Summary
Nintendo fans waiting for news about Samus' next adventure were treated to a major surprise, as the June 18 Nintendo Direct closed with a new look at the newly-dubbedMetroid Prime 4: Beyondfor the first time in seven years. Nintendo also confirmed thatMetroid Prime 4: Beyondwill launch in 2025 but gave no definitive date at the time of writing.
Compared to other entries in the greaterMetroidfranchise, theMetroid Primegames put players under the visor of Samus Aran via first-person view. First revealed at E3 2017,Metroid Prime 4: Beyondis the next entry in theMetroid Primeseries. However, the development ofMetroid Prime 4: Beyondproved troublesome, and in 2019, Nintendo announced that its development would be restarted from scratch by Retro Studios. The Austin-based Nintendo studio has been hard at work since, and industry insiders have noted thatthe upcomingMetroid Primetitle was due for another look.
Nintendo closed its presentation with a glimpse of what fans have anticipated for years. The company ended the show on a high note 40 minutes intothe June 18 Nintendo Direct broadcast, with the first trailer forMetroid Prime 4: Beyondsince its initial announcement. The trailer starts with the cosmic year dateline thatMetroidfans have seen in different titles. Upon landing at a remote Galactic Federation Research Facility, Samus exits her ship and jumps into the action, shifting the camera angle to first-person view. Following that, the trailer cut to a scuffle between Samus and her longtime enemies, the Space Pirates. The trailer confirmed some gameplay elements of theMetroid Primeseries, including enemy scans, the Morph Ball, and charged shots, would return in the upcoming entry.
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Confirmed To Launch on Nintendo Switch in 2025
After defeating some Space Pirates, the trailer showed a new foe that Samus will face. While details remained light, this apparent antagonist was flanked by two Metroids and wore darkened power armor that obscured their identity. How this new threat is connected to Samus and the Metroids is a mystery players will uncover when the game is released in 2025. It remains to be seen ifMetroid Prime 4: Beyondwill bea simultaneous release on the Switch and its successor console.
As one ofthe best FPS series on Nintendo consoles, theMetroid Primeseries has a bright future after a seven-year wait. Only time will tell when precisely Samus' next hunt will begin.
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
The galaxy’s greatest bounty hunter Samus Aran will embark on a new mission in Metroid Prime™ 4: Beyond, coming to Nintendo Switch in 2025.
