Every once in a while, the gaming industry saves a major release for the December holidays. And since 2025 was already such a good year for full-length games, why not release another one?
In a year full of incredible game releases, it looks like Nintendo has one more event left for us in early December: Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. Last week, Nintendo invited me to try out Samus Aran's latest adventure at a special event in New York City, and after some hands-on time, I'm pretty confident that we have one more awesome AAA release before the calendar turns.
First of all, I was invited to try out the opening sequence of the first-person shooter that Nintendo introduced earlier this year. Samus has been called upon to help protect a special artifact under siege by space pirates, and in case you didn't know, things go awry.
On first impression, Metroid Prime 4 visually this is a stunning game. It can be played at 4K resolution and 60fps, or 1080p and 120fps in docked mode on Nintendo Switch 2, or 1080p and 60fps/720p and 120fps in handheld mode. The images are crystal clear, smooth and colorful, creating a beautiful look. Metroid There is no game yet, especially in Docked mode on the big screen.
As it happens in almost all MetroidSamus shows up to help the Galactic Federation, fully equipped with her modified suit, but something goes wrong. This time it is a gift of a Psychic Crystal from an ancient alien race known as the Lamorns. This crystal opens up a whole new world of abilities and discoveries for Samus as she goes on a quest to help the Lamorns as their “chosen one”, but installing the crystal on her visor takes away some of her basic abilities, such as Missiles and Double Jump.
In reality Metroid In the mod, Samus must then activate new abilities that can be found throughout the planet Viuros while searching for five keys to obtain a special item at the top of a mysterious tower that will help spread the legacy and message of the Lamorns. It all starts with the game's first area, a lush jungle called Fury of the Greens, filled with flora and fauna ready to kill you.
Metroid Prime 4 offers multiple control schemes, including JoyCon 2 mouse control or even gyroscopic control, which creates the feeling of shooting from a light pistol where you use the right JoyCon to aim at the screen. I still prefer to use the Pro Controller method, but the ability to switch between circuits is nice.
The first ability I found after clearing out some enemies was Psychic Glovewhich essentially gives Samus telekinetic powers. By pressing the X button, Samus activates a psychic version of her visor, which allows her to see special psychic spheres and doorways that can be interacted with, using the gauntlet to open doorways or solve puzzles to advance towards her goals. Using the visor to scan your environment is vital to determining where to go and what to do next.
Along the way, I met a new NPC named Miles McKenzie and saved his boring engineering life from the local aliens. I then escorted him to the next area where he was able to use his technical skills to help me recover my Missiles and the next ability, Control beam.
The control beam fires a controlled projectile that you can control through places Samus wouldn't normally have access to, and I used it to fire a beam through a hole in the wall and open a door on the opposite side. However, none of these functions are obvious, so figuring them out requires some visor scanning and trial and error, which makes the game feel like a puzzle at times.
With Miles' help, I found myself in battle with a giant piranha plant-like alien creature called Carvex. To deal damage, I had to use missiles to break the armored joints on his tentacles to expose them to damage, and then combine that with a control beam to fire a projectile at them to break his arms and expose his stomach-like weak point while dodging projectiles and melee attacks.
Destroying Karvex is rewarding Psychic Bomb ability, which is Samus' classic Morph Ball Bomb with a twist: when set up, you can use the Psychic Glove and Visor to pick them up and put them in out of reach places. I used this ability to open my way to the next area, but that was the end of the demo.
I have to admit, this was my first Metroid Prime gameplay impressions, although I watched the video to better understand the lore and story. I've played a few other 2D ones Metroid titles (Metroid Fusion And Metroid Horror these are my two favorite games) but now I feel obligated to go back and try the rest because Metroid Prime 4: Beyond it feels like it's well destined for more critical acclaim, based on the hour-plus I played.
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond will be released on Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch on December 4th.
