnite – which was in talks at one point but turned down because Nintendo wanted her to only appear on Switch – the duo could have teamed up there as well. I suppose there's a non-zero chance Doomguy makes another appearance in Smash down the line, but that's likely as close as we'll get.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond was made with the help of more than 20 other studios including Luigi's Mansion and Oblivion Remastered devs

Nintendo recently made sweeping changes to the extended cast of Super Mario, but the Mushroom Kingdom's not the only place dealing with unfamiliar voices in this new Switch 2 era. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond also has a brand new actor behind bounty hunter Samus Aran's grunts and death cries.

Nintendo Life recently took a magnifying glass to Metroid Prime 4's credits, which reveal Samus is now voiced by Erin Yvette, while Krystle Martin is responsible for the icon's motion capture performance.

For those unfamiliar, Yvette has quite the video game portfolio stretching back to multiple Telltale series, including The Walking Dead and The Wolf Among Us. You might have heard her voice more recently in Hades 2, where she played Dora, and Dispatch, where she played Blonde Blazer. Yvette is also set to return as Snow White in The Wolf Among Us 2 whenever that ends up coming out.

The new voice and mocap duo take over for Jennifer Hale, the prolific actor behind Mass Effect and, err, too many other games to begin listing here. Hale had voiced Samus in every mainline Metroid Prime game dating back to 2002's GameCube original 23 years ago, although different actors have stepped into the character's sharp suit in some of Metroid's other, non-Prime outings.

Samus isn't the only Nintendo icon who's been recast during the Switch 2 generation. Mario Kart World's version of Princess Peach is now voiced by Courtney Lin, ending Samantha Kelly's whopping 17 years with the character. Donkey Kong Bananza also swaps long-time DK voice Takashi Nagasako out for the Super Mario Bros. Movie's Japanese Kong voice, Koji Takeda. Not to mention the new actors taking on NPC Toads (Paul Castro Jr.) and Toadette (Laura Stahl). The Switch 2 hasn't even been out for a year, but I'm sensing a trend growing here.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond was made with the help of more than 20 other studios including Luigi's Mansion and Oblivion Remastered devs.

The credits for Nintendo's latest first-party game, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, features more than 20 external studios that helped make the game a reality in its credits.

In 2025, discussion around video games has centered on the size of development teams, focusing on the primary studio's full-time employees rather than the plethora of contractors and external studios, without which developing these games wouldn't be possible.

Famously, many focused on Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which has a core team of around 30 people at primary developer Sandfall Interactive while delivering a AAA experience. However, Sandfall's payroll doesn't tell the whole story, and if you look at the credits for Expedition 33, you'll see the names of the hundreds of talented people who made such a project possible.

As spotted by Nintendo Life, not only are 21 external studios mentioned in Metroid Prime 4's credits, but a number of external and independent contractors. Some more interesting names include Next Level Games, a Nintendo-owned studio that develops Luigi's Mansion and Mario Strikers, and Virtuos, a studio that feels like it has assisted every AAA game since the beginning of time.

You might not have heard of Virtuos, but you've played its games. The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, Hogwarts Legacy, and Horizon Zero Dawn, are just a sliver of the studio's extensive library of hits that it's lent its talents to. Despite these omega successes, Virtuos laid off almost 300 employees this year, and more shockingly, that gigantic figure made up just 7% of its workforce. For the mathematically uninclined, that's almost 4,000 developers ready to assist other studios.

Requiring help from other studios isn't a bad thing – the more developers in full-time employment the better – but Metroid Prime 4 shows that even famously insular developers like Nintendo expand development well beyond its borders.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond review: "The series' atmosphere has never been better, while being dragged down by a boring overworld and clunky psychic powers."

The Vi-O-La (or Viola) motorcycle in Metroid Prime 4 Beyond is a space age bike that has cropped up a lot in the marketing material, used to cross the desert overworld region that links various areas of the game. However, the Viola isn't unlocked from the start, and the first time you reach the desert, aka Sol Valley, in Metroid Prime 4 Beyond, you don't even have the bike and have to explore on foot. I'll explain how to get the motorcycle below, and what you need to do for this upgrade.

To reach the Metroid Prime 4 Volt Forge area, you need to complete the jungle zone Green Fury and make it to Sol Valley via the cargo pod. Once you arrive, simple head south to a downwards path that's visible from the moment you land, flanked by walls on either side.

Volt Forge is down there, though making your way through it will take some time, with the level broken into three stages: starting up the factory, passing the tests and tutorials that allow you to use the Viola bike, and escaping past the boss fight at the end. Still, it's definitely worth it, especially as you'll also get the Metroid Prime 4 Psychic Boots along the way.

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How long is Metroid Prime 4 Beyond? Well, it's time to beat shouldn't surpass more than a dozen hours for the majority of players, a surprisingly short experience for a modern AAA metroidvania. Metroid Prime 4 has been in development for a long time, but that doesn't mean there's some hundred-hour saga waiting for you, though playtimes will differ depending on what you hope to achieve. If you want to know more, here's the length and time to beat for Samus' latest adventure.

How long to beat Metroid Prime 4: Beyond?

Metroid Prime 4 will take between 8-12 hours to complete the main campaign and story mode and 10-18 hours to 100% the game, i.e., finding all items, scans, collectibles and content.

This comes from our own Oscar Taylor-Kent, who has played through the game as part of our Metroid Prime 4 Beyond review, and can confirm those times directly. As a metroidvania game, there is inevitably a certain amount of backtracking and exploration inherent in Metroid Prime 4, and puzzles and challenging combat encounters that mean that your time to beat will vary somewhat. However, the time frames laid out above should cover the vast majority of players. This game itself was accused in our review of being guilty of a certain amount of padding too, such as in the need to farm all the Metroid Prime 4 Green Crystals.

This is admittedly shorter than many players might be expecting, though it's in keeping with the franchise. Metroidvania games as a genre tend to be incredibly long in this day and age – 18 hours won't even get you through the first act of Silksong – but Metroid as a series has always been slimmer and smaller as experiences, which does make sense for a horror-adjacent game.

If you're going in for yourself, find out how to navigate the Metroid Prime 4 Volt Forge, the first truly challenging area of the game. Or check out how to get the Metroid Prime 4 Psychic Boots and unlock the double jump!

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The Psychic Boots in Metroid Prime 4 are teased from an early point, as the psychic platforms you scan tell you that you need them to cross – otherwise they're intangible and you'll just fall through. Not only that though, when you get the psychic boots it turns out that they also grant you the double jump ability, allowing you to cross larger gaps and scale higher objects.

Where to get the Psychic Boots and double jump

The Psychic Boots upgrade is found in the final section of the Volt Forge area, as a reward for defeating the boss Xelios, roughly 2-3 hours into the main story of Metroid Prime 4 Beyond.

This is a mandatory encounter and one that you can't skip, so you don't need to worry about missing this essential item. After completing the Metroid Prime 4 Volt Forge area where you unlock the bike and once Xelios is defeated, the boots will be presented in the middle of the arena – simply walk up to them to get this upgrade permanently.

Psychic Boots grant Samus a double jump ability, but also the power to stand on Psychic Platforms. To do so, you need to look for the telltale purple shimmer in the air, then turn on your visor to scan them, revealing the platform. At this point, you should be able to stand on them, assuming you have the Psychic Boots. Of course, now you have the Metroid Prime 4 Viola motorbike, you'll find plenty of areas to test them out.

How to beat Xelios

Xelios is a long, but relatively straightforward boss fight. This is basically a vulnerable Metroid surrounded by a series of plates that ricochet all your attacks, but you can destroy the plates by shooting them when they turn green, leaving holes in Xelios' armor and allowing you to shoot the weak point inside (at least until it summons more).

Otherwise, this is a fight where side-strafing is essential. Xelios fires a lot of projectiles that have to be dodged at the very last second by dashing to the side. The timing may take some practice, but destroying plates and hitting the vulnerable point also drops health and ammo, so you'll have some leeway to practice this. There will also be moments where it uses yellow energy to freeze you in place, but turning into a Morph Ball and triggering a bomb will free you.

How long is Metroid Prime 4? To find out how this holds up against the other gigantic metroidvanias out there, check out our guide, or find out how to get and use the essential Metroid Prime 4 Green Crystals here!

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Volt Forge in Metroid Prime 4 Beyond is the first proper challenge of the game, specifically the challenge of getting back up Tower 1, also known as the Assembly Floor, after turning on the power with the lightning rod, and thus setting the entire factory into motion. Now there's working machinery, electrical currents, and new threats to handle as you make your way back up to the fabrication point where the finished Vi-O-La motorbikes are being sent. Below I'll take you through a full walkthrough, explaining all the puzzles and challenges you'll explore as you make your way up the Volt Forge factory in Tower 1.

Volt Forge Tower 1 walkthrough and puzzles explained

Below are all the Volt Forge Tower 1 puzzles in Metroid Prime 4 Beyond in order, with further details on each major section in the Assembly Floor below.

1. After activating the lightning rod, roll through the tunnel back, using the side cages to avoid the periodic pulses of electricity.
2. Platform between the safe zones to avoid the exposed current.
3. Scan and interact with the computer to start the factory, then roll into a Morph Ball and let the fabricator that manufacturers the bike's wheels lift you up.
4. After ascending the escalator, fight off the Maintenance Tank droids. Then in Morph Ball mode, create a levitating Bomb, then use your psychic abilities to throw it at the wall socket. This will open the pipe, which you can roll into, letting the machine move you to the next room.
5. Lasers will block off the path ahead, but machinery moving through them will block their beams past a certain point, giving you quick windows to move through.
6. Use the rising platforms to make it to the top of the room. They'll periodically pause and become electrified, so jump to the balconies at each stopping point.
7. Interact with the central terminal to get the Vi-O-La suit, which will allow you to collect the bike just past it!

1. Lightning Rod tunnel

The first section is relatively straightforward – the tunnel back to the tower from the lightning rod now has periodic bolts of electricity running through it. To survive, you need to roll through as fast as possible and use the cages on either side as safe zones to let the electricity pass through. You're not fast enough to skip any of these cages – make sure you use them.

2. The broken electrical circuit

Another simple sequence, platforming between three safe risen areas while periodic currents run through the floor joining them. Time your dashes forward, and remember you can flick the controller to jump while in Morph Ball mode – you don't have to use a bomb.

3. The Assembly Floor and Fabricators

Back in the main tower, scan and then interact with the central terminal to start the fabricators around you. Above each one is a hologram that shows what part of the bikes that they're building.

Look for the one that's constructing the wheels, turn into a Morph Ball, and roll into the space in the middle. The claw should lift Samus up, scan her, turn green, and deposit her in a tunnel where she can progress by rolling to the left. If the scanner turns red and drops her, you're in the wrong Fabricator.

4. Main scanner

After going up an elevator, you'll need to fight off some new enemies – Maintenance Tanks. These are simple but tough enemies that fire projectiles and roll around. You can avoid their attacks by dashing to the side, and do a lot of damage with missile attacks.

After that, turn into a Morph Ball and hold A to create and levitate a Psychic Bomb. Then return to human mode, turn on your visor, and focus on the Bomb to bring it to your hand. Finally, throw it at the scanner shown above – this will open a maintenance pipe, which you simply need to roll into. You'll be put in front of another scanner, which doesn't like what it sees and throws you into a new room full of junk.

5. Laser Grids

This curving corridor has multiple laser grids blocking it off, but pieces of manufactured bikes are moving through, and the lasers stop when they hit them, leaving windows of safety to move through. Basically, you use the bike parts as shields, but because they're different shapes and lasers come from different angles, you need to progress in the following order:

1. To the right of the bike piece
2. To the left of the bike piece
3. Underneath the bike piece (in Morph Ball mode)
4. Jumping over the bike piece

You don't have long to do this, so make sure you're moving quickly the moment the lasers are blocked off.

6. Rising Electrified Platforms

In this central tower room, you'll need to jump onto any of the four platforms that rise up around the pillar in the centre. However, these platforms periodically stop and become electrified, doing damage to any who stand on them. In those moments, you need to jump across them to the static balconies at each stopping point, wait for the electricity to pass, then jump back on. The balconies are at different positions as you ascend, so make sure you're looking up to be as close to them as possible.

7. The entrance and the Vi-O-La bike

One more elevator ride takes you back to the entrance, where the tower connects with the road. Now that the power is on, interact with the central computer to get the Vi-O-La suit, which lets you operate and drive the Metroid Prime 4 bike just past it!

You haven't officially got this vehicle unlocked for the full game yet, but you're a few short tests and tutorials away from doing so. Fortunately, you're also not far from getting the Metroid Prime 4 Psychic Boots, which will unlock the double jump ability and more.

Want to know how much longer the journey will be? Find out the answer to how long is Metroid Prime 4, or discover what to do with the Metroid Prime 4 Green Crystals you might've found already!

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Green Crystals in Metroid Prime 4 Beyond are special items that are necessary for upgrades and at one point in the story become mandatory for the players to hunt down. It can take a while if you haven't been doing it already, so below we'll explain how to find Green Crystals, as well as what you need to do with them.

How to get Green Crystals

Green Crystals are found around the Sol Valley overworld where you can use your bike after getting it from the Metroid Prime 4 Volt Forge. Specifically Green Crystals are found inside shiny green rocks (as shown above), ones you need to smash with either charged weapon attacks or by driving through them with the Metroid Prime 4 Viola motorcycle. There are also huge blocks of stone you can destroy with the Power Bomb upgrade, and smaller temples in the Sol Valley will have crates and caches of Green Crystals you can obtain.

With multiple members of the team playing Metroid Prime 4 Beyond, we've also noticed a certain amount of randomization with some green rocks respawning later on, though others respawn as grey rocks that only produce normal items when shattered. This seems to indicate that Green Crystals can be farmed infinitely from the Sol Valley simply by driving around and occasionally leaving the area to trigger respawns, though that doesn't mean it'll be quick.

Honestly though, considering that that the answer to the quest how long is Metroid Prime 4 is "not very", you'll want to start making a habit of collecting Green Crystals early as possible

What to do with Green Crystals and how to get upgrades

Once you've found Green Crystals, you can head back at any time to Green Fury, the starting forest area, via the launching device on the West side of Sol Valley. Once there, head back to the Altar of Legacy, and you'll be able to deposit your Green Crystals there for upgrades to your Psychic abilities and attacks at certain thresholds (as marked by the meter on the "Mission" tab of the pause menu).

You'll also be able to unlock a new suit as part of the story, the Legacy Suit, which can generate protective shields by expanding Missile Ammo.

