It’s hard to believe that after eight years of development, and eighteen years of waiting, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is finally out in the wild. After its unveiling in 2024, we knew its release year, but it took until the Nintendo Direct of September 12, 2025 to finally learn exactly when: December 4th, 2025. From that moment on, we had 83 days until release.
On Twitter and Bluesky, we started counting down the days from day 76, by asking our followers a question each day and using the hashtag #OperationMetroidPrime4. These questions were part of our campaign to keep the community engaged and interest in Metroid Prime 4 high, alongside any marketing Nintendo had planned for it.
Many of the questions asked our followers to share their predictions for what the game would contain, or what would happen in it. This feature is a recap of that campaign, including what we asked, what you said, and whether your predictions came true or not. Now let’s get on with it.
Days 76-51
With 76 days left, we asked: “Besides the Vi-O-La Suit, do you think Samus will get another suit upgrade in Metroid Prime 4?” Most of you hoped so, and you were right! Samus acquires the Legacy Suit once she feeds the Tree of Memory with enough Green Energy Crystals to bear the Memory Fruit. She wears it during the final battle with Sylux, and relinquishes it in the ending when she plants the fruit on another world. (T/B)
With 75 days left, we asked: “Do you think Admiral Dane will return in Metroid Prime 4?” Some of you hoped we might see him again, while others believed it would be unlikely. Ultimately, Dane neither made an appearance, nor was mentioned, Since Beyond takes place years later than we initially thought and given Dane’s apparent age, it’s entirely possible he retired sometime between Metroid Prime 3: Corruption and Beyond. (T/B)
With 74 days left, we asked: “Do you think Metroid Prime 4 will reference the events of past Metroid Prime games?” Many of you hoped such references would be kept to a minimum, since it was telling a new story and the Phazon arc was over. In the end, Metroid Prime 4 contains only two blink and you’ll miss it lore references. Examples include technology on Tanamaar you can scan which references Talvania from Metroid Prime: Federation Force, and Sylux’s Logbook entry, which alludes to Federation Force’s secret ending. (T/B)
With 73 days left, we asked: “How many times did you watch the 2017 announcement trailer for Metroid Prime 4?” For most of you, the answer was hundreds, thousands, or “yes”. Us too! Ah, how innocent (dare we say, young and naive) we were back in 2017. We had no idea how long it would take. (T/B)
With 72 days left, we asked: “Do you think Samus will encounter friendly NPCs on Viewros?” A lot of you believed it was possible, and indeed, NPCs were a major part of Metroid Prime 4. More specifically, the five Galactic Federation Troopers that assist Samus during her mission, and Chatoyant Voloon, a Lamorn Priest that speaks to Samus from beyond the grave. (T/B)
With 71 days left, we asked: “Do you think Metroid Prime 4 will be a good entry point for new fans of the #MetroidPrime series?” Most of you said yes, especially since it was intended to begin a new story arc, the only ‘requirement’ being to play Metroid Prime Hunters and see the full endings of Corruption and Federation Force. Even if you didn’t, you weren’t made to feel like you missed out on previous lore. (T)
With 70 days left, we asked: “How excited are you to utilize Samus’s new Psychic Abilities?” Some of you were excited, others were more curious than excited, and a few wanted them to be used creatively. (T/B)
With 69 days left, we asked: “Do you think Viewros was the planet Tanamaar in the past?” This was a common theory that popped up in the discourse around Metroid Prime 4, since Kensuke Tanabe once said he wanted to explore a time-shifting mechanic. Some of you thought this was plausible, but in the end, Tanamaar and Viewros turned out to be distinct worlds, with Viewros sealed away in another dimension. (T/B)
With 68 days left, we asked: “Do you think Metroid Prime 4 should introduce melee combat like in the 2D Metroid games?” Many of you were against this, felt it would not translate well, or would have preferred faster movement instead. Beyond shipped with no melee combat capabilities, although the Psychic Abilities and Vi-O-La both had combat functions, and Samus fought physically in certain cutscenes. (T/B)
With 67 days left, we asked: “Will you be playing with Dual Analog, Gyro or Mouse Controls?” There was no clear winner, with an equal number of you wanting to try Gyro and/or Mouse Controls, and preferring to stick to Dual Analog. Some of you who didn’t have a Switch 2 would have had no choice but to play with Dual Analog. However you played it, we hope you enjoyed your time on Viewros. (T/B)
With 66 days left, we asked: “Do you want Ridley to make an appearance in Metroid Prime 4?” Although a small number of you said yes, the vast majority felt that a fight with Ridley would be forced and unnecessary, especially since Metroid Prime 4 was intended to start a new story. Some of you preferred for Weavel to show up instead. Ultimately, Ridley never appeared and was never mentioned. (T/B)
