We Played Metroid Prime 4: Beyond - First Hands-On Preview

For seven years, Metroid Prime 4 was just a logo. Fans obsessively tuned into every Nintendo presentation hoping for an update on the game to no avail until 2024 when a trailer was finally released and footage of the game in motion was actually revealed. This year, not only is Metroid Prime 4: Beyond getting released but it’s also getting some really interesting visual and gameplay upgrades on Nintendo Switch 2. We’ve played Retro Studio’s latest installment in the classic sci-fi action adventure series on Switch 2 and we have lots to tell you about. Read on to find out more.

Beyond Beautiful

The first thing we noticed with Metroid Prime 4 was how gorgeous it was. It’s got an incredibly clean and stylish aesthetic and Nintendo was advertising it as running in 120 frames per second on Switch 2. This won’t be the case on Switch 1 and it’s tough to track how much Nintendo will be able to stick to that number on the full game, but it’s an ambitious goal either way. So far, Prime 4 has a really great sense of scale. We fought a bunch of grunt-like enemies, saw a massive, hulking mech strut into the battle, and then took down a large boss that featured several different attack phases. The area we demoed was just a small glimpse at what the full game might offer so we’re hoping we see some grander setpieces and large, open environments, some of which have been teased already in trailers.

But Metroid games are also about cramped tunnels and dark corridors and we got to see a few of those, too. Like previous Prime games, a quick button press instantly pops Samus from first-person aiming into third-person morph ball mode, allowing her to traverse some areas she can’t reach otherwise. We got to test this out a bit and it works great so we can’t wait to search around every nook and cranny of this game looking for missile upgrades, energy tanks, shortcuts, and more. This is the most detailed Metroid game yet and these sections are no different, giving us a glimpse of battles happening between warring factions happening beneath you as you roll around in tunnels above them. But wait, how does it all play?

Samouse Aran (Or, Of Mice and Metroids)

One of the most fascinating additions to Metroid Prime 4 on Switch 2 is the optional mouse controls. Looking back, the Prime series has experimented a ton with unique control options across various games. The first two Metroid Prime games were built around the fairly traditional Nintendo GameCube controller (although there was nothing traditional about turning a historically 2D sidescrolling game into a first person action adventure game with third person ball rolling mechanics) but after that, all bets were off. Metroid Prime: Hunters on Nintendo DS had touch screen controls. Metroid Prime 3 on Nintendo Wii had pointer and motion controls. Metroid Prime Pinball on DS shipped with a Game Boy Advance cartridge shaped rumble pack. We don’t talk about Metroid Prime: Blast Ball on Nintendo 3DS.

And now, Metroid Prime 4 on Switch 2 lets you turn your right Joy-Con 2 sideways, place it on a flat surface, and control Samus’ aiming with a snappy and precise mouse pointer complete with haptic feedback for every shot. Even neater, the game seamlessly allows you to switch from traditional stick controls to mouse controls on a whim, with no need to pause to go into the settings. We could see plenty of people deciding this is their preferred way to play Metroid Prime 4, and the ease of which you can swap back and forth between mouse and pointer controls makes it so you can choose to only plop the Joy-Con 2 on the table when it’s time for a serious combat sequence, and use traditional controls for the more chill exploration segments Prime 4 will surely deliver. Or maybe you’ll want to play the whole game in handheld mode or with a Pro Controller. Either way, you’ve got options.

The "Nintendo Switch 2 Edition" Upgrade Path

One thing Nintendo isn’t being totally clear on just yet is where Prime 4 sits in their awkward transitional Switch 1 to Switch 2 titles list. While some original Switch games like Echoes of Wisdom and Link’s Awakening are getting free upgrade patches for Switch 2, others like Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are charging $10 for visual upgrades (and a few bells and whistles) while some games like Kirby and the Forgotten Land will receive $20 upgrades that improve visuals and add new content. Which of these categories will Metroid Prime 4’s mouse controls and 120FPS options be in when they come to Switch 2?

Well, like its release date and base game price, we just don’t know yet. You’ll be able to buy the base game and the “Switch 2 edition upgrade pack” individually or as a bundle in a bright red Switch 2 branded box but as of now, we have no idea how much any of those will cost you. Our best guess is that it will be $10 more for the Switch 2 version given that it’s not coming with an expansion like Mario Party’s “+ Jamboree TV” and Kirby’s “+ Star-Crossed World”, but we’re not 100% sure yet. Samus has unlockable psychic powers in Prime 4 so we might just have to ask her. She’s usually not very talkative, though.

Metroid Prime 4 doesn’t have a release date just yet but it’s coming to Switch 1 and Switch 2 in 2025 so hey, at least we won’t have to wait seven years again to find out more. Keep it locked to IGN for all things Metroid, and be sure to read up on our hands-on coverage of the Nintendo Switch 2 hardware, Donkey Kong Bananza, and Mario Kart World.

Brian Altano and Logan Plant love Metroid and talk about it frequently on Nintendo Voice Chat, IGN's weekly Nintendo podcast. Check it out on Fridays on IGN.com, YouTube, and podcast services.