Nothing gets done in a metroidvania if you can't double jump - so find out how to get the Metroid Prime 4 Psychic Boots that unlock that power here!

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It's been 7 years since the announcement of Metroid Prime 4, 9 years since the launch of the last Metroid game, and 18 years since Prime 3 landed. After an agonizing wait for longtime series fans, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is nearly upon us, and early reviews are already here. But while those scores aren't bad, they do suggest that Samus's latest adventure can't quite measure up to the classics of the series.

With 57 critic reviews factored in, Metroid Prime 4 currently enjoys a Metacritic score of 80, indicating a "generally favorable response." There are a few superlative outliers, including a 5/5 Giant Bomb review calling it "the closest the series has ever felt to the original Metroid Prime, in terms of tone, gameplay, and quality," and a 9/10 review from Nintendo Life calling it "quite possibly the boldest, most well-realised Metroid game to date."

But those are, again, outliers. The majority of the scores fall into the 80% range, or a bit lower – as with our own 3.5/5 Metroid Prime 4: Beyond review. There were times when my colleague Oscar was "awed by the melancholy and mysterious vibes of this exploration-focused FPS," he writes. "But, at many other moments, it's bogged down by odd new features that detract from what's almost one of Samus' best. Being so close to greatness can sometimes be the bitterest feeling of all."

An 80% aggregate score would be pretty good for most games, but 'most games' don't have the Metroid pedigree to live up to. Super Metroid cemented the blueprint that the best Metroidvania games still follow to this day, and is rightly regarded as one of the best games of all time. The first Metroid Prime has a Metacritic score of 97 – the 11th-best ranking of any game tracked on the site. Its follow-ups have slightly lower, but still incredibly strong ratings – Prime 2 has a 92, while 3 has a 90.

Unfortunately, Metroid Prime 4's reviews put it closer to the black sheep of the series. Metroid Prime Pinball is an oddball spinoff that got a 79 on Metacritic. Metroid: Other M, a game that's fun enough mechanically but abysmal at capturing the tone of the series, also got a 79 aggregate score. These are all decent ratings, but the pedigree of the Metroid series goes well beyond merely "decent."

These are the best Metroid games of all time.

I didn't need psychic powers to predict how Metroid Prime 4: Beyond was going to go, even if bounty hunter Samus Aran quickly gains mind-bending abilities of her own when she's mysteriously transported to Viewros, ("say the line, Samus!") once the home of a now long-dead civilization. Before playing, I wasn't sure how psychic skills would fit among the rest of Samus' arsenal, and I was skeptical about adding in an almost open world-like overworld you navigate with a motorbike.

Sadly, my grumbles were on the money. Neither of these things feel good. Awkward to juggle at best, and detrimental to the overall experience at worst, their implementation feels dated. I didn't need Metroid Prime 4 to try to go 'Beyond' – I needed it to nail the fundamentals. What's frustrating is, it does. Within each dungeon-like area to explore, Metroid Prime 4 shines, mixing tactile FPS exploration with gorgeous visuals and impeccable atmosphere. But the surrounding structure ends up dragging it down – trying and failing to go 'beyond' is a curse more than a blessing.

Planet with a View(ros)

Called in to assist the Galactic Federation in protecting a mysterious artifact, a large battle ensues as Sylux, a rival bounty hunter with a burning (and not really elaborated on) hatred for Samus, attacks. Flanked by titular Metroid creatures that can fuse with enemies to power them up, the artifact activates as the skirmish escalates, and Samus is mysteriously transported to Viewros – her power suit's abilities diminished in the process.

On Viewros, Samus is greeted by ancient Lamorn structures and scriptures that designate her as a prophesized Chosen One, who will carry on their civilization's desire to be remembered long after a tragedy wiped them out. To do so, she's gifted a stone that grants her psychic powers, and told to track down five keys to activate a special teleporter to return home.

Metroid Prime 4 is light when it comes to linear storytelling, and isn't great when it attempts it. I'm still not sure why Sylux – a character from Nintendo DS' Metroid Prime Hunters, with brief cameos elsewhere – is elevated here. He's such a non-presence that it's almost comical whenever the plot considers him to be some kind of ultimate nemesis. She's too stoic to say it, but I almost like to imagine Samus likewise has pretty much no idea who this guy is. Almost like M. Bison in 1994's Street Fighter movie: "For you, the day you met Samus Aran was the most important of your life. But for me, it was Tuesday."

This storytelling fares better when Samus links up with other survivors of the teleportation event. While some may malign dorky Galactic Federation tech engineer Mackenzie, I have a real soft spot for him just as Ashley did in our Metroid Prime 4 hands-on preview. Around each of these companions who only briefly join you on excursions, Samus remains the strong and silent type, and it helps sell the sense of her as this larger than life, legendary bounty hunter figure.

Still, while they have their charms, at many points these interactions can feel a bit toothless, especially as the game progresses. You never really get space to sit with any kind of melancholy through play that comes with Samus' relationships, or lack thereof, with those around her – a miss compared to Metroid Prime 3's own effective experimentation.

But, linear storytelling isn't what you come to Metroid for. This is a series all about exploration, piecing together small details from environmental design and patchy data logs about the ruins around you. Metroid Prime 4 has excellent level design, from how gorgeous each area looks on Nintendo Switch 2, to the way you simply navigate spaces. There's a real intentionality to how each environment is designed that invites you to become similarly engaged. Rarely do I enter a new space without popping Samus' scan visor active. Analyzing objects, creatures, and more can provide clues to progression and puzzles, but just as much allow you to piece together the story of the environment you're exploring. I'm not sure any other FPS is as good at making you really care about each space you navigate through.

Metroid Prime 4 is excellent at giving these zones a sense of progression as you poke around in search of ways to get your hands on teleporter keys. As you descend deeper into an abandoned factory, more systems begin to power up, machinery activating and beginning to make progression more difficult because of it, as an industrial and electronic score begins to build and build. Likewise, the frozen chambers of a bio-lab have you learning more and more about the experiments conducted within as you scan sparking computers, datalogs, and test tubes themselves. Metroid Prime 4 has a phenomenal sense of atmosphere, and in this sense it does go 'Beyond', the higher fidelity really sells a degree of tactility that takes Metroid Prime to a new level. Rival, louder FPS games may have higher fidelity graphics, but Metroid Prime 4's levels are more evocative, and boast superior visual design because of it.

Brain power

Progression through each of Metroid Prime 4's main areas is slow, but deliberate – and you'll never be able to uncover everything on a first go-around thanks to Samus' steady accrual of power-ups that gate access forward. These are all very gamey in traditional Metroid fashion but mostly work well. For instance, you may need the psycho lasso to pull chunks of debris free to access a hallway, or (less exciting) an ice laser to remove an ice lock. Puzzling the way forward is satisfying, but rarely challenging outside of remembering where certain locks were (and a later collectible can help mark those on the map too).

First-person shooting comes into play as rooms are frequently home to wildlife both aggressive and passive that will hurt Samus. I love that both are present, impressing each space as an ecology. Boss fights also lean towards the puzzle-based, a quick scan usually hinting at how you need to approach uncovering their weak spot before you start blasting, while executing on that can be quite challenging. Rarely is this much of a problem, with the exception of a couple of gruelling battles that instantly fail you if you don't revive a companion when they're downed before they take enough damage (often a gaming sin).

Unfortunately, for all the gushing I've done about level design and the exploration loop, there's a lot about Metroid Prime 4: Beyond that's just a pain to deal with. Psychic powers, for example, just feel clunky – don't expect to be weaving in any skills like Control. Combat use is very limited. You can fire the control beam, a maneuverable purple blast that's the best of the bunch, to slow time and hit up to three targets in a row – required for some enemies and puzzles. But it's a chore, requiring you to switch visor view, then charge all the way up before releasing, then having to switch visor view again to continue shooting as normal. These are better off in low pressure puzzles, but the control beam basically amounts to the Beetle item from The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, which has more interesting puzzles for the same concept.

In the valley

The overworld, the dune-covered Sol Valley, feels similarly dated conceptually, and, again, closer to classic Zelda than any kind of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild twist I hesitantly expected – especially considering there are literally shrines that offer small puzzle challenges. There's so few you can count them on two hands, and basically all amount to walking into a room and seeing if you have the power-up to progress or not – this is no bite-size revolution of the Metroid formula but something to fill an otherwise fairly empty open world map

Sol Valley is how Samus accesses each of the five main key-hiding areas, which does make it the largest completely interconnected open world Metroid has ever had. Sort of. The problem is how much of a rigmarole it is to get back and forth between anywhere. This overworld puts its worst foot forward. After I obtain the bike early into the game, tech hero Mackenzie informs me I can check out the remaining three key signals in any order I like. Score! Except, not really. I bike to one, go through a little opening space. Go up an elevator. Go along a gondola lift. Poking into this frosty area, I hit an ice wall that blocks progression. I go back across the gondola lift. Back down the elevator. Bike to another corner of the map to find I can't access that marked area at all. The tech guy then phones me to ask me to check out the volcano. I bike to that corner of the map and load across a motorbike tunnel. I can't access this facility either, but I do get a fire chip that means I can use fire blasts. Time to break the ice wall, right?

Wrong. Why would Samus be able to install her own hardware? Now I have to bike to the other end of the overworld, go through a shrine-like entrance to the forest area, use a cargo cannon to slowly blast to the other side of the forest, so that Mackenzie can finally allow Samus to shoot fire blasts. Then, of course, back across the cargo cannon load screen, sprint through the shrine entrance, bike across back to then sprint through the entrance to the ice level elevator, actually go up the elevator, then across the gondola, and then finally I can access the next dungeon-like area. This is the most egregious moment in the game, but it's literally my first experience of navigating the overworld, and you have to slog back to base camp to install upgrades a fair few times later.

Progression gating and poking around new areas after you unlock new abilities is a core part of the Metroid experience, and it can really build a sense of mastery over a space and that you're becoming steadily more powerful and well-equipped – but all this expansive overworld does is add a needless amount of slogging through load screens and dull spaces, lacking the same sense of purpose that the first Metroid Prime's focused Tallon Overworld had. To what end? To ostensibly make these spaces technically connected across Viewros, even though they still require additional transport as a load screen anyway? At no point playing Metroid Prime 3, set across a handful of planets with identities as distinct as those in Metroid Prime 4, was I desperate to pilot Samus' spaceship across empty space. In the end, I feel discouraged from revisiting areas to poke around as it's such a slog to get back there.

Clocking in at 12 hours with around 90% of upgrades and scans, its length on par with the other, tighter Metroid Prime games, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond has much more bloat – it ends up making the overworld feel like padding, when I'd rather it just be shorter. I even collected 100% of the green crystals, an overworld collectible linked to a major side mission that involves driving into chunks of the stuff at high speed – which plays out like a somehow less interesting Ratchet & Clank raritanium excursion.

The best Metroid games, and, indeed, the best Metroidvania games are mazy and labyrinthine. But somewhere along the way it feels like Metroid Prime 4 got lost itself. Within its actual levels, Metroid Prime 4 is triumphant, delivering immersive first-person exploration like nothing else in the genre, with some of the greatest levels in the series to date, dripping with potent atmosphere. But outside of those, Metroid Prime 4 is such a drag, and actively gets in the way of reaching those heights. Unfortunately, Samus isn't going beyond my expectations – there's such a thing as trying to do too much.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond was reviewed on Nintendo Switch 2, with a code provided by the publisher.

Take a look at out best Metroid games ranking for your next adventure with Samus Aran.

In a vale surrounded by alien butterflies, there is a woman everyone knows by her first name: Samus. What's under her robotic Power Suit – ponytail sleeker than a sports car, blue eyes overfamiliar with blue sadness – doesn't matter as much as the unstoppable force she represents with it on. And in the long anticipated Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, this symbol of intergalactic justice seems more potent than ever.

Though, it's not in the way the nearly 40-year-old Metroid franchise usually presents Samus. Based on the 80 minutes of Metroid Prime 4 I got to play on the Nintendo Switch 2 at a recent demo session in Manhattan, ahead of the game's December 4 launch, I think the first-person action game is much less austere than its predecessors. It might now be better to think of the secret heroine Samus Aran as Alice in Wonderland.

Through the looking glass

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond loosely continues the story from the special ending in 2007's Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, in that the enigmatic hunter Sylux is still hatefully pursuing Samus through the stars. He will also soon be an amiibo.

But the demo I try focuses instead on Samus' wandering through the lush Fury Green forest, solving environmental puzzles to retrieve emblematic power ups – like the decisive Missile Launcher – that she's lost among the mushrooms.

So, helped by the Switch 2's liquid performance and Pro Controller, I glide around twinkling specks of dust and leaves to dispatch monsters and head deeper into the undergrowth. I find that the Fury Green map is an exciting problem to solve, with paths hidden by golden resin and twisted roots. Even when I'm being pricked by porcupine-y enemies, which open like flowers to spit out barbs, I have no choice but to recognize the verdant beauty around me. I start thinking of it as the Vale of Tears in American McGee's Alice, except in space.

There are worse places to wake up without your Morph Ball. Samus is at least being guided by the sweet spirits of the Lamorn, a race of ancient aliens new to Metroid Prime. Samus is their chosen one, and so they instill psychic powers in her – a pink crystal sits like a third eye in her helmet, imbuing some of her arsenal with, basically, magic.

I eventually access the Psychic Visor, which, along with Samus' always informative Scan Visor, acts as a control panel for later Psychic weapons I retrieve. I find the Psychic Glove, which lets me remotely manipulate Psychic Motes that slot into doors like keys, with only a twist of my glowing hand. Later, I'm even more impressed by the Control Beam, which I can charge to release a blast of syrupy, maneuverable light. Since Metroid Prime 4's standard lock-on is so inconsistent, requiring you to click on it constantly if you want to use it, I'm glad for this.

With the Visor, I can easily steer the Beam's pink shine to do things like simultaneously explode multiple weak points in the level boss Carvex, a sticky plant creature that tries to impale me with organic spikes. It offers an easy win once I gain access to its fragile (infected?) stomach.

Equal and opposite reaction

There is no beauty without unsightly carnage. At one point, I think I'm about to cry for a bug, a bioluminescent beetle that's been helping me find my way around the thorny Spikeroot Cave. An unseen predator has nabbed the beetle's bloated body from the grass and left it to bleed out on its back – but I have hardly any time to mourn it before I meet what might be the most shocking reveal of any Metroid game: Samus's... new boyfriend?

He appears after the bug does, muttering to himself in a clearing. The helmet of his Power Suit is off, revealing thin cheeks and a pair of glasses – through which he somehow immediately identifies me as Samus, bounty hunter extraordinaire. I guess characters in the Metroid Prime universe no longer think I'm as improbable as Santa Claus, the way they used to.

