Prime is Back!
Metroid Prime 4 is a return to form that fans of the series have been waiting for. Having recently played the first 3 games, I can say with 100% confidence that this game captures everything that makes a prime game a prime game. I will admit, Retro Studios played it very safe and a lot of what you see, you have seen before, but if it ain’t broke, then don’t fix it. The story is simple- you are helping galactic soldiers fight off an invasion, a device gets set off, and you are teleported to a foreign planet. On this planet you will meet soldiers who also teleported during the event. Each trooper has a unique personality and I never had a bad time dealing with them. Your goal is to work with them to escape the planet by expanding your arsenal, and finding 5 keys. Gameplay is classic prime. You run, jump, roll, and shoot your way through maps until you get a new item. Once you get new gear, more paths open up. You will see familiar upgrades like missiles, boost ball, spider ball, lasso, grapple, elemental beams, and more. Enemies are scattered about the map with some being incredibly weak, and others taking more shots than they should. Puzzles also litter the world and are fun, if not simple to enjoy. The psychic element tossed on everything was not needed, but it makes things look cooler at the very least. The exploration is there like the past games. Except now, you traverse a large desert to get to a new area, opposed to taking an elevator. Arguably the worst part of the game is the desert, but not enough that it ruins the experience, and the motorcycle controls so good, so its bearable. Each map is unique and you get the traditional earth, fire, ice, etc. areas. Volt-Forge, is arguably the best region in the entire series. Graphics are excellent and the 4K 60hz mode looks wonderful on my 65” 4K OLED TV. HDR is the best it’s ever been on the console and visually, I think Metroid Prime 4 is one of, if not the best-looking game on the Switch 2. Music is good, but not the best. While you get some absolute hits from Fury Green and Volt Forge, the rest is kind of forgettable. Prime 1 and 2 have it beat in this area, but its not a blowout. Now let’s talk about what people have been saying online. People claim that the NPC’s ruin the game and that it’s linear. This game does not have an NPC issue like people say. The troops move the story forward, and that is needed in these games. Samus is a human living in a world with other people, so making connections and working with others is what she does. None of the troops were annoying and they added to the stakes of the plot. As for the game being linear, has anyone played the past 3 games? They are all linear with “exploration”, aka map design, making you forget it was. The number of times I back tracked in Prime 1 was insane, and that’s due to not being able to advance without specific items. So that’s my review, and honestly, this is a great game, even with its flaws. It does not reinvent the wheel, but we did not ask for that. It does feel like Retro had more in mind, but due to development issues, they had to set aside more ambitious things to get the game out. Still, we got a complete package where Samus looks and plays the best she ever has. Easily my #2 Prime game and I look forward to the next release, hopefully not 18 years from now. Rating 9/10. Read more
