Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Dev Discusses Creating Samus’…

Summary

Lead UI artist Jon Wofford discussed some of his work on Prime 4 on ArtStation, providing insight into the development of the anticipated game.
The HUD through Samus' iconic visor offers players a full first-person view, a key feature retained from the Prime games.
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond showcases Retro Studios' graphics and attention to detail.

Weeks after the initial reveal of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, a developer from Retro Studios explained how he created the UI and HUD elements for Samus' iconic visor for the upcoming Switch game. After nearly five years since Metroid Prime 4: Beyond restarted its development in 2019, the game was finally re-revealed for the first time during the June 2024 Nintendo Direct. The game is currently slated for a 2025 release date.

The first look at Metroid Prime 4 shows a lot of strides that Retro Studio has made in the past few years, especially compared to prior entries. The most recent release in the series was Metroid Prime Remastered, which was praised for its incredible graphical fidelity, with the same amount of shine and attention to detail being present in Metroid Prime 4. One strong point of the Prime games that has also been retained for Prime 4 is the HUD through Samus' visor, which gives players a full first-person view from the bounty hunter's eyes, as opposed to the side-scroller view of 2D games. One of Retro Studios' lead UI artists, Jon Wofford, recently shared some insight about the development of Prime 4 and his work on Samus' visor.

These details were shared on Wofford's ArtStation page, which included some short videos of the elements he worked on. He noted that Metroid Prime 4: Beyond's UI was a "true labor of love" and that he was finally glad to share his work with everyone. He shared high-quality screenshots of the HUD during combat, with the goal being to update the visor to something modern that honored the Metroid Prime trilogy. Wofford was incredibly humbled by the ability to work on Prime 4, stating he learned a lot from working at Retro Studios.

What Has Wofford Worked on for Metroid Prime 4?

Wofford also shared various scanning animations, transitions, and other small details in the reveal trailer. He also showed off some of the UI elements after shifting into Samus' iconic Morph Ball mode, which shows the bomb counter and Samus' current health at the top. Wofford also revealed that he helped work on the UI for the computer screens seen in the area where the Space Pirates attack.

Jon Wofford previously worked as a UI artist for 2023's Metroid Prime Remastered, and Metroid Prime 4 appears to be a natural evolution of its UI elements. The graphics of Metroid Prime 4 have been praised by many fans, as it was on par with the 2023 Prime remaster. While the game is still a bit off from launch, many fans and the people working on the game are excited about the long-awaited sequel.

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