Metroid Prime 4: Preview is out

In many ways, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond looks poised to live up to the Prime series' lofty reputation for producing some of the best FPS games of all time. Its satisfying shooting and smooth movement are a constant joy, while the intriguing and mysterious world of Viewros kept me scanning everything. Ultimately, I'm confident that Beyond will be a good, and possibly even better, game when all is said and done.

But my time with Beyond made me a little nervous. The new psychic powers didn't grab me, and the speaking tone seemed at odds with the Prime Minister's focus on isolation and environment. Those concerns weren't enough to overshadow everything that worked so well, but they did suggest that it's too soon to tell if everything fans have been waiting for will happen, especially with so much that's still a mystery.

We finally learn a little more about the story of Beyond

samus getting new powers in metroid prime 4

My preview begins right at the beginning of Beyond, with Samus responding to a trouble call regarding a mysterious device called an artifact, which the villain Silax is planning to steal. I've already played and had a blast with this segment on the Nintendo Switch 2 experience earlier in the year, though it's even more polished after spending over half a year in development. You feel and control it as smoothly as you'd expect, and it wasn't long before I was back to morph balling and charge beaming to my heart's content.

As well as reminding me how satisfying Prime's first-person shooting and exploration mechanics are and how well Retro can keep cinematic moments with isolated exploration, this intro sequence finally gave me a bit more context in the game's story. After the Silux attack Tanamar, the artifact is damaged and suddenly transports Samus to a mysterious new world called Vauros, where a nearby endangered race called the Lamorn crowns her the “Chosen One”.

Samus' prophetic status (which is really only a day in the life at this point) results in him being gifted with a psychic crystal that is embedded in his helmet, upgrading his suit with a snazzy purple design and giving him new psychic powers. With those powers, he is tasked with collecting the five keys scattered across Vyros to activate the Chrono Tower and find a way back home. Lamorne aside, I was surprised at how basic the fetch quest setup is, and I hope there's a little more to the adventure we've all been waiting for Samus.

Beyond's shooting is still excellent, but its tone may not gel with fans

Samus fires her arm cannon at the invading aliens in Metroid Prime 4.

After receiving her psychic upgrade, Samus finds herself in a new forest area called Fury Green, where the rest of my time with the game was spent. Fury Green is gorgeous, mysterious, and gives off exactly the kind of vibes you'd expect from Prime, with lots of strange creatures and objects to scan (now done with a bit of a psychic flair) and then shoot them to pieces. It also gave me a taste of the first new power, the Psychic Glove, which Samus uses to collect energy orbs that can be used to open doors.

Considering how much potential there is in psychic powers, it's a muted start for one of Beyond's big new additions. My concern grew when Samus ran into a new, rather talkative trooper and a Samus fanboy called Mackenzie, who then chatted up the rest of Fury Green and brought down the alien world vibes significantly.

I'm not the biggest Metroid diehard and find Mackenzie charming in her own creepy way (something I hope people say about me). But after years of hearing how brilliant Prime's knack for silence was, I was left wondering where the constant ringing in my ears and where most of my time would go in my pursuit of Fury Green. It's one way that Beyond is trying to modernize Prime's formula, and I can't imagine it going over well with many fans – especially after the success that Zelda saw at the risk of leaving players to their own devices.

It's unclear if Mackenzie will stick around for the rest of Prime 4, but he suggests that he and Samus become “teammates” after you meet him.

It's too early to tell if Fury Green proves to be the masterpiece we've come to expect.

Metroid Prime 4 - Nintendo Direct Motorcycle Trailer

Mackenzie may have put a dampener on what really sucks in the world of Beyond, but my concerns for my psychic abilities were put to rest a bit with another ability. A second Psychic S Up Beyond Sleeve allows Samus to control a charged shot and fly like an Arkham Asylum batarang. Although I had less time with it, I still used it in more interesting ways than Psychic Glove. Its uses run from the mundane, like opening a door by shooting at it, to the clutch, like taking down a creative boss by hitting all of its weak points at once.

The final plant battle of Fury Green and the discovery of the first Chrono Tower key marked the end of my all-too-brief time with Beyond. But before concluding, I was given a quick chance to see if I had missed anything. This quick look at Fury Green's map underscored my biggest concern for Beyond – even after a bit of a rush to get to the end, it seemed like I didn't miss a hidden passage or an opportunity to use one of my shiny new powers. I'm sure I've probably missed something somewhere, but I wasn't left with the sense of exploration and discovery that the series has made its name from.

From what I've played, Fury Green seems like an extended tutorial to ease players into the psychic abilities and general progression of Prime, so it's hard to get a read on how the rest of the game is stacking up. I loved the satisfying shooting and immersive world that ensured I'd be there on day one, but much of what I saw left me with more questions and concerns than answers, especially with the complete absence of bikes and seemingly deserted open fields. I'm not convinced that Metroid's possibilities are endless, and they're not currently out there.