Metroid Prime 4 Developers Share Insights on the Challenges of an Open-World Hub Design

After its announcement in 2017, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond finally made its debut on Switch and Switch 2 earlier this month, receiving a mix of solid reviews and criticism regarding its open-world desert hub. It appears that even though the development team at Retro was aware of the growing discontent with open-world games, they were committed to completing the design they had started.

In a recent interview with a Japanese gaming magazine, the team behind Prime 4 discussed the contentious open-world hub and the inclusion of a motorcycle. An anonymous member of Retro Studios shared insights into the game’s development, noting, “At the start of the project, perhaps influenced by The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, we saw many comments online expressing a desire for an open-world Metroid.” They acknowledged that the core Metroid concept of “unlocking powers to expand explorable areas” doesn’t mesh well with the open-world idea of “freedom to go anywhere from the start.” As a result, they aimed to create a limited area that players could explore freely, serving as a hub connecting to other regions.

However, the development of Metroid Prime 4 took longer than anticipated and had already undergone a reset in 2019 when Bandai Namco was replaced by Retro as the lead developer. During this time, the team noted that player attitudes toward open-world games had shifted. Unfortunately, another reset was deemed “out of the question,” so they had to proceed with the open-world hub, fully aware that it might not resonate with all players.

The interview also highlighted that as Prime 4 was being developed, the landscape of shooters and action games evolved to become faster-paced. Retro chose to ignore these trends to maintain the “tempo of an adventure game,” resulting in a title that feels somewhat disconnected from contemporary gaming trends.

Regarding the controversial motorcycle, Viola, Retro explained that it was introduced to address the slow movement speed of Samus in Prime 4, particularly when navigating the expansive desert area. “While Samus has high-speed abilities like the Boost Ball and Speed Booster, we concluded that ‘riding a bike’ was the best way to achieve both ‘moving freely and quickly across large areas’ and ‘looking cool,’” the team stated. They believed that incorporating bike mechanics could alleviate the tension of exploration and enhance the overall pacing of the game.

While it’s insightful to learn about the rationale behind these design choices, it doesn’t change the fact that the open-world hub in Prime 4 has faced significant criticism.