**This review may contain minor SPOILERS**
Watch the SPOILER review on YouTube
After an almost twenty-year hiatus, the “Metroid Prime” franchise returns. And while the latest game takes what has worked and refines it, it only makes a handful of changes to bring the series into the modern era.
For those hoping that this game would move the series into the open world format the way the “Zelda” games have recently, be prepared to be disappointed. The gameplay is mostly like the previous “Metroid Prime” games, featuring various zones that are standalone but loosely connected. Here, they add a massive dessert area that functions as a hub to all the other areas. This does help make the planet feel more well-realized, with the different zones feeling like actual locations on this alien world. And while travel is generally a breeze thanks to the nifty new motorcycle that is introduced early in the game, the multitude of sand dunes can get fairly bland, especially considering there’s not really all that much to discover.
As far as the plot goes, it may by the weakest part of the game. Aside from Samus once again dealing with a dead or dying race, there’s not much sense of urgency to deal with her predicament or to help these beings. And important plot information is so casually dropped that much of what’s happening can easily go over your head. It doesn’t help that there’s a lot of convoluted lore to this franchise and if you’re not too versed in it, especially considering the gap between these games, some of the big reveals will leave you scratching your head.
If you’ve played the other games in this series, you already know what to expect from the gameplay. (But don’t underestimate the concept of using the scan function on everything if you’re hoping to 100% complete the game since Retro Studios is notorious for slipping in missable scans.) The game adds quite a few “psychic abilities” for Samus. However, most of them are just her normal abilities with the word “psychic” added to them. The new control beam is pretty cool but ends up only having limited use in combat. Also, while the motorcycle is a solid addition, it actually plays way less of an impact on completing the game than the tutorial would lead you to believe. On that note, the tutorial typically tells you how to properly use your abilities and weapons, but sometimes you’ll suddenly find yourself needing to pull of a new move, only to realize the game never explained how to do it. (Some of the motorcycle abilities for example. I had to google them since they game failed to let you know how, and a few other things aren’t that intuitive.)
The game looks good overall, with nice level designs and attention to detail that makes everything feel lived-in. The soundtrack is pretty great, and the voice acting is good for what is called for. The NPCs are a mixed bag. They’re fleshed out just enough to start to care about them, but not interactive enough to feel like they’re more than just set dressing a lot of the time. But the biggest drawback is Samus’ lack of communication. She has no dialog, and she often replies to important questions from her comrades with either just on nod or sometimes even just a vague stare. It makes her come off like a bit of a jerk and it the other character seem beneath her.
Overall, “Metroid Prime 4: Beyond” is another fun entry into series, but it only marginally brings the franchise into the modern age of gaming. While exploring the zones and finding new gear to let you reach new areas is fun, slow load times and a bit too much backtracking starts to suck the life out of things.
*** out of *****