Will Metroid Prime 4 be open-world? Latest rumors suggest otherwise

While many fans are looking foward to Nintendo's Metroid Prime 4, there has been nothing but radio silence on that end. Until now that is, as a new rumor sheds light on hotly anticipated details. According to Nick Baker of XboxEra, his sources have seen the upcoming first-person adventure game in development and suggested that the ambition is lofty.

Fans have high expectations, with Nintendo moving onto open-world titles like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. However, disappointing many, Nick believes the game will not be open-world.

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What kind of open world is Metroid Prime 4 expected to have?

Before we get to the details about the game's size, Nick emphasized the fact that the game's graphics have been described to him as "visually unbelievable." Here's the full quote from the recent XboxEra podcast:

"I know someone who's gotten some eyes on Metroid Prime 4 and of course, as expected, I'd say it visually it just looks unbelievable.

This is perhaps the least surprising aspect about the upoming entry in Nintendo's Metroidvania franchise. All the Prime games have pushed the technical boundaries of whichever hardware they have been released on, from the Nintendo GameCube home console to the Nintendo DS handheld. Given how plenty of modern Nintendo games are lookers on the latest hybrid machine, this is expected.

But what comes next may surprise players. Nick continued to say:

"They said it looks surprisingly big, or open, for a Metroid Prime game. This is like BIG big. It is not open-world or anything, but some of the regions and areas in Metroid Prime 4 are supposed to be MASSIVE."

Nick also brings up the recent remaster of the first Metrroid Prime game on Nintendo Switch for reference, stating that the upcoming successor dwarfs it in comparison. He elaborated further to say:

"The way they described it, it almost reminded them of Halo Infinite."

If true, this is a big achievement and surely a treat for Nintendo fans. Halo Infinite is the latest entry in Microsoft's iconic FPS shooter franchise and features a true open world to explore. However, from description thus far, Metroid Prime 4 has been described as a sandbox - one that is still large enough to true open-worlds.

Sandboxes differ from open-worlds titles in the sense that they are large areas where players can explore in a non-linear fashion. Super Mario Odyssey on the Nintendo Switch or Deus Ex Mankind Divided on other platforms are excellent examples of this. Furthermore, it also makes sense why this decision was chosen if this rumor is to be believed.

The star of the show in the Metroid Prime or even the mainline Metroid series has been the level design. Traditionally, the series has employed non-linear but still tightly crafted areas for exploration. It remains to be seen how this will be taken to the next level with larger areas than before, even though it seems like the core foundation is the same.

Metroid Prime 4 was announced back during E3 2017 as the latest entry in the beloved sub-series featuring bounty hunter Samus Aran. The game is currently under development, so a release date is yet to be confirmed. However what we can be sure of is this upcoming Nintendo Switch title is bound to push the graphical boundaries on the Super Mario publisher's hybrid console.