So I started Prime 4 yesterday and got the first 3 keys and the Ice Shot. And I have a lot to say about this game. Unfortunately it's mostly bad, but there are some aspects of the game I like. Overall I agree with the sentiment that the game is at its best when it tries to be a traditional Metroid Prime game and when it tries to experiment with new things, it largely fails. I do think there are a few situations where a good design philosophy could make some lemonade out of the lemons here, but for the most part it does feel like Retro forgot how to make a Metroid Prime game (or the more likely scenario, the people that knew left the company).
First of all, yes McKenzie is super annoying. Especially during the escort segment at the beginning, he has to comment about EVERYTHING. I am more okay with him stepping back into the support role after Fury Green, that's a better way to make use of him (and I do have ideas of how they could take him or someone similar in a future game further in this role in a more Metroidy way). And I will give him credit, he ended up being more helpful than I expected, especially when it came to acquiring upgrades I did not expect him to have the Missile Launcher for us and while I don't like the elemental shot system that much (more on that later) it is neat that McKenzie creates those upgrades for us by integrating the chips into Samus' suit.. But overall he does talk a lot more than I'm comfortable with in a Metroid game. I also found it neat that we could radio him, that's a good help system, but I'd rather be the one radioing him far more than he radios us. Also the radio only works in Sol Valley, not the other areas, and that's usually when I would want his help the most, because I can't figure out how to progress in a certain room, so that definitely limits his usefulness.
I have also met the second Federation trooper and he is much less annoying, so it's mainly just McKenzie. But this also really isn't much of a fun and interesting feature that sells the game and I'm still kinda baffled as to why this was greenlit, no one who truly understands Metroid would've thought this was a good idea.
Second, the game feels kinda bipolar as far as openness. Sol Valley is, of course, a fully open area, but then you get to the traditional Metroidvania locations and they're practically linear hallways. If you've played Pokemon, this game is basically the SwSh moment of Metroid and designed rather similarly. A main, Wild Area-esque hub with traditional areas branching off that are linear hallways (thankfully with less cutscenes/tutorials stopping you). Sol Valley is also as empty as it looks, there's a few Green Crystals to collect (which is hard to tell what they do, you deposit them in this temple with no real feedback as to why we should care about collecting them) and some ruins to explore, but they're few and far between. It feels like the game doesn't know whether it wants to be a linear Metroidvania or an open world game and ends up a jack of all trades, master of none on that front. Also made more confusing when after Volt Forge, McKenzie said it was up to you where to go next, which implied that the game was opening up and you could find the last 3 keys in any order, but then he tried to nudge you to the volcano and as I explored the other areas I found that in fact, you cannot explore out of order (which may be for the best because as I've said I'm not sure how an open world Metroidvania could truly work, but I do ultimately have mixed feelings because I wanted to see if they could defy those expectations). I was also fairly disappointed by Volt Forge gameplay wise (lore and theming wise it's interesting, but gameplay wise not so much), they basically made that area a giant Vi-O-La tutorial. I also don't really like the layout and traversal here. Getting from one area to another is a pain, there's no fast travel points and no shortcuts between areas. If you're in one area and have to go to another (which you do since you need to revisit McKenzie a few times), you have to go into the desert, then go to the other area. At least for McKenzie there's the cannon that gives you a shortcut to Home Base, but that's a bandaid on a bullet hole.
As far as upgrades, the Psychic abilities are... okay. They don't really have a lot of useful features that older abilities didn't and they're mostly reskins of classic items. The Control Beam is definitely the standout, the others are just meh and if we had the classic items I wouldn't bat an eye. My real complaint though is how they handled the beams. The elemental shot system just feels pointless. They're basically Missiles but not really and have a separate ammo system. I don't really get it other than using Shot Expansions to pad out the expansion totals. If you wanted a limited ammo system for the elemental weapons... just make them Missile variants. There's no other difference.
