10 years ago, the manufacturer Metroid Prime Series Kensuke Tanabe sat with me at E3 2015 and said that he would like to make a recent game in a series with time travel mechanic.
It was of course a long time ago – so long ago that Nintendo Switch was still known only by his NX poles – but the chat remains one of the most upcoming interviews about the future of Metroid Prime, discussing the stories of Dark Samus and Phazon, Bounty Hunter Silux Silux.
Recalling the Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, Tanabe refers to its double game, in which players change between airy and dim versions of the same space-concept, which caused a mixture of player reaction. However, it seems that the idea of traveling in time got stuck with Tanabe, which once again returned as the producer of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond – a game that contains other similarities to the concept he discussed at that time.
Take, for example, Hunter Hunter, for example a character that even fans of the Metroid Prime trilogy may have difficulty remembering. Silux, Samus’s rival, Silux was introduced in the Spin-Off Nintendo DS Metroid Prime Hunters match (for which Tanabe was also a producer). As part of the same interview, ten years ago, Tanabe confirmed the spacecraft seen while teasing the cliff at the end of Metroid Prime 3 belonging to Silux, potentially establishing the competition in the future game.
“It was Silux, another hunter from Metroid Prime Hunters at the end of Metroid Prime 3,” Tanabe said to me. “Personally, I would like to create a story focusing around Silux and Samus.”
Well, the roll is a decade, and Sylux is actually an crucial presence in Metroid Prime 4 – and in last week the character was also announced as the Amiibo figurine.
When it comes to the idea of playing with a journey in time, the fans have long kept the suggestion of Tanabe-a, even pointed to the shape of a black hole observable in the Metroid Prime 4: Beyond’s Beyond logo in the hope that this may mean that Samus can create a space hole to travel to the past or future.
Now allegedly leaked the box art for the first time published for the first time Shinesparkers It seems that Samus got stuck on the planet of Viewros after moving through space and time – It causes more conversations when traveling in time, like Silux, the remaining part of Tanabe plans.
“I assume that it will work exactly as the dark Aether works in Prime 2,” wrote Metroid Fan Spinjitsuninja RedditBefore the alleged art of the box leaked. “We see several portals in the last trailer anyway, so if they are not awkward points of Warp, I think it shows a similar world.
“Calling it now: you need to find a certain speed on a bike to travel in time, return to the future style,” added another fan, Gleethor Set. “I could even see how it is almost immediately changing the landscape around you while traveling in time, which can certainly explain why it is relatively uncommon.”
Last week, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Trailer finally revealed the release date of the game, and also presented a new Samus motorcycle, although something low showed in the wider Nintendo Direct. I hope that we will see more games before the release date of December 7, 2025 – if we could only travel in time.
Tom Phillips is the editor of Ign. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on BlueSky @tomphillipseg.bsky.Social
