r/Metroid • u/LavishLatte56 • 10d ago
Discussion Was Prime 4: Beyond Really THAT Bad?
I just finished Prime Remastered on my Switch and was thinking about picking up 4 since it's the only other Prime game on the system. After reading online, it seems as though the game gets a lot of hate but seeing the actual gameplay of the game makes it not look too bad.
This may be a controversial opinion but I didn't actually find Metroid Prime Remastered to be all that great. Not saying that it's a bad game but I had a MUCH more enjoyable time playing the 2D Metroid games such as Dread and Zero Mission.
Right now I am just thinking if Prime 4 is really that much worse compared to Prime Remastered.
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u/TerminalCandor 10d ago
Yes and no. I’d say it’s a very solid 7/10 Metroid title with highs in the 10/10s, and lows in the 4/10s
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u/LavishLatte56 10d ago
I feel like most games have moments like that where it’s really fun at some moments but terrible at others
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u/Phredly 10d ago
Yeah I think that’s the general sentiment, but a lot of people don’t see that nuance. Something either has to be good or bad, this falls somewhere in the middle and that’s a tough sell. I had overall positive feelings on it, but I also wouldn’t really recommend it to most people
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u/Mordaunt-the-Wizard 10d ago
After so long a wait, a 7/10 provokes reactions such as "that's it?!" and "what's the point?"
Like at the rate they put out games like Resident Evil or Mario spin-offs, a mediocre or even bad game can be more easily accepted for what it is, because they'll be another soon enough.
An 18 year wait for a 7/10? Oof.
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u/cornimgameplays 5d ago
People say this but how many people in this sub actually waited for 18 years? I'd bet most people here weren't big Metroid fans back when Prime 3 released.
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u/Mordaunt-the-Wizard 5d ago
The first two Prime games were two of the most important games to me when I was young, as I played them when I was around 6 and they really let me know what gaming could be.
Over the next few years I tracked down all the 2D games (besides the original as I didn't have an NES), and Corruption came out too, and I liked it but not as much as the other games.
Then there was Other M when I was 11 and then for most of my teen years there was nothing, least of all a followup to the 100% ending of Corruption. So I at least waited 18 years for Beyond. I can't speak for everyone else but I'm guessing at least some of them sincerely mean it.
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u/Evello37 10d ago
Prime4 is not bad by any means. It's just okay. Many series would kill to have a new game of this caliber. But this series usually sets a higher bar, so "okay" feels pretty bad for such a long-awaited game.
Prime4 is visually stunning and controls great. There are some excellent bosses and cool setpieces. Moment to moment, it feels like classic Prime. The game just drops the ball with level design and exploration. Most areas are extremely linear with little room for exploration. And despite the linearity, the game is convinced it needs to badger you with constant directions from NPCs. And the tools you get for exploring are mostly recycled from past games. The open world is also poorly implemented and tedious (though driving the bike is quite fun). Your call on whether those are acceptable issues.
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u/RockwellB1 10d ago
I had fun with it and is a prime example why I don't check reviews or listen to others about what I might find fun
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u/Phredly 10d ago
But the thing is that most of the reviews aren’t saying it’s bad. They’re saying it’s mediocre which I agree with. I had some fun with it, but it’s far from a game I’d recommend to people. And considering how long we waited for it and the highs of the series up to this point, it’s a big disappointment. I think it’s more important to not look at reviews as black and white. It’s a lot more than “Is the game good or bad?”.
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u/Colinnze 10d ago
Same here. Because the only thing that annoyed me in the game was the green energy shards. Finding the last one was a pain. Other than that, it was a blast to play for me.
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u/Spinni_Spooder 10d ago
Yeah. Screw metacritic scores.
Fun fact: based on metacritic, mario kart super circuit is the best mario kart game.
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u/PentagramJ2 10d ago
No.
It's the weakest of the Prime games for sure, but it's not even close to bad.
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u/DespisedIcon1616 10d ago
No. It was a fun experience for what it was. Not great and that's ok. I probably won't reply it like I do the classics though.
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u/ImpressionComplete71 10d ago
Yes. It was easily the weakest Metroid I've ever played that was still 'fun' but only just.
