Nintendo launches long-awaited Metroid Prime 4 sci-fi blaster

PARIS - Fans of Nintendo’s Metroid science fiction saga have reason to celebrate on Dec 4 as the latest instalment in the series is released after an eight-year wait and a bumpy road through development.

Drawing loose inspiration from the Alien movies since its first title in 1986, the game series has followed the adventures of space bounty hunter Samus Aran in her battle with the extraterrestrial Metroids.

Over 15 instalments, the saga evolved from 2D platforming and exploration into a first-person action-adventure format from 2002, when the first Metroid Prime appeared on the GameCube console.

Now, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond will take players on Switch 1 or 2 to a distant planet they can explore on foot or by motorbike in Samus’ distinctive armoured suit.

Equipped with an arm-mounted cannon and a suite of psychic powers to overcome different challenges, players must blaze a trail through jungles or deserts as they battle enemies.

In a novelty for this instalment, players can use the Switch 2’s detachable controller handset like a computer mouse to look around the environment – making the game more comfortable for people used to gaming on a PC set-up.

Critics have largely welcomed the new game, with a score of 81 out of 100 based on 71 reviews aggregated by the Metacritic website.

That is a relief for Nintendo after its painful and rare decision to restart development from scratch in 2019 – 18 months after the title’s initial unveiling.

The Japanese giant’s first take had “not reached the standards we seek”, Nintendo development lead Shinya Takahashi said at the time in a YouTube video.

Nintendo instead handed the job to its US-based development house Retro Studios, which created the first three Metroid Prime titles.

The years flying under the radar for Prime 4 meant it joined longed-for future titles like Half-Life 3 from Valve and Beyond Good and Evil 2 from Ubisoft among game fans’ white whales. AFP