Although it is not the new The Legend of Zelda or the new Super Mario, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is positioned as an important entry not only in the saga, but in Nintendo's catalog for a year that will be marked by the appearance of new hardware. Both due to the circumstances in which it is presented and the characteristics of the franchise itself, we are about to have a video game that could bring a series of important changes around its environment. Over the past decade we've seen how a certain sequel can breathe new life into its games and studio, like The Witcher 3 or Baldur's Gate 3. It's been quite a few years now, and Metroid is one of those series that never quite had the impact on the public that it deserves. I think now is the time.
Not only do we have to wait to see if it will finally live up to expectations, especially considering the recent return of the first Metroid Prime. It is also an important time to pay attention to certain aspects, changes or opportunities that the arrival of this Metroid may present. Here you have at least six key points that I think about when I consider the importance of the launch of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond.
Transition.
A certain game has to be there. In every backwards compatible generation change, someone has to be in charge of serving as a bridge. The fact that its first trailer made so many people doubt that it is a release for the successor of Nintendo Switch, since it will also be released in the same year, makes it, unless a big surprise happening, the title in charge of carrying the weight of the judgment and scrutiny of the public most obsessed with the technical aspect. I am very sure that Metroid Prime 4: Beyond will hit stores before the new console does, and it also has a long development cycle that must necessarily be focused on a console fleet that is close to becoming the largest in history. That is to say, although there is the possibility that it will look or run better on the next hardware, it is the mission of squeezing the Nintendo Switch to the maximum that falls on Samus Aran's next adventure.
Cultivating the First Person Shooter genre.
As part of its ongoing effort to be a company for all audiences, Nintendo has always tried to cover all genres. From every sport there is, to RPGs, or educational video games. When it comes to games that include more explicit violence, that's where Miyamoto and company have more reservations. Even to enter the online competitive shooter genre, they pulled out their particular ingenuity, pulling out of their sleeve something as suitable for all sensibilities as Splatoon. Samus Aran needs to shoot, destroy and volatilize aliens, it's a shooting game, beyond having a particular architecture in the map, or using platforming mechanics. It's Nintendo's opportunity to settle down and feel more comfortable with a style of game that for them can be "adult", thus being able to open the doors to different developments.
Bridge to other types of public.
In relation to these two previous points, and although Nintendo is not going to jump into the void of cutting-edge technical power now, there is obviously part of the public that always expects that “a little more” on a technical level, and even a more realistic aspiration in the artistic aspect. That public may be on other platforms and not be able to find a compelling reason to enter the Nintendo's catalog. Perhaps they understand that they can have a good time with the company's classic titles, and have experienced the Breath of the Wild phenomenon as a spectator, but need something more similar to what they have experienced on their PlayStation or Xbox. It is not about competing directly or making comparisons, but about broadening the spectrum and opening up to an audience that is accustomed to other types of emotions.
Trust in others developers.
Bandai Namco was at least two years behind the development of Metroid Prime 4, when it was still a simple logo. By 2025, Retro Studios will have had six years to work on the new installment, and during the first five years they don't seem to have been under pressure to show too much about the game. Since the jump to HD, Nintendo executives have expressed their concern on several occasions about the increase in both time and cost of development, and this is clearly one of the most risky in this regard. The comfortable financial situation of the company must have helped this, but for a development team, also Western and external, the fact that Nintendo places its trust in its know-how for such a risky bet, I'm sure it makes those who collaborate with the Japanese company breathe easy. We recently saw Nintendo approach Acquire for the latest Mario & Luigi: Brothership, but it's still hard to tell if the outcome has been positive for both parties. As early as April of this 2024 year, James Montagna, from WayForward, defined working with Nintendo as an experience that changed the way you create video games. If you also add to this a business vision that creates an environment of trust, without fear of losing your job or pressure from the excels of investors, then we all win.
Nintendo's new expansion.
Continuing with the above, Nintendo has had various experiences in the past when collaborating with the Western market, but times seem to have changed. Just compare the first Super Mario Bros. movie with the current situation, even collaborating with Sony to give Link flesh and bones on the big screen. They no longer depend so much on false promises from companies like EA or Ubisoft, who in the days of Wii or Wii U seemed to come to solve an audience problem that perhaps never existed. Now Nintendo is in a position where it can control what it does while dealing with Western companies that want to collaborate with it. The world of Metroid is a material that, if everything continues on the same course, will inevitably reach a different audiovisual format soon, either as a series or a movie, sooner or later it is something that should happen, and in large part it will depend on the new Metroid Prime.
Last but not least: the fans.
Metroid fans have had their ups and downs over the last twenty years, but it cannot be said that they have been on the priority list of those in Kyoto. What's more, the brand does not even have its own tab if we go to the main MyNintendo website, something that a foreign franchise like Monster Hunter did have for a long time this generation. If the new Metroid deserves and has the fan response that it should have, perhaps it will also mark a turning point for Nintendo in the way it approaches those franchises that do not guarantee to fill its coffers like others, Not only because there are millions of people loyal to these games, but because Metroid Prime 4 has the opportunity to change the entire perception of Metroid.
