Despite being first announced in summer of 2017, one of the Nintendo Switch's most highly anticipated exclusives, Metroid Prime 4, has yet to be released. Nevermind being available to gamers, the title has yet to show anything tangible outside of its brief E3 reveal trailer, which was nothing more than some familiar Metroid Prime music set to the backdrop of outer space, as the number "4" appeared on-screen to tease the return of the series.
Development on the game has been rocky to say the least, with Nintendo confirming in early 2019 that Metroid Prime 4 had completely restarted production. Development duties were handed over to Retro Studios, the team responsible for the original Metroid Prime trilogy back on the GameCube and Wii. This studio's involvement does renew faith in the project, as its work on the prior games was exceptional. However, there is one aspect of Metroid Prime 3 that the developers would do well to ignore, instead taking cues on what worked so well in the recent Metroid Dread.
Samus and Friends
It should be made clear, that Metroid Prime 3 is a great game overall, and one of the best from the Wii era. It's bombastic action set pieces were thrilling, and the added motion controls brought with it an increased sense of immersion while controlling Samus. While this worked very well and made for a blistering pace to the action on-screen, it was a double edged sword in terms of what makes the Metroid series special as a whole.
Metroid is celebrated for its emphasis on atmosphere and feeling of isolation. Metroid Prime 3, perhaps because of the more active motion controls, instead focused on action and excitement. While it certainly pulled this off well, it results in a game that feels fundamentally different to other titles in the series, especially the two Metroid Prime games which preceded it.
Adding to this was the increased number of NPC's that Samus would cross paths with over the course of the journey. There are more scenes of military forces combatting the same threats which Samus tangles with, with players often being smack dab in the middle of huge firefights straight out of a Call of Duty set-piece sequence. Once again, these were executed fantastically, but seeing other helpful characters and friendly faces so often completely adds a sense of security and removes the palpable sense of unease past games are lauded for.
Uncomfortable Sense of Dread
Speaking of a sense of unease, the most recent installment in the franchise, aptly titled Metroid Dread, understands this element perfectly. There isn't a single moment throughout the experience where players feel like they can let their guard down. A large part of this is attributed to the terrifying EMMI robots stalking the environment, relentlessly pursuing Samus, similar to how the Nemesis functioned in Resident Evil 3. This focus on tension and a consistent sense of unease has helped Metroid Dread rake in positive review scores, and even a nomination for Game of the Year.
Metroid Prime 3 has its place in time, but in order to keep this momentum going and continue to work on what makes the series tick, Retro Studios should build upon the foundation of Metroid Dread. If anything, Metroid Dread possibly looked to the first two Metroid Prime games for cues on how to nail atmosphere through music, tone, and visuals.
During the Nintendo Switch generation, the company has shown a pattern of stripping down each of its respected franchises down to its simplest elements, and going back to basics. Breath of the Wild emphasized exploration and discovery, returning to the more open-ended gameplay of earlier titles. Super Mario Odyssey was a non-stop platforming romp, oozing with charm and harkening back to the glory days of Super Mario 64. If Metroid Dread is any indication, hopefully Metroid Prime 4 will follow suite by zeroing in on an adventure that prioritizes subtlety over spectacle.
Metroid Prime 4 is in development for Nintendo Switch.