His name is Myles MacKenzie, and he's a marooned computer expert from the UTO Research Center. Once I rescue him from the wreckage of his spaceship and protect him from a troupe of malformed monkeys – MacKenzie immediately freaks out and drops his pistol, so he's no help – I let him follow me around and repair obsolete technology the Lamorn left behind.

He quips to Samus about how nerdy he is, and needing to manage his health bar during combat tells me he's right. At times, I'm annoyed by a companion who only slows me down in Fury Green – I find myself often needing to turn around and save his useless ass during battle, when all I want to do is forge ahead. But I want to believe that my stoic Samus is somehow into it.

Queen of Hearts

It is at least less lonely, having MacKenzie trail me like a Bloodhound. It's not what Samus is used to. Her life is defined by dark, ruin, a tense relationship to her own self – her soul is split in two, into half a savior and half a villain. I didn't think there was room for other people.

But it's easy to be swayed by the devotion so plainly on MacKenzie's nervous face. I can imagine their relationship becoming more charming past Fury Green. Especially if MacKenzie is true to his word and manages to fix up the abandoned Metroid Prime: Federation Force-style mech we find. He calls it Betsy.

Things are strange like this through the rabbit hole. Shining with psychic intuition, flanked by a weird boy, Samus seems like she's about to be truly out of her depth for the first time in decades. The Metroid Prime 4: Beyond demo I played, then, suggests an unexpected direction for the Metroid Prime series – possibly more whimsy than isolation. It's nothing like what I expected. But with the demanding life Samus has lived, I'm glad for all the butterflies she can get.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is set to release for the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 on December 4, 2025. While we're reminiscing, let's revisit the best Metroid games of all time.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is probably my most-anticipated game right now, but that's been despite Nintendo's marketing efforts. Early looks just didn't paint a picture of the kind of follow-up fans have been waiting nearly 20 years for, but today Nintendo has finally delivered a trailer that puts all the things that are actually great about the Metroid series front and center.

The new trailer reprises a few shots we've seen in previous previews, but we also get glimpses at new locations, enemies, and abilities. We see Samus staring down imposing-looking fortresses, exploring vast worlds and underground catacombs, facing off against weird alien foes, and using powers to reach new locations, all with a sense of mystery and intrigue hanging over the whole adventure. It's even got mid-combat scanning!

In other words, we've finally got a trailer that seems to understand why people like Metroid. I'm probably putting too much stock in the specifics of marketing here, but the first few trailers since the game reemerged earlier this just didn't seem to get the vibe. First we got a narrative-focused look breaking down the absolute basics, which I guess was a fair enough introduction to potential new fans, but there wasn't much there to latch onto.

But the real problem was the September trailer, which showed off a whole lot of limp-looking action and a worrisome focus on a bike roaming through an apparent open-world area. Today's trailer rights the wrongs of that bike reveal, making Samus's vehicle look as cool as it should, complete with an obligatory Akira slide to bring it all together.

There's still no telling whether Prime 4 will be able to live up to nearly two decades worth of hype, but this trailer has brought my inner 14-year-old Metroid fan back to those screaming levels first inspired by the glimpse of that big space battle in May. We'll soon find out if Nintendo and Retro can deliver.

These are the best Metroid games of all time.

While the original Metroid Prime defined what the series and the Metroidvania genre could do in 3D, the FPS was missing what most console FPS games at the time had – multiplayer. As such, 2004's Metroid Prime 2 added four-player splitscreen to the equation, with spin-off titles Hunters and Federation Force focusing on multiplayer gameplay. Despite it all, Prime 2 ended up being the worst-selling of the three games, meaning that many players likely missed the series' multiplayer mode.

Now, Metroid Prime series producer Kensuke Tanabe has commented on the multiplayer mode in the Metroid Prime 1-3: A Visual Retrospective artbook, released today (thanks, VGC).

"Retro finished the multiplayer mode without compromising on quality even under such challenging conditions," Tanabe said, with the producer also explaining elsewhere in the book that "After finishing Metroid Prime, Nintendo directed Retro Studios to complete the next project in as short a time as possible" and that "schedule extensions were not permitted." And while there "was a proposal to develop a multiplayer-focused Metroid Prime '1.5,'" Prime 2 eventually released as a full-blown sequel almost precisely two years after the original game in November 2004.

However, Tanabe acknowledged, "Being of its time, it was designed for local play, so the number of players who actually experienced it might not have been very large," and that if Metroid Prime 2 "is remade" (perhaps akin to the remaster treatment as its predecessor did in 2023), "I’d be delighted for more people to have the chance to experience it."

Metroid Prime developer struggled to find common ground with Nintendo "many" times, leading to one clash that went from morning until "the sun was setting."

Metroid Prime developer Retro Studios and Nintendo has numerous disagreements while the now-classic GameCube game was in development, according to series producer Kensuke Tanabe.

Tanabe shared these insights into Metroid Prime's development for the new book, Metroid Prime 1-3: A Visual Retrospective (via IGN). Retro had been working on a separate first-person game called MetaForce, whose engine impressed Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto enough that he gave Retro the license to shift focus and make a new entry in the Metroid series, and apparently, it was then that creative tensions started brewing between the Texas-based developer and its soon-to-be parent company.

"There were many instances early on where our approaches to the specifications did not align, leading to disagreements," wrote Tanabe. "Retro often explained, 'This is how Western studios approach and think about game development.'

"To help them understand our perspective, I told them, 'Yes, but the game we are making now is a Nintendo game, and this is Retro's first time working on one. I've been working on Nintendo games my whole career, so I believe I have the most experience in making Nintendo games. So please trust me first.'"

Of course, Nintendo ultimately was the one making the final calls, but Retro fought hard for the ideas it felt strongly about, leading to extended meetings between the two parties.

"One day, during a video conference about the Meta Ridley battle, our discussions kept clashing, and we couldn't find common ground," Tanabe said. "Time slipped away and by the time the meeting (which had started in the morning) finally ended, the sun was setting."

According to Tanabe, Retro did score a number of wins in these negotiations, namely the shift from first to third-person when in Morph Ball mode and Samus' ability to roll through half pipes in Morph Ball mode, but it also had to relent to decision makers like Miyamoto, who declined a proposed skip option that would've reduced morphing time.

Whatever friction was going on between Retro and Nintendo resulted in one of the most beloved Nintendo games ever made, speaking volumes for diversity of opinion in creative spaces and compromise between developers and publishers. Not gonna lie though, I kind of like the sound of that skip feature.

Find out which game beat out Metroid Prime for the top spot on our list of the best GameCube games.

Metroid Prime 4 finally got a release date of December 4 as part of the Nintendo Direct for September 2025, alongside a brand-new trailer that – well, I'd like to say it has fans more hyped than ever, but the reality is that today's reveals have been building as much skepticism as anticipation. At the heart of the concern is whether Metroid Prime 4 is taking the series to an open world.

The new trailer centered on a motorcycle that Samus rides through a big, open-ended desert environment, fighting a few foes along the way. In the distant background are major points of interest, some of which we've seen in previous videos, and some of which are new here. The landscape includes a few other points of interest, which you'll presumably be able to stop at and explore.

It sounds like an open world, and it looks like an open world, but is that really the direction Metroid Prime 4 is taking the series? We see Samus hop off the bike at one point when entering what looks like a more traditional Metroid exploration area, which suggests that maybe the big desert is simply a hub connecting the real locations together. But it's impossible to be 100% certain based on what's shown here.

Whatever role the bike plays in-game, the first impressions were not great. That desert hub is very big, but also very empty, and reminiscent of some of the blandest, most boring open-world missteps we've seen games make in the past. You can count me among the Metroid fans skeptical of this big reveal.

"I don't really know what to think of this, I'm kind of stunned. Like this was not what I was expecting at all and not in a good way," as crawfish says on Reddit.

"Please dont let the selling point be 'it’s open world' holy fuck," Cheap_Trick148 says on the same Reddit thread.

There are some more optimistic takes there, like this from Guglio08: "I suppose I will be the lone person here who thinks this is a bold vision and am excited af. The graphics for the bike section could be better, but frankly this is a Switch 1 game that's been ported upwards."

the way that Metroid Prime 4 went from being my most anticipated game to Metroid Prime who? upon seeing that traileropen world games are like my least favorite genre of games, I bounce off of them so hard

— @metroidcrime.com (@metroidcrime.com.bsky.social) 2025-09-12T17:17:47.665Z

anyway if i waited that long for metroid prime 4 and like a month before it releases they suddenly reveal its an open world game and not a game with, like, level design, i would be fucking pissed

— @beareatsalmon.bsky.social (@beareatsalmon.bsky.social.bsky.social) 2025-09-12T17:17:47.700Z

One of the major things I liked about Metroid was the feeling of Samus being lonely and isolated. I'm worried that the open world stuff in Prime 4 will ruin that. I haven't completely written off the game. If the motorcyle is just for short segments between areas, then it might be OK.

— @mecha-bunny.bsky.social (@mecha-bunny.bsky.social.bsky.social) 2025-09-12T17:18:22.044Z

Yet between all the takes I've seen, good and bad, I think it's safe to say there are some big questions about what the bike is going to add to Metroid Prime 4. Is it going to take away from the feeling of isolation and discovery the series is known for? Or will it turn out to be a rad new addition that gives the game a refreshing set of pacing changes?

Perhaps the best summary of the situation comes from this YouTube comment from davidchidester5463: "Samus bike will either be incredible or the worst decision they've ever made. No in between."

Metroid Prime 4 is one of the biggest upcoming Switch 2 games.

After 18 long years of waiting, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is finally ready. It's launching later this year, on December 4.

The trailer, revealed today during the Nintendo Direct, shows off a desert open world with Samus riding a sick motorbike called Vi-O-La she can use to Akira slide into enemies with.

In the game, Samus lands on the planet Viewros after going against the deadly sharpshooter Sylux. In addition to its wide, open sand dunes, there are also plenty of buildings for her to explore.

The game looks buttery smooth, even as Samus faces off against enemies swarming her and jumping in her face or shooting her from afar with lasers.

I'm also a big fan of the environments. The new trailer opens with imposing towers where lightning strikes all around. It looks a lot like the human battery farms from The Matrix.

The desert and bike also look like a blast, giving you a big world that's actually fun to explore. Some enemies take the form of spikey wheels as well, so your bike will likely be a necessity in some sections of the upcoming shooter.

It will also make use of the Switch 2's new Joy-Con mouse function, so you'll be able to blast your enemies with more precision than ever before. Take that, Sylux.

You can register your interest in the game right here to stay up to date with news and pre-order information. There is a pre-order link, too, but it doesn't seem to be working at the time of writing.

Check out everything announced at the Nintendo Direct today.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond has been rated in another country, and with rumours of a Nintendo Direct incoming, the hopium is building.

Now that Hollow Knight: Silksong is out, we can finally go back to Metroid Prime 4 being our "where the hell is it" game of choice. It was first announced back in 2017 (three months after the original Switch launched), and then in January 2019 (a month before Silksong was announced), the game was rebooted with original series developer Retro Studios helming it. Then, in 2024, we finally got the first look at gameplay and a 2025 release date.

However, since it's September and we don't have a release date, some have feared the game may be delayed until 2026, with Nintendo's former marketing leads stating that it's "not normal" for a release date to be missing at this point. However, in the last few months, the game has been rated in Korea and by the ESRB in the US, and now, as rumours of a Nintendo Direct this week swirl, a new rating has emerged.

This was spotted by Necro Felipe at Universo Nintendo, who said (via machine translation) "The age rating for Metroid Prime 4: Beyond was published today in the Official Gazette here in Brazil." The game received a 14+ with Nintendo submitting the game with the intended rating of 12+, with the rating citing violence as the reason for the rating.

Hopefully this means by the end of this week (assuming the Nintendo Direct rumours come to pass) we should know when Metroid Prime 4 releases, with September and December being the only months of 2025 where Nintendo doesn't have a first party game releasing, so I'd guess we're either getting a real surprise launch within the next few weeks, or December 4 as Nintendo doesn't typically release games past the first week of December.

Nintendo confirms Kirby Air Riders is out in November, and it's only $70, leaving no question which Switch 2 racer is better.

Former Nintendo marketing manager Kit Ellis thinks it's likely the rumored Nintendo Direct showcase, which well-known game leakers like Nate the Hate say is coming in September, is indeed happening.

Ellis reveals as much in a new YouTube short, in which he highlights Nate the Hate's recent thread online – one that claims, "Yes, there is a Nintendo Direct in September." According to the ex-Nintendo lead, "It's looking more and more like this September Nintendo Direct is probably a sure thing. We've had a lot of people coming out and saying, 'Yeah, I've heard that there's uh a direct coming in mid-September'" – like Nate, for example.

As Ellis explains, community figures like Nate "have good standards of sourcing information and have a great track record actually of being correct about Nintendo Directs," and are "talking about mid-month, September 11 or 12, being a date that they have heard." What's more, the thought of a Nintendo Direct falling on such a date "really does add up," says Ellis. After all, there are upcoming games like Metroid Prime 4: Beyond for Nintendo to cover.

"September has often been a good time for Nintendo to do directs, just kind of strategically in the year," continues Ellis. "And this year, heck, they got a lot of information that they need to get out there – they've got, you know, all of the remaining games that were dated for 2025… some sort of an update on Metroid Prime 4, hopefully, please, my god." He points out that there's also Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, which was revealed during a Direct in April itself.

The former marketing manager describes how "[we're] also kind of at a point where we need to start setting the table a little bit for what might be coming in maybe the first half of 2026," too. "Get a kind of first look at some of those games on the Switch 2."

He mentions the 40th anniversary of the Super Mario franchise – but, "nobody seems to know that might get folded into this Direct or there might be something else happening elsewhere in September."

Stating that it's "just another thing to keep an eye on" while admitting "it's been a bit of a slower stretch of summer here through August for Nintendo fans," Ellis concludes "it feels like things are about to heat up" – and I certainly hope he's right.

Searching for new games to wishlist? Here are some of the most exciting upcoming Switch 2 games to look forward to.

Metroid Prime 4 has been rated by the ESRB suggesting a release date announcement could be arriving very soon.

The Nintendo Switch 2's most anticipated release, now that Donkey Kong Bananza is out, has to be Metroid Prime 4. A game that was announced three months after the launch of the original Switch, before being rebooted in 2019 by the original trilogy's developer Retro Studios. Despite the London underground saying the game was "out now" back in June, there's actually been a worry that the game won't make it's "2025" launch, with Nintendo's former marketing leads saying it's "not normal" that we don't have a release date.

