Metroid Prime 4: Beyond did not deliver the comeback many fans expected when it reached Nintendo Switch consoles in 2025. Developed by Retro Studios after five years of work, the game was criticized in the source material for its side characters, Samus’s bike sections, and an unsatisfying ending.
That response contrasts with the reputation of the original Metroid Prime trilogy. The first game arrived on Nintendo GameCube in 2002 and successfully moved the series from 2D to 3D. Its sequels expanded Samus’s abilities and introduced multiplayer, but the 18-year gap between Metroid Prime 3 and Metroid Prime 4 raised expectations for the next installment.
With Metroid Prime 2 and 3 still unavailable on Nintendo Switch through Nintendo Switch Online or as remasters, the idea of revisiting the trilogy has gained appeal. The recent release of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake for Switch 2 is presented as another example of Nintendo modernizing a classic game.
The proposed approach draws on Capcom’s Resident Evil remakes. Those projects recreated the atmosphere and core design of the originals while updating their presentation and gameplay. A Metroid Prime Trilogy remake could follow a similar path, using the engine from Prime 4 as a foundation while retaining the identity of the earlier games.
Metroid Prime Remastered, released in 2023, already improved the original with updated textures and widescreen support. A full remake could go further by reworking the opening areas and Tallon IV with modern visuals, sound, and features such as HD Rumble 2. Familiar locations could remain recognizable while receiving new layouts or other changes designed to surprise returning players.
One suggested possibility would be opening the remake at the end of Metroid: Zero Mission, which takes place shortly before Metroid Prime. Players could control Samus with her abilities intact, confront Mother Brain in a 3D setting, and then escape to her ship before traveling to the Orpheron ship where Prime begins.
A remake could also bring back the multiplayer from Metroid Prime 2. That mode supported up to four players in Deathmatch and Bounty Mode, in which participants collected coins to win. Prime 2 included four arenas, with two more unlocked through progress in its single-player campaign.
Modern online features could expand that foundation with additional modes and maps inspired by locations across the trilogy. The proposal also includes cooperative campaign play and a horde mode, although neither feature is confirmed for a future Metroid game.
The article argues that Metroid currently feels uncertain after the mixed response to Prime 4: Beyond and Samus’s absence from a recent Nintendo Direct focused on Donkey Kong, Zelda, and third-party releases. It compares the situation with Resident Evil’s recovery after the poorly received Resident Evil 6, which was followed by Resident Evil 7 and the Resident Evil 2 remake.
Alongside remakes, the source suggests that Nintendo could keep interest in the franchise alive by adding more games, including Metroid Prime 2, to Nintendo Switch Online and producing further 2D entries after Metroid Dread. However, it maintains that a modernized Prime trilogy could be the most direct way to restore the series’ appeal.
Sources: Space.com.