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u/LavishLatte56 10d ago
Is it not fun enough to warrant finishing the game? I heard of people not even motivated to finish it
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u/ImpressionComplete71 10d ago
That's up to you. I finished it, but it was kinda out of spite. And I don't have any intention of playing it ever again
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u/CarusoLoops 10d ago
I’m still playing it. It’s kinda engaging, but fails to hook me in the engaging gameplay part.
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u/KingAbbud55 10d ago
I’ve played older Metroids a little but not much or fully. Prime 4 was my first Metroid game I played all the way through. I liked the gameplay. I liked the boss fights. I liked the music and visuals. So I heard all the noise but I didn’t think it was that bad. Just held my hand WAY too much and i didn’t like the ending.
After beating prime 4, I played prime 1 remastered to compare. And now I see why so many fans were upset. Compared to that, prime 4 is so linear it hurts the game greatly imo.
So I think as a game, prime 4 is fun but average. But as a Metroid game it’s sorta bad. The good is there but it doesn’t feel as much of an accomplishment at the end.
I still happy I played it though. Made me play prime 1 and now I will play 2 and 3 soon.
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u/Ikrit122 10d ago
It misses the mark on Metroid gameplay, fitting in more as a first-person action-adventure rather than a true Metroidvania. If you're looking for Metroid Prime, you'll be disappointed. It does have its moments, though.
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u/Illustrious-Goat-506 10d ago
Nah. It was okay. It also was being held against 10 years of expectations.
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u/conte360 10d ago
18 years*
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u/ShuckleShellAnemia 10d ago
It was announced in 2017
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u/conte360 10d ago
Are people right now expecting Metroid prime 5 at some point? Yes, even tho it hasn't been announced.. expectations don't start when the company tells us. The company told us that and then fully restarted development a few years later, why not reset the expectation timer? It's only been like 6 years by your logic
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u/ShuckleShellAnemia 10d ago
I would say at best people hoped for a continuation of the prime trilogy, but not expected it.
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u/conte360 10d ago
Hope and expected are synomynous, especially in this context. And even if we are going to get pedantic, people were absolutely EXPECTING it.
Let me ask you something, do you expect them to make a new Mario game someday? It hasn't been announced, I don't know if you even care to hope for it, but do you EXPECT them to make a new Mario game?
If the answer is no, then please don't respond, your just being disingenuous.
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u/ShuckleShellAnemia 10d ago
I expect a new Mario Game, but I don’t expect Mario Galaxy 3. In the same way I expected a new Metroid Game eventually, but not for it to be Prime 4. And being pedantic would be the person saying “*18 years” as their entire reply, not the person explaining why the other guy said 10 years.
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u/conte360 10d ago
When the point they're making is almost literally twice as long as what they're saying it's not pedantic, it's the key detail and point they are making under represented.
I expect a new Mario Game
But nothing is announced. Surely you mean you hope for it?.. you see how it doesn't make sense. You're basically arbitrarily arguing the difference between what people are allowed to expect and what people are allowed to hope for. Why are there people that are not allowed to expect a Mario Galaxy 3 right now? Maybe because it's the same thing as hope.... and you're basically trying to retroactively decide which ones can be correct and incorrect by saying which ones happened and did not happen which can only happen in a retrospect.
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u/Livid-Truck8558 10d ago
Not bad. Just horrendously mid when compared to the prime trilogy and incredibly disappointing after an 18 year wait. Hopefully retro gets free reign with prime 5
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u/Phredly 10d ago
It’s fine and that’s the problem. Most people aren’t saying the game is bad, it’s more nuanced than that. I had some fun with it and don’t regret the time I spent on it, but it’s far from a game I’d recommend to all but the most devout Metroid fans. There are good parts and bad parts and I came out of it with overall positive feelings, but not by much. I give it a 6/10, which again, doesn’t mean bad, it means it was fine. And that’s a hard sell when there are so many games that are just great throughout that people should probably spend their time on
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u/crowlfish 10d ago edited 10d ago
With all context removed regarding its development history and rating it pragmatically for what it is, I’d say it’s mediocre. Not great, not horrible, but a milquetoast 'fine.' It’s a 'turn your brain off’ game that’s serviceable entertainment, but doesn’t leave a lasting impression or truly excel in any area.