Well, hopefully it won't be too long before we do get a release date, as the ESRB has rated Metroid Prime 4. A user on the r/GamingLeaksAndRumours subreddit noticed that Nintendo had updated the product page on its store to have a T for Teen rating. As some have pointed out, an ESRB rating typically precedes the release of a game by a few months, so Metroid Prime 4 should be dropping sometime soon. At the moment, there is no listing on the ESRB website, so we won't get exact details on why this rating was decided just yet.

Nintendo typically holds a Nintendo Direct in September, which would probably rule out next month for a release, meaning if it is still this year, it's either launching in October alongside Pokemon, November alongside Kirby, or December on its own. Considering Metroid Prime 4 was playable for the public back in April, I'd be shocked if it was released after Kirby Air Riders (which didn't even have gameplay footage until two days ago), so an early November release would be my prediction. But who knows at this point, as long as it's 2025, I'm happy.

Donkey Kong Bananza's baffling default button settings were suggested by Shigeru Miyamoto himself.

Hirokazu 'Hip' Tanaka, sometimes known as Chip Tanaka thanks to his pioneering work on 8 and 16-bit chiptunes, has said that the original Metroid's ending theme came about due to one older member on the team in particular.

39 years ago, well before Silksongmania reached its peak, the first Metroid quietly birthed an entire subgenre. To celebrate the classic game's birthday, game composer Tanaka, who also worked on everything from Tetris and Mario to Earthbound and Pokemon, recalled a pretty sweet moment.

"The final debugging stage of Metroid's development was quite memorable for me," he recently tweeted. "We had one staff member that was older than us, and wasn't an active member of the production team. All of the other staff gathered in one room; we were watching and rooting for him to clear the game. I composed the ending theme specifically because I wanted him to feel deeply moved after completing the game. This is a true story."

"I think people who have played the game understand, but even if you manage to rush through defeating Mother Brain, the escape sequence is surprisingly tough, lol," Tanaka continued. "The alarm is loud, it makes you feel overwhelmed, and you end up falling. For the sake of one debugger, the we kept switching to a bigger monitor and making the sounds louder and louder, creating such an amazing atmosphere. All of the staff was having so much fun debugging." (Good spot, Automaton.)

We'll next see Samus and probably hear some remixed versions of Tanaka's beats in Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, due sometime this year on the Switch 2. Or maybe it depends who you ask. The London Underground was adamant the shooter was "OUT NOW".

Here's some other upcoming Switch 2 games.

Two big upcoming Switch 2 games have recently gotten age ratings, prompting speculation that news of release dates could be on the way and fuelling my hopium for an imminent Nintendo Direct.

Nintendo had already pegged Metroid Prime 4: Beyond for a release this year - heck, a London underground ad even cruelly announced the fourquel was "Out Now," seemingly out of spite for anyone who's been waiting for what feels like an eternity. Thankfully, we don't seem far out from actually playing the full game.

That's because Metroid Prime 4 has just been rated in Korea and been classed as appropriate for players aged 12 and up. Machine-translated quotes tell us that the game has "a slight display of violence" - we know Samus is going to be kicking alien butt - but nothing more extreme than that.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment is the other Switch 2 exclusive that's seemingly received a rating, this time in Brazil. The Musou sequel was due sometime this winter, and it now seems very likely to make it in time for that slot.

Ratings don't always indicate that a release is imminent, though they do signal that games are nearing a finished state since ratings boards would need to verify content. For example, Death Stranding 2 was rated in Korea in February, announced its release date in March, and eventually came out roughly four months after that.

Outside of Pokemon Legends Z-A, the Nintendo Switch 2's holiday line up is slightly shrouded in mystery. We don't know much about games like Kirby Air Riders and whatever's coming in the months between, so perhaps a Nintendo Direct is closer than we think.

In the meantime, check out all the new games of 2025 and beyond.

A London Underground banner is telling commuters that Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, a game currently without a release date, is "Out Now."

Internet posters began noticing the cruel Oxford Circus Station ad last night, taking to social media to share the massive banner that shows Samus Aran's fancy new suit alongside Metroid Prime 4's Nintendo Switch 2 Edition logo. Some features are listed in a little box below that, but the real kicker is an "Out Now" badge.

Which is weird, because the last time I checked, Metroid Prime 4 isn't out now. We actually don't even know when it is properly hitting store shelves, and no, it hasn't been shadow dropped, either – believe me, I checked the eShop a little too quickly this morning.

The running theory is that a "Coming Soon" or release date badge was supposed to accompany the Metroid Prime 4 ad, before being peeled off in exchange for the "Out Now" one when, you know, Metroid Prime 4 is out now.

VGC spotted Mario Party Jamboree, Donkey Kong Bananza, and Mario Kart World ads across the station, too – the latter also had an identical "Out Now" badge, so we can guess Samus' bamboozling ad was just a template published by mistake, on show for an estimated 120,000 or so daily commuters. Oops.

For now, the upcoming Switch 2 game is still slated to come out sometime later this year. Donkey Kong Bananza launches next month and Pokemon Legends Z-A comes out in October, so there's still plenty of space for Nintendo to plug up gaps in its next-gen line up with Samus' next adventure.

Metroid Prime 4 might not be out – sorry – but you can occupy the wait with the best Switch 2 games that are actually in the wild. For real. I promise.

As Nintendo gears up for the long-awaited release of the Switch 2, eagle-eyed fans discover a few new trademarks filed by the company for some 2000s classics.

Two of the new trademarks, as noted by Stealth40k in an online post, include Metroid Prime Hunters and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. The former game was originally released in 2006 on the Nintendo DS, while the latter entry in the iconic Metroid series came a year later in 2007 but launched on the Wii. Unsurprisingly, comments see hopeful fans of the action-adventure gems speculating about possible remakes or re-releases.

"METROID PRIME MEGA COLLECTION HERE WE COME," exclaims one such person in Stealth40k's replies. Another questions, "Could this mean that they're coming to the Switch 2 soon?" Elsewhere, a fan writes that he's got his own fingers crossed for "a Prime trilogy remaster." There's no telling what the new trademarks filed by Nintendo could actually mean, though – and they're not the only ones to have been spotted, either.

As Reddit user BreafingBad points out in a thread, "Nintendo has filed a new trademark for Hotel Dusk: Room 215 in Japan," too. For those unacquainted with the point-and-click gem that is Hotel Dusk: Room 215, it's a DS fan-favorite that released in 2007. There hasn't been much word on the game, despite its solid reputation, since then, which is why the trademark being filed feels like a significant milestone – and perhaps a sign of more to come.

Nintendo has filed a new trademark for Hotel Dusk: Room 215 in Japan from r/GamingLeaksAndRumours

Much like Metroid stans, fans of Hotel Dusk: Room 215 respond to BreafingBad's post with hopes of an Another Code: Recollection-style remake. "I would buy a Hotel Dusk remake so, so, SO fast," admits one. "Absolutely love that game." Another opts to ponder a potential follow-up to the 2007 release and its 2010 follow-up Last Window: "We need a sequel." For now, however, I suppose we'll all have to wait and see what the new trademarks truly mean.

Here are some of the most exciting upcoming Switch 2 games to look forward to.

Nintendo showed off the early parts of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond during today's Nintendo Treehouse stream, including the game's opening cutscene running on Switch 2. The scene shows Samus Aran flying in to join a massive space battle rivaling what you'd see in Star Wars, and this brief glimpse of Metroid's wider universe has brought the long-dormant series lore hound in me roaring back to life.

Metroid Prime 4 starts with a brief bit opening text explaining that Samus is responding to a distress call from Galactic Federation forces under assault from the Space Pirates. She arrives amid a giant space battle, getting into brief dogfights with enemy craft and launching cannons at a big capital ship. Then she swoops in toward the ground battle, which features a ton of Federation soldiers fighting alongside a giant robot suit that looks straight out of a mech anime.

This basically boils down to "a pretty good cutscene," but it's wild seeing this sort of large-scale conflict and world-building in a Metroid game, and it carries into an action-packed introductory gameplay sequence. This is a series that's always been about being a lonely explorer in remote alien worlds, and Prime 4 certainly seems to stay true to that experience for the most part, but this opening is action-packed to a degree that feels almost more akin to Halo than Metroid.

Assuming the game adequately balances the traditional exploration with this kind of new action sequences, I'm stoked – and judging by the response other Metroid fans have been having on social media, I'm not alone.

When the Prime series was at its height in my teenage years, I was obsessed with piecing together the tiny bits of lore implying a wider world around Samus and the Metroids, and it looks like we're finally getting to see what that world properly looks like. It even looks like Metroid Prime 4 is doing so without falling prey to the story-focused Other M's many foibles.

I was cautiously excited about Prime 4 thanks mostly to the series pedigree, but this tease has me fully on board.

Prime 4 is just one of many upcoming Switch 2 games.

Nintendo has just given us our best look at Metroid Prime 4: Beyond so far, and even though it looks absolutely lush, we're still staring at a 2025 placeholder date.

During the March 2025 Nintendo Direct, everyone's favorite bounty hunter Samus reared her head again with a mix of familiar and - cough, cough - alien sights. She's now exploring the planet of Viewros, a world overrun with vibrant greenery and seemingly ancient architecture, she has a brand new suit, funky psychic abilities, but don't worry - those baby metroids are still bobbing about, too.

Those psychic abilities seem to be Beyond's main gimmick, at least so far. Samus can now use telekinesis to manipulate the environment around her by, let's say, pulling levers in hard-to-reach locations. What stood out most to me was one ultra-cool shot of her guiding a projectile's trajectory while in mid-air, which should lead to both some badass action moments and brain-scratching puzzles.

As for what Metroid Prime 4 is actually about, well, this time Samus gets mysteriously transported to a foreign planet and is looking for a way back home, naturally. It also seems to be incorporating more space magic and there's an ethereal (probably ominous) alien figure who refers to her as the "Chosen One," and I'm sure he's here to help. Right?

Nintendo once again reiterated that Metroid Prime 4 is an OG Switch game - it'll also be playable on the Nintendo Switch 2 via backward compatibility - though we'll need to wait a little longer to find out exactly when it's coming out.

For now, check out all of the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 games we know about so far.

Hollow Knight: Silksong is more or less a ghost. Developer Team Cherry has been offering only sporadic updates on the Metroidvania sequel since 2019, so, to eager fans, it might as well not exist, but distributor Xbox is apparently still confident the game will show.

"Looking ahead, our lineup is incredible with upcoming games," Xbox says in a new press release about its ID@Xbox program, which lets indie developers self-publish their games on Xbox consoles. "Like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Descenders Next, and FBC: Firebreak to play across the whole Xbox universe… and of course Hollow Knight: Silksong too!"

Xbox mentions Silksong casually, like it's tossing a salty fish to a circus seal, but there's nothing "of course" about the game's inclusion in its list. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 will soon release on April 24, sports sim Descenders Next is out even sooner on April 9, and Remedy's FPS FBC: Firebreak is scheduled to release this year after being announced in 2024.

While some Silksong fans – who are traumatized at this point – may want to use Xbox's press release as their latest dose of copium, I'd advise against that. Compared to the games listed above, Silksong was announced in 2019, delayed indefinitely in 2023, and barely heard from again. Naturally, there have been crumbs; Team Cherry marketer Matthew Griffin told a fan earlier this year that "the game is real, progressing and will release," for example.

But fans are growing old and weary. They decided in February that a trivial moment when Nintendo removed Silksong's store page meant that the game was canceled… until Nintendo restored the page shortly after.

Fans are getting loopy. They're clawing at the wallpaper. So, at this point, I hope that Xbox is serious about implying a 2025 release date for Hollow Knight: Silksong, just to put fans out of their misery.

I love consoles more than anything, but Microsoft has me less excited than ever about the Xbox Series X successor.

It's been a long time coming, but Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is still on track to release this year according to Nintendo, which is welcome reassurance for anyone left feeling a bit wary thanks to the eight-year wait and development restart that, for a while, was our only real news about the game. 

Metroid Prime 4 was first announced as an upcoming Switch game back at E3 2017 (RIP), at which point all we got was a logo reveal and the promise of it happening. After an extended period of silence, 2019 arrived, and Nintendo confirmed that it was going to "restart development from the beginning" since its "current development progress has not reached the standards we seek" for a new Metroid Prime game. After that, all went quiet until last summer when it finally reemerged with an actual trailer and a 2025 release date. Rejoice!

But now, here we are in 2025 with no actual release date confirmed yet. That's not an unusual thing, of course, it's still early in the year, but Nintendo appears to be attempting to put any worries to rest, as it's reiterated that Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is one of its already announced "Nintendo first-party titles scheduled for release in 2025" in its latest financial results. 

Alongside Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, Nintendo has also included Donkey Kong Country Returns HD (which released last month), Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition (which is coming on March 20), and Pokemon Legends: Z-A, which similarly doesn't have a confirmed release date but is scheduled for 2025. As the company hints, these are just the games "that have been announced to date," so there's very little doubt that it has more secrets up its sleeve, especially with the Switch 2 set to launch this year. 

Speaking of which, it's not been confirmed at this point if Metroid Prime 4: Beyond could also be getting a Switch 2 version of some sort. It's definitely coming to the OG Switch, and thanks to the upcoming console's backwards compatibility, it's more than likely going to be playable on there, too. Nintendo doesn't refer to the aforementioned games as first-party Switch titles unlike the "Nintendo Switch first-party software" it mentions earlier in the financial report, but, of course, Donkey Kong Country Returns HD is already out, and as it stands, just on the regular Switch, so this might mean nothing. Even so, between Metroid, Pokemon, and a new console, it's shaping up to be a good year for Nintendo. 

23 years later, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is set to revitalize the bounty hunter on Switch, just as the original did on GameCube.

Nintendo lets Samus come out to play with a new adventure every so often – most recently with 2021's inventive and well-received Metroid Dread – but there's been a question on every Metroid fan's lips since Metroid Prime 3 in 2007. When's the sequel? Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is finally ready to share its answer: 2025. Given what we've seen so far, we have every reason to be hopeful that the long-awaited sequel will be worth the wait.

It's clear that Nintendo wants to get this one right. First revealed in 2017, in 2019 it was announced that everything thus far created had been scrapped, and the project had been transferred from the previous studio (reported to be Bandai Namco) to Metroid Prime veterans Retro Studios. With Kensuke Tanabe also on board – the producer of all three entries in the original trilogy – it's impossible to imagine a better team for the job. Samus is home.

