Metroid Prime started its short-lived glorious run on the Nintendo GameCube in 2002. Metroid Prime is one of the best-selling titles on the GameCube, selling over two million copies and before Metroid Dread was the best-selling title of the entire series. It is also widely regarded as one of the best transitions of a 2D series to a 3D medium. Super Metroid is often cited as one of the best games ever made with its subtle storytelling, immersive atmosphere and tight gameplay. Metroid Prime being the first 3D game in the series perfectly parallels the highs of Super Metroid which imprinted on a generation of gamers like myself who cannot wait for the return of the iconic First Person Adventure.
The success of Metroid Prime spawned a trilogy resulting in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes for GameCube and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption for Wii. Both games were critically acclaimed and even though they didn’t sell as well as Metroid Prime’s debut it’s undeniable that we were blessed with one of the best trilogies in gaming history. For the longest time I always wondered why we never got a Metroid Prime 4. Sure, the story involving Phazon and Dark Samus was wrapped up but why couldn’t we revisit it? Around this time many series earned their 4th title announcement such as…Uncharted, Mass Effect, Halo. As other series were granted its fourth installment, all I yearned for was a Metroid Prime to return.
The Missteps
Instead of a continuation of the Prime series, we got Metroid Other M, which in my opinion is a step in the wrong direction. Other M was released in 2010 and was the black sheep of the Metroid series. I say ‘was’ because in 2016 Nintendo released the next black sheep in the series which is Metroid Prime Federation Force. The Metroid series is known for launching with bad timing and boy does this take the cake. At this point in time, it had been 6 years since the last Metroid title (Other M), but it’s been even longer since the last GOOD Metroid title. Metroid Prime 3 was the latest release since 2007 near the release of the Wii making it a 9 year GOOD Metroid gap. Fans were not happy resulting in Federation Force not performing well. Metroid’s status at this point in time was questionable. Samus’ future beyond Smash Bros was looking very bleak.
Fast forward to E3 2017, It was the Nintendo Switch’s first year available, and us Nintendo fans were buzzing. After a BIG launch with the Switch and Breath of the Wild, and we already had Mario Odyssey waiting in the wings. What could Nintendo possibly announce beyond the launch year of Switch? Out of blue comes Metroid Prime 4! I remember watching this at 7 AM and immediately screaming. It felt like a dream, but I knew it wasn’t once all the adrenaline hit my body. It’s the infamous logo reveal in space, with the Prime theme song playing and not a single lick of gameplay to be seen. It’s obvious that the game was green lit very recently before this teaser trailer.
The title was just Metroid Prime’s logo with a 4 next to it. We didn’t care! Metroid was ALIVE and back! We were on Cloud 9! It doesn’t end there, that same day we also got Metroid Samus Returns!! A remake of Metroid II: Return of Samus from the Game Boy. A perfect title for our hero who had been MIA to be making her grand return with both a new 2D and 3D adventure. It was reassuring as a fan to see the Big N give Samus another go with two new titles.
With the passing of an E3 and a handful of Nintendo Directs, any update on Metroid Prime 4 was absent. I was starting to worry. We were nearing two years after the Metroid Prime 4 announcement, and we have nothing more than a logo! We didn’t even know who was developing the game. Surely it had to be Retro Studios, right? Did that mean Retro Studios was having development troubles with Metroid Prime 4? We were trying to cope with why it was taking so long to hear back about Metroid Prime 4. Nearly two years after the announcement, anticipation was high for the upcoming Winter Nintendo Direct of 2019. This could be the one that ends the Metroid drought. Lo and behold we get a surprise Nintendo drop on YouTube drop titled, “Development update on Metroid Prime 4 for Nintendo Switch.” Uh oh.
It was another low blow to the Metroid Community. It was determined that development was not up to “standard” and Nintendo was not confident in the quality of the game. Thus, current development was scrapped, and the responsibility was handed to Retro Studios. Still, to this day we have not received a glimpse of what that troubled development looked like. Whatever it was, I think it’s safe to assume that we dodged a bullet. So I am happy Nintendo made the wise decision to hand the series back to the maker. But this means we’d have to wait even longer for an update on Metroid Prime 4.
Nintendo did soften the blow soon after by announcing Metroid Dread in 2021. Metroid Dread is special because not only is it Metroid 5, but it is a title that was heavily rumored in the DS era. It was reported to have existed and seen running by games media. It was even referenced in a logbook entry in Metroid Prime 3. We were never given a development update on what happened there, but it was later addressed by the series co-creator, Sakamoto. He stated that Dread, back then, was limited by the DS hardware, but with the Switch hardware it can be fully realized. Metroid Dread released and went on to sell over four million copies, making it the best selling game in the series.
Beyond the wait!
In June of 2024, the tail end of the Nintendo Switch’s life cycle, we received our first look at Metroid Prime 4 now known as Metroid Prime Beyond. The game looked beautiful, the soundtrack perfectly encapsulated Metroid and it’s slated for 2025. As beautiful as it looks, there was one burning question that wouldn’t leave my mind. How are they going to handle this launch with the incoming launch of the Nintendo Switch 2. While it was not officially released at the time, Nintendo’s light fall 2024 line-up as well as incessant rumors of a Switch 2 launch coming in 2025 hinted otherwise.
In the Switch 2’s first dedicated direct, we got information as to how Nintendo would be handling the launch for Switch and Switch 2. Metroid Prime Beyond will launch for both Switch and Switch 2. This is a relief since it was originally announced for Switch so that they would keep their word on that. It’s also a great opportunity show some enhanced visuals for Switch 2 with it performing at 4K 120 fps. Again, the game looks beautifully crafted and has a chance to introduce Metroid Prime to a whole new generation of gamers.
Since the Switch 2 has launched, we’ve seen numerous major Nintendo release throughout the year accompanied with their respective directs. For example, we’ve had a Mario Kart World Direct, a Donkey Kong Bananza Direct, and two Kirby Air Riders directs. Where is Metroid Prime? You would think the return of a series that’s making a big return would deserve more marketing than that. After all, this is a chance to make a big impression on a whole swath of Switch owners who are a blank slate for Metroid Prime.
As of now, we have received two new trailers and this is where things get real interesting. First is the new trailer that shows genuinely intriguing new details which is long overdue after going so long without new information. The second is an overview trailer and it released along some mixed previews due to a rather talkative character that accompanies Samus for a certain segment of the game. The issue the internet has with this is this breaking the isolation aspect of Metroid. I believe that these reactions are blown out of proportion. Clearly this escort mission was just a small portion of the game. Seeing how the Metroid Prime series had been slowly introducing more characters since Prime 2, I think it’s safe to assume that Metroid Prime 4: Beyond would also introduce some new characters. Retro Studios has the most experience developing these games, let them cook!
Just a bit longer…
Between the releases of Metroid Dread and Metroid Prime remastered, still the wait has felt eternal. I can’t express just how long I’ve waited for this series to return. And I didn’t want it to just comeback I want it to make a splash. I want it to have it’s Zelda BOTW moment. I don’t mean it being open-world and non-linear, I mean for it to explode in popularity. For even more people to become fans of the series and to enjoy it and appreciate this type of game. For it to lead to it getting its own spin-off and possibly a movie adaptation. I have so much passion for the Prime series I just don’t want to have to wait another 18 years for another entry. The Metroid Prime series has been great, and I can’t wait for those see what the legacy Metroid Prime is known for as well as new elements Retro Studios will introduce.