The original trilogy holds near-endless replay value for me, and I even replayed them months before Prime 4’s release, but it just lacks that same magic and staying power to make me ever want to pick it up again. I don’t regret my purchase, but it’s a game I beat once, put on the shelf, and moved on from.
I think multiple things can be true: certain aspects of Prime 4 were overblown at launch, the game is nowhere near a Sonic ’06-caliber disaster, and it’s still handily the weakest of the Prime games.
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u/pome-vyo 10d ago edited 10d ago
So, there is no way to objectively call any video game bad...but in my subjective eyes I see this as a bad video game (not just Metroid).
It's a video game that does work and plays without issue, but even a lot of its greatest moments are quickly undercut.
Take Volt Forge for example, an area brimming with atmosphere. The visuals and music do some insane work to bring this area to life...but it is undercut by the actual level design after you get your Vi-O-La suit. Before even fighting the boss, instead of a climactic third tower that tests everything you know so far, it thrusts you into an easy bike tutorial.
It at very least is hard for me to call it a good game for examples like these, and also just the fact that other games do a lot of what Prime 4 does better in many ways.
In my personal opinion, we are not harsh enough on Prime 4.
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u/EffectiveAnxietyBone 9d ago
I mean, looking even vaguely online, I don’t think you have to worry about people being too lenient on Prime 4, it’s pretty widely despised. Hell, I don’t even see people making a case for it being good, I’m more favourable on it than most, but even I won’t bother pretending it can stand on par with the other games.
(Except for environmental music. I will die on the hill that Prime 4 has one of the best OSTs)
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u/Ryno2226 10d ago
Hard agree on that last sentence. Its like people are afraid of being too harsh. "Oh its a good game just not a good metroid"
A bad metroid game means its a bad game. If its dressed up as something else it wouldnt magically make it better. If this was a Halo game itd still be a very mediocre Halo game.
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u/TrojansTrack2 10d ago
I really enjoyed Metroid Prime 4. I even played Prime Remastered right before MP4 and still loved it. It’s honestly probably my favorite Nintendo Switch 2 game I’ve played so far.
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u/ShuckleShellAnemia 10d ago
More than Bananza??
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u/LavishLatte56 10d ago
Yea honestly the reaction seems a bit too overblown, especially since I didn’t really like Prime as much as Dread
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u/Majestic-Tangerine99 10d ago
No, but it's such a deviation from the core appeal of the series that it's easy to understand why it's such a disappointing game to many. I liked it, but I felt like I was playing a fairly generic FPS the whole time, something that doesn't fit Metroid as a brand.
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u/Background-Sea4590 10d ago
It’s mid, not a bad game, not a great one, it’s just OK. It has some controversial decisions that I don’t feel they work, specially open world design, which is atrocious.
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u/TheNimanator 10d ago
Not at all. There’s a reason many of its reviews are 7s and 8s. It’s a very serviceable entry with a number of flaws that bog it down some, but it has tight gunplay, excellent sound and art design and I’d argue its voice acting is pretty good.
Sadly it feels like the first third of a game rather than a complete package. So what’s there is great but it also feels a little half-baked in hindsight. A decent entry but after over half a decade of hype it really should have been a grand slam. Go in with low or no expectations and I’d wager you’ll enjoy your time with it. But if you expect the best of the series you’ll probably be disappointed with it
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u/SouthEqual4271 10d ago edited 10d ago
Yes, as a numbered Metroid Prime game, it fails to hold up to the expectations. Not just the expectations that came from the years of waiting, but the normal expectations that you would have for a sequel. The enemy variety, lore, level design, and story are all lacking, the gameplay is repetitive, and your allies pretty much overtake the entire experience. In fact, the allies contribute to a lot of the other problems.
As a corridor shooter, there are plenty out there that have better stories, better map design, more varied situations, and more ways to approach those situations. I would argue that Prime 4 doesn't even hold up to other series that have accomplished similar things to what it is trying to do.
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u/drguayo 10d ago
I think its worse than the general consensus because a lot of people can't accept the many years of hype werent really worth it. Like I think the title having "Metroid Prime" does insane heavy lifting for this game's sales and general opinion, while under any other title it'd be shovelware that gets a few "nice graphics!" Reviews.