Prime cuts

The events of Metroid Prime 4 pick up plot threads from the previous game, though after a currently unknown period of time. Those who managed to unlock the "secret" ending of Metroid Prime 3: Corruption through 100% completion will have seen Samus's ship pursued by Sylux, a rival bounty hunter who first appeared in the Nintendo DS exclusive Metroid Prime Hunters. For some reason, he has a deep hatred for the Galactic Federation which hires Samus – and he makes an appearance in the Beyond trailer.

Retro Studios seems keen to keep everything that has come before canon, and it looks like we're set for some significant revelations and lore expansion. Sylux makes an appearance in the secret ending of another entry in the series, Metroid Prime: Federation Force. There, he is seen to hatch a Metroid egg, and the 2024 trailer for Beyond ends with a glimpse of him being flanked by two Metroids. What does he plan to do with them? Does he only have these two, or a whole army? We look forward to finding out, although I have a feeling Samus isn't going to like the answer.

The trailer didn't give much away, but the opening – which sees Samus rise from her ship and then vault to the ground in a familiar way, complete with signature musical cue – is an immediate thrill. We know that Samus will, as always, have her Power Suit and Power Beam (which, again, can be charged for a single, more powerful shot). We see the scan visor in action, as well as the Morph Ball ability and missile launcher. The tone is set for an adventure that will be immediately familiar, but with the ambition to evolve, well, beyond, thanks to multiple leaps in hardware tech since the last Metroid Prime outing.

It seems inevitable that more beams and visors will be revealed, but so far the slicker action that has Samus blasting her power beam and missile launcher in familiar first-person looks fantastic compared to the last go-around. But it won't be all-out action, as she'll still be scanning areas for clues and solving puzzles to push exploration deeper in each zone. The best Metroid games always mix its thrilling action with some chin-stroking, and we can't wait to see Retro Studios let loose with tech that allows for more expansive environments than ever before.

Elsewhere, we're excited to see how Sylux chasing down Samus (with Metroids in tow) is going to factor into gameplay. What we have seen are Space Pirates fighting an unknown faction (the Galactic Federation?) while Samus rolls along unseen above, and turrets firing into the sky – and being fired upon – in outside spaces while she deals with problems of her own. It's a tantalizing glimpse at a more cinematic approach to Metroid Prime that gives us confidence this will be one to remember.

The currently unconfirmed 2025 release date does lead to the inevitable question: Will Beyond be a launch title for Nintendo's next console, the long-awaited Nintendo Switch 2? It's definitely a Switch game, but Nintendo might be tempted to pull a The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and release the latest entry in one of its most famous series on both its current and new consoles simultaneously. Whatever the launch ends up looking like, we don't really care what machine it'll be running on – we just can't wait to dive back into Samus' world.

See what other exciting releases await us with our roundup of upcoming Switch games.

Metroid Prime 4 is finally due to launch in 2025, some eight years after its initial announcement back in 2017. While the long-awaited sequel is closer to actually launching than ever before, it seems Amazon is taking the opportunity to go back and cancel all those ancient pre-orders.

According to posts across Reddit, Twitter, and other forms of social media like ResetEra, Amazon has begun to cancel Metroid Prime 4 pre-orders en masse. Some of those orders go as far back as the game's original announcement in 2017, and the cancellation messages simply say that the game is "out of stock."

Naturally, there's been a whole lot of speculation about why these cancellations are happening. Perhaps the most likely explanation is that, as Amazon's stock of first-party Switch games has been sporadic in recent years, it might not be able to guarantee its stock of Metroid Prime 4.

Many of these pre-orders date back to when Amazon was still offering pre-order price discounts, and they certainly came well before Nintendo had opened the $70 floodgates with Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Even if Amazon will stock Metroid Prime 4 directly, they probably won't want to honor those $48 pre-orders for a $70 game.

Of course, some folks are taking the most ridiculous position possible: that this all means Metroid Prime 4 is cancelled on Switch and will exclusively launch on Nintendo Switch 2. It's reasonable to imagine that Nintendo might release the game on both current and next-gen platforms - after all, the same thing happened with Breath of the Wild in the transition from Wii U to Switch - but folks, come on. Nintendo probably wouldn't have re-revealed Prime 4 as a Switch game just six months ago if the company was about to just cancel that version and make it next-gen only.

But hey, Nintendo's unpredictability has gotten the better of more qualified industry analysts than me. For now, just consider this a PSA to double-check your inbox if you're still awaiting an Amazon delivery for your copy of Metroid Prime 4.

These are the upcoming Switch games that'll see the console out in 2025.

We've always found Metroidvania to be an odd term, largely because adventures like Aztec, The Maze Of Galious and Nodes Of Yesod existed long before both Metroid and Castlevania. It was arguably Metroid that helped crystallise the concept for many gamers though and that concept was largely refined and perfected in 1994. The game in question is Super Metroid, Yoshio Sakamoto's hugely ambitious sequel, which would not only take full advantage of the Super Nintendo's extra power, but would serve as an end to the story arc that had first begun with the 1987 Famicom Disk release of Metroid and continued with Metroid II: Return Of Samus on Nintendo's Game Boy. We'd also argue that it's probably the Metroid game most gamers think of whenever the term Metroidvania comes up.

While it's well known that the Metroid series was heavily influenced by Ridley Scott's Alien it could be argued that Super Metroid is perhaps the most cinematic of Samus' early adventures. "When I first heard the words, 'The last Metroid is in captivity, the galaxy is at peace,' it was a huge surprise," admits Darren Kerwin, founder of the popular Metroid website Shinesparkers. "Up until this point, I hadn't heard much voice acting in a SNES game, and those words spoken by Dan Owsen, made the game's opening highly memorable."

Darren's point about Super Metroid's cinematic feel is an interesting one, because while it does indeed feature that memorable opening, recalling Samus' earlier exploits by using text and black-and-white stills, the rest of the story is cleverly told in-game. "On release, it was Super Metroid's storytelling that really stood out to me," remembers Derek Yu, creator of the Spelunky games and the Metroidvania Eternal Daughter. "I still find it impressive how much narrative the game is able to convey with such few words – after the brief introduction you rarely lose control of Samus. And the feeling of tension and mystery never lets up until you finally escape from Zebes."

Super Metroid reviewed extremely well with critics who all made note of its exceptional atmosphere and neat game mechanics. Nintendo Magazine System called it, "A perfectly designed game with negligible flaws," in its 92% review. Super Play was equally enthused stating, "The game's singular most remarkable feature is the atmosphere," with the team's import review ending with another 92%. In a 5/5 GamePro review Slasher Quan said that "visually Super Metroid sets a wonderfully appropriate and dark mood", and also praised Super Metroid's audio saying it was "fairly sombre and subdued, yet really cool at the same time".

Thomas Happ, creator of Axiom Verge and its sequel also remembers the impact Nintendo's game had on him. "I was in high school at the time. I was really excited to play a 24 megabit game because it indicated it would be huge. Of course I loved it and replayed it multiple times until I could get the fastest time and 100% items (though I don't think I did both at once)." Thomas also mentioned the atmosphere that impressed so many critics on release. "I'd say it's crucial. Say you took the same gameplay but reskinned everything to look and sound like Yoshi's Island; it would still be fun to play but it wouldn't have the same resonance as the kind of creepy sci-horror feel of Metroid. The winding maze-like structure hits your brain in a similar place as eerie synth music and abandoned alien corridors."

Tim Longo has been designing games since the late-Nineties and also feels Super Metroid's rich atmosphere is one of its key successes. "It has a very unique and special version of science fiction," he begins. "Like Zelda and Mario, there is almost nothing else out there like it in tone. Still to this day, even. It isn't too dark, but it isn't too cartoony. It has a great science-fiction feel, but somehow stands on its own. I think [Nintendo has] never been afraid of sticking with that retro sci-fi feel in the face of so many sci-fi trends that they could have adopted or chased. All of that was established in Super Metroid, really."

As mentioned earlier, Super Metroid refines the elements that Metroid introduced to many gamers. The additional power of the Super Nintendo also meant Nintendo's sequel was aesthetically superior in every possible way. When Samus touches down on Zebes audio is kept to a minimum with only driving rain and the occasional crack of lightning to be heard, but it soon builds into some wonderfully eerie tunes as Samus explores (see the Aural Excellence panel). The different areas of Zebes in Metroid may have been colour coded, but they're been significantly enhanced graphically for the 16-bit sequel meaning that every area is now instantly recognisable as Samus explores – from the lush, populated jungles of Upper Brinstar to the volcanic-strewn areas of Norfair and the stark metallic corridors found throughout Wrecked Ship.

In many ways Super Metroid's locations are every bit as memorable as the creatures that reside in them and it's not been lost on Jacobo Luengo Gomez who has worked on both Metroid: Samus Returns and Metroid Dread. "Environments are a crucial character within the game. They are not limited to being a mere excuse for you to go from one place to another, but each one tells their own story and has their reason for existing. Why is there a big broken glass pipe? Who or what has destroyed it? Could I do the same if I had enough power? This gives them a unique identity while as a player it helps you draw a road map despite the large size of the map."

Those distinctive environmental markers are also mentioned by Drinkbox Studios' Ian Campbell who was lead designer on Guacamelee! 2, which has many nods to the Metroid series. "In the early-to-mid stages, the game is always subtly guiding you and laying the groundwork for revelations to come," he explains. "At first your movements are restricted in ways you don't often understand or recognise, so the journey feels like your own while making sure you learn and master your abilities. At the same time, you're going through so many memorable locations, you're guaranteed to have flashes of insight one, two, or four hours later as you remember one of them and travel back to discover a new path forward."

Primed and ready

Jack Mathews is no stranger to the Metroid universe, having worked on all three Metroid Prime games. He's well aware of the importance of Super Metroid's environmental game design and it's one of many things you'll see repeated in the Prime trilogy. "You're able to have a sense of place anywhere in the game, often without needing to consult the map," he explains. "It makes the world feel lived-in and real." It's an aspect of the game that's shared with Owlboy's creator Simon Anderson. "There's a lot of elements that make Super Metroid unique. An emphasis on how it handles the progression of exploration. Maybe the branching mechanics that the upgrades provide, or the captivating setting. But to me, if there's one thing Super Metroid, and the Metroid series has always excelled at, it is the sense of environmental presence."

Another key aspect of the game's environmental design is not only the creatures that inhabit Zebes, but also how they feel part of an actual ecosystem – something that's further driven home by graphical flourishes like egg sacs, broken cocoons and even dung. Many of them will need to be overcome if Samus wants to complete her mission, but unlike other games of the era it feels like they have a proper purpose here – whether it's to be used as makeshift platforms so Samus can navigate hazardous areas, or to act as pointers for when the bounty hunter gets stuck. The Dachora for example, will visually show Samus how to perform the highly useful Shinespark technique, while a trio of Etecoons will perform the sequence-breaking Wall Jump for her. "Using enemy design and level design to complement each other is also one of my favourite aspects of the game," explains Tim. "Most enemies are quite simple. But used in combination with good level design and environmental design and in combination with other enemy types, it makes for a lot of special and memorable challenges."

If Super Metroid's environment and monster designs are far more ambitious than its predecessors, the same can be said for its gargantuan map, which is surprisingly easy for Samus to navigate. This is mainly due to each area having its own distinct-looking environment, but also due to Nintendo's decision to include a smaller mini-map in the top-right corner of the screen. Switch over to the main map and while it's not as well signposted as more modern Metroidvanias it still offers tantalising glimpses of where you should consider heading to next. It also highlights the numerous save points, boss locations, entry points to new areas and even where most power-ups can be found.

Jack feels the map, combined with Super Metroid's world gives gamers, "A longing for continuing exploration, both because of incredible environmental art and atmosphere, and the longing of finding the ability to get you somewhere you are not able to go." For Tim, Super Metroid's map offers, "A clear and logical sense of progression through the world. Super Metroid is one of our best examples of allowing players to feel like they are discovering the world as they go but really the design is pushing them to where it wants them to go as well."

While you can visit Map Rooms to get a better understanding of each new area of Zebes you're visiting, areas are never fully revealed, meaning that exploration is a core component of Nintendo's game and a massive part of its appeal. "Exploration in Super Metroid has a strong feeling of tension and big moments of relief," offers Cass King, a Guacamelee! 2 designer at Drinkbox Studios. "There are many paths to explore and you don't know exactly where to go. Anything could be around the corner, from small power-ups and new abilities to rooms with a dangerous encounter, boss, or a save point."

Super Metroid's focus on exploration is also keenly felt by Jacobo who tells us, "I think exploration is the cornerstone of every good Metroidvania and what makes them really compelling compared to other action adventure games. Entering blindly into an unknown world, unveiling the map little by little with each small advance, unlocking shortcuts and secret paths, and ending up dominating each of the corners is a unique sensation. In Super Metroid, the oppressive atmosphere and sense of loneliness contribute to creating a feeling of constant tension as you explore, tension that later turns into exhilaration and relief when you finally obtain a new ability, gain access to a new area, or defeat one of the imposing bosses."

While Super Metroid's design can often feel intimidating and sprawling, returning to previous areas never feels like it's a slog or an artificial attempt to extend the game's length. "Super Metroid is a world design masterpiece, with what is often described as an 'invisible hand' that guides you by progressively locking and unlocking the world of Zebes to the player so they would still be able to figure out the way forward without any direct instructions," offers Glaedrax, another member of Shinesparkers. "There is a lot of backtracking in this game, but it's rarely ever a chore due to how much easier it becomes to navigate through the zones as you collect the various power-ups scattered around the planet and unlock shortcuts and elevators."

Destination: Zebes

Speaking of power-ups, it's time to discuss Samus' impressive arsenal (see the Armed Aran panel). Despite starting directly after Metroid II: Return Of Samus, the bounty hunter retains very few of her powers when she lands on Zebes, even though several are shown in the game's attract sequences.

Cass offers an interesting explanation and suggests it could be down to design. "They want to give players a taste of the abilities that Samus will have later in the game. When the player [doesn't have Samus' key abilities], they can feel their absence which makes getting them feel even better. It's also delightful when you get a new upgrade that Samus didn't start with at the beginning of the game." Cass also feels that the loss of these abilities early in the game helps fill in some of the missing story narrative. "Samus is supposed to be a skilled bounty hunter, so she should arrive on Zebes prepared with an arsenal of weapons. When she [doesn't have] her powers, it makes her feel even more badass as the player earns her powers back and some new powers than what she started with. This creates a strong connection between the player and Samus as a character that dialogue or cutscenes alone never could."

