Nintendo fans are unhappy about a $30 Metroid Prime 4: Beyond amiibo figurine that lets you turn on your motorbike’s radio.
As previously announced, the Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Samus amiibo unlocks a range of in-game features, including an energy shield that blocks 99 damage — limited to one use per day. But fan discussion has now centered on the fact this amiibo also unlocks a jukebox feature for Samus’ Vi-O-La motorbike, which allows you to hear other themes from the game.
Discussion around the rights and wrongs of Nintendo providing extra features for amiibo owners is nothing new, and dozens of Nintendo games include exclusive additions for people who own associated figurines (or borrow them from friends). Additionally, in this case, there have also been a number of inaccuracies shared over the radio’s usage, with some reports incorrectly stating that it includes otherwise exclusive music, or that the bike’s main Sol Valley area is silent otherwise.
It’s true that the Sol Valley’s etheral, ambient music is relatively sparse — the desert-like area is meant to be a wasteland, after all, and a notably different environment from the game’s main areas that Samus once again explores on foot.
Still, some fans have suggested that it would have been nice to have the option of turning on the in-game radio without buying a $29.99 toy, which — while a familiar argument for Nintendo games with amiibo-exclusive features — seems fair enough.
“Couldn’t they have given us that jukebox mode in the first place instead of having us buy an accessory to unluck said jukebox mode?” wrote Nintendo fan knightedwolf851 on reddit. “Spending more money on a game we already bought for 70-80 bucks?”
“Honestly, if the DLC is something that doesn’t effect the gameplay and story then I’m fine with this,” countered another fan, Kerrpllady. “It is a cosmetic that doesn’t impact the game. (Unlike the the Skyward Sword teleport, which I think that mechanic removed some decision making from the game anyways.)”
“30 dollars to kill the intended ambiance? Okay then,” quipped a third fan, The_Pepper_Oni.
i genuinely think the desert would have been at least 3x better if they had put some BANGING music behind it. But it just feels so…vapid #MetroidPrime4 pic.twitter.com/xqCAPxBgWP
— André (@AndreSegers) December 3, 2025
IGN has a full guide to Metroid Prime 4: Beyond’s amiibo functionality, rewards and unlocks, which also include a distance traveled counter and extra Vi-O-La paintjobs. Previously, we reported on the game’s Sylux amiibo figurine that allows you to watch a specially edited in-game cutscene that otherwise requires 100% completion.
“Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is an excellent, if relatively uneven, revival that reaches heights worthy of the Metroid name in its best moments,” IGN wrote in our Metroid Prime 4: Beyond review, scoring the game an 8/10.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
