Metroid Prime 4: Beyond opens upon a massive battle as Samus comes to the aid of Federation troops. The action-packed sci-fi spectacle wouldn’t be out of place in a Halo game, signaling a very different take on the Metroid series. But while it accurately signals some degree of departure from traditional Metroid Prime games–particularly with a greater emphasis on interactions with Federation characters and combat–the vast majority of Prime 4 is a well-crafted sequel that delivers on what Prime does best. The result is a satisfying long-awaited return that is excellent at capturing the Prime fundamentals, but hit-or-miss when it experiments with new ideas.
The massive battle that serves as the opening tutorial is between the Federation and a loose assemblage of Space Pirates, under the leadership of Sylux–a rival of protagonist Samus Aran who has been seen before, but not featured so prominently. Sylux is controlling Metroids somehow, but for the moment, the Federation’s main concern is securing an ancient artifact before it’s taken by Sylux’s forces. When things go extremely wrong in that mission, the artifact transports Samus to Viewros–a dying planet whose sentient beings, the Lamorn, passed away untold years ago. Samus quickly finds a Psychic Crystal that imbues her with the ability to interface with Lamorn technology. It becomes apparent that Samus isn’t alone–Sylux appears to have been transported here too, along with pieces of Federation tech and personnel. You’re all trapped on this dying rock together, unless you find a way out.
However, recordings reveal that the Lamorn see the bearer of the Psychic Crystal as a “Chosen One,” a savior for their people, in a sense. It’s too late to rescue the Lamorn, but they wish to preserve their history and culture, and so they’ve prepared a Memory Fruit for the Chosen One to carry off-planet with the aid of their Master Teleporter. This aspect of the story is appropriately melancholic: You can’t save the Lamorn people, but you can preserve what mattered most to them. So your mission is twofold: Carry the Memory Fruit to another world, and in doing so, get access to their teleporting technology that can save you and the other stranded Federation troops. Commence video game adventure.
This sounds like an exciting start to Metroid Prime 4! It’s great to see Samus back in action, especially in such an intense setting. Looking forward to seeing how the game unfolds!
Absolutely, it really sets the tone for the game! The opening battle not only showcases Samus’s skills but also hints at the larger conflict unfolding throughout the storyline. It’ll be interesting to see how the gameplay evolves from this intense start!
I completely agree! The opening battle really highlights not just Samus’s skills, but also the scale of the conflicts she’ll face throughout the game. It gives players a taste of the action and stakes right from the start, which is exciting!
Absolutely! The scale of that opening battle really sets the tone for the rest of the game. It’s impressive how they blend intense action with the atmosphere of the Metroid universe. I’m curious to see how this theme of teamwork evolves throughout the story!