A motorcycle called the Vi-O-La is required to traverse the barren wastes of the Sol Valley on Viewros in Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. (Nintendo)
Retro Studios broke conventions and reimagined the adventures of Samus Aran as a first-person shooter with the wildly successful Metroid Prime. The studio has followed that up with several sequels that adapt the classic 2D sci-fi side-scroller to a 3D world.
The team has tried to expand on the storytelling, added more characters and pushed new features such as a multiplayer mode, but the developer could never hit the same impressive bar of the 2002 original. The problem is that the Metroid Prime series is stuck following the same conventions of the genre. It’s always following a rote path.
Meanwhile, other franchises adopted similar formulas (look at the revamped Tomb Raider) and found more success. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is an attempt to nudge the franchise forward.
The story so far
It follows Samus, who aids the Galactic Federation in its battle against the Space Pirates, who are after an artifact found on the planet Tanamaar. During the confrontation, the alien relic is activated, sending the bounty hunter, the villain Sylux and other troopers to the uncharted planet of Viewros.
It’s home to an extinct but technologically advanced species called the Lamorn, which has pinned its hopes of preserving a legacy on a foretold Chosen One, which happens to be Samus. The Lamorn ask her to gather five keys and harvest a seed that carries their memories so it can be planted on a new planet.
Players will need to gather these keys to open a way home. In the process, they’ll learn about the mysterious fate of these psychic-enhanced aliens.
Samus explores the frozen Lamorn laboratory of the Ice Belt in Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. (Nintendo)
A familiar formula
As in all Metroid games, Samus begins the campaign with few abilities, but as she ventures through the five biomes and the overworld, she gains new ones that unlock more areas. Players will run across obstacles that are seemingly impossible to overcome or find power-ups locked behind a door they can’t open until they discover an accompanying power. It’s a design hallmark that reinforces exploration.
The big difference this time around is that Viewros is a larger world, and it requires a motorcycle called the Vi-O-La to traverse the barren wastes of the Sol Valley. Samus also runs across five allies, who provide help in the five biomes containing those keys. They accompany the protagonist as sidekicks in places, and in some instances, they’re pivotal to progress through a level.
All of these elements try to traverse new ground, but the pull of the franchise’s familiar gravity pushes Metroid Prime 4 down a well-worn path. Retro Studios had the opportunity to explore new powers or to take a different approach, capitalizing on Lamorn’s psychic abilities, which Samus inherits. Instead, the protagonist gains old abilities such as a Spider Ball or grappling hook.
That’s not to say Samus doesn’t have any new powers. She has a Psychic Beam that players can use to hit distant targets. Players also gain access to fire, electric and ice beams that are needed to bypass obstacles and handle the weak points of certain enemies. They can switch among these weapons on the fly, but they don’t add anything novel.
Samus Aran will need an ice beam to more easily defeat this enemy in the Flare Pools in Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. (Nintendo)
Where it feels new
Even the motorcycle elements don’t add much to the formula. It’s a more convenient way to travel from Point A to Point B, but it doesn’t add to the gameplay aside from a few boss battles. The Vi-O-La is the best way to deal with some of the more annoying wildlife that attack Samus while exploring the Sol Valley.
The only parts that feel refreshing are when Metroid Prime 4 feels like it goes off script. The Great Mine has more set pieces that creatively push storytelling and exploration. The tracks at the Volt Forge are notable but underused. Babysitting allies and healing them can be irksome, but at least it’s different.
One of the problems when it comes to the design is that it makes the title feel sandwiched between generations. Metroid Prime 4 is made for the Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo Switch 2, which puts limitations on what the developers could do with the game. That’s evident in the numerous transition cutscenes as players move to different parts of Viewros.
The hardware limitations of the older system seem to have constrained the scope of an adventure that wants to push beyond its boundaries and have more ambition. Let’s hope that if another sequel arrives, Retro Studios can stray more from the formula and give fans a truly fresh experience.
Platforms: Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch
Online: metroid.nintendo.com