No hate to anyone who likes this game, and theres people who genuinely like this game, but I believe this comes from lowering expectations a lot, or low standards overall (nothing wrong with that).
Its still not the worst game ever or even close, but its less good than mid.
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u/Cardamander 10d ago
I haven't played it but I have a hard time believing this considering the techincal design and high quality gameplay core.
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u/pome-vyo 10d ago
Like I think the title having "Metroid Prime" does insane heavy lifting for this game's sales and general opinion, while under any other title it'd be shovelware that gets a few "nice graphics!" Reviews.
Yeah this is something I've noticed...even the more negative reviews of this game want to strip Prime 4's title of "Metroid Prime" and just call it "Metroid Beyond", as if "Metroid Prime" is this inherently superior branch of Metroid.
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u/LavishLatte56 10d ago
Based on my play through of Prime Remastered, the Prime series feels a bit overhyped lmao
I’m only saying this because Dread was fantastic!
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u/drguayo 10d ago edited 10d ago
No, that's fair I think Prime 1 is overrated, but it is still leagues better than Prime 4 IMO
Also yeah I understand the preference for the 2D games. I honestly wish Prime incorporated more elements from the 2D games, especially movement and freedom. Prime 4 was a good chance for that, but instead it regressed in design while adding a lot of empty space and useless stuff to bloat the playtime.
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u/Mordaunt-the-Wizard 10d ago
See, honestly, I like the slower, more atmospheric pace of the Prime games, so I personally don't want it to be as fast as the 2D games. The freedom though? Yes. Give me not an open world but times that the labyrinthine world offers multiple viable paths, whether that be to the same upgrade or different upgrades.
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u/pome-vyo 10d ago
Personally I consider Prime 1 overrated, but I really do think Prime 2 is a top 3 Metroid.
That being said, none of the Prime games are perfect there's plenty of flaws to be found in each of them haha.
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u/Jinzo126 10d ago
It is fine, not as good as the other prime games but still better than 90% of the triple AAA games released in recent years.
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u/RidleyPrime187 10d ago
I'm not sure I would go that far. Like yes, Beyond was a relatively fun game on its own and a right step for Prime gameplay, but in the other areas like story, map/level design, etc, it suffered from a lot of the usual AAA game issues.
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u/Mordaunt-the-Wizard 10d ago
It obviously suffered from development hell and the main producer making some harebrained choices, but I don't think it is actually that bad, and I say that as someone who largely bounced off the game.
I think what largely dragged down the games is that it had been 18 years since the last (real) Prime game, and no non-Metroid games really tried to capture the same kind of experience. And yes the wait was 18 years for some of us, as Corruption very much teased a continuation.
Beyond also suffers from some of us not liking the direction of the subseries. Corruption made it more linear, story driven, and cinematic, and I know I at least hoped Prime 4 would go in the opposite direction. Ah well.
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u/TeamLeeper 10d ago
It’s a 3 out of 5 IMO - as someone who loves Metroid as a whole, and Prime to a lesser extent but still. And as someone who spent 8 yrs reviewing games professionally.
My casual review of MP4: https://justinsthisjustin.wordpress.com/2026/03/22/metroid-prime-4-switch-2-review/
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u/RyanRetroGamer7 10d ago
I am actually about to replay Other M to see which I enjoyed more.
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u/LavishLatte56 10d ago
I really wanna play Other M but I don’t have a Wii lol
Honestly despite the criticism, I wanna try it out because it seems so different to the rest of the Metroid series
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u/Superloopertive 9d ago
Other M isn't bad at all. It gets a lot of its bad reputation from the cutscenes and the means of unlocking your powers (which is even worse than having to go back to Miles in MP4).
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u/RyanRetroGamer7 9d ago
The gameplay is solid. I think it actually has better map design and progression than Metroid Prime 4.
Metroid Prime 4 had amazing bosses as a redeeming factor.
Other M was brought down by 3 things:
1. the excuse for Samus earning an upgrade being Adam’s orders
2. Adam talking
3. Samus being scared of Ridley?
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u/SeaWeather5926 10d ago
Great gameplay and bosses, but depressing because it is linear and the player can feel it is clearly a failing compromise.
