Metroid Prime 4: Beyond - Viewros Chopper Edition... a Third-Hand 'Preview'

Hear us out as we explore - as die-hards for this series - what we might be in store for and, certainly, what we don't want…

Metroid Prime 4 is around the corner. A lot is yet to drop around its release beyond the bare bones we currently know and the handful of recent previews other outlets had access to, and while they have each given us a little insight, the experience overall is still nothing more than a horizon-laden tease. This isn’t helped by the fact its development life has had its own adventure since being initially announced meaning the Prime IP itself has felt a bit ‘limbo’-ish for a while. Yet here we are on the cusp of another Samus Aran adventure with queries aplenty!

Also, don’t get us wrong, we’re not upset the game is coming -- quite the opposite. However, after the freshest of fresh playthroughs of Metroid Prime Remastered on Switch 2 we’re even more invested leaving us pondering… what’s next?.

Not sure Nintendo has ever listened to a critic in its life, though, and genuinely suspect this little feature won’t ruffle a Chozo feather with the best design and execution company in the business, so bear with us as we indulgently flex a bit on a series we know a lot about and query its re-directed Western development flip, back in the very capable hands of the OG Metroid Prime team, Retro Studios, because there’s a bit to unpack, a lot to be excited about and those burning questions and queries highlighted above.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond

Genre: First-Person Adventure

Developer: Retro Studios

Publisher: Nintendo

Release Date: December 4, 2025

Classification: PG

Author: Stephen Farrelly

Date: November 19, 2025

The Viewros from here is Fantastic

Standout amongst all known information is Viewros -- Samus’ new scannin’ and a’-rollin’ ground. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption gave us a handful of locations to visit that allowed us to be a roving Galactic Bounty Hunter and while they weren’t remotely as thoughtfully fleshed out as the likes of Tallon IV or Metroid Prime 2: Echoes’ Aether and its ultra-challenging and intertwined ‘dark’ self, they each helped sell the fantasy of Samus as a specialist in her field who, planet-to-planet, plies her ‘particular set of skills’ to pirates of the space kind, and a cute little organism we all know of titular fame. So, for the team to land back on terra firma by way of a dedicated investigative ‘world’ for everyone’s favourite Space Pirate Trophy Hunter to go back to the above, we can’t help but think that a lot of thought has likely had to go into not only how to make this feel like a Metroid (and Nintendo) game, but also to differentiate it from Tallon IV, Aether and all seven of Corruption’s playable destinations.

That’s quite a lot, if you think about it.

"The art-direction in the OG Prime, especially in the Remaster, remains one of AAA gaming’s greatest benchmarks..."

The earlier-mentioned previews have all been positive on the ‘alien’ and art-direction front for the game after roughly an hour or so with it, which is great news, outside of a specific companion we allegedly meet early on -- (read our “Would you like to know more?” box out for… MORE!). The art-direction in the OG Prime, especially in the Remaster, remains one of AAA gaming’s greatest benchmarks, so we’re happy to hear from previewers that this continues under the umbrella of Retro who itself has undergone plenty of changes over the past number of years. The trailers released so far have also let us know Viewros will feature unique biomes, trademark backtracking and myriad secrets. We know there’s at least a jungle, lava and an ice region, all potentially linked with a desert overworld -- par for Ninty design course, and that there’s an ethereal alien presence (even though Samus is the actual alien). A mechanical forge, too (think Prime’s “Phazon Mines”).

What does the above tell us? Largely that we’re in store for something not too dissimilar to the what we know of *most* Metroid experiences, but that we’re really only scratching the surface. Our recent Prime Remastered playthrough on lesser hardware was still in the 30+ hour range with all scanning and collecting, we’re kind of expecting a bit more here. Particularly, also, in the story stakes… you know, to rectify certain Mistakes.

Would you like to know more?

