There was some hope thatMetroid Prime 4would be at the Nintendo Direct after online retailers listed the game as available for pre-order ahead of the event, which alsohappened withTheLegend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. While the latter showed up in a big way, that unfortunately cannot be said aboutMetroid Prime 4, but this Direct did indicate a potential turning point for the game.
RELATED:Ex Retro Studios Devs Speak About Metroid Prime 4
Now,Metroid Prime 4may not have been there, butMetroid Primeas a whole was. The new remaster shadow dropped for fans using the Nintendo eShop, with a physical release hitting retailers on February 22. Priced at $39.99, this doesn’t just seem to be a fresh new coat of paint. No Switch remaster can really be just that, but there are revamped graphics and sound design, unlockable art, and updated control schemes to bringMetroid Primeto the Switch. All of this makesMetroid Prime Remasterednative to the Switch, and as of this writing, it is only the secondMetroidgame native to the console.Metroid Dreadis the first, which reviewed well, but the otherMetroidgames playable on Switch are only via the online service.
Combine this with therumors thatMetroid Prime Remastereddevelopment has been done for a while, and it shows how Nintendo is acting on the franchise. This wouldn’t be the first time Nintendo has been said to do something like hold back a release, and timing is certainly key. Shadow droppingMetroid Prime Remasteredthough is a bold move, one that offers some legitimacy to this rumor, if not outright confirming it. But if timing is key, the question becomes timing to what. Being able to play a remaster of the first game before officially re-revealingMetroid Prime 4sometime this year is a hopeful, bold move.
Of course, there are rumors that Nintendo is going to have a light end-of-year release schedule, and a Switch successor has been rumored for next year. Those rumors constantly crop up, but if so, a Switch successor will likely be backward compatible to some degree. If this is true, and that’s a pretty big if with theSwitch recently outselling the PS4,Metroid Prime 4could be the launch title used to market it, perhaps later this year. If it’s not true, then the current happenings within and around the franchise bode well forMetroid Prime 4to hopefully be re-revealed sooner rather than later. If anyone was concerned about the sales figures ofMetroid Dread, which could perhaps be summed up as good for the franchise but not great for the Switch, then it stands to reason those fears can instead be replaced by hope.
MORE:Metroid: 7 Great But Underused Villains