Another key strength of Samus' arsenal is that they're not just used to destroy enemies, but offer other purposes, from opening doors to solving puzzles. "The way that this game turns mechanics into effective tools for the player to overcome not just enemies, but the world, is the cornerstone to the genre," explains Tim. "It will always feel good to the player because they will feel that a weapon or new ability they found isn't just about killing things in front of them but it is also about feeling clever figuring out how to use it to progress." Jacobo also enjoys the multipurpose approach of Samus' weapons and skills. "I like the way the game tempts you to try different uses for Samus' abilities, even the most unexpected ones. For example, when you freeze an enemy and discover that you can use them as a platform or that you can latch onto them with the Grappling Beam and swing around. It does it in a way that, when you get it, makes you think you're smarter than the game when the reality is that it was always there for you to find out."

For Simon, it's the interactivity in the world that these items and abilities give you that he finds most impressive. "Something I always value in games is when your abilities have an actual effect on the world around you. If I were to pick something more specific, I'd point to the Speed Booster. On its surface, it's a pretty limited and clunky ability. But If you take what I said into account, the Speed Booster becomes a puzzle of trying to map out a runway that will either lead to a new area, or let you bulldoze through something that was previously a big challenge."

It's a good job that Samus' weapons and abilities allow her to be so resourceful because Super Metroid's bosses are certainly not to be taken lightly. While some return from past games, many others are brand-new to the series, but all pose unique challenges, something which isn't lost on Simon. "I really love that there's a palpable sense of buildup, long before you reach a boss. Ridley is one of the first things you see in the game, and not long after, you discover his statue, along with several other monsters. This creates a sense of anticipation, waiting to see who they will be. You can even start to guess at their abilities, based on what the environment is like. For example, even before you reach the Spore Spawn, you've come across plant matter taking over the area, hinting at what is to come. For a time when the common design for a boss was to just throw one at you when you had reached the end of an area, making you aware of who you would face was a really nice touch."

Forbidden Planet

Ian feels that one of the most impactful aspects of Super Metroid's mayors is that they're so much more than a sum of their parts. "So much attention was paid to everything surrounding them, not just to the bosses themselves. The eerie, atmospheric trek to reach Phantoon. The surprise and subversion of a Chozo Statue springing to life and attacking you. The adventurous, climactic journey into Ridley's fiery lair for a rematch against a foe who already bested you. Mother Brain is the best example, with the fight containing an entire three-act structure inside it. They're dramatic experiences you don't quickly forget."

Jacobo feels that Super Metroid's bosses do a great job of challenging the player to use their new weapons more effectively. "Every time you get a new ability, you have the feeling that what you were having trouble overcoming is no longer a problem. You feel like Samus is overpowered and your level of tension drops drastically.

However, when you enter a boss arena something happens. An uneasy calm ensues, culminating in the appearance of the boss that is visually and technically impressive. It is at that moment that you realise what you are [facing] but you only need to take a breath and prepare for the pressure of the battle." Jacobo was also keen to point out the flexibility in how you can tackle certain bosses. "One of the things that stood out to me personally is that you can defeat bosses in more than one way. Apart from their visuals, it is something that as a player stays with you."

Mother Brain drain

For Derek, Nintendo's decision to use them sparingly is a big part of their success. "For me, the boss battles are so good because they're relatively few and far between, so when you encounter a boss, it's always a big moment that leads to great satisfaction," he says. "Secondly, many of the bosses have these surprising cinematic moments that happen while you're still playing (in other words, they don't switch to a cutscene). The initial encounter with Ridley where he emerges from the shadows is a great example of this, as well as the final showdown with Mother Brain. It's rare to play a game that tells a story so seamlessly through its battles."

Even though Super Metroid is an immense experience and one of the best games of its type, it's not without its foibles. Playing through it again recently highlighted the difficulty of using Samus' Wall Jump and Space Jump and it sounds like we're not the only ones who have niggles with the game. "The thing that bothers me the most is the Space Jump," says Thomas, "it not only lets you fly almost anywhere but turns Metroid's Screw Attack into a godlike superpower. I felt it just wiped away any sense of tension or horror."

Jack feels that aspects of Samus' controls could have been tightened up, telling us, "The controls have not aged well for weapon switching and diagonal shooting – these were greatly improved in subsequent games." Tim on the other hand feels that there are times in Super Metroid when, "Progress is extremely binary and linear, which can create frustration for players who hit a wall and can't find the answer to what to do next. Some of this was also the limitation of the era of consoles and tech, though."

Speeding up

It's worth noting that while mechanics like the Wall Jump and Super Jump can be difficult to use, they're a huge asset for speedrunners and those who want to sequence break the game by getting items long before they typically would be able to.

"Super Metroid is extremely popular in the speedrunning community because there are tons of ways to complete it thanks to a lot of glitches and techniques that were creatively named by the community, such as the Chainsaw Beam, the X Factor, Arm Pumping or the Spacetime Beam," Glaedrax tells us. "You can even complete the game by doing the bosses in reverse order! The physics of the game in addition to the glitches allow for a lot of skill expression, sequence breaking and creativity for the player, making Super Metroid an inevitable pick for speedrun charity events and ensuring a good time for both the viewers and the runner. To this day, players are still finding clever ways to shave off extra time or even invent entirely new routes and fun challenges."

One baffling aspect of Super Metroid is that despite its success, few other games of the time would emulate it. Derek feels this could be down to timing. "At the time, I think Super Metroid felt like a singular experience rather than the beginning of a new genre," he offers. "It also came out near the transition from 2D to 3D in mainstream gaming, so there probably wasn't a lot of incentive to make something that would have been perceived as a Super Metroid clone." While it's currently available to modern gamers via Nintendo's Switch Online service it has never been remade, although Jack says its DNA can be found throughout Metroid Prime. "I have a difficult time thinking of aspects of Super Metroid that did not influence Metroid Prime. We were never going to be a remake [of Super Metroid], but we wanted it to feel similar."

It's highly likely that Metroid Prime is the closest we'll ever get to a 3D interpretation of the classic game, but Jacobo was quick to point out that the influence of both Super Metroid and Metroid can still be seen in numerous modern games. "Metroid Prime is certainly one of those examples in which you realise that if the mainstays that shape a genre are strong, they will work regardless of the time and technology. Furthermore, over time there are other genres that have been incorporating Metroid elements into their games, coexisting with them to make them evolve. Clear examples of this are games like the Batman Arkham saga, the new Tomb Raider saga, the Star Wars: Jedi saga, the Darksiders saga or many Soulslike games. Not to mention great examples in the indie scene."

It might be three decades old now, but it's easy to see why Super Metroid remains such an enduring masterpiece and is loved by so many gamers. "It was groundbreaking at the time and still holds up as compelling, fun and unique," offers Jack. "Even with all that has come after it and iterated on its systems, I can still sit down and play through all of Super Metroid and enjoy it 30 years later. That says a lot."

In the mood to jump into the series? Check out our best Metroid games for help on which gaming planet to land on next! Or something different? Then perhaps our best Metroidvania games will be of more use!

Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist will launch in full on PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC on January 22, 2025, roughly eight months after entering early access on Steam this past May. What's more, the developer boasts of "35 hours of content" in the finished version, which is a massive jump over the original game, Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights, which Howlongtobeat rates at 12 hours for the main story, and which I finished with 100% completion and the true ending after 14 hours (NG+ shenanigans notwithstanding). 

Scientists are still struggling to quantify the force of the restraint it took for me to delay playing Ender Magnolia after finishing Ender Lilies earlier this month. First released in 2021, it was one of the few entries on our best Metroidvania games list that I hadn't personally played – it's on there thanks to the recommendations of others, and now I see what they mean – and it was available via PlayStation Plus, so I snapped it up.  

After unadvisedly staying up until 4am to finish it, I ended up liking Ender Lilies so much that I ordered a physical PS4 copy just for collection purposes. It is, as a friend of mine put it, emo Hollow Knight – a whip-smart 2D action platformer with breakneck pacing, a compelling narrative, some great parries, and engrossing RPG mechanics that allow for a flexible move set. There are a few imperfections, but my main critique by the end was a good-natured demand for more. So, the news from joint developers Adglobe and Live Wire felt almost like divine intervention. 

In my experience, the meatier end of today's Metroidvanias tend to average 10 - 20 hours depending on your completion percentage. Hollow Knight is an outlier with an average run of 27 hours and upwards of 30 for full completion, to say nothing of the more extreme challenges. I remember logging 33 hours for 106% completion before all the DLCs were out. If Ender Magnolia really can pull players in for 35 hours, it'll not only be more than twice the size of the first game, it also might be one of the biggest modern Metroidvanias.

Ender Magnolia has been received well thus far, with 3,765 "Overwhelmingly Positive" Steam user reviews at the time of writing, and should only get better with its 1.0 update. It follows a similar formula and setup to Ender Lilies – small hero Lilac (not Lily) explores a dreary world with the aid of homunculi (not spirits) – but has been praised for refining and modernizing several elements, notably including the map and difficulty.  

Resident Evil and Dead Space writer's cyberpunk Metroidvania RPG has already doubled its Kickstarter goal with romance "echoing the depth" of Mass Effect.

Exposition is a fickle instrument in the writer’s toolbox. Too little, and your audience struggles to properly comprehend the scenes playing out before their eyes. Too much, and they drown in a sea of information without the necessary emotional weight to ground it. "Show, don’t tell" has become a cornerstone of scene writing for this reason - If you show just enough for the audience to fill out the rest themselves, you simultaneously avoid the issue of overburdening them with information while they get the satisfaction of reaching the answer with little help.

There are few video game series that so masterfully control the use of exposition as Metroid. While the sci-fi series does have a vast lore connecting 17 games over 39 years, engaging with all of it is entirely optional. For most players, you’re simply dropped into a new hostile alien planet with only your wits and a recently-nerfed Power Suit (every time!). Rather than telling the player where to go with sudden text boxes and immersion-breaking tutorials, Metroid opts to show. If the player explores with care, they’ll see subtle signposts that vary from oddly textured stone walls, to enemies placed so precisely you can grapple up to a ledge with their bodies. This ‘invisible guide’ design works perfectly in the 2D entries in which players can see a whole screen around Samus, but when the player is limited to just Samus’ own first-person perspective in the Prime games, a new idea is needed to make up for the reduced viewing area.

Through a scanner darkly

Enter the Scan Visor. While players will spend the majority of their time using the Combat Visor to blow away other life-forms with a multitude of beams and missiles, the inquisitive Scan Visor is just as important as its violent counterpart. Rather than just a game-y mechanic disconnected from immersion, the Scan Visor is Samus’ in-universe method of obtaining information on the planets, creatures and century-spanning history of the various civilisations she inevitably ends up destroying (for the greater good, of course). 

The immersion this choice creates cannot be overstated. Not only does it serve as a compelling avenue into understanding the worlds presented, but it also functions as a neat workaround to make exposition feel more subtle, even if it is truthfully still a lot of information; it avoids the trap of immersion-breaking cutscenes or convenient lore delivery from an NPC (although, this necessary evil does still occur a few times throughout the series). 

There’s also the implication that Samus is writing almost all of the scanner's entries herself and saving them in her Logbook as she discovers more about these alien environments, suggesting the bounty hunter is constantly improving her knowledge and preparation of the galaxy for future missions. The fact that not every entry is written by Samus is also used to clever effect in the differentiating tones used by other writers - a highlight of this is the darkly comedic entry in which the Space Pirates log their attempts at recreating the Morph Ball technology, with morbid results.

Optional optics

Most importantly, other than a few cases in which it’s required to find or activate some progression-blocking elements of the environment, the Scan Visor is largely optional. The "show, don’t tell" approach is still employed as the baseline of Prime’s world design, as players are encouraged to explore and make connections between areas and objectives themselves, and thus can choose how much they wish to interact with the Scan system. If you’d prefer to challenge yourself and figure everything out on your own, you can simply not use it. If you couldn’t care less about worldbuilding and just want to move forward to the next boss, you’re free to do so. 

The freedom in exposition created by the Scan Visor’s innovative design makes the Metroid Prime series feel uniquely natural and subtle in its delivery of information to the player. Rather than being forced to read an encyclopedia of Metroid lore, the player is instead willingly studying the world through Samus’ eyes. After all, there are few stronger examples of ‘show, don’t tell’ than seeing exactly what the character sees.

As we wait for Samus' next adventure, here's everything we know about Metroid Prime 4

Metroid Prime 4 made its big return in the public eye as part of today's Nintendo Direct, complete with plans for a 2025 launch. The brief trailer didn't give us many details, but it did confirm that the game will see the return of Sylux, a villainous bounty hunter who's been established as Metroid Prime's next big bad since 2007.

Sylux first appeared as a major antagonist in Metroid Prime Hunters, the Nintendo DS spin-off that pitted protagonist Samus Aran against a cadre of rival bounty hunters. True to series tradition, Sylux never got much backstory, and Hunters remains his only major appearance in the series - but his cameos in later games look like they're going to be very important in Prime 4.

If you 100% Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, you'll see an extra scene after the credits in which a strange ship follows Samus into parts unknown. Fans speculated for years that the pilot of that ship was Sylux, and producer Kensuke Tanabe confirmed that theory in a 2015 interview with IGN. "There’s still more I want to build around the story of Sylux and Samus," Tanabe said. "There’s something going on between them. I want to make a game that touches upon [it]."

That quote came just before the release of the multiplayer spin-off Metroid Prime: Federation Force, and clearly Tanabe was still interested in Sylux even within the plot of that controversial party game. Another hidden post-credits sequence here shows Sylux breaking into a Galactic Federation research base and recovering a newborn Metroid.

This all seems to directly set up the events we see in the Metroid Prime 4: Beyond trailer, where Samus shows up to help a Federation base under attack from Space Pirate forces. Sylux shows up at the end, flanked by a pair of seemingly tame Metroids, apparently teasing a much larger role for the character in the full game. The full story remains to be seen, but it certainly looks like Prime 4 is set to pay off some long-standing series cliffhangers.

2024 was looking pretty dry for Nintendo before today, but suddenly there are a whole lot of upcoming Switch games on the horizon. 

Metroid Prime 4 finally resurfaced as part of today's Nintendo Direct, and it's due to launch in 2025.

Officially titled Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, the brief trailer shows series protagonist Samus Aran landing at a Galactic Federation base under assault from Space Pirate forces. Samus's ship appears to be a new design, but the action looks very familiar to previous Metroid Prime games - there's still a lot of lock-on targeting and circle-strafing, as well as the opportunity to scan the environment for bits of lore and hints on what to do next.