NPCs aren't entirely new to the Metroid series, let alone Prime as a sub-franchise. Corruption was full of NPC content and there's a genuine sense around most Metroid fan camps that we are always wanting more from Samus' world. She's constantly being pitched as "The Chosen One", but what does that even mean? And why did she chose bounty hunting of all trades to have that legacy pursued? The answers are invariably in story and perception, and so knowing her interactions with others and more scratches that itch. It helps not only flesh out her Herculean efforts, but humanises here all in one -- we're actually happy it's not the whole galaxy against just her, so bring on the NPCs we say.

A Logo by any Other M

By and large, Metroid was always a Japan-based IP, as far as its creation goes. All other entries in the series prior to Prime were also Japanese-based, meaning there’s a genuine layer of so-called ‘anime’ (or ‘manga’, for the otakus out there) to its makeup. This isn’t a bad thing, particularly in the modern world where those artforms are now globally ubiquitous, but upon hearing Prime 4 would no longer be Western-developed and, instead, handled by Bandai Namco kind of put it on the map, in terms of “watch this space”.

"The reason we raise that game is because Beyond breaks the “rule of three” philosophy..."

Metroid: Other M, co-published by Koei-Tecmo and Nintendo and developed by Ninja Theory -- a studio that has had its own uphill battles -- struggled to not only meet fan expectation, but entirely skipped the ‘Metroid’ design part of its product. “On-rails” and “Metroid” (as a descriptive) are not adjectives that normally meet, let alone co-exist, yet they absolutely did here. But its promise of being a Metroid that focused more on Samus as a human character, fully voiced and with a genuine script, gave some fans a sense that her world would open up. And while that is half true, the whole of it missed the point completely and it now resides in a derelict space frigate under Space Pirate Control, never to be seen, or played, again. (Not really, there are ways.)

The reason we raise that game is because Beyond breaks the “rule of three” philosophy that not only permeates most in-house Nintendo games, but specifically Metroid. And one of the reasons fans were okay with Retro moving on after Corruption was because they felt the studio had told its tale -- as a rounded trilogy -- and Samus was destined for something new (read our “Would you like to know more?” box out for… MORE!). Raising the question: what did Bandai Namco have in store for Nintendo to greenlight it for a Metroid jaunt in the first place, let alone one set in the Prime-verse, only to have to bring back Prime stalwarts Retro after it determined that BN’s version had “not reached the standards we seek in a sequel to the Metroid Prime series”?

If it was story-heavy with that Other M-style lean, alongside the myriad manga that do exist, is that how it got over the line? Was it entirely a third-person experience set to shake up how we’ve played all Prime games to date, especially given BN isn’t known for its shooters? Or was it something else that struck right out of the gate? Some sort of… ride perhaps?

Would you like to know more?

Reports emerged not long after Retro came back on board for Metroid Prime 4 that the studio whipped up a pitch and demo to solidify its desire to take on Prime responsibilities once again. The interesting thing here is that the former heads of Retro who'd worked on all three entries were long gone, having left to start Armature Studio. There's a rumour that Retro was never initially in the running for another Prime tilt because those figures had left and was instead working on a Star Fox racing title, but clearly plenty of talent and a certain DNA remained, leading us to here today.

Like Riding a Bike, Right?

So let’s rev up that last sentiment while also discussing the introduction of Samus’ new ride -- Vi-0-La (italicised as it's being pitched as something of a character) because if we had to put a finger on “which one of these things is not like the other” with Beyond, it would be all of the gameplay footage shown around Vi-0-La, against the traditional and very familiar Retro Prime adventuring. And, more specifically, because the bike stuff kind of looks more akin to something Bandai Namco might produce.

"We’re not so convinced that this wasn’t still one aspect from the original Bandai Namco pitch..."

