Metroid is one of Nintendo’s biggest franchises, and with Prime 4: Beyond joining the series, i??t’s a great time to replay all your old favorites. Samus has gone on plenty of adventures throughout the galaxy, battling Space Pirates, Metroids, and more.

If you’re itching to play more of the classic series, you’re in luck. There are tons of Metroid titles on the latest generation of Nintendo Console. Here is ever?y single one of them, and how to play them on your Switch.

Metroid Dread

Dread brings the classic side-scrolling of the original games to the modern age, as Samus investigates a mysterious transmission from the planet ZDR. With intense boss fights and incredible level design, Dread is one of the best Metroid games in years.

Metroid: Dread is available for purchase from the Nintendo eShop on your console, or you can pick up a physical copy at a variety of retailers.

Metroid Prime: Remastered

Remastered to run beautifully on the Switch, the original Metroid Prime lets you go into first-person with Samus and do battle with the Space Pirates on the planet Tallon IV. You’ll also be taking on their experimental ??creatures that have been made with the dangerous Phazon substance.

Just like Dread, you can get the remastered version of Metroid Prime in the Nintendo eShop or get a physical copy from stores.

Metroid (NES)

The original adventure that started it all. Play as ??Samus Aran and journey to the depths of the planet Zebes to stop the Space Pirates and Mother Brain from destroying the galaxy after they’ve gotten ahold of Metroids.

You can download the original Metroid straight to your console if you have ??a Nintendo Switch Online membership. You’l?l get access to plenty of NES, Game Boy, and SNES classics, including this legendary title.

Super Metroid

One of the most well-regarded games in history, Super Metroid is not to be missed. An inf?ant Metroid has been stolen by the Space ??Pirates and their leader Ridley, and it’s up to Samus to retrieve the baby Metroid and save the galaxy. 

Since Super Metroid is an original SNES title, it’s included with a Ni?ntendo Switch Online basic membership. You can dow??nload it straight from the Nintendo eShop.

Metroid II: Return of Samus

Set directly after the original game for NES, Metroid II follows the bounty hunter as she prevents the Space Pirates from obtaining the Metroids by eradicating the species on their home planet, SR388. Other teams sent by the Galactic Federation have failed, so it’s up to Samus to finish?? it.

Just like the others, Metroid II is availa??ble with the basic Nintendo Switch Online membership since the game was originally released on the Game Boy back in 1991.

Metroid Fusion

Metroid Fusion lets you play as you guessed it, Samus Aran after she is infected with a dangerous shapeshifting X parasite. You’ll battle these parasites as they infest the BSL space station. This game takes place right before Dread, so it’s a great one to play if you’re interested in getting Dread, too.

You’ll need the next tier of Nintendo Switch Online membership to get this title, the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack. This nabs you tons of Game Boy Advance games, like Metroid Fusion, along with titles from the N64 a??nd SEGA Genesis.

Are more Metroid games coming to Switch?

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is on its way to join the roster of Metroid titles on the?? Switch. It’s scheduled to be released in 2025, though the exact date is still unknown.

As of right now, there is no news on whether more ports to the Switch will be available for the Metroid series, including Prime 2 or Prime 3 remas??ters. The Switch is nearing the end of its life cycle and a successor to the console will be announced soon, but we’re still keeping our hope??s up for more ports.

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Nintendo finally revealed the eagerly awaited Metroid Prime 4: Beyond during its June 2024 Nintendo Direct. I was so pleased to see Samus Aran once again pulled into an active warzone with a dynamic environment being destroyed all around her, just like in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption.

What I wasn't ready for, though, was Sylux, who loo?ks?? like he's become the Thanos of this universe.

Who is Sylux in Metroid Prime 4: Beyond?

Sylux isn't exactly a well-known character in the mainline Metroid Prime games. His first appearance was in Metroid Prime Hunters on the Nintendo DS as one of five other bounty hunters who all responded to a call for someone to claim the ultimate weapon in a lost sector of space. All five bount?y hunters wound up being used by that very same powe??r to create a deadly boss for Samus to defeat.

Following his defeat, Sylux has been hiding in the background of the series. He next appeared in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. If you manage to complete the ??game to 100%, the ending shows a ship tha??t looks suspiciously like Sylux's pursuing Samus Aran.

Finally, in Metroid Prime: Federation Force, the game's ending shows a character with shoulders simila?r to Sylux's hatching a Metroid? egg. Metroids are, of course, the titular threats to the universe that started this whole series. They were designed to wipe out entire planets and ecosystems in order to keep even more heinous aliens in check.

What is Sylux doing in Metroid Prime 4: Beyond?

