4 things we want in Metroid Prime 4

We’re excited. We aren’t afraid to admit it. When Nintendo revealed that it was working on Metroid Prime 4 back in 2017, we were beyond ecstatic. Yes, a few years have come and gone since that time, and Metroid Prime 4 has even seen a complete restart in development, but that doesn’t mean we’re any less excited. With 2020 already offering a slew of great games, we wanted to sit down and talk about one we hope to see make a debut this year, and then take that a step further by offering up 4 things we want to see in Metroid Prime 4.

A more open world

Okay, we’ll get this one out of the way quickly, because it’s a pretty big ask. Now, we’re not talking about a real open world here like Breath of the Wild. While this would no doubt be an interesting way to play Metroid Prime 4, we feel that the game would benefit more from a semi-open world that still offers the same type of progression system as the original titles.

Part of what draws players to Metroid is the sense of progression that comes as you explore each area, gaining access to new abilities, discover shortcuts, and just looping through the different areas trying to complete each section. All around it’s a fairly gated off sequence, and we just want to see a bit more exploration available at the start.

This could be accomplished by giving players multiple ways to start off. Instead of having a single linear path that leads to a specific upgrade, give players a few ways to start off and go. This could happen by giving players a couple of different planets to explore, or even offer them a few different “landing points” to start the game off. Either way, it could give a nice bit of variation at the start and could even open up additional bits for speedrunners or return playthroughs down the line.

This idea could even be continued later on by giving players more “crossroads” to choose between, giving them at least a little bit more control over how and when they choose to explore certain areas.

Don’t make us start over completely

While we’re at it, let’s bring up another big ask. If you’ve played a Metroid game in the past 30 years, then you’ve already experienced the typical formula. Start out with a barebones suit and collect various upgrades as you explore the different areas. You collect your Morph Ball, you collect your Missiles, you get the Super Missiles, the High Jump Boots, and so on down the line until you’ve amassed a collection of different gadgets, gizmos, and suits.

Imagine if you start out with all the basics in Metroid Prime 4. You already have missiles; you already have the Morph Ball. Then, as you explore the new world, you start to uncover new gadgets and items to make use of; new types of suits we haven’t seen in the series before. It would still provide the same sense of progression that has made the Metroid games so endearing to fans, while also giving you new items to master and unlock.

Bring back that isolated feeling

One of the biggest driving factors that drew us to the Metroid series was the feeling of being isolated. Like you were the only person in the world. It was this sense of isolation that provided dread at key moments in the series, and even as you began to grow more powerful, it helped to make you feel like a true badass—which is exactly what Samus is, let’s be honest.

The original Metroid Prime captured this feeling so well, and we’d love to see a renewed focus on it in Metroid Prime 4. Of course, we’re not exactly sure how things will work just yet—if the game will continue to build off the story from the Prime Trilogy or if they’ll take things in a completely new route. Either way, if Nintendo can recapture that feeling of isolation in Metroid Prime 4, it will be a huge win as far as we’re concerned.

Of course, for anyone who has played the original Prime Trilogy, the true ending of the third game, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, introduced us to Sylux, a bounter hunter who hates Samus and the Galactic Federation. Sylux was later explored a bit more in Metroid Prime Hunters. While some believe that Sylux will play a large part in Metroid Prime 4, it’s still unclear exactly what Samus’ story will entail this time, which leads us to our next point.

A complete reboot of the Prime story

Okay, listen, we’re all excited about the idea of a new Metroid Prime game. What we don’t want, though, is a shoehorned attempt to revive the Metroid Prime Trilogy storyline, which effectively came to an end 13 years ago. Yes, Metroid Prime’s overall storyline was great, but we’d rather see Nintendo explore something new this time around than try to build up from what was explored before.

Years have come and gone since Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, and a lot of the players diving into Metroid Prime 4 probably won’t have a firm grasp on that story. That’s where starting over comes into play. If Nintendo can approach it as if it is a new storyline entirely, it will give the studio more room to work with things, instead of having to stick to conventions introduced in the early 2000s. Don’t get us wrong, we’d love to learn more about Sylux, but the first return to the Metroid series in over 10 years shouldn’t have any attachments to previous entries.

As you can see, we’ve got some pretty big ideas for Metroid Prime 4. Of course, nobody knows what the game is going to entail just yet, or what storyline it’s going to follow. We’re excited and intrigued to learn more when Nintendo shares it.

Josh Hawkins

Guides Editor

Joshua holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and has been exploring the world of video games for as long as he can remember. He enjoys everything from large-scale RPGs to small, bite-size indie gems and everything in between.