I'm guessing that the Space Pirate assault is going to be the game's opening set-piece action sequence and tutorial. This part of the trailer closes with a mysterious character who I didn't initially recognize flanked by a pair of Metroids - this is Sylux, a bounty hunter who first appeared in the spin-off game Metroid Prime Hunters. The trailer then ends with Samus exploring a vast alien landscape, seemingly an assurance that the game's not moving away from the exploration the series is known for.

Metroid Prime 4 has been a long, long time coming. The game was originally announced way back at E3 2017 - remember E3? - but in 2019, Nintendo announced that development had restarted as the project moved to Retro Studios. Retro, of course, is the Texas-based developer that made the original Metroid Prime series back in the GameCube and Wii era, so it certainly has the pedigree for this new game.

Today's Nintendo Direct brought a hot finish to the Summer Game Fest 2024 season.

Decades later, Metroid fans are still locked in a civil war over a question that's getting increasingly stupid answers: how the heck does Samus Aran fit inside her power suit?

Samus's proportions have been weird and inconsistent over the years. A spread in Nintendo Power magazine around the era of Super Metroid suggested that she's 6'3" tall and weighs in at 198 pounds, and described her as a "strong, muscular woman." An illustration goes so far as to show how she fits inside the power suit.

But Samus's visual design has evolved in the years since Super Metroid. Putting aside the questionable ways her out-of-suit design has become shorter and less muscular over the years, there's been a clear upgrade in the range of motion of the power suit's arms. This illustration's suggestion that her shoulders don't even enter the ball joints of the power suit simply does not work with the modern version of the power suit.

The debate over how Samus exists in physical space has been going on for ages, but the release of Metroid Prime Remastered has reignited the debate. The illustration in the tweet below provides a pretty solid example of what's wrong here. The suit is far too narrow at the waist to support someone with broad enough shoulders to actually fill out the power suit, and the gap in the power suit's armpit makes it clear that she's not just holding her arms at her sides.

People keep pointing to power suit cosplayers or concept art that shows Samus's musculature inside the armor, but again, these depictions do not match the proportions of the power suit we see in-game. For any of this to work, Samus would need to be built like Jessica Rabbit, and while her design has certainly become more traditionally feminine over the years, we're not there yet.

It seems like players are finally starting to accept that this is all a result of video game characters not being bound by the constraints of real, physical space, but that hasn't stopped anyone from coming up with increasingly ridiculous answers to an increasingly silly question.

guys_i_figured_it_out from r/Metroid

In canon, of course, Samus's power suit was designed by a race of birdlike aliens with magical powers known as the Chozo. As a result, everyone's come to realize that you can pretty confidently answer almost any Metroid lore question with one simple phrase: bird magic.

But actually, there may be another answer to all this, one that sticks to hard sci-fi without any 'mystical' cop-outs. What if the power suit's breastplate is wider to make room for a control panel in there? What if Samus herself is controlling her classic GameCube iteration with an actual GameCube controller?

Maybe Metroid Prime 4 will finally answer this burning question.

Metroid Prime Remastered is here, and it's excellent, but it is missing the unlockable Fusion suit - an issue that fans are hoping the impending debut of Metroid Fusion through the Nintendo Switch Online service will correct.

This week, Nintendo announced that the classic Metroid Fusion would be coming to the GBA library available on the higher-tier Expansion Pack for the Nintendo Switch Online service. The story of that game sees protagonist Samus essentially fused with a Metroid, and she ends up wearing a semi-organic suit. The Fusion suit design is distinct from anything else Samus wears in the series, and it's become increasingly iconic as the years have gone on.

Back in 2002, the original versions of Metroid Fusion and Metroid Prime launched within a day of each other, and connecting the two games through a GameCube-GBA link cable would unlock bonus features in Prime. If you beat both games and linked them, you'd be able to play through Prime again wearing the Fusion suit - a neat little bonus for fans of both.

As it stands, there's no way to unlock the Fusion suit in Metroid Prime Remastered, but with the announcement of Fusion's debut on Switch, pretty much everyone has the same thing in mind.

Check out our Metroid Prime Remastered review if you've not yet been convinced that it's time to revisit this classic. In summary, we've concluded that "while some elements of its design feel antiquated, stunning changes made to Metroid Prime's visual design, performance, and controls are enough to breathe new life into one of the greatest video games of all time."

If you're a new fan, check out our ranking of the best Metroid games.

Physical copies of the recently-released Metroid Prime Remastered have popped up on auction sites for over twice their original price.

As you may remember, physical copies of Metroid Prime Remastered sold out almost instantly when they went on sale earlier this week, and now – to many fans' frustration – they're already being resold online with astonishing mark-ups on auction sites (thanks, Kotaku).

Whilst Super Mario 3D All-Stars was a limited edition when it came to the physical version, there's been no statement from Nintendo confirming that Metroid Prime Remastered is also limited. That hasn't stopped some people from demanding $100 for a single copy, though.

We've contacted Nintendo to confirm when – and if – more physical copies of Metroid Prime Remastered will be available. We'll update you just as soon as we know more. 

We gave the game an impressive 4.5 stars out of 5 in the GamesRadar+ Metroid Prime Remastered review, saying it "breathes new life into one of the greatest games of all time". 

"There are rough edges, but Metroid Prime Remastered is worth the occasional splinter. Metroid Prime is to first-person shooters what Super Metroid was to side-scrolling platformers – it's singular, and special; inspiring generations of players to dream of more immersive worlds, and pushing countless video game designers to try and deliver them," we said in our review.

"That Metroid Prime is able to carry as much resonance today as it did 20 years ago doesn't just speak to the quality of remaster that Retro Studios (and a legion of partnering development teams) have delivered, but the strength of the underlying foundational design. Metroid Prime Remastered is not only a dazzling reminder of why the original is one of the very best GameCube games, but a pointed argument that it should stand as one of the all-time greats."

A former developer recently criticized Metroid Prime Remastered's credits for omitting direct mention of the original development team.

Metroid Prime Remastered is finally a reality, but there's no such good news for Metroid Prime 4, which quietly rumbles on in development at Retro Studios over four years after it was rebooted.

Metroid Prime Remastered's credits have been criticized by a former developer for omitting direct mention of the original development team.

Metroid Prime Remastered stealth-launched last week after a Nintendo Direct presentation to critical acclaim, a welcome return for a long-lost GameCube title. One former developer at Retro Studios, Zoid Kirsch, isn't pleased with the remaster leaving out direct mention of the original developers in the remaster's credits.

Instead of mentioning each individual at Nintendo and Retro Studios who developed the original Metroid Prime, the remaster simply notes that the new version is "based on" the original GameCube game. That doesn't sit well with Kirsch and others on Twitter, who are also voicing their displeasure at staff from Retro Studios being entirely left out of the remaster's credits.

A fellow former developer at Retro Studios, Jack Mathews, points out in the tweet below that Metroid Prime Remastered will no doubt use the exact same code the original GameCube title used over two decades ago. Metroid Prime Remastered gives the 2002 title a fresh lick of paint, but doesn't alter any gameplay mechanics like boss animations or abilities, and will therefore likely use the exact same code.

Because of this, Mathews says, it's only common sense that Metroid Prime Remastered lists the original developers whose code they're still using today. Mathews is hardly alone in this opinion - many responses to Kirsch's tweet highlight how other remasters have credited the original development team by name, including Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered in 2016.

Elsewhere, Kirsch said he generally adores Metroid Prime Remastered - apart from the doors. Apparently there's something funky going on with the HD version of the blasts shields covering doors throughout the game.

Metroid Prime Remastered is finally a reality, but there's no such good news for Metroid Prime 4, which quietly rumbles on in development at Retro Studios over four years after it was rebooted.

One former Metroid Prime dev thinks the newly-revealed remaster messed up one aspect.

Yesterday on February 8, Nintendo announced Metroid Prime Remastered after years of anticipation and speculation, and revealed it'd be releasing later that same day. Now, Zoid Kirsch, a former developer on the original Metroid Prime, thinks the remaster "fucked up" one aspect: the doors.

In short, Kirsch reckons Metroid Prime Remastered has the wrong alpha levels on the door shields. These shields are found all over doors throughout not only Metroid Prime, but also the wider Metroid series, and are completely indestructible to weapons. The only way Samus can open them is by completing another task first.

Kirsch says he spent "months" working on the doors, so he's a little peeved they're not looking quite right in the remaster. No, for those wondering, "months" isn't a typo from Kirsch - doors really are that tough to get right in video games, and they're often an absolute headache for developers to nail.

However, that hasn't stopped Kirsch from adoring the remaster. "Following up--the re-master is amazingly well done," the former dev wrote in a follow-up tweet. "The improvements to Samus and the boss models are awesome. I just noticed this particular change that stood out from the original. It's still a wonderful re-master and should be played and enjoyed."

If you're wondering what other wonders and surprises Nintendo rolled out at its big showcase last night, you can head over to our full Nintendo Direct February 2023 recap for more. 

You can also check out our upcoming Switch games guide to see where the newly-revealed games fall in Nintendo's big schedule. 

Four years ago today, Nintendo announced that development on Metroid Prime 4 had been restarted under a different studio.

If you've forgotten - and in fairness, it's been a very long time - Metroid Prime 4 was originally announced in 2017, developed in partnership between Nintendo and Bandai Namco. In a Nintendo Direct on January 25, 2019, the publisher said the game had "not reached the standards we seek in a sequel to the Metroid Prime series," and so development had restarted under the leadership of Retro Studios, the developer that built the Prime series in the first place.

There has been no meaningful news since, and on this anniversary, fans are finding a wide array of ways to cope. Or not cope, as the case may be.

I too am a sad man in the absence of a new Metroid game, Steve Rudzinski. Rest assured that when I write whatever I want about you, I am writing about myself, too.

4_years_since_that_fateful_day_what_are_you from r/Metroid

The vast majority of the discussion happening right now is (mostly) practical speculation on when we'll see more of Metroid Prime 4. Will it be re-revealed this year? Will it be on the next Nintendo console? Would you even want it to come out on Switch?

Mostly, though, it's a lot of memes of commiseration.

Meanwhile, the daily update gag accounts continue their important work. The IsPrime4Out subreddit continues to say "no" and the Daily Metroid Prime 4 News Update continues to note that the news is that there is no news. Someone's posting weekly photos of a Samus Aran action figure until Metroid Prime 4 launches. They're on week 124.

posting_a_samus_figma_picture_every_week_until from r/Metroid

Who knows how many more weeks there will be to come.

Metroid fans haven't been completely starved during the wait for Prime 4 - after all, Metroid Dread was announced and released in the span since that development reboot. There are still glimmers of hope for Prime 4, too, with job listings and Twitter teases hinting that the game is making progress. A remake of the original Metroid Prime was rumored to release in 2022, though obviously that didn't happen. (That reporter has, at least, shaved his head in shame.)

I've got no idea if Metroid Prime 4 might release this year, but there are plenty of other new games for 2023 to enjoy regardless.

We're approaching Metroid Prime's 20th anniversary, and the game's original developers are taking the opportunity to share some wild bits of trivia about the game's development.

Zoid Kirsch, a senior engineer at Retro Studios on both Metroid Prime and its first sequel, has been sharing a daily development story leading up to the game's 20th anniversary on November 18. Some you might've been able to guess, like how the game's slow-opening doors mask loading times. Some are technical, like how a compression library "saved" development. Some are about design, like how the devs made it clear you're dealing damage to enemies.

Then there's the wild stuff, like how Metroid Prime sometimes actually shows you its running game code as you're playing. At certain points in the game, like when you approach a Scatter Bombu, Samus's visor turns static-y, obscuring your vision. Normally, you might expect a texture to cover the screen in an instance like this, but the GameCube's limited memory made that solution difficult.

"If we used a low resolution texture (64x64) to save memory the 'static' would be blurry and not crisp," Kirsch explains. "One engineer on the team came up with a great idea: what if we just use the memory holding the Metroid Prime code itself! We quickly tried it out and it looked amazing."

So yes, you can actually see inside the Matrix sometimes as you're playing Metroid Prime - but it's actually not the only game to use a similar technique. As Playdate co-creator Cabel Sasser notes, the same technique is actually used in the Atari classic Yar's Revenge. Now I need a catalog of other games that might do the same thing.

Maybe the most absurd story comes from Jack Mathews, a technical lead engineer on the original Prime. Shortly after the launch of the game, Nintendo contacted Retro about a bad batch of GameCube CPUs, which only seemed to exhibit bugs in Prime. Initially, the devs couldn't figure out a way to test the issue.

"To see the problem, the kit had to be cold," Mathews explains. "Like, freezer cold. So we literally had to put the kit in the freezer, test the game for 15 minutes tops, then start all over. It was crazy. We literally were running the kit from the break room freezer to the TV, and loading save games as fast as possible to as many places as possible in 15 minutes, then trying new code, re-freezing, and back. I'll never forget it."

The bug was eventually fixed for those bad CPUs - but the only way affected players to get the patch at the time was to call Nintendo support and get shipped a whole new disc. The age of digital distribution has its advantages.

Metroid Prime 4 is still in development, but the long-rumored Metroid Prime remaster has yet to be officially announced.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond has finally arrived! That's right, after years of waiting, Nintendo has released Samus's next big outing, and already reviews and buzz are flying. This game has been a long time coming, having first been announced all the way back in 2017, with a very brief teaser. And after rebooting partway through development, a 2025 release date was revealed during the April Nintendo Switch 2 Direct.

If you are like us, chances are you love replaying all the best Metroid games, and this was also one of your top new Switch 2 games of 2025. However, with such a long development time and a relatively mixed reception (just read our own Metroid Prime 4: Beyond review for more on that), you may be unsure whether the game is worth your hard-earned golden coins. Well, we are here to help!

Below is a complete guide on all the information that you need to know about Metroid Prime 4: Beyond before reaching for your wallet. In this page, we break down the game's release, platforms, gameplay, and more. So if you want to see what shooter action Ninty has on offer, scroll on, friends!

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond release date

The Metroid Prime 4: Beyond release date came our way on December 4, 2025!

So far, the majority of critics who have had their hands on the game are fans, with the game's Metacritic score being at a respectable 81 at the time of writing. However, there have been some middling opinions on the game from the likes of Eurogamer, Inverse, and our own Oscar Taylor-Kent, who penned our Metroid Prime 4: Beyond review.

While we were fans of the game's visuals on the Switch 2 and general atmosphere, we did point out how the overworld adds bloat and is mostly empty, and that the back and forth that players need to do is more annoying than in past games. So, keep that in mind if you are considering buying the game for yourself.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond platforms and price

Metroid Prime 4 is now available on the Switch and the Switch 2.

