Metroid Prime 4 Unveils Gameplay on Nintendo Switch After 7-Year Hiatus

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The unexpected return of a cult license

Seven years. Seven long years have passed since the official announcement of Metroid Prime 4. Remember, it was during E3 2017 that Nintendo dropped the bomb: the much-loved Metroid Prime trilogy was going to have a sequel on Nintendo Switch. With two episodes released on Gamecube and a third on Wii, then a remaster of the first opus on Nintendo Switch, The Metroid Prime saga is undoubtedly one of the most memorable for Nintendo fans. However, after the official announcement of this fourth episode, the Japanese firm was silent for far too long.

So of course, in the meantime, players were still able to get their hands on Metroid Dread. We should not forget this opus as it was of excellent quality, even if it returned to 2D gameplay close to the beginnings of the license. But what players were waiting for above all else was news about the continuation of the Metroid Prime trilogy. Today, as the final announcement of the Nintendo Direct on June 18, 2024, Nintendo has chosen to release its trump card: Metroid Prime 4 has finally really been revealed.

Gameplay and a release date for Metroid Prime 4!

Nobody expected it, and yet they did it: Metroid Prime 4 revealed a very first gameplay trailer at the conclusion of today's Nintendo Direct. Even if its title only appears at the end, it didn't take long to understand what it was about since Samus Aran's new ship served as an introduction to the trailer, and even if it did changed, its cockpit in the same shape as the bounty hunter's helmet will not have fooled anyone. A few seconds after landing, the orange armor typical of the saga appears, and the camera moves inside to take the iconic Metroid Prime point of view: first person.

The trailer then cuts to the heart of a battle, the opportunity for spectators to discover the new ATH which, although modernized, will remind fans of the trilogy of many things. THE scanners seem to be back, as well as the presence of the morphing ball to slip into small conduits, without forgetting all of Samus Aran's explosive arsenal. The end of the trailer also seems to show us the main antagonist accompanied by two metroids. The most observant will have recognized Sylux, the bounty hunter from Metroid Prime: Hunters who already announced his return in the 100% ending of Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. This is when the first big change is revealed: Metroid Prime 4 gets a new name and will henceforth be called Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. Better yet, the trailer ends with a little glimpse of the lush planet on which Samus Aran will have to wander, and above all with a first release date: the year 2025.

For the moment, we will have to be content with this information, but suffice to say that Nintendo wanted to prove to everyone that the Nintendo Switch still had a few more cartridges to go before bowing out. Perhaps it is also a way of closing the loop with a video game originally announced at the very beginning of the console's life, which will have taken the entire generation to finally show the tip of its nose. In any case, you will have to wait until 2025 to be able to get your hands on this famous Metroid Prime 4: Beyond.