Now as for the good. The area I've most enjoyed so far (and may end up my favorite in the entire game) is Ice Belt. Ice Belt is peak Metroid. First of all, it's less linear than other areas because of the TK keys gimmick, that allows them to open things up a bit more. As you go down to activate the generator, you then find there's weird cryopods and medical research equipment everywhere. Then you activate the generator and bring the facility to life, but then it wakes up all of the Grievers being held in the cryopods and you find a recording showing the purpose of the facility- it's designed to research how to turn Grievers back into Lamorn, revealing that Grievers are some kind of corrupted form of Lamorn and despite their best efforts, it seems like they couldn't find a permanent cure. Amazing reveal and I'm interested in hearing more about how the Lamorn became Grievers. And then as you return it starts getting intense because the Grievers start hunting and attacking Tokabi so you have to hurry back to resolve the situation. Amazing sequence that really felt more like Metroid, the next game needs more of this and it'll be in much better shape.
I also did like the misdirect in Flare Pool. You go in there, but you end up not getting far. Sylux (I think) seems to shut down the bridge blocking your progress, so you have to turn around and go through a previously locked door and you get the Fire Chip which McKenzie integrates into your suit to give you the Fire Shot. But you can't proceed any further in Flare Pool, you have to use the Fire Shot to break the ice in Ice Belt, go through everything I said above, and get the Ice Chip to progress in Flare Pool. Definitely more Metroid-feeling design, reminds me a bit of Norfair in Super Metroid. Your first trip through Norfair doesn't go very far either, you dip in and get the High Jump Boots but then you have to exit, go fight Kraid, and get the Varia Suit ti progress.
And while I'm not too keen on some of the things they did in this game now, I do think they can build on these mechanics to do something better in the future. In fact it wouldn't surprise me if they wanted to be even more ambitious with the game than the final product ended up being and they need to do more experimentation to give us an actual peak Metroid experience. I can see the seeds of that here. For one, the "Home Base" seems quite intentional, they seem to have wanted to make it a hub of sorts to rest and resupply. That could work, but there needs to be more to do and more of a gameplay loop to incentivize you to constantly return. Having collectibles/currency you can turn in to powerup Samus would be great (yes you have the Green Crystals, but it's unclear what those really do and you can't track how many you have so it's relatively meaningless), maybe there could be some kind of shop to give Samus upgrades, perks, and even customization options. A better sidequest system would be great too. The Green Crystals, Lamorn ruins, and Federation wreckages are good (are they even sidequests? I can't tell yet), but not enough, they need more of these. This could tie into the collectible/currency system too, the sidequests could be the vehicle you use to obtain them and that would create a nice gameplay loop. Also, if they want to do open world, do it right. Try and figure out an open world formula that better fits the Metroidvania formula instead of overwriting it. That may be difficult, but I'm interested in seeing what they come up with to make this work. I would say something more of a Mega Man-esque design would be worth trying, something where you can go to any area but some areas might be easier or harder if you come back with certain gear (for example, what if you could go into the icy area without the Plasma Beam/equivalent?). And if they can lean into allowing sequence break techniques so skilled players can progress however they want that would help too. I would say give that a try for next game (it's possible they already did for this game and that's why McKenzie gave that line but if so, I would say try working on this a little more). A Metroid game like THAT would be more of the kind of modernization I could get behind.
Ultimately this feels like a step down and definitely will not be my favorite Metroid, this is not the grand return Metroid Prime deserved after such a long hiatus. But it's not bad and could be the building blocks for something better down the line if done right. I'll have more thoughts when I've gotten further in the game.
@BonzoBanana Dreamcast Guy is irrelevant now. All he ever does is whinge whinge whinge. I used to like his content but everytime I watched him all he ever did was complain about trivial things.
@rallydefault
I am a longtime Metroid fan, but I have NEVER been married to some purist notion of what game is "supposed" to be. I dont care. Just give me something fun. I didn't care when Zelda broke tradition, and this game is essentially the same formula just with some added elements (and the extra characters arent even new- Metroid Prime 3 had them too, this one just does them waaaay better).
