Eight years on from its initial announcement, the long-awaited Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is now just a month from launch — and today, fans can watch a fresh trailer.
Due to launch on December 4, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond remains mysterious, with Nintendo keeping details of its much-delayed first-person shooter largely under wraps.
Exactly how it picks up the story of the Metroid Prime trilogy, 18 years later, we have no idea. All the areas Samus will visit? Not a clue. Chozo lore? Dark Samus? Phazon? Other bounty hunters? Time will tell. (Though, as of September, we know Samus somehow has a motorbike.)
This year, in particular, has seen Nintendo fans fret over the continued wait for more information, and rumors of a delay spread as the wait for a release date dragged on. Glimpses of the game to date have not prompted an outpouring of excitement, either, with a fairly mixed response to the Switch 2 event demo (to be fair, a linear and not overly exciting section from the game’s opening) and brief showing in September’s general Nintendo Direct.
Fan eyebrows have been raised, too, by the apparent lack of marketing dedicated to the game. Where Kirby Air Riders has been featured in two lengthy dedicated Nintendo Directs, Metroid Prime 4 has had none.
But there is still time for the Metroid Prime 4 hype machine to kick into gear. And now, 30 days from launch, fans are celebrating today’s new trailer doing just that. While there are no standout reveals in the video, it does an entertaining job of showing Samus in action, highlighting baddie Sylux, and revisiting more of the game’s setting: the planet Viewros.
“Trailer felt like, ‘Yes, we’ve heard you all about the marketing. Please have this,'” wrote Metroid fan Jawmuncher on ResetEra. “I approve. This is a trailer I could use to sell someone on the game. The last trailer I could not unless they REALLY like motorcycles.”
“Finally a good trailer,” agreed AppleKid. “Still want to know more but this trailer at least isn’t hype deflating like the last 2. Game looks great!”
But still, there are calls for a dedicated Metroid Prime 4 deep dive, via a dedicated Nintendo Direct. “Kirby Air Riders got two,” noted Khanimus. “The game people have been actively anticipating since it was announced 8 years ago probably should get one.”
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond launches for Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 next month.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
