According to a new leak, early impressions of Metroid Prime 4 might have been wrong. A leaker who claims to have gotten the game early says that the latest Nintendo Switch 2 title isn’t as annoying as reviewers made it out to be.
Metroid Prime 4’s “Annoying NPCs” Might Not Be That Bad After All
When early previews of Metroid Prime 4 came out a few weeks back, they weren’t great. A major complaint from outlets was a new NPC sidekick called Myles MacKenzie. The wise-cracking quippy sidekick was, in short, described as annoying. Reviewers compared him to “bad Marvel humor.” For many fans, this was a red flag that Nintendo may have made a major miscalculation with the long-awaited Metroid sequel.
However, a new leak claims that Metroid Prime 4’s annoying NPCs aren’t as prevalent as initial early reviews suggested. This latest update comes from a Nintendo Switch 2 player who reportedly got their hands early on a physical copy of the game. Over on Reddit, they posted their first impressions and said: “Myles MacKenzie’s character comes up very seldom outside the first section. But he is not a tutorial exclusive. The game is awesome.”
Additional details about the game also leaked. For example, you will reportedly pick up additional sidekicks besides Myles. And unfortunately, they also appear to be annoyingly written. The good news? They, too, are not in every section of the game. “There’s no NPCs in Volt Forage the second area. There are also no NPCs in Sol Valley (the desert hub). He also mentioned that comms cut out when you enter Volt Forage so it seems the dedicated areas won’t have NPC comm chatter,” a Reddit user summarized.
Why Do People Hate Metroid Prime 4’s Myles Mackenzie So Much?
Besides the obvious cringe Marvel humor, the biggest reason is the atmosphere. The Metroid series specifically made its name through exploration. And a big component of that is landing on an alien planet and getting lost in the environment. Most players would tell you that silence and special sounds are also a big aspect of the Metroid series.
So to have a chatty NPC that doesn’t shut up, it’s a bit of a jarring mix for a franchise that is usually defined by silence. So, as you can imagine, the quippy sidekick feature of Metroid Prime 4 did not go over well with players who watched first impressions of the game. However, this latest leak seems to confirm that while the side characters are annoying, they aren’t in every section of the game.
When Is the Metroid Prime 4 Release Date?
If you’ve been waiting as long as I have, then it feels like an eternity since Metroid Prime 4 was first announced. And that wouldn’t be entirely wrong, as this thing was revealed way back in 2017. That was over eight years ago! Thankfully, we won’t be waiting much longer, as the Metroid Prime 4 release date is Thursday, December 4, 2025, at 9 PM PT / 12 AM ET.
For your convenience, here is when Metroid Prime 4 releases on Switch 2 in each region:
Metroid Prime 4 Release Time by Region
It should be pointed out that the above Metroid Prime 4 release times are for the digital Nintendo eShop version. You can actually pre-load the game right now on your system, but it takes up 27.6GB of memory. However, once you have it loaded, Metroid Prime 4 will be unlocked and playable at the times listed above.
The post Metroid Prime 4 Leak Says Annoying NPCs Aren’t a Big Problem After All appeared first on VICE.