I mean, if ppl don't like it, Idk what to say, sucks to be them I guess. But as someone who literally got into gaming with Metroid Prime, this game is up there with the best in the series. 10 all day every day, and that's not hyperbole as an "overreaction" to be contrarian. It's legit one of those games.
I'm stuck to this game like Gorilla Glue. And it keeps getting better the more I play. I havent been this in love with a game in years, probably since Monster Hunter Rise.
I thought Ice Belt would turn out kinda bland but man... it's up there with Phendrana Drifts. The atmosphere is haunting and you can almost feel the cold yourself. The glistening shimmer of the frozen snowpacked ice in the tunnels of the lab... and with that butter 120 fps? It's pure euphoria. That's the best word to describe Metroid Prime 4. It's non-stop euphoria.
10/10 for me. Best Metroid Prime since Metroid Prime 2. 4th is now 3rd best in the series in my opinion.
1. Metroid Prime / Metroid Prime Remastered - 10/10
2. Metroid Prime 2: Echoes - 10/10
3. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond - 10/10
4. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption - 9.5/10
That's my opinion and Metroid Prime series is one of my favourite game Franchises of all the time alongside Mario Kart, Super Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Donkey Kong Bananza, BioShock, Splinter Cell, Fallout, Ratchet and Clank, Red Dead Redemption, Mass Effect, Dead Space, Resident Evil, Yoshi, Hitman, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle and lot more. I love games and gaming. I own Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox Series X and PS5 as well Nintendo Switch. I am so glad Retro Studios nailed it!! Fingercross Metroid Prime 5 coming next some years not wait like hell 18 years waited for Metroid Prime 4.
Does anyone have a recommendation for a mouse mode grip? I definitely prefer it, but it's just not comfortable over a long period of time.
I recommend the Muumba mouse grip and the 8"x10" Seihoo firm mousepad, both of which are on Amazon. If using the grip I'd advise using button remapping to set X (scan visor) to L3 so your thumb doesnt have to reach, and map L3 to R3 for grapple lasso since you won't use that nearly as much and don't even get it until a good ways in. Use L to jump instead of B, with ZR to shoot and R for missiles and you only need to use Y for morph ball mode, and even that could be mapped to B for easy reach since L can jump instead. Heck, you could even map stuff to SL and/or SR on the Left Joycon if you wanted. My middle finger naturally rests on the SL when holding Left Joycon so it's a free easy-to-press button if you want to free up your mouse face buttons. Could map morph ball to that button instead of B and never rely on face buttons at all.
edit
OK, found the best mapping.
Enable Motion Controls for Grapple Lasso to free up L3, and R3 isn't used ao that's also free
Map A to R3 so you can interact while resting thumb on Right Analog in mouse mode
Map X to L3 so you can scan without taking thumb off Left Analog
Map Y to SL/SR to transition to morph ball mode with either your middle finger wrapped around SL or pinky on SR
Enable Motion Controls for Spring Ball so you can jump in morph ball mode (can also click L3 since it's mapped to X, which is just as easy)
Use L to jump, ZL for psychic/scan visor, R for missiles and ZR for beam.
Done and done. No need to move your thumb up in an awkward position on mouse since all 4 face button actions can be activated with other buttons.
@Insert_Username and @JaxonH thank you both for the recommendations! And I appreciate the button remapping suggestions, definitely trying them out once the grip arrives.
