Two new unlisted videos have been discovered for Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, and one of them showcases a brand new boss.
With all the attention on Pokémon Legends: Z-A, it’s easy to forget Nintendo is launching a brand new Metroid Prime sequel in under two months.
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond was originally announced way back in 2017, but development was restarted in 2019 under original developer Retro Studios. Six years later, the sequel is set to be finally released across Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 on December 4, 2025.
It’s been a long time coming, and with Pokémon Legends: Z-A out of the way, it seems like Nintendo is gearing up to start the marketing drive with some dedicated adverts (and not the kind with the wrong release date).
These two adverts, however, have been discovered before they’ve been officially posted. The two video clips were originally shared on Famiboards and, at the time of writing, are currently unlisted on the Nintendo Of America YouTube channel.
That usually means they will be imminently made public, although they may have been uploaded early in order to be used after a future Nintendo Direct dedicated to the title – much like the recently announced Direct for Kirby Air Riders.
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The adverts themselves are brief but they do reveal one boss we haven’t seen before, named Xelios. It’s a spherical plasma-looking ball hidden behind hexagonal steel plates, and while it looks relatively basic, it seems designed to show off the mouse controls.
In the other clip, we get another glimpse at a boss called Carvex (who has been seen in a previous trailer). This looks like a more classic Metroid enemy in its design: a giant plant-like boss with flailing tentacles you have to shoot.
Nintendo has gradually rolled out other Metroid related promotions in recent weeks, with the Metroid 2 soundtrack being added to Nintendo Music, while some interesting quotes have emerged from the upcoming Metroid Prime 1-3 retrospective art book.
As detailed by IGN, Metroid Prime series producer Kensuke Tanabe shares various anecdotes in the art book, including how the idea for a sequel was largely unplanned, until he saw the storyboard for the secret ending to Metroid Prime (spoilers ahead).
‘Today, it’s common for movies to include short teaser scenes after the end credits – but at the time, I think, this kind of ending left a particularly memorable impression,’ Tanabe said. ‘When the art director first showed me the storyboard for the 100% ending of Metroid Prime, he explained: ‘This is a scene where Metroid Prime absorbs Damu’s cells and regenerates.’
‘Naturally, the idea arose: well then, let’s use this character to create a sequel. Around that time I recall that some movies specifically announced as a trilogy from the outset were a hot topic, so I told the team, ‘Why not make it into a trilogy?”
A remastered version of Metroid Prime was released in 2023 on Nintendo Switch, and while rumours have persisted for years around its two sequels getting remasters, they have never been officially announced.
As for Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, we know Samus will have psychic powers and a motorbike this time around, as she explores the planet Viewros.
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