I can’t believe its been years since the last Metroid Prime was actually released and how long people have been waiting for this game! I stepped into the Switch 2 demo of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and was immediately struck by how seamlessly the game marries stunning visuals with rock-solid performance. Whether I chose Quality Mode (4K at 60 FPS) (which was not available at the demo) or Performance Mode (1080p at 120 FPS), the HDR environments—glowing caverns, mist-shrouded ruins—loaded in an instant and never stuttered. It felt like Prime as you’ve never seen it before, running at console-level fidelity without compromise.
What really stole the show for me, though, was the control versatility. In one smooth gesture, you can lay the right Joy-Con on a flat surface and it transforms into a precision “mouse” pointer; pick it back up and it snaps instantly into a standard joystick. After struggling to land shots on a fast-moving mini-boss with sticks, I flipped to mouse mode and suddenly my aim tightened up perfectly. It was so intuitive that I found myself wondering why every shooter doesn’t offer this option.
That said, I did miss having a quick thumbstick fallback while in mouse mode—there were moments during rapid dodges when a small joystick nudge would have worked wonders without fully committing to pointer controls. If Retro Studios adds a customizable dead-zone or sensitivity toggle for those quick adjustments, it could make the transition even smoother.
Beyond the combat, exploration feels more alive. The in-game map updates in real time, revealing secret passageways and puzzle rooms filled with missile upgrades and hidden lore logs. After unlocking the grapple beam, I backtracked through collapsed tunnels, only to discover new dust motes dancing in the light shafts and shifted enemy patrols that kept each revisit feeling fresh.
Every aspect of Samus’s suit and surroundings reinforces immersion. The Joy-Con’s haptic feedback buzzed when my beam overheated and reverberated with the recoil of charged blasts. Audio cues were equally impressive—footsteps clattered differently on metal catwalks versus soft moss, and a low synth hum in the soundtrack swelled whenever I drew near a hidden boss arena. Even the camera work stood out, with dynamic depth-of-field that shifted focus between close-up hazards and distant vistas for cinematic flair.
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond on Switch 2 isn’t just a graphical showcase—it’s a complete reimagining of exploration and combat. With its jaw-dropping performance, fluid controls, and environmental polish, it promises to set a new benchmark for the series when it launches next year.
