Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Nintendo Details Why Metroid Prime 4 Uses a Hub Instead of a Full Open World

Newly translated Famitsu comments say a gated structure better serves the series’ unlock-driven exploration.

Overview

  • Nintendo says Metroid’s power-gated progression conflicts with go-anywhere open worlds, guiding a limited-area hub design that links to other regions.
  • The team notes the project had already been restarted with Retro Studios, so undertaking another major redesign was not considered.
  • Developers intentionally avoided faster modern shooter trends to maintain an adventure-first tempo.
  • A bike traversal segment in the central zone was created to relieve exploration tension and manage pacing.
  • The remarks appeared in Famitsu and were translated by Nintendo Everything, which also reported newly discovered cut NPC dialogue in the game’s files.