Experiencing Metroid Prime 4 with Mouselook and 120FPS Feels Incredible—Almost Illegally So

The gameplay reveal of the anticipated Nintendo Switch 2 showcased some exciting new experiences. For me, the highlight was revisiting a familiar universe with Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. Even though the demo didn’t feature groundbreaking new elements, it resonated with fans like myself. It seemed to spotlight a segment from the game’s very beginning, lacking the enhancements Samus gets as she progresses, like her telekinetic powers.

In this sneak peek, Nintendo cleverly selected an area where Samus relies on her classic arsenal: the arm cannon, missiles, scanner, morph ball, and bombs. These familiar elements lent the game a nostalgic feel, reminiscent of previous titles. While this might lead one to think it’s a straightforward sequel, earlier footage hints at innovative abilities and mechanics that weren’t present during this hands-on session with the Switch 2.

It’s clear Nintendo and Retro Studios intentionally chose this straightforward segment. It was all about emphasizing how the core Metroid Prime experience translates onto the new hardware. The first thing the Nintendo rep emphasized was the robust performance: “This is running at 120 frames per second.” Mentioning this right off the bat underlined the performance improvements, quite unusual for Nintendo, known for focusing less on technical specs.

Indeed, Metroid Prime 4 on Switch 2 is an upgrade from hardware theoretically much weaker, according to somewhat contentious stats from Nvidia. Running in full HD—even offering 4K at 60fps—the game looked incredibly smooth at 120fps. Although I couldn’t compare directly with the original version, since it wasn’t available, streams suggested a noticeable visual upgrade. This fluidity in frame rate is strikingly atypical of Nintendo. It felt like departing from their established norms.

Let’s talk about controls. The Switch 2 reveals a fascinating new feature: the ability to transform the Joy-Con into a mouse by placing it on a surface. This innovation invites mouse controls into compatible games, enhancing them vastly. A prime example was Civilization 7 at the same event, its mouse controls mirroring those on PC. Metroid Prime 4 jumps into this trend given its essence as a first-person shooter.

The utilization of mouse controls in Metroid Prime 4 felt revelatory. Unlike a static toggle, you can seamlessly shift between using the Joy-Cons as a traditional controller and switching to a mouse mode. By simply aligning the right Joy-Con correctly on a surface, the game transitions to mouselook effortlessly without a menu tweak. This user-friendly integration felt apt, making the game responsive and intuitive to maneuver.

In my demo, the portion I explored leaned heavily on combat, skimming over the puzzle elements Metroid is celebrated for. As I navigated through, I found a rhythm, switching between gripping the Joy-Cons for scanning and manipulating the morph ball, to shifting into mouse mode for intense combat. This back-and-forth was seamless, an experience highly reminiscent of PC gaming’s agility.

The true test came in a boss fight, where traditional controls couldn’t match the efficiency provided by mouse targeting. Attacking weak points swiftly and accurately, I breezed through the fight more effectively than others using conventional methods. Coupling this with the smooth 120fps gave an air of almost illicit advantage. Normally, this level of precision in a Nintendo game required unconventional means.

This upgrade addresses a persistent issue with the original Switch: performance. While visually fine for a hybrid console, many games didn’t always deliver in terms of seamless gameplay. If Metroid Prime 4 is indicative of what’s to come, I eagerly await both revamped classics and entirely new titles focusing heavily on performance enhancements.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is slated for release later this year, potentially alongside an original Switch version. However, the Switch 2 seems to be the definitive platform for experiencing this adventure, exemplifying precisely what you anticipate from a next-gen upgrade.