Metroid Prime 4 review, release date, and voice cast: Samus returns in Beyond with confident design and a few modern surprises

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is finally here, launching December 4 on Nintendo Switch with a day-one update and broad praise for atmosphere, level design, and performance. After years of anticipation, the new Prime hits familiar notes—methodical exploration, scan-driven lore, puzzle-gated traversal—while making a handful of contemporary concessions that streamline early progress and help the game run well across hardware.

Metroid Prime 4 release date, platforms, and performance

The game went live on Thursday, December 4, unlocking at midnight local time in most regions for digital buyers. Physical copies share the same date. A launch patch (Ver. 1.1.0) accompanies day one, smoothing bugs and tightening UI/controls. While Beyond shines on newer hardware, testing shows the original Switch holds up better than expected, with stable performance in dense areas and smart cutback choices that preserve art direction.

Quick facts

• Release: December 4, 2025

• Platforms: Nintendo Switch (with an enhanced version available on newer Nintendo hardware)

• Genres: First-person adventure, sci-fi exploration

• Update: Launch patch Ver. 1.1.0 available at release

Metroid Prime 4 review: how Beyond plays

The opening stretch establishes the tone fans remember: minimalist storytelling, dread-tinged corridors, and ecosystems that loop back on themselves as your toolkit grows. The map design funnels you toward readable goals without over-explaining, then expands into layered hubs whose shortcuts only click once you’ve internalized environmental language—cracked panels, color-coded energy conduits, and tell-tale sound cues.

What stands out

• Tactile combat. Charged shots, missiles, and contextual counters feel crisp, with enemy tells that reward patience over spray.

• Puzzle cadence. Locks, lifts, and energy routes teach rules clearly, then remix them in multi-room chains that pay off with satisfying traversal upgrades.

• Readable backtracking. Route signage and map stamps reduce friction without sacrificing the joy of “aha” returns.

• Audio world-building. Industrial echoes, creature calls, and a restrained score amp up loneliness without drowning out exploration.

Where it stumbles

• Linear early hours. Veterans may find the first arc more guided than classic Prime, with fewer optional detours until mid-game.

• Scanning trade-offs. Streamlined logs are great for momentum but occasionally sand off the weirder, more esoteric lore beats.

• Boss tuning spikes. A couple of mid-campaign fights lean on pattern memorization that can feel abrupt if you’ve over-indexed on stealthy play.

How long is Metroid Prime 4: Beyond?

Expect roughly 15–20 hours for a focused first clear, stretching to 25–30+ hours for methodical explorers chasing 100% suit upgrades, logs, and optional encounters. Completion times will vary with how aggressively you backtrack as new traversal tools unlock.

Voice: the new Samus and casting notes

Beyond introduces a new voice actor for Samus Aran, credited for vocal performance while a separate performer handles motion capture. Delivery is understated—brief, purposeful lines rather than chatty exposition—preserving Samus’s iconic reserve. Elsewhere, a few recognizable voices appear in the supporting cast, lending gravitas to mission control snippets and archival logs without overwhelming the series’ signature quiet.

Exploration tools and progression

You start with a lean kit that broadens at a steady clip: mobility enhancers, elemental modifiers with situational use, and scanning upgrades that deepen environmental reads. The design avoids front-loading too many permanent powers in the prologue; instead, the mid-game blossoms as layered spaces demand creative chaining of movement, timing, and resource management.

Upgrade flavor without spoilers

• Traversal: Snappier vertical options that keep combat arenas dynamic.

• Combat: Elemental synergies that alter enemy states and open critical windows.

• Discovery: Map intel tools that reward curiosity without trivializing hidden paths.

Accessibility and quality-of-life

Control remapping, aim-assist options, motion toggle, subtitle and HUD scaling, and clear color-contrast modes help a wide range of players tune the experience. Tutorial prompts are concise and can be toned down after the first hours. Fast travel remains sparing—Prime purists will appreciate the emphasis on earned shortcuts rather than instant hops.

Verdict: a confident return that respects your curiosity

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond succeeds where it matters most: in the feel of slow-burn discovery, the elegance of looping level design, and the texture of a world that reveals itself one scan at a time. The early linearity might polarize series diehards, but the game opens up meaningfully, and combat/puzzle variety hits a satisfying stride by the campaign’s middle third. With strong performance on older hardware and a tasteful refresh to Samus’s voice, Beyond reads as both a culmination and a reset—proof that Prime can still be deliberate, modern, and unmistakably itself.

Play if you love: atmospheric sci-fi, interconnected maps, and quiet mastery over spectacle.
Skip if you need: open-world sprawl, constant loot fountains, or heavy cutscene storytelling.