The wait was absurd. The game isn't.
Seventeen years. That's how long Metroid Prime fans have been waiting for a proper sequel. Long enough to finish university, have a couple of kids, and still have time to be disappointed by a teaser trailer. So yes, expectations were complicated.
The good news: Beyond is proper good. It keeps everything that made the original trilogy special - the lonely atmosphere, the environmental storytelling, that satisfying loop of scanning alien life and piecing together what happened here before you arrived. There's a moment early on where you step into a derelict research station, no music, just distant structural groaning and the hum of Samus's suit, and it just clicks. This is the game people were hoping for.
Who it's for, honestly
If you've never played a Metroid Prime before, this isn't the place to start. Not because it's impenetrable, but because you'll miss the weight of what it means. Grab Prime Remastered first, then come back.
For returning fans, though? It delivers. The combat feels tighter than Prime 3 ever managed, and exploring feels rewarding rather than frustrating. My one reservation is that some of the later areas lean a bit heavily on combat encounters where the originals leaned on atmosphere. It's not a dealbreaker, just noticeable.
Is the price actually good?
At under £24, this is noticeably below typical Switch game retail for a first-party title this fresh. The community heat on HotUKDeals backs that up - nearly a thousand degrees is not nothing. Stock has been patchy, so if you want it, don't sit on it.
