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Metroid Prime 4: Beyond was, unfortunately, not the return many were hoping for when it finally arrived on Nintendo Switch consoles in 2025. After five years in development at Retro Studios, the original makers of the Metroid Prime series, fans were greeted with annoying side characters, a bike for Samus to roam the barren landscape on, and a deeply unsatisfying ending.
It’s a shame, considering how beloved the Metroid Prime series has been since the first title’s 2002 debut for the Nintendo GameCube. Many franchises were jumping from 2D to 3D at the turn of the millennium, and there were plenty of failures — but Metroid wasn’t one of them. The two sequels would enhance how players control Samus with powerful weapons and a multiplayer mode, but the 18-year gap between Metroid Prime 3 and 4 left players expecting something special.
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond’s average reception left fans wondering where the series can go next. It’s admittedly strange that Metroid Prime 2 and 3 have yet to debut on Nintendo Switch, either through the Nintendo Online service or as remasters.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake has just dropped for Switch 2, and seeing Nintendo leverage one of the best games of all time for a modern take has given us an idea: let’s give the Metroid Prime trilogy the remake treatment, taking inspiration from Capcom’s efforts with Resident Evil.
To Prime and Beyond
From 2002’s Resident Evil remake to the more recent successes with Resident Evil 2 & 4, Capcom has managed to recreate the feeling and survival horror tropes of the originals while modernizing the gameplay.
Whether it’s the constant tension of being stalked by a Terminator-like Mr. X in 2019’s Resident Evil 2, or the palpable paranoia you feel exploring in Resident Evil 4 — the skin might be new, but the bones are undeniably “Resi.”
Even recently-announced Resident Evil: Veronica — whilst a remake of 1999’s Code: Veronica — looks set to be a brand new take that evokes the feeling of the original game, but brings it into the modern era.
Prime 4 felt like a game out of time. Sure, it looked the part, but it felt decidedly like a GameCube game. So why not take a leaf out of Capcom’s book, apply their “recapturing the vibes” mindset for a Metroid Prime Trilogy Remake, using the Prime 4 engine as its foundation.
2023’s Metroid Prime Remastered showed off the venerable title with better textures and widescreen support, but a remake powered by the fourth game’s engine could showcase the opening and Tallon IV in a whole new light.
Similar to 2002’s Resident Evil Remake with the Spencer Mansion, places would feel familiar but fresh, thanks to updated graphics, better sound, and support for HD Rumble 2 that could help the player become more immersed in the game. And of course, you can change a few things to play off people’s expectations.
If Nintendo is feeling brave, the reimagining could even begin at the end of Zero Mission, which is set just before Metroid Prime. Controlling Samus with all her abilities, facing off against Mother Brain in an area not seen in 3D, could be a great introduction to old and new players, as well as giving the opportunity to remake an area from a previous title. Then, players could escape to Samus’ ship, with the ability to pilot it to the Orpheron ship, where Prime begins.
The Return of Metroid Prime Multiplayer
A remake (or remakes) would obviously mean a big step-up in graphics and gameplay across all three games, but it could also herald the long-awaited return of its multiplayer mode from Metroid Prime 2, something that Metroid Prime 4: Beyond bizarrely left out.
Up to four players could take part in one of two modes here – Deathmatch and Bounty Mode, which had players compete against one another by collecting coins to win matches. There were four arenas to choose from, with an additional two to unlock when players got far enough in Prime 2’s single-player mode.
It was a fun time, and its absence in Prime 4: Beyond felt like a big miss, especially with the prospect of playing this mode online with others and using the Switch 2 features like Game Chat.
A remake could fix this injustice, and even expand on the concept by offering new multiplayer modes alongside maps based on locations from across the Prime series. You could even add a co-op mode for the campaign, and a horde mode for co-op fans to enjoy online too.
Give Samus the Itchy Tasty Treatment
As it stands in 2026, the Metroid series feels adrift once more. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond will be lost to the sands of time, a mediocre entry in a series filled with bangers. As the latest Nintendo Direct eagerly showcased Donkey Kong, Zelda, and plenty of third-party releases, Samus was notably absent. Sure, she’s just had a game, but it’s hard not to be nervous after the drought that Metroid players had to suffer in the 2010s.
Capcom was in a similar lull after 2012’s disappointing Resident Evil 6, a bloated and confusing entry that made players fear the end of the series. But the seventh entry, alongside the Resident Evil 2 Remake in 2019, breathed new life into the franchise, which has proved as tough to kill as any of Umbrella’s bioweapons.
Metroid’s fate feels equally in the balance right now, and in a world where game studios are closing down and rivals like Microsoft are shrinking their focus to big-hitter franchises, Nintendo could easily let Metroid fall back into obscurity. Refocusing on what makes the series iconic is the key to its success, and modern remakes of the originals might just be what they need to rediscover that Metroid magic.
There are some easy wins out there to keep fans engaged; it’d still be great to see more games appear on the Nintendo Online service, like Metroid Prime 2, and we’d love more 2D entries after the excellent Metroid Dread, but nothing hits like Prime, and Prime isn’t hitting right now.
If not, then I fear Samus will be riding her Vi-O-La into the sunset, deep within the barren wasteland of Sol Valley for the foreseeable future.
