Nineteen years is a long time to wait
Metroid Prime 3 came out in 2007. Let that sit for a second. Samus has been on ice almost as long as some of the people buying this game have been alive. So when Prime 4 finally boots up, there's a weight to it. That first scan of an alien corridor, the iconic visor rain effect, the low hum of the suit systems. It lands. Personally, I felt something a bit embarrassing close to relief.
For Switch 2, the game looks properly sharp. The environmental detail in the opening section is the kind of thing you stop and stare at when you should be progressing. Combat feels tighter than Prime 3 ever managed, and the isolation of exploring alone, methodically, still holds up as a design philosophy.
Who this is actually for
If you played the original Prime trilogy and still think about those games, this is almost certainly for you. The loop of scanning, backtracking, piecing together lore from environmental clues, it's all intact. It rewards patience in a way most modern games flat out refuse to.
Who should maybe wait: anyone coming in cold with no Metroid history. The game doesn't hold your hand, and it isn't trying to. You will feel lost. That's not a bug, but it can be miserable if you're not prepared for it.
One honest reservation: at this price point with no listed discount, you're paying full launch rate. Nothing wrong with that for a game this anticipated, but worth knowing. Stock is moving fast according to the HotUKDeals community, so if you're in, probably don't sit on it.
