The recently-released Metroid Prime 4: Beyond saw a middling critical reception, its open world-styled hub has ended up having an interesting behind-the-scenes story. In a new interview with Famitsu (as caught by Nintendo Everything), developers of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond have revealed that Nintendo was not willing to backtrack on its decision to feature the open-world hub, despite the perception of open-world games having seen many changes since the decision was first made.
Since the title was announced back in 2017, it had likely been in development even before that. The fact that it has gone through a number of development reboots over the years leading up to its release last month has been no secret.
In the interview, the developers noted that the success Nintendo saw with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild played a big role in defining the game structure of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. This, they noted, was despite the Metroid franchise’s traditional game structure where players would gradually find new ways of exploring, opening the world up further. The developers pointed out that this structure would be counter-intuitive to having an open-world game like Breath of the Wild. Ultimately, the hub area was decided on as a compromise between Nintendo and the developers to mix in both styles of level design.
“At the start of the project, perhaps due to the influence of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, we saw a lot of comments on the internet saying ‘we want to play an open-world Metroid’,” said the developers. “However, Metroid’s core element of ‘increasing the amount of explorable areas by unlocking powers’ is not very compatible with the ‘freedom to go anywhere from the beginning’ of open worlds. Thus we thought to design a limited area that could be freely explored, and have that be a hub that could connect to other areas. Then we thought that if one could move around on the bike in a satisfying way in that area, it could be a segment that mitigates the tension from exploration, and paces the whole game.”
The fact that attitudes towards open-world games had changed since all the way back when Metroid Prime 4: Beyond was first announced was a major sticking point, however, owing to the fact that the title went through a long and arduous development cycle. Since development had already seen at least one reboot, “backtracking development again was out of the question, and we resolved to move forward with our original vision,” said the developers.
“During this time, shooting games and action games went through evolutions, with an increase in game speed in particular, but taking in those changes would have made it difficult to construct the tempo of an adventure game, so we actively chose to not take them into account. Therefore, I think this game is pretty much divorced from the changing of times.”
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is available on the Nintendo Switch and the Switch 2. For more details, check out our review.
It’s interesting to see how Metroid Prime 4: Beyond drew inspiration from Breath of the Wild. Open-world design can really enhance exploration and player engagement. It’ll be exciting to see how fans respond to these new elements!
Absolutely! The influence of Breath of the Wild on Metroid Prime 4: Beyond really showcases how successful open-world design can enhance exploration and player freedom. It’s fascinating to consider how these design choices might impact gameplay experiences and player engagement in the long run.
I completely agree! The blend of exploration from Breath of the Wild with Metroid’s lore can create a unique gameplay experience. It’s interesting to see how developers are experimenting with open-world designs to enhance storytelling and player engagement.
a unique gaming experience. It’s interesting how both games prioritize player freedom and environmental storytelling. I think if Metroid Prime 4: Beyond finds a way to balance those elements, it could really enhance the overall gameplay.
Absolutely, the emphasis on player freedom really sets both games apart. It’s fascinating to see how Metroid Prime 4: Beyond incorporates exploration in a way that encourages players to interact with the environment, similar to how Breath of the Wild does it. This could open up new possibilities for storytelling and gameplay mechanics in future titles!
the developers are blending elements from different franchises to enhance gameplay. The open-world design in Metroid Prime 4: Beyond allows for exploration in ways that weren’t possible in earlier titles, which could attract a broader audience. It’s exciting to think about how this influence might shape future games in the genre!