Little is known about Sylux, but we do know he hates the Federation and the bounty hunter Samus Aran, who frequently finds herself helping them. That makes it easy to understand why he'd go after both in Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, but the t??railer presents him like he's this universe's Thanos.

We see Sylux show up with not only the main background villains from the Metroid franchise, the Space Pirates, but also a couple of actual Metroids. This means Sylux has somehow gained the allegiance of this? terrifying alien race. Coupled with the sheer numbers of the Space Pirates, he has plenty of power ??to push back against the only force for peace in the universe.

Unlike Thanos, Sylux isn't going to pick up a glove and snap people out of existence. He's a being who craves power. He's got the Space Pirates under his thumb and Metroids as his pets, and now he wants more. I th?ink the answer to his ultimate plan, because all villains have a secret ultimate plan, lies in his weapon.

In Metroid Prime Hunters, Sylux uses the Shock Coil, a weapon that dra?ins its target of life while restoring Sylux's. You could argue it's similar to Dark Samus and Phazon, which they would suck up before fighting. We've even seen Samus use Phazon herself to become powerful enough to fight Dark Sam??us.

Sylux wants to? get his hands on some Phazon, which is a colossal sour??ce of power. Should Sylux have a way to control it, could make him the ultimate being. Even more powerful than Dark Samus.

Nintendo has now set Metroid Prime 4: Beyond up to have an epic story on a scale larger than any we've seen in the series. Sylux and his gang of the Federation's worst nightmares are putting everything they can into this fight. That means their goal is worth losing everything for, and I can't wait to see Sylux pull off the big reveal just when we think we've got him cornered, allowing all our bounty hunter friends to jump in when we engage our own Metroid Prime version of Avengers: Endgame on him.

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The one last thing of today’s Nintendo Direct is none other than the elusive Metroid Prime 4. Announced back in (holy crap) 2017, this is the first time we’ve actually seen gameplay. It ??will be arriving in 2025.

I’d say I was shocked, but they had to show it at some point. The gameplay shown off looks a lot like the Metroid Prime we’ve become accustomed to. There's even series' antagoni??st, Dark Samus, stepping in at t??he end.

Samus is in her classic Varia suit (setting it before Metroid Fusion) and can roll into a ball. It looks like lock-on aiming has returned, which means it will feel natural to me. R??ejoice! Scanning is back. Th??e trailer opens with a battle between Federation soldiers and the Space Pirates, but it closes with a look at a more peaceful environment that could be taken straight from a JRPG.

Anyway, take a look for yourself:

Metroid Prime 4 is coming to Switch sometime in 2025.

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"TBA"

We haven't heard much in terms of the release date of Metroid Prime 4, or any info at all really, but Nintendo did a least mention it in their latest financial briefing.

They mentioned quite a few games, actually. Going forward, here is what their first-party major games slate looks like? as of August 3, 2022:

• Kirby's Dream Buffet â€?Summer 2022
• Splatoon 3 â€?9/9/2022
• Bayonetta 3 â€?10/28/22
• Pokemon Scarlet/Violet â€?11/18/22
• Breath of the Wild 2 â€?Spring 2023
• Metroid Prime 4 â€?TBA
• Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp â€?TBA

Out of all of these, Nintendo also chose to specifically highlight these to investors: Xenoblade Chronicles 3, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - Booster Course Pass: Wave 2, Splatoon 3, and Kirby's Dream Buffet. All of those are "near future" type products set to release by the end of September. Curiously, though Dream Buffet still just has a "summer" date, they list it under the "by the end of September" category in the brief, hinting at a release window (summer in all likelihood confirmed that anyway, but this seemingly is not going to get hit with a delay as of yet). The company also reminded everyone that a new Switch OLED model was coming on August 26 in honor of Splatoon 3. Metroid Prime 4 is still sadly TBA, as is Advance Wars.

DLC seems to be the plan for long-term growth, as Nintendo pointed out that "sales were also steady for add-on content, including Animal Crossing: New Horizons �Happy Home Paradise" in that same brief, and many of the above games ??have ??some form of DLC or season pass content already announced; or likely in the works.

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I'm glad they're in charge of Prime 4

The Retro Studios Metroid Twitter-verse is heating up, as the company just changed their header image to a new Metroid picture. The last tweet was January 27, asking for a tools engineer and a tec?hnology engineer, but the header image was recently swapped.

So this seems like nothing, but a lot of people are excited over this very small banner change that was done without any sort of announcement. It's really one of the first instances of acknowledging Metroid Prime 4 in years, outside of indirect recruiting links and that apology video three years ago.

While it's not totally confirmed (again, there was no announcement), it's very clearly Metroid Prime 4, with its blue hues (the primary color of everything Prime 4 related) and gritty tone. It's not even confirmed that the figure is Samus yet, though it most likely? is.