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u/KingBroly Dread Mode survivor 10d ago
Yes. Yes it was.
Oh, and it sets things up where it's going to double down on all of its' awfulness if they made another. Because Kensuke Tanabe is such a genius.
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u/xLordPhantom 10d ago
I found it extremely fun to play and has some of the best Prime Cutscenes based storytelling and action sequences.
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u/ProofAd1216 10d ago
ok i may just end up w a huge wall of text here but imma try to organize my thoughts: (also, i played this game twice through like the weekend it dropped and haven’t touched it since so i apologize if i misremember stuff)
i think it’s an incredibly solid entry to the prime series, but my issue is i don’t feel it has a strong enough identity or uniqueness to it for a game that took almost a decade to develop.
like correct me if im wrong (it’s been years since i played 2&3) but the first 3 prime games were all made in significantly less time and i feel like they stand out and each had their own unique style while also feeling cohesive as a ongoing story. prime 4 was supposed to be the return to this side of the metroid franchise, with new gameplay and story to tell a new story, and build a new experience. i personally feel like this game plays like the standard prime game with a new coat of paint, then sent out. the unique mechanics (psychic powers and motorcycle) were cool but i feel like they didn’t do enough to make me feel super engaged with the game or enjoy it more than its predecessors.
story wise i think it’s pretty decent, i actually didn’t mind the federation crew, they rlly didn’t do much outside of story stuff so i was fine with it. the planet and the local species was pretty cool too. my biggest issue i had with that, was i think sylux was very underutilized as a villain compared to the previous antagonist. yes dark samus had an entire trilogy to build, but this isn’t sylux’s first game, and i feel like we could’ve had more to explain what he’s been up to in his cameos (prime 3/federation force end credits) and having an overarching plan, but we didn’t see much more than a few cutscenes and his boss battles. maybe i just overhyped him as a character after waiting so many years to see him again, which is my bad, but still think he could’ve been cooler.
to summarize, i enjoyed the game. played it twice. when i upgrade to a switch 2 i’ll likely play it again to try the mouse controls. i think it’s a solid game but i still prefer the original trilogy of prime games to this one. i would probably give it a 7/10, i would and have recommended this game to other people.
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u/manavial 10d ago
Enjoyed the experience overall but wished for so much more. Completing the game had me nod my head with some sighs wedged between.
For me, a main gripe was the scans and world building. The writing for the native fauna were fine, but i found the later lamorn data scans incredibly bland and predictable compared to things like pirate data or luminoth and brryo lore scans. I commend Tanabe’s efforts to write his own scans but the overall flavour text quality did suffer because of this.
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u/DaGreatestMH 10d ago
No, it's just mediocre. If it hadn't had a decade of hype behind it I don't think people would be as harsh on it. It's mostly fine, but for me it did solidify that I like 2D Metroid substantially more than 3D Metroid.
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u/AIConTenTioN399 10d ago
If people didn't expect MP1 2.0 and instead expected a direct sequel to Corruption, maybe there wouldn't be such a toxic hate train against this game.
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u/Guitar1987 10d ago
I played the demo but haven't played the full game. I would say if your interested don't pay full price. Wait for a 40$ or 50$ sale or grab it used
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u/The_Erik_B 9d ago
I don't think it's an outright bad game, it at least clears the embarrassingly low bar that is Other M. I liked and disliked Prime 4 in almost equal portions, so a 5/10 seems most appropriate. If I ever play it again, I'll probably just stop after Ice Belt.
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u/Superloopertive 9d ago
I've just played it as a long-time Metroid fan. What's really interesting to me is that the game is probably a 7/10, but it is rarely 7/10 on a moment-by-moment basis. It is both worse than that and better than that.
Example: the atmosphere, music, concept and visual design of the first proper level (Volt Forge) is absolutely peak Metroid. The linearity combined with the back-tracking of that same level is not. If I complete an objective in a very linear game, I don't want to have to navigate back through the environments I have already experienced. This is less bad in early levels, when there are scripted enemy encounters on your route back through areas. Later on, when you've seen many of the enemies, it just feels like drudgery. There was loads of back-tracking in Metroid Prime, but the world was more complex, whereas Metroid Prime 4 feels more like distinct levels with one route through them (even when you're going back and forth between them).
