Reactions to Metroid Prime 4: Beyond have been mixed among Nintendo fans. Some people really love what the game brings to the series, while others have taken issue with the writing and dialogue of the characters that appear in the story. When the game was being previewed by media outlets, there was a harsh reaction I saw online to some of the new characters that interact with Samus Aran during the game. But it may not be those new characters themselves that are the issue, and instead, may be a byproduct of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond trying to remain faithful to the earlier entries in the series.

I listen to many podcasts about Nintendo games, especially when I'm playing new releases like Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. And while listening to an episode of the Kit & Krysta podcast, something was pointed out to me that I could not unsee afterward. The problem with the new characters may not come from them, but is an issue with Samus Aran herself as she comes into contact with them. Here's why Samus Aran is the real problem with Metroid Prime 4's most awkward moments.

A stoic hero problem

Not just limited to Metroid

Much like the Metroid games, other Nintendo series often have playable heroes that fit the role of silent protagonists. This is usually done to allow players to step into the role of the story, where it's them playing the hero and not just a character being followed. I might be seeing Link save Hyrule from Ganondorf or Samus saving the galaxy from the Metroids, but the idea is that me (the player) is the one doing these things. For older games, this works out well to get around limitations in technology and have a more engaging story for players to play through. But it's become more of a larger issue now as games have gotten more complex and are able to tell better stories with more complex characters.

These days, we can finally see and hear characters in The Legend of Zelda series, or see how Samus Aran can react to her surroundings in Metroid Prime. The need for a stoic hero to be the stand-in for the player isn't necessary as much, because now these characters can truly become more like characters we follow. There's no need for players to be the character they love, when they can see them in full and still take on their quests while playing.

Awkward and bland moments

Samus has to give us something

And here is where the problem lies with Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and the awkward moments of dialogue in cutscenes and gameplay. In the Metroid Prime games, we hardly ever see Samus express herself in any meaningful fashion outside of grunts or sounds of pain. She has no dialogue in any cutscene, even when another character is speaking to her, and no moments during fights or exploration where she says anything whatsoever. Samus is truly a silent protagonist in the extreme sense, no matter what the scenario is. And that's a big issue for this game when everything else around her is able to emote and display some sense of complexity.

When characters talk to Samus in Metroid Prime 4, with full voice acting, it can come off as awkward. Whenever I see Myles make a stupid or corny statement about something, we get nothing from Samus, and the moment is made even more awkward. This isn't the fault of the writing for the characters around Samus Aran, but rather the shallow approach to her in these situations. If every other character in the game has a personality that is shown through dialogue throughout the game, then Samus is left out in the cold with nothing to play off of. She isn't giving me anything at all to get a sense of what she or I should be feeling at the moment. I can't even tell if she even likes some of the Federation Marines that help her throughout the story.

Other characters and alien creatures interact with Samus throughout Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, and not just in the goofy ways that Myles does after meeting up with him. And even then, there's little to nothing in reaction from Samus when these conversations happen. The subtle movements she has in response to something a character tells her aren't enough to get a sense of what the vibe is in the room. It feels like the rest of the universe is able to express complex emotions or feelings when characters are engaging with one another, but Samus Aran is incapable of doing so. And that's not the fault of any other character, not even Myles.

It's been done before

But Prime 4 is too scared to do so

The most disappointing aspect of this for Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is that I've seen the complete opposite of it done in the Metroid series before. Classic games, like Metroid Fusion and Super Metroid, have shown the inner dialogue and thoughts Samus has in response to various events. For those games, it worked out well when the focus was on the isolation of Samus Aran in mysterious locations. But for games where she comes into contact with characters often, we see Samus display more of her personality. The game that did this the most with its story was Metroid: Other M on the Nintendo Wii.

Despite Metroid: Other M being heavily criticized by fans for many reasons, the one thing it did very well was showcase a side of Samus Aran we had never seen before. She was talking, emoting, having an attitude, and reacting to things around her in different ways other than a blank stare. For the faithful Metroid fan, this was a very out-of-the-box approach that didn't fit with the isolating feeling of past games, but it worked for putting the character in a different setting. I got a sense of what Samus Aran was like as a person, in and out of her suit, and it was interesting to see.

Unfortunately, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond steers very far away from having Samus doing anything close to that. Instead, it stays faithful to Samus acting as when she was more isolated in the previous Metroid Prime games, where we don't see as much interaction with other characters. It's almost as if the game is too scared to let Samus have a bit of personality alongside the rest of the cast. This approach just doesn't work out as well with more moments of interaction for her, even though it's a very similar approach to what the first three games had done already. Samus can't be so stoic and bland when the people around her, and the universe she explores, is filled with so much more dynamic personality.

Admitting there's a problem

I'm enjoying my time playing Metroid Prime 4: Beyond on the Nintendo Switch 2, but even I can admit there's a problem with Samus in her latest adventure. The harsh backlash to the characters and dialogue of the game is something to note, but the root cause of everything comes down to Samus Aran herself. She's a great bounty hunter that we love to follow during the many stories of the Metroid Prime series, but she needs to be more than a quiet hero with awkward moments in future games. At the very least, the characters of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond are able to showcase more dimensions to their personality, and it's long overdue that Samus Aran finally did the same.