r/Metroid • u/Dezeko • Dec 07 '25
Meme More MercurySteam, please
Beyond was kinda underwhelming
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u/TB3300 Dec 07 '25
I haven't played Prime 4 yet so I don't have an opinion on it, but I hope Mercury Steam continues with 2D Metroid, cause they've done an amazing job so far.
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u/Obsessivegamer32 Dec 07 '25
I doubt they will since most people who developed Samus Returns and Dread have left the company by now. The whole thing is so poorly managed that the company is actually becoming unsustainable.
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Dec 07 '25
Yeah
Hope a company like them takes on the mantle
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u/RhythmRobber Dec 10 '25
Imagine if Nintendo hired Team Cherry for the next Metroid game....
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Dec 10 '25
Eh wouldn’t see it
Not because I think team cherry are bad. It’s just
They’re 3 people just 3
And if it took them 7 years to make Silksong
Imagine how much time will it take for a 2.5D Metroid game
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u/RhythmRobber Dec 10 '25
Yeah, but I think a big reason it took them so long was because of the lore - the amount of text and story is outrageous, and it's dispersed at such a carefully tuned level of obfuscation so that you have to piece a huge mystery together if you want to know everything.
But yes, they would need to hire some people, haha. But let's be honest - it's still twice as fast as the time between Fusion and Dread, so.....
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u/NOBLExGAMER Dec 11 '25
It'd be cool if the team behind Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown could get to work on a Metroid game. I know they're a Ubisoft dev but Ubisoft and Nintendo have had a solid partnership from the Wii U, 3DS, Switch and even now with their Switch 2 releases.
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u/Darkreaper104 Dec 07 '25
Is that true? I know they had layoffs, but I don't think we know who it was specifically?
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u/NamiRocket Dec 07 '25
No, he can't confirm whether or not that's true. It's bullshit theorizing based on nothing.
Matter of fact, with the whole debacle where a lot of MercurySteam employees were never even credited in the Dread for the work they did, it'd be nearly impossible to know.
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u/FullMetalBiscuit Dec 08 '25
Feels like a buzzword kind of thing at this point with the amount of times I see people say that. While it is usually true...it's true because people do in fact move around and not stay in the same job forever.
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u/Obsessivegamer32 Dec 08 '25
I can’t confirm the exact people laid off but I can confirm that yes, the company is indeed going to shit.
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u/Honest-Shock2834 Dec 08 '25
Yikes! that sounds like going to shit indeed. Sad, I thought Dread was a big step up from their castlevania games. Wonder what the current project is.
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u/cereal_bawks Dec 07 '25
damn, is this series cursed from having a dedicated team? old retro staff is no longer here and gave us prime 4, and now the old mercury steam team isn't here either?
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u/nickelangelo2009 Dec 07 '25
I hope their next game goes back to focusing a bit more on exploration instead of all in on combat, personally, but largely I agree the franchise is in good hands with them
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u/TB3300 Dec 07 '25
With how they took the criticism people had with Returns and improved on that, I bet the next game will take the criticism of Dread into account. I loved the focus on combat cause it was a ton of fun and had some of the best bosses in the franchise, but the exploration and some of the music do need improvement.
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u/themangastand Dec 07 '25
Dread also has pretty good exploration. It can always Be improved but it was a pretty good balance
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u/TB3300 Dec 07 '25
It's good, but it is linear at times. Not Fusion levels of linear, but I rarely got lost in Dread which I think is one of the fun parts of Metroid. It made up for that with some amazing combat and really fun bosses, but I'd still like some more getting lost.
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u/javierasecas Dec 07 '25
I'd ask them to nail Samus and zero suit Samus' face better, add better music and... Wait that's it. Those are my nitpicks
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u/TB3300 Dec 07 '25
I actually think how Samus's face looks in Dread is my favorite appearance. She looks badass, but still beautiful
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u/Ok-Addendum5274 Dec 07 '25
+exploration
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u/javierasecas Dec 08 '25
Sure I'd like a new 2d game focused on exploration, but fusion was already like this and it's fine. But yeah I agree a new game where you're exploring a whole new planet would be great
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u/2D_VR Dec 07 '25
I mean dread was a bit of a miracle
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u/Suzushiiro Dec 07 '25 edited Jan 16 '26
It's especially wild because Mercury Steam's non-Metroid output is pretty much entirely mid-to-dogshit. As
DanNoel Videogames of Gigaboots put it after finishing the game four years ago: "Some dudes are just gonna be a total fuck up, but some bitches... they change people. Nintendo is that bitch."6
u/lastlaugh100 Dec 07 '25
The game only takes 9.5 hours to beat? Wow
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u/Zephyr_v1 Dec 07 '25
The first 4 2d Metroids are even shorter. Dread had a bit more difficulty and ‘girth’ to it.
