Metroid Prime 4: Beyond really does look like it is finally stepping out of the shadows after so many years of waiting. Well, after so long a silence from Nintendo, the fans had almost given up hoping for a glimpse—now, however, some small but reassuringly significant clues have begun to surface. In all honesty, it feels real this time around.
Recently, the community noticed two major signs from Nintendo: a new Kirby Air Riders Direct and a sneak preview of a Metroid Prime art book. At first glance, these seem unrelated, but for the fans closely watching Nintendo’s release habits, they are classic signs that something major is brewing.
I’ve seen Metroid Prime since the days of the GameCube, and more importantly, I’ve seen enough of Nintendo patterns to know when the storm is coming. This one feels like it.
Signs Pointing Towards a Metroid Prime 4 Nintendo Direct
Kirby Air Riders Direct, taking place on October 23, was to raise a lot of eyebrows. Henceforth, usually, when Nintendo decides on a major presentation, it is just a month before a new game launches. With Kirby airing, the end of October looks completely open, perfect for a grand display of Metroid Prime 4.
Should that site be down, we could finally be seeing what our new game actually looks like: fresh graphics, alien landscapes, and the return of those quintessential boss fights that made the original Prime trilogy so memorable. Over here, I still vividly remember that first battle with Meta Ridley of the day, adrenaline all the way.
The signs are just glaring. Just about every major Nintendo release in the last couple of years has had a Direct dedicated to it for about few weeks before launch. If Metroid Prime 4: Beyond follows the same trajectory, the announcement could drop any day now.
The Mysterious Metroid Art Book
At just about the same time, Nintendo quietly put up a 35-page preview of the upcoming art book for the aforementioned Metroid Prime. The timing could not be suspicious enough; it was given just before the purported launch of the Prime 4 marketing attack.
Immediately, fans noticed something of interest: a new version of Meta Ridley redesigned with an uncanny organic texture mixed with mechanical parts. It appears more detailed than ever, more horrific in nature, and more powerful than ever. That art alone sent waves of speculation on what might come for Metroid Prime 4: Beyond.
Some think this new Ridley design may either be from or at least inspired by the look of the upcoming game. The sharper visuals and level of detail also suggest that it is most likely being built with the rumored Switch 2 hardware in mind.
Nintendo Sets Its Schedule Straight
A glance at Nintendo’s current release schedule shows everything lining up. After the Kirby presentation on October 23, the rest of October is wide open-right up until the alleged Metroid Prime anniversary celebration sometime near Halloween.
We then get the Metroid Prime art book release and brand new amiibo figures, hitting early November. That pattern really looks like the buildup Nintendo used for Tears of the Kingdom.
There are even talks that the company might re-release Metroid Prime 2: Echoes and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption as remasters on the Switch eShop. That would be the perfect warm-up for the new game and give both new players and old ones a good reason to jump back into Samus’ world.
What to Expect From the Reveal
If Nintendo truly goes all out, there might not be just one trailer but all trailers: teaser videos, developer interviews, and gameplay previews, plus the full-blown cinematic trailer just before launch. But this would keep Metroid Prime 4: Beyond in the spotlight for weeks.
With Metroid Prime 3 some time above a decade now, fans have waited and perhaps endured too much. I am one of them, scouring every Direct in anticipation of a split second of gameplay. This time seems to be different, though; from the art-book timing to the Kirby Direct setup, everything appears to be a meticulously set counter.
Stars could align, and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond would finally be granted its great comeback, which we’ve all been yearning for. I could barely think about this one reason: Halloween was inching closer, and this year I was hoping to get more than a bag of candy. Samus Aran might finally return from the dead. You may also be interested in: Fallout Day 2025: The Next Chapter for the Wasteland
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