It’s hard to believe there was roughly an 18-year gap between Metroid Prime 3: Corruption and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. Retro Studios decided they didn’t want to continue the Metroid Prime series and instead revived the Donkey Kong Country subseries, which led to Bandai Namco Entertainment getting a shot at developing Metroid Prime 4. After years of development hell, Bandai Namco was removed from the project and Retro was brought back in to clean things up. While the early reviews were concerning, I’ll say this: it’s a very good game.

I picked up the Switch 2 version, but it’s also available on the original Nintendo Switch, which was clearly its intended platform. The game looks absolutely gorgeous. I’ve watched comparison videos, and surprisingly, the Switch version isn’t THAT different. If there’s ever a Metroid Prime 5 built specifically for Switch 2, I can’t imagine how good that will look.

Like most Metroid games, you’re not really here for the story. Samus finds herself in yet another otherworldly situation, stranded on a strange planet filled with aliens and psychic phenomena. That’s the big gimmick this time: psychic powers. Unfortunately, I found them underwhelming and kind of boring.

The game looks and feels like its predecessors, which is both a strength and a weakness. This isn’t entirely Retro’s creation, as they used an unspecified amount of Bandai Namco’s previous work. Still, it’s surprising how little it has evolved since 2002. If they make Metroid Prime 5, I hope it feels meaningfully different from the first four entries.

It does start to feel repetitive as a series. Samus Aran begins with a basic suit and no abilities, and somehow forgets how to properly use the Morph Ball every single time. The Morph Ball sections are actually one of my biggest complaints. There are a lot of secrets and challenges tied to it, and navigating them can be more frustrating than it should be.

I genuinely enjoyed most of the mini-bosses and bosses. The one pictured above was actually my least favorite. While a few encounters are forgettable, the game delivers several memorable battles. I played on the easiest difficulty, which I recommend, especially because the final battle is fairly convoluted.

One of the more controversial additions to Metroid Prime 4: Beyond was the inclusion of human side characters from the Galactic Federation in what’s usually a solitary adventure. At first, it felt strange seeing them play significant roles, but they grow on you. Having them accompany Samus Aran and actively assist in combat was a nice change of pace. For once, it was refreshing not to feel completely alone.

Arguably the most notable new feature is the Lamorn Neuro Bike Mark VII, better known as the Vi-O-La. You unlock it fairly early, and it’s essential for traversing the massive Sol Valley desert overworld. I have mixed feelings about it. In areas where you can ride it freely and fight normal enemies, it’s genuinely fun. The bike’s weapons are stronger than almost anything in Samus’s standard arsenal.

The Sol Valley desert itself has been divisive among fans. It’s not terrible, but after games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom showcased a vast and intricately detailed Hyrule, this overworld feels comparatively… sparse. That said, I appreciated the decision to separate some worlds instead of connecting everything into one massive map. I used to get lost constantly in the first three games, but this time navigation felt much smoother.

It became clear that Metroid Prime 4: Beyond wasn’t the breakout hit Nintendo may have hoped for. Retro Studios is an incredibly talented team, and it’s hard not to wonder just how badly things must have gone during Bandai Namco’s development phase for Retro to be called back in to salvage the project. I wouldn’t call Metroid Prime 4 the weakest in the series, but it’s not on the same level as the original. It does plenty right and plenty wrong. What the series truly needs, in my opinion, is a bold reboot that reinvents it the way The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild reinvented its franchise in 2017.