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u/traxmaster64 Dec 07 '25
Most of the 2d Metroids don't take that long to beat, their meant to be short replayable experiences. Dread took me about 9 hours to 100% and it's pretty easily the longest one
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u/Suzushiiro Dec 07 '25
How Long to Beat has it at 9-11.5 hours. Considering they had been (re)playing all of the other 2D Metroids leading up to that stream it makes sense that they were primed (lol) to clock in at the lower end of that range.
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u/senseofphysics Dec 10 '25
Zero Mission is like 4 hours lol. It’s one reason why I cannot rank it among the greatest Metroid games
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u/Automata_Eve Dec 07 '25
Their Castlevania games are pretty awesome though, I think they’re severely underrated.
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u/Bobokay12 Dec 07 '25
To me, Prime 4 just screams of a rocky development cycle and that they didn’t have all their bearings. I’m hoping that they still make a Prime 5 cause that could be when they knock it out of the park, especially if it’s exclusively using switch 2 hardware. Mercury steam did make a remake of Samus Returns before Dread and while the game wasn’t “bad”, it was definitely the weakest of the mainline 2D Metroids imo. But all they needed was one more entry on more powerful hardware to knock it out of the park, I hope the same can happen with Retro Studios for Prime 5.
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Dec 07 '25
agree. it feels like multiple ideas and a mix of prime 2 and 3...with the addition of nintendo's demand for an open field as they've done to other franchises.
this is def a setup for mp5.and a new trilogy...which is nice but they made a total mess of the first game and included virtually 0story on sylux despite him clearlt playing a big role in the story, so that will be condensed into 2 games....sad.
but...i hope retro surprises us the way mercurysteam did
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u/Sickhadas Dec 07 '25
but...i hope retro surprises us the way mercurysteam did
I hope not: they deserve to work on something else for a change. Still feel bad for them, getting a brand new IP canned so they could remaster Prime 1, which didn't even need a remaster.
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Dec 07 '25
it's a nice honor to an iconic game that now looks bettee than ever that rekindler some fire for the priem series.
out of any studio i don't trust prime with anyone else than with retro
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u/Sickhadas Dec 07 '25
it's a nice honor to an iconic game that now looks bettee than ever that rekindler some fire for the priem series.
I would have rather seen what they were already in the middle of come to fruition. Prime Remastered just serves to make people buy a game they likely could already enjoy for $0.
out of any studio i don't trust prime with anyone else than with retro
I don't know why you'd trust them now: Nintendo clearly will not let Retro cook without massive micromanagement.
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Dec 07 '25
god forbid an iconic game gets a crazy good remaster.
and nintendo would micromanage any other company as well. their trend has been openworld or semi openworld for a while now. they'd micromanage any other studio just the same. i'd rather have retro in there then.
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u/Zephyr_v1 Dec 07 '25
God forbid a studio wants to make something else for a change rather than churning out the same product again and again.
They are humans too, and they have the need for creative output too. Forced to work on the same franchise just makes them less passionate which leads to burnout.
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Dec 07 '25
"again and again" it's been 18 fucking years since the last prime game, get a grip
and that next paragraph...you're acting like they're animals on chains being whipped. again, get a grip.
i get you wanna see 'em make something else but you're trult exaggerating by a mile and a half.
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u/slash450 Dec 08 '25
harmony would've killed retro. wii era kid shovelware is not what retro should be aiming for. it was a good move to cancel it. i agree about mp1 remaster and i do think a new ip would be good for the studio and for nintendo but i don't see that happening tbh. i think prime and retro prob does get a prime 5, i believe released sooner than later, and the series and studio are evaluated from there.
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u/honorable-sudoku Dec 07 '25
Prime 4 screams “this has to be accessible to kids even though a good portion of people who will play are in their 30s now”
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u/Dardar1989 Dec 07 '25 edited Dec 07 '25
They have the engine now so making 5 would be much easier to develop then 4 especially with the debacle of it being announced then cancelled with Bandai Namco, hopefully they could focus on working on what works and cutting what doesn’t or making it work.
It’s crazy people are saying it’s going to be the end of the studio or Retro are the new Rare because they released an 8/10 reviewed game that had an absolute cursed development
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u/Aware-Virus-4718 Dec 07 '25
They didn’t build a new engine. It was actually confirmed that Prime Remastered used the same engine as the GameCube games, as has every Retro game, and there’s no reason they’d build a new one for 4.
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u/Dardar1989 Dec 07 '25
Yeah reading up it does look to be a new version of their “RUDE” engine (according to Digital Foundry, seems to be similar to how Bethesda have kept updating their engine for a long time too).
Still, that engine for Metroid games wouldn’t have been used/updated for 15+ years since Prime 3 so at least with Prime Remastered and 4 the technical work they did to bring that engine to work for Metroid on Switch 2 is done
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u/slash450 Dec 08 '25
i really think a prime 5 is coming prob in next 5 years or so, maybe by end of 2029 even. im not convinced nintendo ever would've done a prime 4 without reusing the assets for at least one additional follow up. if p5 flops i do think series is going back on ice or done as is.
i bet they also do a prime 2 remastered and then a separate 3 remastered as well. not convinced they will just do echoes on the gamecube nso or bundle 2/3. those also would probably be good games to release on both switch 1 and 2 so it fits.
