On June 18, Nintendo held an exceptional conference, like every summer. The Nintendo Direct aired more than 40 minutes of announcements of all kinds, making promising projects official. Mario, Zelda, and even Final Fantasy had their moment of glory, before being overshadowed by Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. You’re not dreaming, the next installment of the franchise, awaited by players since 2017, has resurfaced to surprise us all.
At the end of the presentation, a first trailer was shared, revealing the first gameplay images of the title. It must be said that nothing has really changed in all these years. Samus Aran fights a few enemies, before infiltrating the air ducts and starting new fights. If the exploration is partly done in third person, the shooting sequences are still in first person, as this particular saga wants.
These images are in line with what we might expect from a Metroid Prime 4. But are they transcendent? Nothing is less certain. The environments and game mechanics don’t seem to bring so many novelties, even if visually the title is of an unprecedented quality. What worries players is that the wait – 8 years long – will not live up to what we will be able to offer on Nintendo Switch.
Fortunately, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is likely to be released on the manufacturer’s next console. The title was announced no earlier than 2025, which reminds us of a certain release window for the Nintendo Switch 2. This Direct will not have faced material problems, as had been expected, but the car should show itself in the coming months. Meanwhile, Nintendo has to erect a list of games to show off its next device.
Just like Metroid Dread was for Nintendo Switch OLED, Metroid Prime 4 could be the launch game for Nintendo Switch 2. Given gamers’ expectations, this could boost sales as soon as the console is released. If this assumption is true, then it could mean that the quality of the new work could be significantly improved, along with the performance of the Switch 2. The next pictures might tell us more about this.