Switch Name: Nath
Switch Friend Code: SW-5982-6570-5215 | My Nintendo: Nath
First area feels like everything is peak, myles isn't problematic at all and you wonder what reviewers were even talking about in terms of annoyance he basically doesn't do anything bar get escorted across a bridge, first boss fight is clean and uses the new mechanics well..
but then as soon as you get into the 2nd 'area' you encounter a whopping variety of 2 different kinds of enemies that aren't particularly fun to fight, a linear hallway connected to hallway system, and every single area does this.. by the time i was on to the fourth area i set my expectations to 'nothing to see' and I wasn't wrong cause it was literally just the same enemies on repeat, like at some point one enemy just becomes the only enemy in the game that even interacts with you and the variations are just their textures not actual gameplay. I've actually taken my headset off cause i was so sick of hearing their terrible theme.. the music tries to be like old prime games but its just like looping the worst sounding effects instead of making something actually pretty to listen to for awhile. One of the bosses I audible went "You can't be serious.. they couldn't make something original for this???? This looks like it was ripped directly from another franchise".
The desert especially sucks when you consider backtracking cause there is no fast teleport system, at least that i have found after 12+ hours anyways, and theres multiple moments where you're just unsure where to go. The game doesn't really hand hold you like you'd think with the characters, its kinda less than corruption infact, but the way you get upgrades is so anti-climate and in such... bizarrely randomly open in your face areas and you don't unlock them as soon as you get the pickup... you bring the pickup to myles to give it to you which is just stupid.
Its like the demo and the trailers exclusively showed off the best parts of the game cause there's so little here actually good... and its such a shame cause that first area is genuinely what sucks you in and makes you think we have a good successor and the wait was worth it and then it gets to a point where i genuinely didn't even feel like playing anymore. I did a lot of exploring, backtracking for item upgrades, picked up every green crystal on the map cause of the fruit thing.... deposited it near the very end of the game and saw the required grind only went up to like 10%, i genuinely cannot see anyone replaying it while thats a thing, the requirement for that should be the first thing they patch.
...speaking of things they need to patch... here's my main complaint about the characters; i softlocked on an elevator... yeah... SOFTLOCKED on an elevator in a 18 year development game, because the elevator required the npc to be on the lift with you, and even though the npc was standing literally in it fully, it would not detect they were there and they even played the voice line indicating that they were, the lift just bugged and would not work and they would not move to try and manually reposition them for it.. forcing a reset
Gosh dang. 11 people on my friends list got Metroid Prime 4. Haven't seen those kind of numbers (excluding Mario Kart World) since Zelda Tears of the Kingdom. Kirby I had 7 friends who got it, and DK was about 7 also.
This bodes well. Dual release across NSW1 and NSW2 was definitely the right move. Seems like a lot of ppl are interested which means.... drum roll... we're likely gonna get another one!
Psalms 22:16 (1,000 yrs before Christ)
They pierced My hands and feet
Isaiah 53:5 (700 yrs before Christ)
He was pierced for our transgressions
I don't get the people who say it's not a real Prime game. But then I'd feel the need to ask what one of those is.
Is it an interconnected labyrinth of areas, swappable beams and missile combinations with visors and suits and an artifact hunt?
Is it areas surrounding a central hub with dimension swapping puzzles, a more annoying artifact hunt, and your beams have ammo?
Is it several planets with isolated areas you can travel between, gunship puzzles, stacking beams, no suit upgrades and a ***** load of talking with an emphasis on hyper mode?
Is it a 4 player coop shooter that's mission based?
Is it several small planets with random boss fights and little exploration using touch controls?
Or is it areas connected by a central hub with swappable beams with ammo, no visor upgrades, a bike, some talking and psychic powers?
This is the thing: Metroid Prime has been experimented with so much over the years of course this one would be different.
Each game changes it up in ways some like and others don't. And that's ok.
If this was just one of those games again with a new coat of paint, I think we'd have far more issues. A stagnation after these years.