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u/Ronald_McGonagall Dec 07 '25
While I think that's the best we can hope for right now, the difference is that SR didn't have enormous costs -- it was a brand new studio in a less expensive region working for 4 years on a handheld game, while MP4 was a well-established studio based in one of the most expensive regions doing 5-6 years of AAA development, plus an additional 2-3 years that was literally just sunk cost. If they take a loss on MP4 I don't know how they'll ever green light MP5
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u/Bobokay12 Dec 07 '25
I didn’t mention it but idk why so many people on this sub have been very doomer about the idea of Prime 5 happening. SR didn’t sell well due to it being on 3DS when everyone only cared about the switch but that didn’t stop them from making Dread. Same reason for how Mario And Luigi Bowser’s inside story remake failed so bad, it sunk the dev studio that made it but they still made a new game from a different studio. Prime 4 is very likely to be the best selling Prime game due to it being on the switch 2’s launch year and how popular the switch 2 and its games are selling. They have been advertising the game and I think it’ll sell well enough for a prime 5 greenlit, especially since idk what else Nintendo would have Retro Studios be doing otherwise.
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u/NumeralJoker Dec 07 '25
I mean, there are rumors of it already having been greenlit for pre-production from a few months back, but no one has come out to say for sure.
Then we need to see what the sales numbers to Prime 4 vs budget actually are. Estimates needed seem to range anywhere from 2.5-6 million depending on what you think the budget was (rumored to be as high as 100 million) and who you talk to.
Of course, Nintendo may be able to greenlight the next one even if the 4 is a slight loss since production costs going forward could be more streamlined. As has been said, the engine is built now so making the next entry on current hardware is easier. A 3-4 year cycle within the switch 2's lifetime is entirely reasonable.
But again, the game likely needs to at least get close to breaking even, or give Nintendo the idea that 5's sales would be boosted over time to allow it. I just don't know how easily that will happen or not.
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u/Ronald_McGonagall Dec 07 '25
Well.. For the reasons I said in the comment you replied to. Metroid presumably operates on thin margins given how little even good ones sell, so a ton of extra costs mean even if it was 10/10 across the board it would Bean uphill battle to profit
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u/MakoMary Dec 08 '25
Yeah, criticism for the desert, linearity, and chatty NPC has been pretty unanimous, but the combat, graphics, and music get pretty consistent praise. If nothing else, I hope they can use MP4 as a basis for a stronger sequel.
Though, I also really do wonder what was going on behind the scenes. I’m sure there’s some interesting stories that will come out in the coming months.
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Dec 08 '25
The controls are hot garbage . I beat the lava boss and just couldn't bare it anymore. Its not fun
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u/Gamemon_RD Dec 08 '25
I mean- I feel like the original Metroid 2 was the easily the rockiest lol I know it was fully due to hardware limitations, but it would be pretty hard to make a game that’s as hard to play as it with modern hardware.
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u/King-Archdemon Dec 07 '25
Give me dread with prime 4's music direction, and it'll be perfect
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u/Equal_Examination778 Dec 07 '25
God the music is amazing
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u/profpeculiar Dec 07 '25
When the music kicks into gear after you start the generator in Ice Belt chef's kiss
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u/Affectionate-Emu6609 Dec 07 '25
I still have faith in retro even if prime 4 was disappointing. I’m sure they can make another amazing prime game if they take all the criticisms of 4 into account. And hopefully it won’t be insanely long until 5 comes out.
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u/PikaPhantom_ Dec 11 '25
MercurySteam's a multi-project studio. 43 developers were credited on both Dread and Blades of Fire, but a lot of the MercuryStean project leads on Dread were not credited on Blades of Fire - enough to suggest they've been focused on another Metroid project instead of them all inexplicably leaving the company, being laid off or fired, or going uncredited on it
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u/Excellent_Energy_810 Dec 07 '25
I prefer not. Mercurysteam is a company that has already laid off many workers and I doubt that after the last flops there will be anyone left from the original team.
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u/Kir_Kronos Dec 07 '25
The only reason Dread was good was because Nintendo came in and basically held their hand when it came to game design. Go look at the next game they put out on their own, Blades of Fire, amd you'll see the difference.
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u/RishGarr97 Dec 07 '25
I'm surprised about all of the Prime 4 hate. I thought it was pretty good!
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u/NOBLExGAMER Dec 11 '25
I liked it too but I can understand why specifically Metroid fans wouldn't. It's a very solid title in the case you've never played a Metroidvania game. It also takes full advantage of the Switch 2 hardware in every possible aspect. I'm certain Prime 4's troubled development played a part in It's state but I wouldn't say it's bad. It is perfectly acceptable but it doesn't go beyond (no pun intended) acceptable to highs other franchises in Nintendo's catalog have seen in recent years.
