Metroid Prime 4: Beyond's Graphics Are Already a Huge Upgrade

Summary

In the Spring 2024 Nintendo Direct event, the long-awaitedMetroid Prime 4finally received an announcement trailer and a subtitle:Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. First announced back in E3 2017, Beyond will finally arrive exclusively on Nintendo Switch consoles sometime in 2025. No specific release date has been revealed yet.Metroid Prime 4: Beyond’s announcement trailer wasn’t just to show thatMetroid Prime 4was still being worked on, however. It additionally showcased a bit ofBeyond’s gameplay and modernized graphics.

Metroid Prime’s Graphical History

Metroid Primehas long been a beloved 3D, first-person take on Nintendo’s signature science fiction franchise. First introduced in 2002 withMetroid Prime 1on the GameCube, theMetroid Primeseries features several differences between its side-scroller counterparts beyond the first-person perspective.Metroid Prime 1featured a heavier focus on Samus Aran’s storywith the first entry focusing on her battle between Phazon-mutated creatures and theMetroid Primecreature. It’s also the most realistic depiction of theMetroiduniverse, becoming one of the most graphically intensive games for the GameCube with dynamic lighting, gasses, water, and, of course, Samus’ iconic HUD.

Metroid Prime 1quickly became one of the GameCube’s best-selling titles and, by 2004,Metroid Prime 2: Echoeswas released for the GameCube once more. Graphically, Echoes looked similar toMetroid Prime 1with a few improvements to the game’s fidelity and animations. TheMetroid Primeseries received its most graphically impressive title yet withMetroid Prime 3: Corruptionin 2007 for the Wii. Here, players were witness to more complex character designs, such as the alien bounty hunters Gandrayda, Ghor, and Rundas with each having dynamic animations within their own bodies. Beyond characters,Corruptiondisplayed some of the most dynamic space battles in the franchise, with several detailed frigates and fighters flying among planetary waves and wormholes.

Metroid Prime 4_ Beyond Tag Page Cover Art

Metroid Prime Mobile Games and Remastered’s Graphics

TheMetroid Primeseries would take a 16-year-long break from releasing new mainline entries on home consoles after the release ofCorruption. Before that break appeared, however, thePrimeseries was brought to the handheld medium for the first time with 2006’sMetroid Prime: Hunterson the DS.Hunterswas a different take onMetroid Prime’s graphical achievements, with a more pixelated and simple design akin toHalf-Life 1thanMetroid Prime 1. Graphically poor handheld entries continued with2016’sMetroid Prime: Federation Forceon the 3DS. Following thePrimeseries’ 20th anniversary,Metroid Prime 1received an updated, high-definition visual overhaul in 2023 for the Nintendo Switch in the form ofMetroid Prime Remastered.

A remaster ofMetroid Prime 2: Echoesfor the Nintendo Switch is rumored to be in development since at least 2023.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond’s Graphical Potential

Metroid Prime 4: Beyondis the first game in the series to be built from the ground up for the Nintendo Switch. With the console having produced other graphically captivating and impressive games, such asSuper Mario OdysseyandLegend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Beyond has the potential to be the greatestMetroidgame of all time in regards to its visuals. While theannouncementtrailer forMetroid Prime 4: Beyondwas short, it’s already shown the graphical power the Switch could bring to theMetroid Primeseries.

The setting ofthe Galactic Federation Research Facilitylooks incredibly realistic with rock-filled canyons, a cloudy sky with a few rays peeking through, and engrossing smoke and flames from explosions. Samus herself has never looked better with her classic Power Suit in its most detailed and complex depiction yet. Even the classic space pirate enemies no longer look like cliche cartoon villains and appear as intimidating as any alien seen in other sci-fi games such as the Covenant inHalo. Perhaps the most visually stunning entities inMetroid Prime 4: Beyondso far are the titular Metroids themselves with their transparent bubble-like heads showing their brains and spinal column in spectacularly gross fashion.