Things You’ll Wish You Knew About Metroid Prime 4: Beyond (Before You Play It)
For fans of the Metroid Prime series, 2025 has been a long time coming. First announced at E3 in 2017, Metroid Prime 4 has had a very long, and sometimes rocky, development cycle. Fortunately, despite the extended wait, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is finally here and it was well worth the wait.
While Nintendo has remastered the original Metroid Prime game for Nintendo Switch, for some reason, other titles in the series have not. Metroid Prime Hunters, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, and Metroid Prime: Federation Force are not currently available on the Switch or Switch 2. For fans, this makes experiencing these games much more difficult, unless you still own the older hardware and games.
This spoiler-free guide should give aspiring players enough information on the Metroid Prime franchise to get them into Metroid Prime 4: Beyond.
The Metroid Prime Timeline – When Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Takes Place
The Metroid Prime series is a sub-series to the iconic Metroid franchise. The biggest distinction between the Metroid franchise and the Metroid Prime series is that the Metroid Prime games are all first-person adventures, as opposed to the side-scrolling Metroid games. Another distinction is that that Metroid Prime series takes place between the events of the first Metroid game (1986/1987), which was remade as Metroid Zero Mission (2004), and Metroid II: Return of Samus (1991/1992), which was remade as Metroid: Samus Returns (2017).
Samus Aran
The franchise stars galactic bounty hunter, Samus Aran, as she navigates a vast galaxy rooting out evil space pirates and other forms of corruption. Samus Aran typically wears a Power Suit which receives upgrades throughout the course of each game. To navigate low-profile spaces, Samus turns into a Morph Ball. Her primary fire power comes from her Arm Cannon, which can fire a variety of energy beams and missiles.
Galactic Federation
The Galactic Federation is a sort of “Starfleet” of the Metroid universe. Their purpose is to maintain law and order throughout the galaxy and are often on the frontlines fighting against the space pirates. Samus Aran once worked for the Galactic Federation, but has since gone solo. Despite Samus leaving the Galactic Federation, she is still often contracted by them for various missions.
Metroid Prime Series
Metroid Prime maintains the same iconic gameplay that the Metroid franchise has been known for. Often, games inspired by this style of gameplay are referred to as “Metroidvania”, a portmanteau of the titles Metroid and Castlevania, the two franchises often associated with beginning this style of gameplay. The gameplay is designed for the player to explore vast areas, often times reaching a certain roadblock that requires a unique item or weapon to proceed, resulting in back-tracking and trying to find new routes or using new items/weapons to access previously inaccessible areas.
However, the Metroid Prime series brings this style of gameplay into full 3D, allowing gamers experience the adventure through the eyes of Samus, dubbed a “first-person adventure” by Nintendo.
Knowing Your Environment
Samus Aran is more than just a shoot-first-ask-questions-later type of bounty hunter. Her Power Suit’s Scan Visor is designed to scan and provide insights into almost every object, environment and creature in the Metroid Prime series. This provides players with some added information, including some suggestions on how to approach an enemy or an area. Players will definitely want to take the time to scan everything.
Metroids
Metroids are a jellyfish-type lifeform that is known to siphon energy from their prey. There are a number of different variations to Metroids throughout the franchise. Often Metroid are used by a game’s antagonist for some devious means.
Sylux
Sylux was first introduced in the Nintendo DS game, Metroid Prime Hunters (2006). Like Samus Aran, he is an ex-Galactic Federation soldier and now a bounty hunter. However, the two of them are at odds with each other. Since Metroid Prime Hunters, there have been two brief easter egg cameos of Sylux. His ship, the Delano 7, can be seen in the ending of Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, and Sylux appears in the ending of Metroid Prime: Federation Force.
In Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, Sylux returns as the main antagonist.
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
This leads us to Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. The latest entry in the Metroid Prime series and taking place after the events of Metroid Prime: Federation Force (2016). Samus will find herself on the planet Viewros. Her she’ll come face to face with fellow bounty hunter Sylux.
Further Considerations
Like many of Nintendo’s big games, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond has a variety of amiibo available to help enhance your experience. In the Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Series, you can find Sylux, Samus, and Samus & Vi-O-La. Older Metroid amiibo will also provide some functionality in the new game as well.
A beautiful book, Metroid Prime 1-3: A Visual Retrospective: The Official Art and Making of Metroid Prime 1-3, is available from Piggyback. The book was developed with Nintendo and Retro Studios to provide an incredible behind the scenes look at the trilogy.
Time For Beyond
We hope this guide will help provide aspiring bounty hunters enough knowledge to dive into Samus Aran’s latest adventure. However, if you need a bit more guidance, we recommend playing Metroid Prime Remastered which is currently available on Nintendo Switch. Also, be sure to check out our review of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond.
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is available now on Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2.