//www.tiktok.com/@??destructoid/video/7070937216083594502

I just have to say, I'm glad that Retro Studios is in charge of Metroid Prime 4. The game could have alread??y been out by now if it was done under the old concept! But if Nintendo wasn't even happy with that project internally, who knows what?? the reception may have been.

To take a trip down memory lane, Nintendo noted openly that the project "has not reached the standards [they] seek in a sequel," which at that time was reportedly under the wing of Bandai Namco. In any case, we could get a Prime 4 update at E3 this year, as Nintendo seeks to hype up future products.

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When will we see it again?

A new Metroid Prime 4 recruiting ad lets us know that the game is still in act??ive development, though it's been a while since we've hear??d from it.

If you recall, Metroid Prime 4 has had a heck of a development cycle, and we haven't even really seen it yet outside of a logo. Wildly, it looked like Retro Studios was not handling the game when it was announced five years ago. A year after that, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé confirmed that the game was "still in development" and "proceeding well," but we hadn't seen anything public yet. A year after that we were assured it was "well into production," but then something monumental happened; the company seemingly started over.

Senior managing executive officer Shinya Takahashi used the words "restart from the beginning," with Retro Studios taking over because of quality concerns. It was a wild about-face, but it's pro?bably what people wanted anyway with Retro at the helm.

Now in 2022, we're getting another update, although this one is indirect. The Retro Studios Twitter account noted this week through a Metroid Prime 4 recruiting ad: "We are looking for a tools engineer and a technology engineer to join us on our journey to develop Metroid Prime 4!" Retro then provided this link to their job openings site.

At the moment Retro Studios as a whole has openings for a concept artist, an environment designer, a material artist, character artist, UI artist, UI scripter, technology engineer, environmental artist, environmental terrain artist, and tools engineer. It's a lot of openings, and Metroid Prime 4 seemingly has a while to go yet.

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Tanabe is still leading the charge, though

It's not often that we get any sort of update about Metroid Prime 4. Ever since its reveal at E3 2017 (with literally just a logo), neither Nintendo nor developer Retro Studios has said much of anything about it. That's why it's noteworthy when we ??get even the smallest insight as to its progress.

This news might not seem great, but it's not the five-alarm fire it looks like at first glance. Retro is trying to hire a new lead producer for Metroid Prime 4.

We are looking for a ð—Ÿð—²ð—®ð—± ð—£ð—¿ð—¼ð—±ð˜‚ð—°ð—²ð—¿ to join us on our journey to develop Metroid Prime 4! #GameJobs #GameDev #GameDevJobs//t.co/NWVPLGel3E pic.twitter.com/4hpOgw0Byg

— Retro Studios (@RetroStudios) August 14, 2020

This vacancy doesn't mean Metroid Prime 4 is just getting underway or that it has been producer-less all this time. It's much more likely that a producer left and now there's a role to fill. Or, it's possible that Retro is ramping up its efforts and adding producers to the project, possibly to finish Metro Prime 4 quicker. Big budget video games often don't just have a single producer as the minutiae of ??project management requires more guidance than one person can lend.

It's also worth noting that series producer Kensuke Tanabe is still attached to the project. He's still a producer at Nintendo and he's still said to be overseeing Metroid Prime 4.

Anyway, this isn't really good news or bad news, per se. It's just news. It doesn't help us infer much as to how development on Metroid Prime 4 is coming along. We just know that it still exists and that it'll be re??ady when it's ready. 

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The other developer is out

Metroid Prime 4, announced nearly two years ago at E3,?? is getting a huge shakeup.

In the below clip, Shinya Takahashi, Senior Managing Executive Officer, plainly explains what's been going on behind the scenes and why Nintendo has been mum for this long. Citin??g quality concerns, Takahashi says t?hat Nintendo had to make the "difficult decision" to "re-examine the development structure itself and change it."

What does that mean? Well the mystery developer (that we'll probably learn about soon enough through leaks, though reports point to Bandai Namco) is out and Retro Studios, the original production company that handled the Prime trilogy, is in. That's good news for Retro fans, though it comes with a catch: Takahashi says that development will now "restart from the beginning." Yikes! It looks like that "2018 and beyond" statement from Bill Trinen a few E3s back really puts the emphasis on "beyond." That said, we can wait. No one wants to see Metroid dead and buried because ?something rushed out of the do??or.

The Metroid Prime series, which debuted in 2002, is one of the most beloved Nintendo games of all time, and certainly one of the most celebrated on the GameCube. It welcomed two sequels, Echoes and Corruption in 2004 and 2007 respectively, followed by a (now rare) Trilogy package in 2009.

