Metroid Prime 4: Beyond launched on December 4, 2025, for Nintendo Switch and Switch 2, marking the end of an 18-year wait since Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. The game introduces new elements like the Vi-O-La bike, but optional music tracks require a $30 Samus Aran Amiibo. Players and critics are divided on its visuals, with praise for dungeon areas contrasting criticism of bland open-world deserts.
Release Overview
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond arrived on December 4, 2025, for Nintendo Switch and Switch 2, continuing Samus Aran's adventures after an 18-year gap from Metroid Prime 3: Corruption in 2007. The first-person shooter explores new planets, including Viewros, where players ride the Vi-O-La bike across the Sol Valley desert. Base gameplay includes ambient sounds for these sections, but enhanced options come via Amiibos.
Amiibo-Exclusive Features
Players discovered that the Samus Aran Amiibo unlocks Vi-O-La Radio, allowing selection of music tracks from other game areas during desert rides. This costs $30 or the Amiibo's price, though completing the game adds two more tracks. The Vi-O-La Amiibo enables bike skin options, while the Sylux Amiibo grants extended post-game cutscenes—alternatively unlocked through 100% scanning. These features have sparked fan discussions on whether such content should be base-game inclusions, as the ambient audio already evokes the planet's thematic history.
Graphics and Reception Debate
Post-launch, social media highlighted rough screenshots of the open-world deserts, drawing unflattering comparisons to games like Xenoblade Chronicles X (2015) or even 1990s titles like Road Rash. The Metacritic score stands at 81, lower than the 90+ of prior entries, prompting some to call it a series disappointment. However, players praise the dungeon-like areas for their atmosphere, visuals, and 60fps performance, likening them to Halo with dynamic lighting and HDR support on OLED TVs. Reviewers noted, “Metroid Prime 4 is a technical marvel,” emphasizing art and music over graphical innovations, while GamesRadar+ highlighted “gorgeous visuals and impeccable atmosphere” in explorable spaces. The disparity arises from focused interiors shining versus expansive exteriors feeling dated.