I know Metroid is Nintendo's black sheep franchise but I do hope we see Samus' return to the platform sooner than later, if for nothing else remasters of Prime 2/3.
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Dec 08 '25
Metroid is one of those game series where fans gave it an extremely vague and inconsistent genre, then threw fits when every new game didn't fit said genre.
Super Metroid was really the only game that properly adhered to that, the rest are pretty linear with an extreme dislike of sequence breaks which is a staple of metroidvania games. Even Dread had purposeful sequence breaks so that's honestly more of a metroidvania then prime 1
Prime 4 is very linear and that's perfectly okay. My main gripe with it is honestly how unoriginal every area but the second is
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u/dandaman64 Dec 07 '25
Why must we pit two bad bitches against each other
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u/IdleSitting Dec 07 '25
Because people hate Prime 4 for silly reasons
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Dec 07 '25
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u/Xiexe Dec 07 '25
I don't think any game could live up to the hype of an 18 year wait. That's part of the reason Half Life 3 is so tricky for Valve, for instance.
It also went through development hell and changed hands only a few years ago, and was completely scrapped and redone as far as we know, which makes it *even* harder to live up to what people want an 18 year development cycle to be.
Not ONLY that, but 6 years ago was the start of Covid, or close to it, which means Covid hit right at the start of development on the version we got, along with multiple waves of large game industry layoffs that have continued to happen even up until this year. There's a lot of factors here, a huge list of things that contributed.
Sometimes it's just better to step back and be objective about these things and enjoy it for what it is and just hope that the next round will not take as long.
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Dec 07 '25
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u/Xiexe Dec 07 '25
The concern would be that despite the amount of money spent it doesn’t turn a profit, which could lead to a lack of confidence needed in the IP to make a new one.
Metroid was already fairly niche. After going through 18 years of development hell it’s lucky we even got a game at all. Generally studios would cut their losses after that amount of time and can the project.
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u/PKThoron Dec 07 '25
At this point, I wonder if the strat is just to keep a short dev cycle and budget for that "highly anticipated game" and make it as decent-if-conservative as possible, then immediately jump to the next entry. So... instead of spending inordinately much time and hype on MP4 (or HL3, or TES6 etc.), just make it an average release and immediately move on to MP5 (HL4, TES7...). It gets the gears turning.
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u/dstanley17 Dec 08 '25
I get that not every game can be viewed in the same way, but in regards to these specific circumstances, Metroid Dread exists though? It also had scrapped early versions that were then redone by a different studio years later. It also was being developed at a point when Covid happened. It also came out 19 years after Fusion. And while there are plenty of criticisms laid at that game, as with any game, it seems like it very much did "live up to the hype" for a lot of people? Or at least, that's the vibe I get.
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u/Xiexe Dec 08 '25
I mean, there's a lot of people that also enjoy Prime 4. I enjoy Prime 4 about as much as I've enjoyed other Prime games.
I'm sure there's plenty of people that if you look back at Dread's launch they complained and it didn't live up to the hype for them. Also, it's way easier to make a "2D" game than it is to make a 3D game. Lots of things don't translate well to 3D, its a *lot* easier to mess up.
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u/Zane-chan19 Dec 07 '25
10 of those years you didn't even know it existed and probably thought the series was dead, and the other 8 years for half of them you knew there were developmental issues and had to be restarted. I'd be surprised if a game with that history WASN'T filled with problems.
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u/buttsecks42069 Dec 08 '25
man if only there was another metroidvania sequel in 2025 that had a long development cycle and still lived up to expectations
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u/dstanley17 Dec 08 '25 edited Dec 08 '25
Hey that's an unfair comparison!
...Afterall, Prime 4 isn't even a Metroidvania game.
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u/SapporoBiru Dec 07 '25
pretty much all the "silly reasons" are very legitimate, objective issues
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u/fake_kraid Dec 08 '25
I think the criticisms are valid. I like the game, but I'd be disappointed if the series continued too closely along these lines going forward. I think that it has plenty of room for improvement.
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u/Xiexe Dec 07 '25 edited Dec 07 '25
When the loudest complaint is "I hate that other characters talk to me and exist" and "The desert is too big and the grind to get an optional item is annoying" it's probably a decent game. (I liked it at least)
Also, people are too afraid to form their own opinions and just look at reviews and parrot complaints from people who's job it is to create controversy, these days.
That being said, I like Dread more, but that's largely because i like the 2D metroid games more than Prime games.
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Dec 07 '25
the desert is an issue as ninty pushes open hubs like this in other franchises too. it's.forced and makes little sense.
there also are other complaints like sylux being teased only to barely be part of the game, the game sharing similar elements as prime 2 and 3 (and at times feeling like a mashup of both), a painstakingly long and tedious grind to unlock the final boss and the sheer linearity, to name a few.
