One of the most anticipated games for the entirety of the Nintendo Switch lifecycle has been Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. After its announcement in 2017, development was restarted under the original trilogy’s developer Retro Studios. Unfortunately, that means the game that was announced the same year as the original Nintendo Switch still isn’t out as that console’s lifecycle is about to end. Now that the game is finally ready, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is still coming to Switch, but with Switch 2 a mere two months away, Nintendo announced this week that the game is receiving an enhanced version on Switch 2.
On top of crisper visuals, the Nintendo Switch 2 version of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond provides the option of playing in Graphics mode or Performance mode. Graphics mode delivers 4K resolution at 60 frames per second, while Performance mode grants 1080p HD visuals running at a smooth 120 frames per second. My hands-on demo uses Performance mode, showcasing Switch 2’s ability to reach sky-high framerates with even visually demanding titles.
My brief demo shows off a gorgeous cutscene with Space Pirates attacking a Galactic Federation base. A ship swoops down, firing off a couple of shots at enemy crafts before landing. Samus emerges from the ship and my playthrough begins.
After navigating the destroyed facility using Samus’ various moves like her Morph Ball and Scan ability, I encounter my first enemies. Samus can fire her energy beam from the hip, or you can more finely aim by holding the left trigger down to lock on a target, then use motion controls to target with more specificity. I’m not the biggest motion controls fan, but this became my preferred way to become hyper-accurate with Samus’ attacks.
However, as many shooter fans know, the most accurate way to aim is using a mouse. On the Nintendo Switch 2 version of Metroid Prime 4, you can turn your Joy-Con 2 on its side at any point to seamlessly use the mouse functionality with no need to enter any menus to change your control scheme. The little touch of not needing to take yourself out of the action to change your control scheme feels magical, and whether I was playing Metroid Prime 4 or Super Mario Party Jamboree, I was consistently impressed by the mouse’s accuracy and reliability.
After blasting through a few waves of Space Pirates, completing a Morph Ball sequence where I dropped bombs to open a path above a room full of enemies, and targeting specific areas of doors using the aforementioned motion-controlled aiming, I enter into a boss fight against Aberax. This hulking beast fuses with a Metroid and unleashes energy blasts and shockwaves Samus’ way.
Thankfully, Aberax has obvious weak spots, which I target using the left trigger and the motion controls. While locked on, I can also dash to the side with a button tap. As the shockwaves come my way, I can use Samus’ double jump to launch over attacks or transform into her Morph Ball form to avoid airborne shockwaves. After taking some damage, I begin to worry I might not take down the monster. Thankfully, as I destroy Aberax’s weak spots, some health pickups spawn. I can run up and grab them, but that would open me up to attack. Instead, I charge Samus’ beam, which also attracts nearby items.
After a straightforward but somewhat tense battle, I finally take down Aberax and a final cutscene plays with the powerful bounty hunter Sylux showing up and launching an attack of his own. Shortly after that, my demo ends and I’m mad I have to wait at least a few months before I can play more.
My time with Metroid Prime 4: Beyond was brief, but I exited my demo completely wowed by the experience. This segment is presumably right at the start of the game, but I was completely entranced by the action on-screen. I already thought Metroid Prime 4: Beyond was one of the most promising games of 2025, but after playing through this sequence, it’s not even a question that it’s one of my most anticipated of 2025.
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond arrives on Switch 2 and Switch later this year.