With 65 days left, we asked: “Will you be doing a #Metroid marathon before Metroid Prime 4 comes out?” Many of you were! Some of you chose to play or replay through the original Metroid Prime trilogy, while others played only one of them, some of the 2D Metroid games, or none for the freshest experience possible. Some of you were waiting for possible Metroid Prime 2 and 3 remasters that never came. (T/B)
With 64 days left, we asked: “Do you think Aurora Units will make another appearance?” Some of you thought there was a good chance since the Galactic Federation was playing a role, while others believed it was unlikely. In the end, Aurora Units did not appear, nor were they mentioned. Given that the entire AU network was compromised during Metroid Prime 3, it’s entirely possible that they were retired by this point. (T/B)
With 63 days left, we asked: “Who is your favorite NPC from the Metroid series?” Your answers included the animals from Super Metroid, U-Mos, Rundas and even Anthony Higgs. All of them are exceptional characters we’d love to see return someday! (T/B)
With 62 days left, we asked: “Are you getting Metroid Prime 1-3: A Visual Retrospective, the art book?” Almost all of you were, and many of you preordered it! (T/B)
With 61 days left, we asked: “Is there a classic power-up you hope will return?” The most popular answers were the Speed Booster, Spider Ball and Screw Attack, but you were equally excited to see the new abilities Samus would acquire in Metroid Prime 4. Of the three mentioned, only the Spider Ball made an appearance. (T/B)
With 60 days left, we asked: “Is there a classic Metroid theme you’d like to hear remixed in Metroid Prime 4?” There were quite a few answers, including Sylux’s theme from Hunters, Brinstar Green, Kraid’s Lair or Phendrana Drifts. In the finished game, Metroid Prime 4’s music was nearly all original. The only returning themes included the Theme of Samus, the Item Acquisition and Samus Aran Appearance Fanfares and the Space Pirates’ theme. (T/B)
With 59 days left, we asked: “Will you be playing on Switch 1 or Switch 2?” Some of you bought a Switch 2 to play Metroid Prime 4 and/or try its Mouse Controls, while some of you were sticking to Switch 1, mainly for cost reasons. Sales data suggests that the Switch 2 Edition sold the most out of both versions. (T/B)
With 58 days left, we asked: “Samus has a very diverse arsenal of weapons and special abilities, but which one is your favorite?” Many of you chose the Speed Booster and Shinespark – which have yet to make an appearance in the Metroid Prime sub-series – or Screw Attack. Every one of Samus’s power-ups make her the timeless badass that she is. (T/B)
With 57 days left, we asked: “What do you think the amiibo will unlock in Metroid Prime 4?” Some of you hoped they would not keep content locked to them or only provide energy/ammo boosts. Some content was ultimately amiibo-exclusive. The Samus amiibo unlocks a music player when riding Vi-O-La and a once-per-day shield with 100 units of energy; the Samus & Vi-O-La amiibo enables you to change the bike’s color scheme; and Sylux’s amiibo granted immediate access to his secret origin cutscene once you beat the game. Although the music player and alternate skins are amiibo-exclusive, the cutscene can also be unlocked by attaining 100% of items and the Logbook and beating the game. Sylux’s amiibo was released with the game, perhaps to prevent the cutscene from leaking early. (T/B)
With 56 days left, we asked: “Which is your favorite enemy from the Metroid series?” This could include regular enemies and bosses. Some of your favorites included Nightmare and the SA-X. (T/B)
With 55 days left, we asked: “Did you have a chance to play Metroid Prime 4 at a Switch 2 Experience earlier this year?” Very few of you did, since not everyone lived in a metropolitan city where Nintendo held such experiences. At least one of our Twitter followers was able to play it thrice. Some of you who could go chose not to in order to keep the launch day experience as pure as possible for yourselves. (T/B)
With 54 days left, we asked: “Of the first bosses fought in each Metroid game, which one is your favorite?” Some of your choices were the Parasite Queen, the Berserker Lord or Corpius. (T/B)
With 53 days left, we asked: “Will you be carving a Metroid-related pumpkin for this Halloween?” We included an image of a pumpkin carved with the Golden Statues from Super Metroid, done by u/ponchey on Reddit. Regretfully, most of you said you didn’t have the time or patience. (T/B)
With 52 days left, we asked: “Have you made your PC wallpaper an image based on Metroid Prime 4?” Our post was accompanied by a custom wallpaper made by Irene, which is a Viewros replica of Bliss, the iconic green hill photograph in the Windows XP wallpaper. Many of you showed off your amazing wallpapers, but only one of you got the reference in ours. (T/B)
With 51 days left, we asked: “What is your favorite track from the Metroid series?” Some of your choices included Brinstar Green, Ridley, Surface (Metroid II), Dark Samus, Raven Beak and Lower Norfair. It’s very hard to choose! (T/B)