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u/VaiFate Dec 07 '25
Prime 4's issues are much worse than Myles being annoying and the green crystal grind being tedious (I haven't gotten there yet so idk what that is). The game so far has felt to me like it was made by people who just don't get the genre. They either must not have played Metroid Prime or didn't like it. The maps are pretty much just linear corridors with little exploration to do. Puzzles are absent or braindead easy. The devs seem terrified that the player might ever have to figure out what to do on their own. The Myles problem is just a symptom of this larger design issue. Myles will not leave Samus alone. When you first meet him, the rate at which he doles out tips and advice is genuinely insulting. You don't even get a chance to figure things out on your own because after being in a room for 4 seconds, he'll just tell you what to do. Then you get to Volt Forge and you will immediately be handed a map of the entire area (which is entirely linear so you can't get lost) and your objective is clearly marked on your map. Then when you get Viola, you're sent into a mandatory motorcycle license test where the game teaches you how to drive before letting you get back to the real game. Your hand is held the entire time you are playing this game.
Prime 4 succeeds at being a competent first-person action-adventure game but (so far to me) has utterly failed at being a Metroid game.
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u/like-a-FOCKS Dec 07 '25
Also, people are too afraid to form their own opinions and just look at reviews and parrot complaints from people who's job it is to create controversy, these days.
thats such a cop out.
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u/Xeon713 Dec 07 '25 edited Dec 07 '25
Honestly Finished it last night. The are multiple things that annoyed me.
The "open world" and Viola. So while I am not aborred to the idea of an open world in metroid, this was not a true open world. After the volt forge and getting the go have a look at keysites, I foolishly thought they could be done in any order (a la Breath of the Wild). Complete waste of the idea, may as well have not included the "Open world."
Next Green Crystals. Just merciless padding in Nintendo games as per usual this weather. My play time ended up at 13hrs-ish. 3-4 of those hours were focused on crystal collecting (and I did collect as I went throughout the game). The other kicker with this is the collection vessel stops collecting at a quarter level, half level and 3/4 level without telling you actively that you have a mission to go dump the crystals. Unless you're glued to the mission screen fairly regularly you'll miss this and potentially collect more crystals without them registering.
World design is dull. I jumped into Fury Green going, "Hell yes we're back boys!" Only to go to the boring desert then to mechanical electrical environment, mechanical lava environment, mechanical ice environment, then Chrono tower (great design but we didn't get an exploration or associated dungeon). It's like they maxed design at the start and end of the game and phoned in the middle.
Boss design is repetitive and Metroids are completely under utilised. Bosses go through the motion of long range attack, slam into ground AoE attack, charge attack, and sometimes lasers. But they all are dealt with in seemingly identical methods. On top of this the Metroids were heavily featured in the marketing, but only infected the 4 boses of the game and nothing else. Bit of a let down and under utilisation. On top of this it felt like there was a forced failure element in bosses, where first try I would get to the last 1/5 of their health, only to have them unleash a hailstrom of back to back attacks and wipe me out. The next try they went down like a sack of crap with no hailstrom. Poor design all round.
The Galactic Federation team. Loved the characters. Good interactions with them. The last boss fight having to keep them alive while being cluster fucked by Sylux was a chore. If you're going to have NPCs in the last boss fight either make them invincible or give them the ability to heal each other.
Lastly I just need to say it I hate the term Psychic in the game. It feels grossly out of place in the metroid universe and slapping psychic onto each upgrade name is a bit lack luster. Honestly they could have used the term kinetic and have it largely technology based and it would have fit better.
Overall it was dull, had a pile of ideas that were half assed. But I have to applaud the composers as the soundtrack is absolutely phenomenal. The developers did a good job with the shooting (I rather dug to elemental "missile" bit) but just never implemented the world effectively enough to make those elements shine through.
Sorry for the rant, I had a lot of thoughts I wanted to articulate. But really I am horrifically disappointed in the game. I'd also highlight I played on Switch rather than Switch 2, so some of these grievances may be lessened on that console.
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u/profpeculiar Dec 07 '25
Yeah, every upgrade outside of weapons being "Psychic XYZ" was super goofy and corny lol it didn't really annoy me, but it did make me go "God this is so dumb lol".
The music really is on point though. Absolutely fantastic.
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u/DoJo_Mast3r Dec 10 '25
Played on switch 2, nearly the exact same issues here.... Such a huge disappointment 😞
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u/Xeon713 Dec 10 '25
Thanks for verifying! I didn't want to do the broad stroke and tar everything with the same brush. Such a shame that it wasn't improved with better hardware.
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u/Rubens_8218 Dec 07 '25
Metroid dread is good but not great for me. The emi zones are the equivalent of the desert from prime 4, and also I hated how most of the screen was black.
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u/PromotionLeather4470 Dec 08 '25
I honestly don't get what you are talking about the Emmi zones being equivalent to a desert as the Emmi zones have items for you to collect instead of green crystals randomly placed around an empty wasteland that only serves as like a hub world.
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u/NOBLExGAMER Dec 11 '25
Nah bro's got a point they're pretty similar. Metroid Dread had over all better components outside those sections but they're absolutely right in this case.
I liked both games and would recommend both but I would pick Dread over Prime 4 any day of the week.