Although we got the 2D-centric Metroid: Samus Returns back in 2017, which kept the series afloat and will likely spawn a sequel, fans have been wanting a true Prime follow-up for over a decade now. They'll have to wait even longer, but with Retro in charge odds are it will see the light of day eventually. Retro has been fairly quiet since launching Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze in 2014, so it's great to see the Austin Texas studio return to action. Near??ly everything they touch seems to turn to gold.

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'We have expectations about when [it's] going to be released'

Metroid Prime 4 is a mega-mystery at the moment.

You know when studios get up on stage and announce a game at a tradeshow -- they usually clue us into what developer is handling it, or, at the very least, provide that information in a press release after the fact. Not so with Metroid Prime 4, as the development team is currently unknown other than that Bill Trinen calls them "talented" and "new" . In short, we basically just know it's not Retro Studios. So here's what we know in total so far: it's a Metroid game, it was announced during E3 2017 and Retro Studios isn't handling it. Now we ?can add vag??ue timeline info into that equation.

Speaking to Mashable, Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aimé stated that they already have "expectations" as to when Metroid Prime 4 will be released, and he's able to make that claim because "the game is well into development." Well, eh? Well...that's great. It might be years off and get that "Nintendo" delay for the sake of quality, but it's? good to know that progress is being made.

As for announcements in general, Reggie says it "depends on the game," and "how we feel the consumer is going to respond to the message." Ha! That almost feels like a straight reference to Diablo Immortal, though Nintendo is no stranger to Metroid Prime: Federation Force style reactions. It was definitely the right time for a general "a mainline Metroid is coming"?? message after folks had been pining for it for years.

Reggie?? Fils-Aimé mains ?Ridley in 'Super Smash Bros. Ultimate' [Mashable]

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Someone had to ask, right

E3 2018 -- the year of Super Smash Bros. As a fan of the series since day one on Nintendo 64 I was all-in on the decision to to make Nintendo's conference all about Smash, but some people weren't so thrilled. "Where's [x]?" people said afterward -- and Metroid Prime 4 was one of the most talked about variables in t?hat equation.

Well, Nintendo heard those cries, and NOA president Reggie Fils-Aimé has a canned response for ya. When Game Informer asked him about Metroid Prime 4, Reggie fired back: "Last year was important to us to message to the Metroid fan that there was a Metroid Prime experience in development, as we showed Metroid: Samus Returns for the 3DS. We didn’t want that fan to say “You just launched a new system, when are you going to bring me a Metroid on that platform?” We said it was coming. This year, with so many games launching effectively between [now] and the first half of next year, we wanted to focus on those games. Rest assured, Metroid Prime 4 is still in development and proceeding well."

I th?ink we all kind of expected this would take time, even if some folks are getting ants??y at the fact that Nintendo hasn't shown any footage yet.

Reggie Fils-Aimé Sheds Light On The Future Of Switch And His Progress In Breath Of Th??e Wild [Game Informer]

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Maybe we'll get more concrete info at E3?

Rumors have been swirling as to who exactly is handling Metroid Prime 4, and Eurogamer seems to have the answer based on multiple sources. According to the outlet it's? Bandai Namco Studios Singapore that's handling the Switch exclusive, not Retro Studios.

At the moment other than this report, all we have to go on is the logo. Nintendo really gave people the goods with their Switch announcements, tossing out a title screen for this and Pokemon Switch to create excitement for the fledgl?ing system -- and it worked.

For reference, Retro Studios (a subsidiary of Nintendo that is also handling the Donkey Kong Country series now) handled the original Metroid Prime trilogy. With Samus Returns handed off to Mercury Steam and Metroid Prime 4 likely given to Bandai Namco, all Metroid games are currentl??y under the supervision of third parties.

Yes, Bandai Namco is working on Metroid Prime 4 [Eurogamer]

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What is it working on?

When Metroid Prime 4 was announced earlier today during the Nintendo E3 Spotlight, I naturally assumed it was Retro Studios' big project it has allegedly been working on since the launch of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. Turns out I was wrong.

IGN c??onfirmed that during a group interview, Nintendo's Bill Trinen announced ?the developer is not working on the game. Instead, it's being handled by a "talented new team" under the supervision of longtime producer Kensuke Tanabe.

Hopefully, we'll get a good look at Metroid Prime 4 sometime before the new year because the excitement from that announcement teaser has already subsided in me. Also, there are two days left in this bad boy. That's plenty? of time for Nintendo to show us exactly what Retro has been up to these past few years.

E3 2017: METROID PRIME 4 IS NOT DEVELOPED BY RETRO, STILL HAS L??ONGTIME SERIES PRODUCER [IGN]

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