The Switch 2 version of the game runs on the new-gen console with two different available modes: Quality mode runs at 4K 60FPS, while Performance mode runs at 1080p at 120FPS. If you have a Switch 2, the game does look stunning, and we personally recommend picking up that edition if you have the hardware.

In terms of price, the Switch version of the game costs $59.99/£49.99, while the Switch 2 versions will set you back $69.99/£58.99. If you don't have a Switch 2 at the moment, you can opt to get the upgrade pack later on, which is priced at $9.99/£7.99. And finally, if you are UK-based, Nintendo is also offering a deal with the "Power Bundle".

The Power Bundle includes a copy of the game, a desk mat, and a holographic sticker set. If you have the original Switch, this bundle will cost £55.99, and £64.99 if you have a Switch 2.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond trailer

The best Metroid Prime 4 trailer debuted during the March 2025 Nintendo Direct. In this teaser, we see Samus navigating the jungle planet of Viewros, where she must explore and scan mysterious statues to escape.

However, Samus isn't alone, and the trailer shows us plenty of exciting new enemies for us to blast. But, one of the most curious bits of information shared during this teaser is Samus' new psychic powers. The clip shows off abilities that will fling players towards enemies and assist in navigating the map as you can unlock doors.

While that may sound like a big departure from the series, worry not! The trailer also has us occupying a first-person perspective as Samus navigates hostile environments, bringing back the FPS stylings of Metroid Prime 3 as she guns down enemies and scans the corpses.

We did get another trailer on November 14, 2025, which showed more gameplay details as well, which you can watch for yourself below.

In this clip, we see more of Samus' abilities and how players can get around from different areas (spoilers: a very fancy bike is involved). We also see glimpses of Samus' companions and hear some voice-overs as well.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond gameplay

The Metroid Prime 4: Beyond gameplay experience is a delicate blend of quiet exploration, puzzle solving, and frantic shootouts, something the best Metroid games always capture with ease.

You see these sides of play represented in the reveal trailer: Samus using her Scan Visor to assess the environment and gather information, shifting into her Morph Ball to explore new areas of the environment, and blasting away Space Pirates with her Power Beam and Missile Launcher.

During a Nintendo Direct in 2025, we also saw that psychic abilities have a new feature in the gameplay. You can use these powers to solve puzzles around the map and control beams as you face off against enemies. From the most recent trailer for Metroid Prime 4, these new abilities will play a large part in the story, too.

The Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Switch 2 Edition also makes use of the Switch 2's new Joy-Con controller mouse-function, for more "intuitive gameplay". We saw during the Direct Showcase how this can be effectively used to direct and aim Samus' arm canon, and after checking it in the game, it proves to work very well.

Metroid Prime 4 powers and abilities

There's still plenty more to dig into the game, but here are the greatest details that can be gleaned from the gameplay and trailers we've experienced so far to pick out all the returning powers and abilities in Metroid Prime 4: Beyond:

• Power Suit
• Power Beam
• Missile Launcher
• Morph Ball
• Scan Visor
• Psychic Abilities

Metroid Prime 4 story

The story of the new Metroid kicks off after the Galactic Federation UTO research center is attacked. The game opens with Samus being tasked by the Galactic Federation to protect and defend an artifact from the Space Pirates. While trying to complete that objective, she sees that Metroids have seemingly teamed up with the game's main antagonist, Sylux, with the bounty hunter reappearing after their showing in Metroid Prime Hunters.

While we don't want to give away too many spoilers here, we can tell you that the artifact will end up sending Samus to a new world. Samus also ends up trapped on an alien Jungle planet called Viewros. And after interacting with some statues, we can also tell you that she'll be granted some ancient powers that give her psychic abilities. While we won't get into details about big reveals, just know that Metroid Prime 4's story focuses on Samus trying to escape her current situation and get off this strange planet.

Metroid Prime 4's Sylux explained

Retro Studios has confirmed that Sylux plays a massive role in Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, but who is this mysterious character you ask? Well, here's what I can tell you: Sylux carries a strong distrust of the Galactic Federation and views Samus Aran as an enemy for her association with the organization.

Sylux made their debut in 2004's Metroid Prime Hunters, attacking Samus as she explores the depths of the Vesper Defense Outpost. It's also believed that Sylux is piloting the ship that tracks Samus in the 'special ending' of Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. There's a history here, so expect Sylux to be a formidable threat in Metroid Prime 4: Beyond.

Why Metroid Prime 4 restarted development

Metroid Prime 4 has been in some form of active development for nearly a decade – first teased in 2015, and later revealed at E3 2017.

The game was originally in development at Bandai Namco Studios, although it wasn't to be. Citing concerns over the quality of the production, Nintendo opted to restart development of Metroid Prime 4 in 2019 – handing the project over to Metroid Prime creator Retro Studios.

Check out the best Switch 2 games to play after you get on with Metroid Prime 4: Beyond.

If you find yourself wondering what the best Metroid games are, we've been putting our heads together to decide exactly that.

From Samus' early days on the Famicom system, to the latest adventure, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond - which just landed on the Switch and Switch 2 - the famous bounty hunter has starred in lots of memorable games over the years. Landing on just 10 is no easy feat, especially since Samus has brought us some of the best SNES games, not mention entries among the best GameCube games, the best GBA games, and the best Wii games, but we've settled on a ranking to celebrate the iconic series.

So, whether you're looking to get nostalgic, you're keen to discover what we think are the standout releases, or you're after some recommendations, read on below as we look back over the best Metroid games.

10. Metroid Prime Hunters

Platform: DS
Release year: 2006

Metroid Prime Hunters brought Samus Aran to the Nintendo DS and delivered some memorable multiplayer goodness. Pitted against rivals, you'd be racing to beat fellow bounty hunters to claim ancient artefacts, or face others as you investigate a strange telepathic message in a distant region of space.

Making use of the touch-screen for its FPS elements, Prime Hunters also featured a main adventure story mode across various planets in Samsus' gunship, and it's 3D style really jumped out of the handheld at the time. With a port over to the Wii U some years later, it's still one we look back on fondly.

9. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond

Platform: Switch / Switch 2
Release year: 2025

Samus Aran's latest adventure brings to life an atmospheric experience with immersive level design that really does look impressive - particularly on Nintendo's latest console. Following the iconic bounty hunter as she finds herself on the mysterious planet of Viewros, Samus is outfitted with new physic powers this time around as you fight against alien creatures and face another bounty hunter by the name of Sylux.

While the physic powers can be clunky to use at times, and the overworld where you can steer Samus' Vi-O-La motorbike feels quite empty. But there are some great moments that shine through, and its also very replayable. You can learn more in Metroid Prime 4: Beyond review.

8. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption

Platform: Wii
Release year: 2007

The question of what's better, between Corruption and Echoes, will likely be argued until Samus Aran hangs up her Arm Cannon and calls it a day on hunting bounties. Metroid Prime 3 required the use of Wii motion controls for aiming, something I remain split on to this day.

But there is a good time to be had with Corruption, as developer Retro Studios changed up the established structure of the Prime games and pushed Metroid in a more overtly action-oriented direction as it sought to close out the trilogy. Corruption looks beautiful and moves breathlessly between set-pieces, so long as you can get a handle on the idiosyncrasies of the Wii Remote. In fact, we almost gave this game a perfect score in our Metroid Prime 3: Corruption review.

7. Metroid: Samus Returns

Platform: 3DS
Release year: 2017

Of all the Metroid games that were in the most need of a generous remaster, it was Return of Samus. In the 25 years that had passed, the series had moved on significantly from the Game Boy outing, leaving Metroid 2 as something of an outlier. Developer MercurySteam, fresh off of working on the Castlevania series, was tasked with modernizing Samus' return adventure for 3DS.

Metroid: Samus Returns isn't a remake, but rather a reimagining. The structure is similar, and it hits the key story beats, all while imbuing play with a suite of divisive modern features such as a Melee Counter, Aeion abilities, and free-aim support that would ultimately make their way into Metroid Dread.

6. Metroid Prime 2: Echoes

Platform: GameCube
Release year: 2004

Metroid Prime 2: Echoes had its problems, but then again, whatever game had to follow Metroid Prime was always going to be locked in a battle against unrealistic expectations. Echoes took the foundational design Retro Studios outlined with Metroid Prime and built upon it with haunting environments, challenging combat, an experimental light and dark mechanic, and an expanded suite of abilities.

Metroid Prime 2: Echoes has a, shall we say, tedious late-game, but it isn't enough to diminish what is an otherwise spectacular sequel that did the impossible job of following one of the best GameCube games of all time. We also stand by our glowing Metroid Prime 2: Echoes review for this one.

5. Metroid Dread

Platform: Switch
Release year: 2021

A continuation of where Samus Aran's story left off 17 years prior, Metroid Dread could have gone either way for co-developers Nintendo and MercurySteam. What we have here is a long-overdue sequel that manages to not only capture the feel of the earliest Metroid adventures but also build upon them with the new combat and traversal mechanics introduced in Samus Returns.

Like we mentioned in our Metroid Dread review, this game isn't without its problems – controls are cramped on the Switch, and the bosses are a tedious nightmare. But when Dread settles into its rhythm, it offers an isolating, driven, and atmospheric adventure that conjures fond memories of both Metroid Fusion and Super.

4. Metroid Fusion

Platform: Game Boy Advance
Release year: 2002

Metroid Fusion is as divisive as it is brilliant. Arriving the day after Metroid Prime launched on GameCube, Samus' first 3D mission that sought to push the iconic series into more adventurous territory, Metroid Fusion was a refinement of the style the 2D games were rooted in.

This Game Boy Advance classic was more linear than those that came before it, introducing a guided structure to help emphasize the perilousness of Samus' situation – as she's hunted mercilessly by SA-X, a clone of the fully-powered bounty hunter. What Metroid Fusion lacks in free-form exploration, it makes up for with streamlined controls, a killer story, and some of the best audio and visuals the series has seen to date.

3. Metroid: Zero Mission

Platform: Game Boy Advance
Release year: 2004

This is obviously up for debate, but there's an argument to be made that Metroid: Zero Mission is the finest remake Nintendo has ever commissioned. It's a retread of the original Metroid, bringing the improved controls and tighter pacing introduced to Metroid Fusion into a gorgeous expansion of the labyrinthian, atmospheric spaces introduced back in 1986.

A new environment, fresh mini-bosses, and a few memorable set-pieces helped enshrine Zero Mission as a classic that could appeal to players both old and new. All these years later, Metroid: Zero Mission is still one the tightest and smartest games in the series.

2. Metroid Prime

Platform: GameCube
Release year: 2002

Even after Nintendo demonstrated that it had an aptitude for guiding its biggest characters into the third dimension, few believed Samus Aran would find her way as easily as Mario and Link had done in the N64 era. And then Metroid Prime landed, proving that the first-person perspective was good for more than traditional shooters.

Developer Retro Studios did a truly wondrous job here, transferring the ethos of Super Metroid into a beautiful, intricately structured 3D world that was an utter delight to get lost in. Metroid Prime respected the legacy of what came before it and innovated upon those foundations without fear or hesitation.

1. Super Metroid

Platform: SNES
Release year: 1994

"Masterpiece." "Timeless." "One of the greatest video games of all time." These are just some of the things that you could – and should – say about Super Metroid. A true classic of the 16-bit era, Super Metroid is a solitary and isolating adventure that finds success in leaving Samus alone to explore a sprawling, suffocating, and hostile alien world.

That Super Metroid is able to accomplish so much, and tell such a resonant story, without a single spoken word is as impressive today as it was in 1994, as too is its tempered approach to progression and pacing. Getting lost on planet Zebes wasn't a problem in Super Metroid, it was the entire point. The lasting impression it made cannot be understated, earning it a place among our pick of the best games of all time.

For more great games to play right now, check out all the upcoming Switch 2 games and best switch games of all time.

WWE superstar-turned-actor John Cena apparently told Nintendo how much he wanted a new 2D Metroid game years before Metroid Dread was released. 

According to a tweet from @DanRyckert, creative director at Giant Bomb and former WWE employee, back in 2017, John Cena took part in a Nintendo Switch photoshoot and repeatedly told the Nintendo reps how much he wanted a new 2D Metroid game. 

Years later, when Metroid Dread was released, Nintendo kindly sent the now actor a copy of the game, to which his team replied: "John loves it."

Now, we’re not saying that the former rapper inspired Nintendo to make Metroid Dread, but the timings do add up. All joking aside, former Nintendo employee Krysta Yang - who was present at Cena’s Nintendo photoshoot also joined the conversation adding: "He did say how much of a Metroid fan he was. He’s a really nice guy!"

Since John Cena is more known for his work in Hollywood than in the wrestling ring these days, here’s hoping we end up seeing him in the fan-requested Metroid movie that, as far as we know, isn’t even in development. Captain Marvel actor Brie Larson has already expressed a desire to play the titular heroine so we could totally see Cena (if we could see him at all) playing the likes of Ridley. 

In other Metroid news, rumors have begun circulating about a Metroid Prime remaster being released this Holiday season. According to fellow Giant Bomb contributor Jeff Grubb, the currently unannounced game is set to be "one of [Nintendo's] big holiday games." Although it hasn’t officially been announced by Nintendo yet, we already know that John Cena must be excited about this potential remaster. 

Looking for something to play while we potentially wait for Metroid Prime remastered? Take a look at our best Metroid Games list for inspiration. 

A Metroid Prime remaster is reportedly due to launch this year, with new versions of the two sequels to follow.

"I've been told pretty definitively that Metroid Prime remastered is one [Nintendo's] big holiday games," insider Jeff Grubb reports on Giant Bomb's Game Mess Mornings podcast. "In the past, this is something I've heard was in the works, they have things happening with that game, now I've been told that their plans are to release that game this holiday, I think almost certainly to line up with the 20th anniversary in November."

Grubb says that the remaster out this year will only include the first game. "I think that game would be designed in a way by Retro Studios, who's also making Metroid Prime 4, so that they can communicate to fans what to expect from Metroid Prime 4. To get used to things that might change."

To that end, Grubb expects the remaster to include dual analog controls, unlike the GameCube original, in addition to gyro aiming support.

Remasters of Metroid Prime 2 and 3 are also "pretty much done," according to Grubb, "but Nintendo being Nintendo is going to hold onto them and will likely drop them later along the road." The sequels "will probably get updated controls and things like that, but they're not getting quite the same overhaul as Metroid Prime 1 is getting."

Earlier today, a third-party Nintendo Direct was officially announced for June 28. Grubb speculates - but does not confirm - that a first-party focused Direct is likely to land in July, with announcements like the Metroid Prime remaster.

Don't miss any of the big upcoming Switch games.