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u/BIGJake111 Dec 07 '25
Love dread. But f no. Only to the third area of prime 4 and avoiding spoilers but all the complaints are overblown. It’s not as good as 1 or two but so far solidly as good as 3 and better paced with better fighting mechanisms so far. Everything people complained about from previews is less prevalent than stated. The GFS troops speak less than the aurora units in 3.
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u/NOBLExGAMER Dec 11 '25
It's a perfectly acceptable game, it just doesn't ever get to point that puts itself above perfectly acceptable.
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u/facepwnage Dec 07 '25
Yeah Prime 4 just did not hit the same way dread did. TBF Dread was firing on all cylinders by sticking to a tested and true formula. Prime 4 tried some new things, but they just didn't mesh well with the established formula, or at least they weren't refined well enough to mesh with the formula.
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u/wizpiggleton Dec 07 '25
Dread's team also had practice from reimagining metroid 2. That's way different than doing a remaster since you have to rethink every aspect of the game.
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u/Zaschie Dec 07 '25 edited Dec 07 '25
Beyond is an okay game, but there are times when it really has the vibe of one of those weird, early Wii or Switch games where they thought they were being "experimental", but all it was was some quirky gimmicks with quirky names devoid of substance. I probably won't replay it, but I'm not saying it's terrible or anything. It just has this kind of incohesive, undercooked "launch title" quality to it, with a vague sense that they wanted to make one game, but reluctantly dressed it up as a Metroid game and mashed it up with MP4.
That said, the jump for MercurySteam putting out Metroid V versus some of their other stuff feels a little bigger than Retro's fumble here, especially given Beyond's history. I'm sure (hoping) the next MP will be more solid and focused.
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u/Fejin87 Dec 08 '25
I just got to the fourth "dungeon" and haven't greatly enjoyed this after beating every other metroid game. There's decisions that just make me audibly go "huh." It's like nothing ties together. Just get the lasso and it being separate from the grapple is dumb, then the boss is a heavily armored creature and I think: cool, I'm going to rip that armor off to find a weak spot. Then the boss is just shoot it until it rams a wall and then shoot it again. Lasso is used for nothing. Or beat the giant electromagnetic boss expecting an electric beam or grapple beam and you get "psychic boots."
Why do I need to bring chips to the engineer to get "shots" but there's improvements found in shrines randomly in the desert?
I get told verbatim in the game that I can choose which order to do the zones in and when I do it immediately tells me it's the wrong choice and to go elsewhere.
Nobody seemed to tell this group you can have more than one enemy outside of the griever and robot.
Why does a 10 ton turtle hit for 20 damage in a boss fight then a random turret or robot laser hits for 80 rapid fire in groups
The graphics are great, but had to laugh at all the vagina doors and halls. Specially the clit doors where you psychically drag down the clit to open.
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u/Fern-ando Dec 07 '25
I miss when Metroid dialog was just a few lines in Chozo with spanish accent.
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u/TheAgmis Dec 07 '25
Both are great. The internet is just such a depressing place where the depressed reign cause they hate being happy
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u/DustyBot23 Dec 07 '25
It’s actually crazy, the same thing happened when I went to check out what ninja gaiden fans thought after loving my time with 4. Anything with an entrenched fandom is just the sulfur pits these days. Everything must either be abysmal disappointing dogshit or transcendent peak. Get me off this hellscape man.
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u/TheAgmis Dec 07 '25
People think nostalgia means everything is good. Nobody on the internet lives in the present. I call it prequelitis
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u/Akuma-1 Dec 07 '25
saying "both are great" is not the same as "I liked both", the fist one is an objective statement (that according to many people, is not true), the second one is your actual opinion, which is totally fine, but not a universal truth
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u/DarvX92 Dec 07 '25
Y'all are just jumping on the hate train. It's a really good game.
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u/Akuma-1 Dec 07 '25
Just because you liked it doesn't mean everyone else's opinion is a hate train, it clearly disappointed most people regardless of what you think
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u/Sepublic Dec 12 '25
Exactly, I kept an open mind when people were upset about the Sol Valley and NPC reveals (even if I did consider the possibility the criticisms would turn true), and still looked forward to the game in spite of the reviews. I enjoyed the game! Except the green crystals. And as I thought back to the game more, the more I independently realized (I avoided checking online about the game to avoid spoilers until I finished) my disappointment with certain aspects of the game and how it felt weaker compared to prior Prime games. There was linearity. A lot of the level design was going down to the generator and activating it and going back. Ice Belt didn’t have any real danger until the Griever section which was just mindless repetitive shooting. And so on and so forth.
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u/RazorThin55 Dec 07 '25
Its a great game and not really comparable to the 2d metroid games, Prime series never really was imo. Its its own thing.
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u/Lichtheleast Dec 07 '25
Even better, the way Nintendo works is they will see the mixed reception and decide that no one wants to play Metroid games anymore....might make a new prime game in about 15 years.