Now Playing: Mario & Luigi Brothership, Sonic x Shadow Generations
Now Streaming: The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
I just got done with the Ice Belt, and it honestly was one of the most gripping areas I've encountered in this game. Fury Green and Volt Forge were alright areas, but I feel like Ice Belt was the first one to suck me in on this level and make me sort of forget that I was even really playing a video game to begin with. The way that they handled the lighting and the lack of bombastic music made for amazing atmospheric horror. It really felt like I was exploring a place that I wasn't actually supposed to be in- and collecting the data logs in the facility only cemented that. The fact that some pipes broke when you would walk past them- along with the frozen monsters really made me want to explore the facility in full. It makes me wish that Retro would do a full on atmospheric horror game- or at least that Prime 4 would be this way for the entirety of the game and not just for a singular slice of it.
"It is fate. Many have tried, yet none have ever managed to escape it's flow."
@JaxonH As someone who is playing Prime for the first time with this game, it's really selling me on trying out the Prime 1 remaster. Just sort of wish that the remaster for Prime 1 came out after the Switch 2 so that it could've gotten the same mouse control scheme that Prime 4 has. Maybe they'll drop a Switch 2 patch for it at some point.
"It is fate. Many have tried, yet none have ever managed to escape it's flow."
I'd complain about the Amiibo too if it wasn't trivially easy to clone one with an Android phone and a programmable NFC card.
I didn't actually know you could do that but it does reduce the overall experience surely if you have to do something like that instead of just playing the game and enjoying it. Looking at this thread there are quite a few people that have not really enjoyed the game that much and giving it fairly low scores. It does seem a good technical showcase for the console at least in beautiful artwork of the graphics. I guess maybe games like Cyberpunk using DLSS are more impressive but then that definitely doesn't play at 120 fps or even 60fps I think its 30fps and 40fps. It definitely feels like this isn't an essential purchase on Switch 2 or Switch 1 just another good title to consider.
@Haruki_NLI For me Metroid Prime experience is about the atmosphere, sense of isolation, focus on exploration, a planet with rich lore and fauna, space pirates and great music. Prime 4 had some parts that felt like that but in the end wasn't what I was hoping for.
Was very disappointed to get home from family holiday last night to see my copy still hasn’t arrived.
Got everything crossed the postman delivers today!
Well the postman came, with a game shaped box, but it was yakuza kiwami and kiwami 2….
Ironic I’ve got them early but no Metroid… hopefully just a postal delay given is December and will come Monday
James
Friend code - 2005-0287-2240
Feel free to add!
Just started the game, very impressive visually and looks to be a solid start
A question though - when in ‘free aim’ regular mode I have Y axis inverted , so tilting right stick down makes gun go up (and vice versa)
However- when I go into lock-on mode (holding ZL) and then aim with right stick, the inversion disappears! Any way to enable inversion when in lockon mode?
I said this from the beginning- all publicity is good publicity. All the controversy has catapulted this game into the spotlight in a way that never would have happened otherwise. I checked Amazon and it still continues to climb. It's now the #2 Best Selling game on the site, #9 overall in Video Games.
Keep in mind, this is a niche series. You never saw Dread hit that high up the best sellers list, especially in the holiday period. It was hanging around #33 for a week or two leading to release, then shot to 19 the day of release, then shot to #15 the day after release, and now it's #9. You'd think it would be dropping or at least not moving up.
It's that Pokemon effect. Everyone rages about every little thing, telling others how bad it is and they shouldn't waste their money on it, and all it does is make the game more popular. I never expected all that much from Prime 4 sales figures, but I was a bit nervous it wouldn't succeed. Now I'm confident that won't be the case.
@CJD87
Pretty sure. Dig around in settings there's all kinds of stuff you can tinker with. Can also enable gyro if you want it on all the time or just when locked on or whatever.
edit
Just checked. In settings, you can invert X or Y in CAMERA, and you can invert X or Y in CURSOR. One is for when you're just aiming normally, one is for when you're locked-on.
You can also enable gyro for all the time, but have it turn off when locked on. Which I prefer, because I don't want my controller movements to snap me off a target when locked on, but I also want to be able to aim with precision gyro at other times, which is why having it on except when locking on is such a great approach imo.
You can do practically anything in these settings, even remap buttons. They killed it.
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