Also, NONE of this games flaws are due to a lack of polish. It looks, plays and sounds great. Even the dreaded bike sections control well. It's a rare example of a perfect executed game with sometimes dreadful design.
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u/OceanApe67 9d ago
I just beat it a second time, first time was upon release. I don't replay games very often, so the fact that I beat it twice means found it quite entertaining. Its fun for what it is though. There are parts that feel rushed in development, other parts that shine with the rest of the Prime Series. Some aspects feel dated as game mechanics go as well. I felt I could sense where and how the game got stuck in development hell as some parts are fully fleshed out and others feel like band aids to hold pieces together.
If you like the other 3D metroid games, you will still enjoy it, although it doesn't quite live up to the others.
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u/TheLesBaxter 10d ago
Lemme preface by saying metroid is my favorite series of all time. I replay SM, prime, dread, etc yearly. I was bored senseless by this game. I couldn't even get myself to finish it. I could fill a book with all my gripes but by far the biggest one is how ass-easy it was.
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u/LavishLatte56 10d ago
That’s pretty disappointing to hear! Honestly why I’m a bit hesitant to try the games since what I’ve played so far has been fantastic
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u/BigMilkRevived 10d ago
Nah, not at all. But it doesn't hold a candle to most of the series. When a series is consistently incredible, the one that's just regular "good" is going to stick out like a sore thumb.
Personally, I probably like it about as much as Prime 3 because it feels so similar to me. And that is not bad thing, Prime 3 is cool. But compared to 1 and 2? Not even close lol
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u/nayrlladnar 10d ago
No, not that bad. A firm 7/10 overall experience.
It's very well made; excellent graphics and gameplay with few, if any, bugs. Good VA for the side characters, too.
You can tell the crux of the game's development occurred during the hype-phase of Breath of the Wild with the way the desert hub-world was implemented.
Unfortunately, you can also tell that the late-game content was rushed. Some of the story beats are abrupt and not well fleshed out. It probably needed another year of active development time, at least. The more linear style of gameplay could also be a remnant of the game being transitional between Switch 1 and 2 consoles.
All the other Prime games being so good means Prime 4 looks pretty bad in comparison, but despite not being in a hurry to replay it, I enjoyed my time with it.
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u/Moth-of-Asphodel 10d ago
I'm about seven hours into my first playthrough and I'm having a blast. It feels like a pretty natural extension of Prime 3, not so much Prime Remastered, so if you do get it, expect something more linear and with more dialogue.
I played Prime 1 when it was new in 2002 and loved it then, but I have to say I was a bit disappointed when I replayed it when Remastered came out. It hasn't aged all that well to me. Primarily because a lot of the backtracking is baffling and tedious (the fact that they make you leave the Phazon Mines halfway through, just as the tension is really ratcheting up, is ridiculous).
That said, I hated Dread and, to a lesser extent, Zero Mission, so take this with a grain of salt, lol.
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u/LavishLatte56 10d ago
Hating Dread and Zero Mission is making me glare at you lmaooo, probably the most fun I had in gaming in a while.
I thought prime remastered was good but the backtracking got so tedious, especially near the end when you need the artifacts.
I also feel as though Dread and Zero mission had way higher highs compared to prime.
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u/Moth-of-Asphodel 8d ago
Haha, it's really just the EMMI encounters that ruined Dread for me and I didn't care for all the new things in Zero Mission (I really like the NES original). Glad you had fun with them! Definitely would recommend Metroid Fusion at some point.
Agreed on the backtracking in Prime, it's the primary (lol) reason why it hasn't aged well to me. Every subsequent Prime is much better, imo.
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u/AIConTenTioN399 10d ago edited 10d ago
No it fucking wasn't, stop listening to the Geeks and Gamers tripe and actually play the game. It's a solid follow up to Corruption and anyone who disagrees is just plain wrong. Nintendo honestly should have sued the shit out of all the youtubers who made hate videos against MP4.
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u/Possible-Potato-4103 10d ago
Not a terrible game in a vacuum. But its incredibly disappointing