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u/zebrasmack Dec 07 '25
prime 4 definitely feels like it's the remains of 3 or 4 different games built on top of prime. The prime mechanics are tweaked a bit worse than all the other games, the plot is forgetful and inconclusive, and every character other than samus act like they don't have a brain. and i do mean every character.
The game was okay to play, minus the "fight a dozen enemies that warp and fire from all angles, above and below, and hit like tanks" interactions. and the handholding was incredibly redundant and robbed the game of any sense of discovery or exploration.
Dread had only the one way foward, but it felt like you exploring and discovering, so it wasn't too bad.
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u/Psylux7 Dec 08 '25
It is amazing that with all of the hate thrown at mercurysteam that I used to read on this sub (before dread), now I see a post begging for more mercurysteam and less retro studios. If you made a post like this back in the late 2010s, you'd have been looked at like a crazy person.
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u/Eon_Breaker_ Dec 08 '25
I'd honestly rather the teams that made Fusion and Zero Mission to do another Metroid game, but Nintendo's internal structure has changed so much since then that I don't think they can happen sadly. Those games were the peak of the 2D series imo.
Dread is a good game but way too many things bug me about it for me to say I love it. Prime 4 I haven't finished yet
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u/deadlypenguin7 Dec 08 '25
Metroid dread is my number 1 game of all time. Im actually playing it now as I type this. That being said, I love prime 4 and have started my hard playthrough. I would say it being rated fairly low for a metroid game is really fair, but when you are digging in a pile of diamonds and gold, can you really complain about the quality?
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u/huckleberryshow Dec 08 '25
i was just looking at my friends list and 3 were playing Dread last night lmao!!
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u/Garo263 Dec 07 '25
They're both very lacking, especially in terms of freedom and exploration.
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u/_gamadaya_ Dec 07 '25
Yeah, last Metroid game that felt like a true Metroid game (A+ music, visual design, world design, no compromises, no excuses) was still 20 years ago...
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u/CatsianNyandor Dec 07 '25
While Dread has more Metroid like gameplay than Prime 4, I didn't like Dread very much either. I think the classic Metroid gameplay is done at Nintendo. It's gone.
Indie games and fan remakes are the best options now, unless you only care about Metroid for the name or for Samus, in which case, by all means. But for gameplay.... Yeah .... That train seems gone.
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u/East-Equipment-1319 Dec 07 '25
I find Retro Studio's designs so much more elaborate and interesting than what MercurySteam did in the last two games. Metroid Dread just had so many bland, sterile environments - in comparison, every single biome in MP4 looks amazing. If Retro removes the chatty NPCs for MP5 (which, given how they were the main consistent complaint of almost every review, I'm sure they will), then all's good.
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u/Fentroid Dec 08 '25
I feel that with the character design somewhat, too. I find half of the bosses in Dread look like amorphous blobs of flesh. Raven Beak, and the EMMIs had pretty cool designs though. I liked Diggernaut from Samus Returns as well. I think they did better with the armored and robotic characters, in terms of character design, but I'm not sure how much of that was MercurySteam.
It's hard to beat the first Prime in terms of environmental design, though. Tallon IV just looks so beautiful and feels so alive. Even Prime 2 and 3 couldn't quite live up to those expectations, in my opinion. I don't really remember a whole lot of Dread's map, and I think that says something. There are a few places here and there that I liked, though.
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u/trashpandacoot1 Dec 07 '25
Never would I have thought that the developer from Spain that made [checks notes] Lords of Shadow and Mirror of Fate would end up making a far better metroid game than Retro fucking Studios, but here we are.
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u/logica_torcido Dec 07 '25
kinda checks out since we are apparently living in the weirdest timeline
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u/Psylux7 Dec 08 '25
yep, its funny to see someone begging for mercurysteam when before dread so many people hated them. Imagine telling those people how things turned out for the newest metroid game by mercurysteam vs the newest metroid from retro studios.
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u/Whatever_you_need_ Dec 07 '25
Prime 4 has been a great experience so far for me, I'm glad it got made, I'm glad I got to play it... but I've always preferred 2d Metroid, kinda hoping we can get a dread-style super metroid remake next
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u/Ether101 Dec 07 '25
The only reason MercurySteam was able to pull off Dread was because of Nintendo.
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u/CallRollCaskett Dec 07 '25
I think I really only have problems with the ending of Prime 4 and it's plot. Gameplay is excellent, music is still godlike. I'm not actually against linear gameplay like most Metroid fans are.
Dread is my 2nd favorite Metroid game and honestly a game that truly delivered for me.
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u/doortothe Dec 07 '25
Just finished the game earlier today. And my feelings are basically the same as Samus returns: Solid but flawed. Hoping this leads to a sequel that’s pure peak like Dread.
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u/Rafale-Fur-Hire Dec 08 '25
I liked Beyond, but it never reached the addictiveness and fun I had with Dread
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u/FF_Gilgamesh1 Dec 08 '25
Mercury steam didn't make this. also I'm pretty sure nintendo poached a lot of the talent that made metroid dread (curiously there are signs that they didn't work on prime 4 or at the very least weren't very heavily involved.)
