There arent a lot of games out there that we have been waiting for as long as we have forMetroid Prime 4: Beyond. Its been close to two decades sinceMetroid Prime 3: Corruptioncame out, andPrime 4itself was originally announced all the way back in 2017, before being indefinitely delayed and completely rebooted from scratch under Retro Studios just a couple of years later. Now, however, that long period of anticipation finally seems to be in its final stretch.An entire console generation after its original announcement,Metroid Prime 4: Beyondis close to releasing, while recent days and weeks have also brought new details and gameplay footage on the first person action adventure title. As we look to fan the flames of hype surrounding the game, here, were going to highlight the most significant details that have emerged on the upcoming Nintendo title. Without further ado, lets dive in- starting with the basics.STORY DETAILSSet some time after the events ofMetroid Prime 3: Corruption, Metroid Prime 4: Beyondwill see series protagonist and legendary bounty hunter Samus Aran embarking on a quest on yet another dangerous alien planet. As we saw in a recent Treehouse Live demo the game will begin with Samus responding to a distress call from Galactic Federation soldiers on the planet of Tenmaar, which we also saw glimpses of in Metroid Prime 4s re-reveal last June. As Samus lands, she finds the planet under assault from heavy Space Pirate forces, who, curiously enough, have forged an alliance with the enigmatic bounty hunter Sylux. For those unaware, Sylux has appeared a handful of times in the past, but little is known about the villainous character. Retro Studios and Nintendo have confirmed, however, that the bounty hunter is going to have a major role to play in the upcoming sequel.SETTINGThe planet of Tenmaar will be whereMetroid Prime 4: Beyondwill kick off, but its not the aforementioned dangerous alien planet that serves as the games main setting. As revealed in a recent Nintendo Direct trailer, the game is set on a completely new planet in the form of Viewros. Little is known about this planet or what sights it will have on offer, other than the fact that a colossal, towering tree lies at its heart and is clearly an important structure as far as the planets lore is concerned. This being aMetroidgame, presumably, well get much more intimate with the planet, its environments, its history, and its many hostile denizens over the course o the game.CLASSIC METROID PRIME GAMEPLAY RETURNSAll that we have seen ofMetroid Prime 4sgameplay so far has made it clear that for returning series fans, things will instantly feel familiar in more ways than one. The lock-on centric shooting, the shooting at doors to unlock them, the scanning of everything and anything that you can see, the energy tanks and missiles, the turning into a morph ball and using your bombs- all the familiar gameplay elements that youd expect in aMetroid Primegame are present and accounted for here.PSYCHIC ABILITIESMetroid Prime 4may be delivering a lot of more of the same, but that isntallthat its doing. Retro Studios is also changing up the tried and true gameplay formula with some new ideas thrown in- like Samus new Psychic Powers. How they will fit into the story remains to be seen, but we do know that Samus is going to be equipped with new telekinetic abilities inPrime 4. This time, shell be able to manipulate and move objects with her mind, control the trajectory of her fired projectiles, open doors that are otherwise inaccessible, and more. Presumably, these abilities will also have a significant role to play where traversal and exploration are concerned.ABERAXMetroid Prime 4: Beyondsrecent Treehouse Live demo showed off the opening minutes of the game, which, in trueMetroid Primefashion, end with a bombastic set piece boss fights against a ginormous alien monstrosity. Named Aberax, this creature, as the first boss of the game, isnt awfully difficult to take down, by the looks of it, but still seems like a solid introductory boss. In the demo, we saw it unleashing a variety of different attacks, such as sending out large circular waves for players to dodge over or under, using its jetpack for enhanced mobility, and swinging at Samus with vicious melee strikes. The boss fight tasks players with focusing on and damaging weak points on Aberaxs chest, which the creature does its best to try and prevent you from doing by blocking them with its shielded arms.NEW SUITYou cant have a newMetroidgame (with some exceptions) without a new suit for Samus to find and kit herself out with, and sure enough, Metroid Prime 4: Beyondwont buck that trend either. A new red suit was glimpsed in its Switch 1 Direct trailer at the end of March, though as youd expect Retro Studios and Nintendo have said little else about it, where it will fit in the story, or what (if any) new powers it will bestow on Samus.LAUNCH DETAILSAt the recent Switch 2 unveiling, Nintendo announced, as many expected, thatMetroid Prime 4: Beyondis going to be a cross-gen game. In addition to releasing on the Switch, it will also be available on the Switch 2 day and date. When exactly it will release is still a mystery, with Nintendo having chosen to withhold that information thus far, but wedoat least know that it will be out sometime this year.NINTENDO SWITCH 2 EDITIONMetroid Prime 4: BeyondsNintendo Switch 2 version or its Nintendo Switch 2 Edition release, as Nintendo is calling it will come with a number of enhancements. Players can expect improved load times, improved resolution and frame rate targets (more on this in a bit), HDR support (as long as you have a compatible screen) and more.GRAPHICS MODESMetroid Primegames have a knack for looking gorgeous for the hardware that they are on, andBeyondis looking no different. On the Switch 2, in fact, it will unsurprisingly boast some pretty impressive tech targets. In Quality Mode, the game will run at 4K and 60 FPS, while a Performance Mode will also be available for those who wish to play it at 1080p and 120 FPS.GAMEPLAY MODESMetroid Prime 4: Beyonds Switch 2 version will have exclusive gameplay features as well, with the game being playable one of several ways, thanks to the consoles versatile hardware. You can play it the regular way with a controller, or you can use the Switch 2s gyro controls to make aiming a little easier for yourself (not that the heavy lock on ofMetroid Primesgameplay makes that part of the gameplay too difficult). Best of all, youll also be able to turn a Joy-Con on its side to use it like a mouse and play the game that way, which is particularly exciting for a first-person shooter. As shown in the recent gameplay demo, switching between different gameplay styles will be instant and seamless.