That isn’t to say, if our massive overreach has any truth to it, that Retro wouldn’t have Retroified this aspect anyway, but there’s something less fluid about Samus using the bike than almost all other motions she’s usually performing that we’ve seen thus far. The community jumped on Vi-0-La’s inclusion when it was first revealed with their backs up, and while sentiment appears to have waned, and even warmed, we’re not so convinced that this wasn’t still one aspect from the original Bandai Namco pitch and early production that has made its way into December’s big release.

But again, that’s a fairly large assumption on our part, and not grounded in any fact. Just to clarify.

And while we’re on the topic of people getting their backs up, there’s been a revelation with more than a handful of previews that Samus’ usually isolated journey will this time include NPCs from the Galactic Federation, NPCs who you not only meet, but will be required to help and who will even join you on your adventure. Most previewers have rubbished their inclusion and while there’s a fair bit of commentary around them intruding on traditional Metroid gameplay, if you pay attention to Nintendo’s most recent Overview Trailer, you’ll note that the NPCs will only "occasionally" be there to “battle alongside” you. And if we’re to pick and pull from bits of the Overview Trailer, the aforementioned previews and the other tidbits shared about the game, it’s more likely that you’ll be leaving each rescued trooper at a central location, meaning the game will probably feature a mission hub. This would also make sense given the Sol Valley location, which connects the planet’s various biomes, also appears to be a place you traverse on the reg. And if that’s a new feature, we’re definitely here for it.

Nothing quite like advancing an already winning formula.

Retro-Future

It’s been a wild ride to get to this point. And having just completed Metroid Prime Remastered, we’re just so happy to know that both Prime and Retro’s defining legacy, not just for the Metroid franchise, but first-person adventure gaming and game design in general, live on. The query will be about what happens next, of course, but without the slightest bit of info on the close of Beyond, that’s hard to posit. Obviously we’d loved Remastered versions of Echoes and Corruption to round out the modern Prime experience, and Mercury Steam has the side-scrolling Metroid content sewn up but we think you’ll agree that 18 years is simply too long between first-person Metroid drinks (of the full adventure kind).

"This series is too important to leave dormant so long. It represents the mature side of Nintendo as a whole while also continually reshaping its own genre definition..."

We mentioned in the opening salvo that we’re not sure Nintendo has ever listened to critic in its life, and that’s likely less true than that statement intended for flavour, but if it can take anything from any one of us, let it be this: this series is too important to leave dormant so long. It represents the mature side of Nintendo as a whole while also continually reshaping its own genre definition, time and time again. And we realise the time taken helps with that, but please just don’t make us wait so long next time.

Stay tuned for our inevitable review of the game from the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition as well as more from this and other NIntendo products right here on 3rd-Phase Boss. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond launches in Australia on Switch and Switch 2 this December 4.

Would you like to know more?

Over its long journey, Metroid has had lots of entries, and not all of them released in chronological order. For those interested, the actual narrative timeline looks like this: Metroid/Metroid: Zero Mission (NES /GBA), Metroid Prime (GCN), Metroid Prime Hunters (NDS & Wii U), Metroid Prime: Echoes (GCN), Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Wii), Metroid: Federation Force (3DS), Metroid Prime 4: Beyond (Switch & Switch 2), Metroid II: Return of Samus/Metroid: Samus Returns (GB, 3DS, Switch/ 3DS), Super Metroid (SNES), Metroid: Other M (Wii & Wii U), Metroid: Fusion (GBA, 3DS, Wii U, Switch) and finally Metroid Dread (Switch).

About the author

Written By Stephen Farrelly

Stephen Farrelly is a veteran journalist and editor with more than two decades experience in the worlds of gaming, entertainment, lifestyle and sport. He is a proud pug dad, loves art in all forms (particularly street and tattoo culture), and is the director of Swear Jar Editorial and Media Pty Ltd, this site's owner and publisher. When not dispensing words, he's also dispensing boutique beers as a taproom fixture at Bracket Brewing in Marrickville, NSW...

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Metroid Prime 4: Beyond - Viewros Chopper Edition... a Third-Hand 'Preview'