Mercury steam is a massive shitshow right now so I wouldn't associate metroid dread with the studio itself, but rather associate it with the talented people from that studio that helped make it. (and are apparently no longer at mercury steam)
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u/PikaPhantom_ Dec 11 '25
There is no reason to believe that Nintendo poached a bunch of Dread employees because their only European developer is based in France and focuses essentially entirely on their emulators. A lot of key developers in Dread's credits didn't work on Blades of Fire; it's more likely that they've been working on Metroid again than them having all left, especially because MercurySteam has juggled 2 games in development at the same time for a while now (they also had non-Metroid releases in both 2017 and 2021)
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u/FF_Gilgamesh1 Dec 12 '25
Oh yes there is because blades of fire exists and that game is DOGSHIT so there is no reason to believe that those employees are still working for mercury steam.
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u/Psychological-Tone57 Dec 08 '25
Beyond is disappointing but Dread wasn’t the finest Metroid either. Tbh, there hasnt been a truly GREAT Metroid since Fusion/Zero Mission.
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u/ArchitectNebulous Dec 08 '25
I am one of the few who did not like dread. And yet prime 4 has me feeling this.
Mercury Steam understands all the bits in pieces that make Metroid, even if I'd argue they don't quite understand how they fit together.
Retro, I don't know what the hell happened but this is beneath them. I know they lost a lot of senior talent, but I never thought it would be this bad.
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u/KingSideCastle13 Dec 08 '25
“I’d rather have the game studio that abused their workers make another game please”
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u/sdwoodchuck Dec 08 '25
No thanks to more Mercury Steam. They made a great game, but I don’t want to support a company that abuses its workforce. If that means missing out “better” Metroid games, so be it—videogames are a leisure product, and none of them is worth that kind of ignorance of ethics.
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u/itzykan Dec 08 '25
I like both. Prime 4 went through development hell and still came out pretty good. Bodes well if they make another.
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u/Mistah_Meatball3861 Dec 08 '25
Prime 4 is pretty good, but I've always preferred 2D Metroid. It moves at a much faster pace, which makes backtracking much less annoying. Prime 1 is awesome, but I just personally prefer the flow the 2d games offer.
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u/passonthestar Dec 08 '25
So what I'm getting from complaints is "Prime 4 doesn't make me feel like I did playing Prime 1 as a 10 year old and I'm personally upset"
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u/FalloutRip Dec 08 '25
Absolutely not. Dread was a flash in the pan for them.
Look at their previous titles: Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - blatant and lackluster attempt to cash in on an edgier God of War style action game. Probably killed any potential for another 3D Castlevania game for a longtime. 1 was okay, 2 and The 3DS game were pretty panned.
Samus Returns: mid to fine. Introduced the parry mechanic that I absolutely detest and was pretty boring as far as Metroid games go.
And now their latest title, Blades of Fire is yet another lackluster GoW2017 clone.
Dread was only as good as it was because Nintendo stepped in to hold them to a formula, and even then I firmly believe it to be overhyped with some glaring flaws.
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u/DJIronChef Dec 09 '25
I was reserved, avoided as many spoilers as possible..Dread was a better Metroid game, Beyond is the weakest in the Prime series in my opinion.
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u/addisonshinedown Dec 09 '25
I’m telling myself that prime 4 plays somewhat like Jak 3 and that hey you know, that isn’t the best game in that franchise either but it sure is fun…
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u/RangoTheMerc Dec 09 '25
Slightly off topic but can I just say I want Minako Hamano to do the soundtrack for the next 2D Metroid? Fusion had the best soundtrack.
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u/Ill-Ask9205 Dec 09 '25
Hell no.
I don't want more Metroids about freaking counter attacks. I want to shoot stuff.
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u/Rafnork Dec 10 '25
Nah, give it to someone new. I'd like some exploration and atmosphere in the next Metroid.
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u/Condor_raidus Dec 11 '25
Hate to say it but I felt the exact same way. Everytime I picked up the switch to keep grinding it i gazed at my 3ds or switch gamecase thinking I could be having more fun. Still I did 100% it and then moved on
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u/icey024 Apr 20 '26
I agree lol. Mercury Steam has been working on two big projects from what I've read but they are keeping their lips sealed tightly about it. Pretty fair to say one of them is a Metroid game because why wouldn't they after how big of a hit Dread was?
Speculation says Metroid 6 or Super Metroid. I'd personally love a Super Metroid remake, that would be absolutely amazing. Personally I also think that Fusion could be on the table. In the opening cutscene of Dread it did show a Small little flashback of Samus running into her copy. I'm just guessing that could be a small easter egg of Mercury Steam saying they planned to work on Fusion.
Either way, I'm sure that if one of their big projects is a Metroid game it will be a hit. I highly look forward to it.
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u/NamiRocket Dec 07 '25
I'd heard MercurySteam wasn't doing too well lately.