Summary
Nintendo had a blockbuster Direct this month, withMetroid Prime 4: Beyondbeing one of the most hotly anticipated releases of 2025. For years, it has been known that a newMetroid Primetitle was in the works, and after many setbacks (including a full reset), a fully realized game is on the way, complete with gameplay footage. The teaser received an ecstatic reception, practically hitting every note that franchise enthusiasts could ask for. After a 17-year wait,a newMetroid Primeadventureis sure to have undergone considerable evolution in tone and execution, much like many other Nintendo franchises.
In themany years since the lastMetroid Primeinstallment, few Nintendo IPs have undergone as drastic and thorough an overhaul as theLegend of Zeldaseries has, particularly withBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdom. A combination of powerful new tech and fresh ideas has propelled the franchise to new heights, and there is no reasonMetroid Primedoesn’t stand to see the same evolution. However,some ideas should probably be left in the past, especially since other franchises have taken the same ideas and improved upon them exponentially.Metroid’s “Phazon” is one of those ideas.
Nintendo, I’m Begging You To Give This Classic Series The Attention It Deserves On Switch 2
The Switch has brought a verdant era for Nintendo exclusives, but there’s one series that I hope is finally given its due when its successor arrives.
Metroid Prime’s Phazon Is Too Similar To TOTK’s Gloom
While Different, Both Phazon & Gloom Effectively Do The Same Thing
The radioactive substance known as Phazon has been a crucial plot device throughout theMetroid Primeseries. This corruptive and partially sentient organism has the ability to corrupt entire planets, eventually morphing them into worlds of pure Phazon. Exposure is quickly deadly, and it can even assume control of a host’s body, enhancing physical abilities and propensity for violence. While this was an intriguing story element that served theMetroid Primetrilogy well, such a device is all too common in games today, andTears of the Kingdomessentially does the same thing with how “Gloom” moves the story forward.
June 2024’s Nintendo Direct may have hinted that theNintendo Switch 2 will be backward compatible.
Tears of the Kingdomwas a masterful follow-up toBreath of the Wild, and the evil substance known as Gloom was an excellent addition to the formula.TOTK’s Gloom is a lethal substancethat appeared in Hyrule upon Ganon’s return at the beginning of the game. The dark substance represents Ganon’s evil, and its negative effect on the land and people of Hyrule is a byproduct of its destructive essence. Gloom can often enhance enemies' abilities, sometimes possessing them to carry out Ganon’s will. It can even manifest entities like Phantom Ganon when paired with the subject’s flesh and blood.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Review - Building Excellence
Tears of the Kingdom takes Legend of Zelda into mostly familiar ground, but it remains an excellent, must-play title with plenty of innovation.
Hopefully, Metroid Prime 4 Leaves Phazon In The Past
The Trope Is A Bit Overused
TOTKand theMetroid Primetrilogy are world-class games, both vastly different in genre and story, just as Gloom and Phazon are different. Phazon is a chemical/biological organism, whereas Gloom is a supernatural phenomenon, yet they both operate in similar ways. They represent the almost omnipresent nature of the nemesis that the protagonists will ultimately face. Such a narrative tool has been used endlessly. The goop graffiti inSuper Mario Sunshineis another example of Nintendo using the same tool, and as amazing as those games are,it might just be time to leave these tropes in the past.
Even as theNintendo Switch nears the end of its life cycle, the Japanese developer has an amazing lineup to send the console off into the sunset with style.Metroid Prime 4is poised to give the Switch an immaculate finish before the successor console comes along. When the game drops next year, it will have been 17 years since the lastMetroid Prime, and the anticipation is only increasing. Nintendo is sure to shake up the formula for the series just as it expertly did with theZeldaseries, andMetroid Prime 4: Beyonddeserves that love and care.
